Question re: this London flat
 

Has anyone lodged here recently?

http://www.vrbo.com/52647

If so, how easy, or not, was it to get to central London?

Any other feedback on the apartment would be great, too.

Thanks in advance!

It's in Archway which is a pretty mixed area - to say the least.

I'd be a little bit worried that the address isn't given.

If yopu can get the street name then we might be able to help.

I would also point out that,despite what the advert says, Archway is not the natural stomping ground of Hollywood film producers.

Also it is true that it's where Dick Whittington turned. That's why the bloody enormous hospital there is called the Whittington.

The flat seems to be on the fifth/top floor. It may as well be a walk-up as there is no description that the building has a lift.

Also TV without cable is pretty much useless.

Archway itself is an ok neighbourhood--I won't call it charming but has good bus links. Some areas look industrial/grim but again hard to give better description without street name or postal code.

I answered on the other thread, but will give a short recap here...

I've booked this flat for a week in October. I'm impressed by the communications I've had with the owner, Lynn. She will promptly answer any questions you may have about the property.

It is indeed a walk-up, on the sixth floor. The building is at Elthorne Road and Holloway, about a minute's walk from the Archway tube station. Postal code N19 4AF.

I'll be alone for most of my stay, so I like the idea of being so near the tube, and on a main road.

My own needs are relatively modest. I don't watch television so it doesn't matter to me whether or not it has cable. The stairs don't bother me (and stairs are what keep nice apartments so afforable- I've happily stayed in places with over 100 stairs in both Florence and Paris). I don't mind taking pubic transport. I'm not bothered by a bit of grit. I prefer staying outside of touristy areas.

All in all I feel good about having booked this apartment. The owner has been fantasic, and I have every confidence in the accuracy of the photos and visitor's comments. I'll have to report back after my stay.

wow.. I have no idea where it is; but the price is great and it looks lovely.

Is it a bad area or something? I cannot tell by the other responses.

I need to correct myself. It's a fifth floor walk-up (not sixth, that was my place in Paris) and it's taking PUBLIC transport that doesn't bother me. Pubic transport I'm not so sure about.

Ask the owner and He will probably give you the exact address. Certainly has lots of nice reviews.

You don't need the address: it's probably Elthorne Rd

It's a (little) bit more than a minute's walk to the tube station, whose entrances are on the other side of a large, sprawling roundabout from the flat. The flat's just off Holloway Rd, which is about as unglamorous an address as it's possible to think of.

Shabby and a bit anonymous, the shops along this bit of the Holloway Rd epitomise the grunginess of most inner suburbia. Blissfully devoid of charm and tweeness. What the blurb doesn't do justice to, though, is the remarkable extent of greenery practically on your doorstep: ten minutes' brisk uphill walking to Waterlow Park, and you're on a network of green footpaths that takes you over most of North London. And Highgate, at the top of the hill, is stuffed with all the charm Holloway is so proudly devoid of.

There are gazillions of buses to all kinds of places from, Archway. Just bear in mind that during busy traffic times (about 0001-2359 on any day with an "a" in it) getting one of them down Holloway Rd to Islington will take you about as long as crossing the Atlantic.

If I were a visitor, I'd infinitely prefer being here than in the tourist ghetto around Gloucester Rd so frequently raved over on this board.

lol at pubic transport

It looks fine to me.

I used to travel through this area every day.

I think what you will get with this flat is a feeling of living in London rather than being a tourist.

It looks small but if you are on your own that's not a problem.

If it all gets too much for you, the Whittington Hospital is London's biggest loony bin.