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Shoreditch - London - ApartmentFor the last week of my stay in England I stayed in a beautiful apartment in Shoreditch, London via AirBNB.During my first week in London I stayed in an apartment in the West End of London in Soho (you can read about the other apartment I stayed in here). Since I wanted to experience the East End after my time in the West End, I wanted to stay in an interesting East End locationShoreditch definitely delivered when it came to being a great East End London neighborhood to inhabit. Before I get into the Pros and Considerations for this listing, here is the actual listing since I know a lot of people were curious about this particular location:Lovely bedroom in Shoreditch, LondonAlso! If you will be using AirBNB anytime soon, here is $25 off your trip from me to you :). (the link is literally a coupon for $25 off, no strings attached)Pros:1) The apartment itself was spacious, incredibly clean, and gorgeous. I love rooms with lots of light and fun design elements and this apartment was chock full of both. Their living room was perfect for enjoying many cups of tea and coffee…This is the dining area leading into the kitchen. Loved their dining room table!My bedroom was full of light and super cozy. There was a fair amount of storage (shelving and closet space along with an end table with a power strip).Even the outside of their apartment made me smile on a daily basis..Also loved all of the little design touches like this typewriter:…and this awesome fish shaped light on their bookcase.2) The hosts were really wonderful. I wanted to experience staying in apartments with locals during my visit to London and I felt really fortunate when it came to staying with Vittoria and her husband. They were really fun to chat with and they were really respectful of privacy which is such a great trait when it comes to hosts. Their generosity with their coffee and tea was also appreciated!I also loved the little thoughtful notes that they had around the apartment with notes about good places to eat in the neighborhood or even instructions on how to use their fancy espresso machine :)3) I can’t speak highly enough about the location of this apartment. Shoreditch is such a vibrant area of London chock full of history and teeming with creativity.I fell head over heels in love with Shoreditch during my stay. I mean, how can you not love a neighborhood where the street art is plentiful and awesome?And this is what some of the streets in walking distance of the apartment look like at night…You are also in walking distance of one of my favorite museums I have ever visited, the Dennis Severs House where you can be transported deep into the heart of another time entirely…On Sundays, Columbia Road flower market is also within walking distance and well worth a visit. It’s a flower market that has been in operation since the 1800s and the variety of flowers and plants that are sold and displayed there is staggering…4) The apartment is literally surrounded by tons and tons of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. It’s a two minute walk away from the Breakfast Club which is the restaurant where I experienced my first ever full English breakfast…(I only finished a 1/3 of it before waving a flag of surrender)How can you not love a place named after one of the most iconic films from the 1980s that also has a room that looks like this?You are also in walking distance to Brick Lane which is where you can find many restaurants. I will never forget my visit to the Cereal Killer Cafe…Not sure who thought up of a cafe that sells mainly bowls of cereal from around the world but I would love to meet them and thank them profusely. ;)Considerations:1) I really can’t think of anything even remotely negative about this apartment. This is a great space to stay if you are looking to soak in history, art, and culture while experiencing the East End.My stay there was beyond wonderful and the location felt like a dream. —-Hope you enjoyed my little travel journal summary of where I stayed!If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments here or contact me on social media. 

Shoreditch - London - Apartment

For the last week of my stay in England I stayed in a beautiful apartment in Shoreditch, London via AirBNB.

During my first week in London I stayed in an apartment in the West End of London in Soho (you can read about the other apartment I stayed in here). Since I wanted to experience the East End after my time in the West End, I wanted to stay in an interesting East End location

Shoreditch definitely delivered when it came to being a great East End London neighborhood to inhabit. 


Before I get into the Pros and Considerations for this listing, here is the actual listing since I know a lot of people were curious about this particular location:

Lovely bedroom in Shoreditch, London

Also! If you will be using AirBNB anytime soon, here is $25 off your trip from me to you :). (the link is literally a coupon for $25 off, no strings attached)

Pros:

1) The apartment itself was spacious, incredibly clean, and gorgeous. 

I love rooms with lots of light and fun design elements and this apartment was chock full of both. 

