Grand Apartments Kew Gardens♡

On the whole we had a wonderful and comfortable stay. Lovely apartment and great host.

8.0

Had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. Host was very responsive at the time of the our stay.

− No air conditioning or fans (until we asked) in hot weather.

A stressful and disappointing experience that cost us £500 and overshadowed our trip to London.

1.0

The booking process was extremely stressful. After making the reservation, we were asked to communicate only through WhatsApp and were sent external payment requests instead of using Booking.com's payment system. £500 was charged to my card unexpectedly, and I had to contact my bank to dispute the transaction. Communication through Booking.com stopped, making the whole experience feel unreliable and unsafe. I would strongly recommend keeping all communication and payments within the Booking.com platform.

− We booked this property through Booking.com because we expected all communication and payments to be handled securely through the platform. Unfortunately, our experience turned into one of the most stressful parts of our trip to London. Shortly after making the reservation, the host insisted that all further communication take place via WhatsApp instead of Booking.com's messaging system. We were then asked to complete additional payment steps through external links. This immediately made us uncomfortable, but we were repeatedly told that this was required to confirm the booking. Despite following the instructions provided, £500 was charged to my bank card. After the payment was taken, there was no satisfactory explanation of what the charge was for, and the money was never returned. Attempts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful. Communication through Booking.com effectively stopped, and the host continued directing us to WhatsApp, making it much more difficult to obtain assistance or keep an official record of the conversation. As the situation became increasingly concerning, I had no choice but to contact my bank and initiate a chargeback dispute to try to recover the £500. This was a lengthy and stressful process that consumed a significant amount of time during what should have been an enjoyable holiday. My advice to anyone considering this property is to be extremely cautious. Keep all communication within Booking.com's messaging system, do not make payments through external links unless you are absolutely certain they are legitimate, and question any request to move the conversation off the platform. My experience resulted in a £500 loss and a great deal of unnecessary stress, and I hope sharing it helps other travelers avoid a similar situation.

Not as advertised.

6.0

It was spacious. Ramona our host was lovely.

− It was not the same as the photos on Booking.com. The address was different. Noise from the football pitch next door prevented any real sleep. Facilities were sparse.

Fab location and roomy apartment

7.0

Loved the spaciousness of the apartment and the location is great. Zone 3 so a bit out of London but very convenient to public transport, Kew gardens, local supermarkets.

− The property could do with some maintenance - the vertical blinds in the living room had seen better days, the kitchen while roomy is sparsely appointed - no tea or coffee making facilities as advertised except for two kettles. Cupboards untidy (one had someone else’s jeans and bra stashed on the top shelf). Overall attention to detail was pretty lacking e.g weren’t provided a sheet for the roll away bed and only 4 towels for 5 booked people. Ramona is responsive to messages, which is helpful. With a little bit of additional effort this could be a significantly better apartment.

Furniture was inadequate, ie. camping fold-up metal chairs and tiny table in dining area.

3.0

There was no breakfast provided. Cooking was difficult as other than 3 knives, utensils were very limited. Apartment is in a great location and beds were comfortable. Many silverfish in the wardrobes and on the spare mattress stuffed into the wardrobe.

− Kitchen cupboards and doors either side of dishwasher were falling apart and could not be used and the owner was informed of this at the start of the stay and she commented that she would attend to this when she returned from Spain. Owner was informed and has been provided with detailed pictures. Washing machine worked well once we could shut the door and catch, which was faulty. The owner has now taken 300 pounds from us to repair something that was already faulty. There has been no process for us to address this. The two white timber Ikea chairs were coming apart, pictures provided to Owner. Not possible to use these.

Excellent spacious apartment just 20 mins away busy London with easy transport links.

10.0

Perfect location just 20 mins out of busy London with excellent transport links within 5 mins walk. The apartment was amazing, much bigger than I would have ever expected. The apartment is beautiful, spacious and everything you would need, plus the advantage of a washing machine which was a god save after the hot, sweltering weather in London during the heatwave weekend. Local Sainsbury's down the road to get all your basic supplies you would need. I would rate this apartment at 5***** as the price, location, size, comfort was perfect. Excellent hosts who answered any questions within seconds via Whatsapp. I would stay here again in the future and recommend to anyone who want to visit London but still have a calm and relaxing environment to come back to at the end of the day.

− A blackout blind in the second bedroom would have made this apartment perfect in every way. Other than that nothing could improve the stay.