Max

While searching for 'London apartment accommodation' I stumbled across the website for Scala House, London self-catering apartments. <BR><BR>The small picture of the room looked a little dingey and 70's, but the pages of testimonials sure seemed impressive! <BR><BR>Have you stayed there? What was it like? Would you stay there again?<BR><BR>So give me the lowdown, the good, the bad and the ugly re Scala House.

mjs

We stayed at the Scala earlier this year.<BR>The good: Location may be good for you if being close to the West End is important. It is fairly clean. There is a fair amount of room for the money, especially for London. The staff is nice and responsive. The kitchen is decent and there is a combo washer/dryer. Close to the underground. Some people like it.<BR>The bad: We hated it. Think 70's K mart hotel with no refurbishing in 30 years. Uncomfortable beds. When someone would a bath it would take 45 minutes for the second person to get enough hot water to take his or her bath or shower. Dingy. You are locked in to your contract and cannot leave without losing your &quot;rent&quot;. Reminded me of a worse version of an apartment I had in West Philadelphia as a student. While it was not awful we would not stay there again.

Lori

We stayed at Scala House last spring and will again this spring. It is not luxury surroundings, but neither is the price so if your budget is more important to you then antique furniture and 4&quot; rugs and chandeliers then it is not for you. If your budget is important, then consider it.<BR><BR>Our flat was comfortable, but not luxury. It never took 45 min. for hot water believe me on that! There were 2 of us and we took baths one after the other and never had a hot water problem. I'm not saying the last poster could not have experienced a problem,but we did not in 14 days there.<BR><BR>The kitchen was very decent, fully equipped including dishwaster, small washer/dryer combo, etc. Everything worked just fine and the dishes all matched. The dining area held a table that easily could seat 6, it was in good condition with matching chairs. The living room was a couch, 2 arm chairs,small t.v. and end tables. The furniture was basic (again, if you are not expecting The Ritz you won't be disappointed). The larger bedroom had a king-size bed (very comfortable mattress), small bureau, small table &amp; straight chair &amp; 2 bedstands. The furniture was basic - nothing fancy,but it got the job done. Large closet inbedroom too. The small bedroom was just a double bed and built in desk/bureau, the room also had a closet.<BR>The bathroom was nothing fancy, but it all worked -- brown tile. The &quot;cloakroom&quot; consisted of a toilet and small sink. There were closets in the hallway,along with iron &amp; ironing board.<BR><BR>The owner and his staff were very very nice, they went out of their way to make our stay pleasant including a beautiful bouquet of flowers for our anniversary. The lobby is small and the elevator is efficient. Views from our apt. on the 9th floor were great.<BR>Yes, I imagine it has a 70's look about it, but it was clean and we had a lot of room to spread out in, unlike other apartments we've rented. No,it was not like home in that we live in a new home in the southerwestern US. <BR><BR>It's right off Tottenham Court Rd. which is not the most elegant street in London but it is far from the worst. Goodge St. Tube is right around the corner, as is Tesco Grocery. Sainsbury's Grocery is a couple of blocks away. Charlotte St., one block behind Scala House is lined with restaurants. We found the area safe (remember you are in a huge city) and convenient to theaters, etc.<BR><BR>Again, if you don't care how much you spend and want luxury it is not for you. For simple accommodations it worked just fine for us. <BR><BR>The

Lori

I'm having trouble typing..I meant to say we live in the southwestern US.<BR>Incidentally, I believe there are a lot of luxury apartments for rent in London, particularly in the Kensington and Mayfair areas if that is what you are looking for. There are also a number of them around Sloane Sq. Apartment renting is a crap shoot - you never really know what you are getting until you get there.

Susan

We have stayed at Scala House twice in (one visit each of the past 2 years) and would happily stay there again. We were traveling with our kids (2 young teens) and they loved it as well. We went to the theater every evening and were able to walk home to Scala House. The location is great, close to the tube and theater. Scala House is not a top luxury accomdotion, but it is spotlessly clean, and well furnished for a family. You are getting incredible value! The two bedrooms and one and a half bath were fantastic! We only used the kitchen for breakfast and late night snacks, but it was very useful to have. We never ran out of hot water, nor did we have to wait for it to heat up. I have to add that dealing with the Palos family (the owners) is a joy. We handled all of our correspondence by email and they arranged for a car to pick us up at the airport. They also suggested restaurants in the area. Last year when we left the hotel my daughter left a poster in our room. We contacted Ken Palos and asked him to send it to us and just charge us for the shipping. The poster arrived at our house, neatly packed, no charge! We have recommended Scala House to many people and they have all loved it, we will definitely stay there again.

notme

It had good and bad-actually the furnishing were ok, given the Brit version of 70's Kmart..the beds were a problem-thin mattresses on wooden boxes-I had a lot of trouble sleeping on it and I am not a princess about beds. Liked the kitchen, dining/living room. I think the people who stayed on the 9th floor were in the 'penthouse'-slightly nicer. Bathrooms were ok. Hallway we shared with other three apartments on the floor STANK-either they were cooking something nasty or that was normal smell. <BR>Neighborhood was not what I would like to stay in. During May Day demonstrations last year, the tube station was closed, there were cops everywhere and an effort was made to burn down the ghetto-market Tesco.<BR>Bottom line is my husband would go back but neighborhoodwise, I would not.

jen

Friends just returned from London and recommend the Emporors Gate Short Stay Apartments in Kensington:<BR>www.apartment-hotels.com<BR>In Jan., Feb. &amp; March the price is 89 pounds for 4 people. <BR>