And Queensgate is quite a nice street. A little busy but with lots of trees and very well located for sightseeing.

Farther west of the Gloucester Road Tube station along Cromwell Road is a larger supermarket. And isn't the new Whole Foods around there?

I've rented from this agency (their original property, The Cornwall, that's actually part of their family home) and was very happy with the apartment and the management. That said, I find their prices generally too high, and have not rented from them since that first experience.

If money is not a huge concern I'd say yes. If it is then I'd consider other options.

>>>>>
an academic institution of extraordinary excellence, claiming to have won more Nobel Prizes than France, but compensating ugliness)
>>>>>

imperial's tanaka business school is one of the most beautiful buildings in london.

For 1 adult & 1 child, the first flat looks very nice. It's amazing what all they can pack into a small space but with the above recommendation from Steamboatsista you'd probably be happy there.

You can also look around
www.londonguestsuites.com and enter
the following property numbers in their search box just to compare:
1299
871 (doesn't have a washer)
219
1981

One of those is a mews house which I really want to rent because I love them so much.

Thanks for all the feedback.

No, we are not renting the Medci - it was booked. We are renting the Vernona (or is it Veronica?)

Money is not a "huge" issue but havign said that, less is better.

It is a 5 week trip, we are used miles to get there - are using points for a few hotels but still...

What I do like and do not mind paying for is a simple process to rent.

I would like to be able to pay for it on a credit card before hand. The more I pay for now the better. I have several places we are staying that are cash only and while it does not bother most - dealing with getting enough Euros etc was a bit of a pain last time we were in Europe.

I think the Queensgate flat will be fine for you and your daughter. Could you find something cheaper/better -- maybe. Or you could search and search and then find out someone else has booked Queensgate.

If it fits in your budget - I'd go for it. It is in a <u>terrific</u> location for what you will be doing and really close to the park if you want to unwind a bit.

It is nice and definitely cheaper than a similar quality hotel. I'd book it and then quit looking. You could do better, and you could do a lot worse. Book it and the go on to obsess about other things ;)

janisj - you know me so well ;-)

I actually got a deep belly laugh out of the one.

Just think of the trip report! Oh my!

I looked the flats that Carrybean posted and they were not &quot;that&quot; much less expensive.

I think the Queensgate &quot;looks&quot; lovely.

Once again I will actually take your advice (see: I am staying in London on that first night of our trip I believe you were the first to suggest I was off my rocker to push forward to Brugge LOL but you said it much nicer then that).

I am going to email to book this one.

Thanks everyone!!

We have rented the Cornwall from London Perfect for a week in July. (Glad to hear you thought it was nice Therese!). Although we haven't been to the apartment yet (so I can't speak to its qualities), I will say that dealing with Phillipe has been wonderful. They send a very informative packet of information with the rental agreement and have been very helpful in the conversations we have had (both email and telephone). The final seal of approval for me was the post a while back about someone's niece who fell ill in Paris and needed immediate medical attention. Phillipe is a doctor, and the poster (who had rented from him before) called him just to get some information to pass along to her sister (mother of the niece). Phillipe took the family under his wing and helped them get situated at the hospital and lined up an apartment for the family to stay in. After reading that post, I was so happy that we had booked an apartment with him - regardless of the cost. What a class act.

I don't know how to provide a link, but the above referenced post can be found by searching &quot;a wonderful story about the parisperfect folks&quot;. (I believe Phillipe and his wife, Madeline, own parisperfect and londonperfect).

here is that thread http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35122105

(the search function is next to useless so you have to use other tricks ;) )

You might also try www.absoluteacommodations.com. I am renting a flat from them in late July for 626 pounds for a week. It is also a studio, but it is for me and my 14yo daughter and it seems like it will suit us just fine. The one you reference looks larger than what we are renting, but that extra $600 is important to me...allows for more West End shows and all! :-) The one I ended up going with in in Palace Gardens Terrace, closest to the Notting Hill Gate tube stop. They also had one in Bloomsbury at the time I was going for about 570 pounds for a week.

For what it's worth, that rental agency is based in the US, takes credit cards and charges in US dollars from the US and is very helpful and accommodating. I'll report back after my stay, but so far I've been quite pleased with their customer service--they are very responsive to emails and phone calls.

Kelley that is a big difference - I said I would not look but I have not booked yet so one peek will not hurt. :-)

I have read that thread about Perfect Paris and adored it. I had forgotten it was the same company. I love renting from places with that much integrity. Thanks for the reminder.

Dawn, use this link to find out more about the resources surrounding whatever flat you decide to rent.

http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/the-tube.php

Click on the nearby tube stops, and a list of stores, restaurants, and other services will come up. You will *not* regret renting a flat in London. It will help you relax, to eat at home as you do some laundry, watch British TV, and

Also, if you go over to Google maps, and put in a street name or an intersection name, sometimes they have a photographic view of that street. It will help you know what the neighborhood looks like.

Ohhh, you will love a week in London. I'm spending a week there myself in June. I've been there many times, so you have any questions of me, or anyone else on the board about the city, let us know.

<i>I looked the flats that Carrybean posted and they were not &quot;that&quot; much less expensive.</i>

I posted those specific flats because they were LARGER than the studio you mentioned. That they were less expensive is a bonus.

Carrybean's point is an excellent one: space makes a difference, and probably my single biggest issue with the London Perfect apartment was that it was too small. No smaller than described, of course, and the smallness was exacerbated by my husband's falling ill that week, but I still should have gone for a larger property. There was no larger property available from London Perfect, unfortunately, and I didn't look further.

I'll also point out that Phillipe and Madeleine's integrity and attentiveness is not all that unusual in this business. Many owners got into the business because they enjoy traveling themselves and like interacting with others, and over the years we've had lots of similarly lovely experiences. For instance, Madeleine introduced her children to ours, but I've had other owners do the same. One owner in Italy pulled a wad of Swiss francs out of his wallet to loan to my husband one day for a day trip to the Alps, and offered the use of his vacation chalet while we were there.

janisj's point about buyer's regret is an excellent one, though: once you do commit to a property you should turn your attention elsewhere and not keep second guessing yourself.

Carrybean - smacking myself on the head this morning. Sorry I misunderstood!

kelley- btw - cannot pull up any london flats on the website you posted. Not sure if it is this right one?

That link is incorrect here it is:
www.absoluteaccommodations.com

Many of their flats are even more expensive than London Perfect but they do have some for less than &pound;700 per week.

You know - I'm just being an enabler :D

I believe there is a 12 step program for that. ;-)