Their living room was perfect for enjoying many cups of tea and coffee…

This is the dining area leading into the kitchen. Loved their dining room table!

My bedroom was full of light and super cozy. There was a fair amount of storage (shelving and closet space along with an end table with a power strip).

Even the outside of their apartment made me smile on a daily basis..

Also loved all of the little design touches like this typewriter:

…and this awesome fish shaped light on their bookcase.

2) The hosts were really wonderful. 

I wanted to experience staying in apartments with locals during my visit to London and I felt really fortunate when it came to staying with Vittoria and her husband. 

They were really fun to chat with and they were really respectful of privacy which is such a great trait when it comes to hosts. 

Their generosity with their coffee and tea was also appreciated!

I also loved the little thoughtful notes that they had around the apartment with notes about good places to eat in the neighborhood or even instructions on how to use their fancy espresso machine :)

3) I can’t speak highly enough about the location of this apartment. 

Shoreditch is such a vibrant area of London chock full of history and teeming with creativity.

I fell head over heels in love with Shoreditch during my stay. 

I mean, how can you not love a neighborhood where the street art is plentiful and awesome?

And this is what some of the streets in walking distance of the apartment look like at night…

You are also in walking distance of one of my favorite museums I have ever visited, the Dennis Severs House where you can be transported deep into the heart of another time entirely…

On Sundays, Columbia Road flower market is also within walking distance and well worth a visit. It’s a flower market that has been in operation since the 1800s and the variety of flowers and plants that are sold and displayed there is staggering…

4) The apartment is literally surrounded by tons and tons of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. 

It’s a two minute walk away from the Breakfast Club which is the restaurant where I experienced my first ever full English breakfast…

(I only finished a 1/3 of it before waving a flag of surrender)

How can you not love a place named after one of the most iconic films from the 1980s that also has a room that looks like this?

You are also in walking distance to Brick Lane which is where you can find many restaurants. 

I will never forget my visit to the Cereal Killer Cafe…

Not sure who thought up of a cafe that sells mainly bowls of cereal from around the world but I would love to meet them and thank them profusely. ;)



Considerations:

1) I really can’t think of anything even remotely negative about this apartment. This is a great space to stay if you are looking to soak in history, art, and culture while experiencing the East End.

My stay there was beyond wonderful and the location felt like a dream. 



—-


Hope you enjoyed my little travel journal summary of where I stayed!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments here or contact me on social media. 

Soho - London - ApartmentFor the past week I have been staying in a beautiful apartment in Soho, London. Soho is in Central London and I initially picked out this apartment on AirBNB due to its location. Since I had never visited London before I wanted my first week in London to be in a centrally located neighborhood close to major London Tube lines and close to great food options (including grocery stores!). I have to say that I don’t think I could have picked out a better location. This was also my very first time staying in an AirBNB where the host lived in the apartment. I tend to be a super solitary person when traveling so I was curious to see how it would be to live with a local. I loved it!!Before I get into the Pros and Considerations for this listing, here is the actual listing since I know a lot of people were curious about this particular location:Exclusive Bedroom in Stylish SohoAlso! If you will be using AirBNB anytime soon, here is $25 off your trip from me to you :). (the link is literally a coupon for $25 off, no strings attached)Pros:1) The location really is perfect in terms of getting around. The apartment is a block or two off of Oxford Street which is a major hub in the area (full of shopping). It is also a 5 minute walk from the Oxford Circus station on the London Tube. This is a major station that connects to quite a few other lines. I had no problem getting around and took the train every single day. This is the view from my bedroom.2) This is a vibrant neighborhood when it comes to food options. One of the things I like about AirBNB is that I get to save money by cooking most of my meals on my own. It gives me a chance to also experience grocery shopping in different locales around the world which is fun. This apartment was super close to a Marks and Spencers which is a major grocery chain in London. I was able to stock up on breakfast items and necessities. That said, Soho also has TONS of great restaurants! I ate my first ever fish & chips (and mushy peas!) at what is considered by some people to be one of the best fish & chips places in London (called Golden Union) and it was literally 2 blocks from my apartment!:3) The apartment is super comfortable and the bedroom was lovely. Bedroom. Living room and kitchen area.4) The decorations were artsy and smile-worthy:5) The host Anis is absolutely lovely and made my stay extra wonderful. When I arrived she made us a pot of tea and I felt like I was meeting an old friend. She also kept the apartment spotless and was respectful of privacy and downtime which is such a huge plus!Since this was my first experience staying with a live-in host, I feel like I really lucked out. Considerations:1) Literally the only thing I could think of is mostly just a suggestion if you stay here. I live on the Lower East Side and I am relatively used to noise at night and in the mornings. When I travel, I make sure to always bring with me a great pair of ear plugs. Because Soho is very much like the Lower East Side, it can be a bit noisy. HOWEVER, I slept like a baby with my ear plugs. So, I would recommend ear plugs to help with heavenly sleep (although, I recommend ear plugs for any and all travel so really this is a general recommendation too!)—-Today, I move into another apartment in Shoreditch. I will miss Soho so much!Hope you enjoyed my little travel journal summary of where I stayed!

