The pre-trip service was excellent. The owner was very accomodating in terms of facilitating payment process, answering all email questions in a very timely way, making excellent suggestions related to travel to and from Heathrow, and a willingness to adjust some aspects of our trip in response to our particular requests. However, when we arrived neither the owner, due to medical reasons, nor her spouse was available to meet with us as planned so we met with their representative who was very kind; but could not explain how to safely operate the small, portable air-conditioner in the bedroom, the microwave, or the vacumn cleaner which needed to be emptied. So the most helpful resources for us became the two giant informational notebooks prepared by the owners, one about the unit and the other the area. While in need of some updates, including the contradictory information about the wi-fi password and no guidance for using the bedroom air conditioner, the notebooks were very thorough and artfully arranged.
We arrived on a weekend and I became ill with a fever of 103. I did call the owner to ask her what medical help I should seek and where. We followed her suggestions only to find the clinic she suggested closed. So we found another alternative on our own. We never did meet the owner or her spouse during our 2 week stay and had but one exchange of polite emails.
The property location was an amazing surprise, especially because I had not stayed on the Southside of the Thames, in spite of the fact that I have made at least 25 or so lenghty stays in London north of the Thames. The Shad Thames Walkway, Globe and Wannamaker theatres, the Tate Gallery, the hundreds of newly available housing units built in period style, the pedestrian bridges over the Thames with a view of the Globe on the SouthBank and St. Paul's on the NorthBank are the results of smart planning, imaginative development, and generous funding.
The unit itself was disappointing to me because I expected a lovely terrace where we could sit and enjoy ourselves viewing the activity on the Thames. However, there is a 5 foot concrete wall that surrounds the terrace advertised as having beautiful views of the river. However, when seated on the terrace you can only see the wall and the terrace itself...you must stand by the wall to have a view. The outdoor furniture was white molded plastic which had dulled with age. There were no flowers and just a few plants in clay pots lying in the corner needing care and trimming. When you walk to the wall to see the view it was the lovely Thames flowing by on one side and the a hugh construction site next to the building on the other side. This site included the remains of a structure and a large area covered with a hugh black tarp and lots of droning tractors and other equipment which we were told was being used to build a South Thames tunnel a multi-year project. It was both noisy and unsightly.
Since the unit had no properly working vacumn cleaner or sturdy broom and dust pan we could not keep the floor and carpets free of debris from the terrace floor. Since we were provided only one sheet, two pillowcases, for two weeks and told not to use the washer for towels or other heavy objects we made do. Since the " air-conditioner" in the bedroom had no workable exhaust vent option it was necessary to open the large bedroom door to the terrace thus allowing hot air in while trying to cool the space, We tried to give the benefit of the doubt for these and several other issues to the owner because of her recent illness; however, we now feel that the unit is older and perhaps suffering from some lack of attention.
We most enjoyed the very convenient location of the apartment close to transportation, a grocery, superb outdoor markets, diverse and excellent restaurants, and the wonderful Shad Thames walkway. The apartment building seemed safe and secure. We were disppointed in the usability of the terrace (obstructed views of the Thamescape), the slightly neglected and cluttered feel of the space incuding various essentials for renters along with the owner's personal belongings ( the apartment is the owner's former residence.). The area carpets in both the living room and the bedroom are worn and old and should be replaced or removed.