Hello everyone,

I'm in the VERY early stages of planning a two week trip to London with my large family. I have been looking for a townhouse to rent (much more practical than 4 hotel rooms) and came across the company "onefinestay".

http://www.onefinestay.com/london/

Their homes look lovely, with great locations. Has anyone used them before? If so, what was your experience? Is there another company you would recommend?

Here are a few details about what I'm looking for:
Kensington-Chelsea-Notting Hill area preferred
At least 4 bedrooms, preferably 5
Good kitchen
Super King size bed
No smoking
No pets
Children allowed
Budget is not an issue

Thank you in advance for your feedback! I've only written here once, but greatly appreciate the wealth of knowledge this community has, and the civility with which it is shared.

Family, I've not seen these guys but their website and offering looks attractive.

They have been around quite a while - I've never used them but also have never heard anything bad about them

Family,

My DH and I stayed with them last fall in Notting Hill. We had a lovely one bedroom apartment with a great bathroom. Reservations were handled well, one of the staff met us at the flat to help us get settled. They supplied an iPhone with info on the area for us and one touch dialing to reach them. Linens were good quality and plentiful. We had one issue with the apartment and they responded promptly. I would rent from them again.

Have never seen anything negative about them.

We used The London Agent for our family apartment rental in Nov / Dec. They were terrific, and we'd certainly use them again.

We stayed in Clerkenwell - great apartment 2br Dble and twin, with our teenage son on a blow-up mattress in the lounge room.

http://www.thelondonagent.com/

We recently used LondonConnections for our week stay in London. We rented a 3 bedroom/ 2 bath flat in Piccadilly. This US based company made the logistics of our stay very seamless.Their people who met us in London were great. I recommend them highly.

We recently rented a flat in South Kensington from a London company, A Place Like Home. The booking process was easy, they have quite a few flats in varying sizes in the city and were very patient as we narrowed down our choice of flat based on availability between their company and another. We were met at the flat by a greeter who showed us the basics and provided 2 sets of keys. There was a small information binder in the flat detailing how to use the washer/dryer combo, floor heating in the bathroom etc. I would rent from them again.
http://www.aplacelikehome.co.uk/

I've used www.ownersdirect.co.uk several times for rentals in Europe have had great experiences.

We stayed at a flat just off Kensington Church Street in summer 2011, although I think the flat no longer is for rent (i just checked because my family is returning to London in March 2014.) Great location because it was so close to Notting Hill Gate tube station, which has multiple lines. We loved it. Good luck with your planning!

bookmarking these websites for our next apartment stay in London. Deborah

I have not used One Fine Stay, but you may want to also check out www.londonperfect.com.
I have used their sister site, www.parisperfect.com, and they were excellent--great service and the apartment was perfect. I've checked out the London Perfect apartments and they look very nice and are in good locations. I believe they also recently received awards from Travel and Leisure magazine. However, there only three townhouses that have 4 bedrooms.

If you are open to the Knightsbridge area, you could also check out http://beauforthouse.co.uk
It's kind of expensive but they may offer discounts for a two week stay. There is only one four bedroom.

Happy planning!

I second raymare's recommendation of London Connections. I have used them twice, with no complaints at all. Like that they are US based (more convenient for phone calls, handling payment in dollars, etc.).

Like ktcat we have also used Paris Perfect but I thought the service from One Fine Stay was a bit better. PP rushed through the introduction to the apartment and did not fix our cable box when it went out, said it would have to be done after our stay. OFS responded the next morning when something required attention. I wish One Fine Stay would expand to Paris.

Hi FamilyFlyers, you have probably booked already. I'll just add that I have used Onefinestay to rent a house, and am now letting a flat in London through them.

As a guest, we were very happy with the service. As a host, I can say that the way they work is very professional. When we have guests in our flat, and there's a problem (an appliance doesn't work, for example), they will send someone immediately to fix it, usually the same day. They have a large staff in London (about 100 people working for them).
If I stay in our flat, I also call on them to do small repairs.

They are expanding to Paris.