Soho - London - Apartment

For the past week I have been staying in a beautiful apartment in Soho, London. Soho is in Central London and I initially picked out this apartment on AirBNB due to its location. 

Since I had never visited London before I wanted my first week in London to be in a centrally located neighborhood close to major London Tube lines and close to great food options (including grocery stores!). 

I have to say that I don’t think I could have picked out a better location. This was also my very first time staying in an AirBNB where the host lived in the apartment. I tend to be a super solitary person when traveling so I was curious to see how it would be to live with a local. 

I loved it!!

Before I get into the Pros and Considerations for this listing, here is the actual listing since I know a lot of people were curious about this particular location:

Exclusive Bedroom in Stylish Soho

Also! If you will be using AirBNB anytime soon, here is $25 off your trip from me to you :). (the link is literally a coupon for $25 off, no strings attached)

Pros:

1) The location really is perfect in terms of getting around. 

The apartment is a block or two off of Oxford Street which is a major hub in the area (full of shopping). It is also a 5 minute walk from the Oxford Circus station on the London Tube. This is a major station that connects to quite a few other lines. I had no problem getting around and took the train every single day. 

image

This is the view from my bedroom.

2) This is a vibrant neighborhood when it comes to food options. 

One of the things I like about AirBNB is that I get to save money by cooking most of my meals on my own. It gives me a chance to also experience grocery shopping in different locales around the world which is fun. 

This apartment was super close to a Marks and Spencers which is a major grocery chain in London. I was able to stock up on breakfast items and necessities. 

That said, Soho also has TONS of great restaurants! I ate my first ever fish & chips (and mushy peas!) at what is considered by some people to be one of the best fish & chips places in London (called Golden Union) and it was literally 2 blocks from my apartment!:


image

3) The apartment is super comfortable and the bedroom was lovely. 

image

Bedroom. 


image

Living room and kitchen area.

4) The decorations were artsy and smile-worthy:

image
image

5) The host Anis is absolutely lovely and made my stay extra wonderful. 

When I arrived she made us a pot of tea and I felt like I was meeting an old friend. She also kept the apartment spotless and was respectful of privacy and downtime which is such a huge plus!

Since this was my first experience staying with a live-in host, I feel like I really lucked out. 

Considerations:

1) Literally the only thing I could think of is mostly just a suggestion if you stay here. 

I live on the Lower East Side and I am relatively used to noise at night and in the mornings. When I travel, I make sure to always bring with me a great pair of ear plugs. 

Because Soho is very much like the Lower East Side, it can be a bit noisy. 

HOWEVER, I slept like a baby with my ear plugs. 

So, I would recommend ear plugs to help with heavenly sleep (although, I recommend ear plugs for any and all travel so really this is a general recommendation too!)

—-

Today, I move into another apartment in Shoreditch. I will miss Soho so much!

Hope you enjoyed my little travel journal summary of where I stayed!