SACO Holborn - Lamb's Conduit Street

The service was really good, and the price was reasonable for London compared with hotels or Airbnb. The kitchen was handy, and the apartment was quite large and convenient, though less cosy than we’d hoped. The carpet and couch were a bit dirty, and it was hard to set the heaters because the thermostats seemed broken. Our two-bed bedroom had a rather small, uncomfortable bed. The building is well placed in central London, near shops, restaurants, and a train station, so we could explore on foot. Our street was quiet, and the bedroom windows faced away from it, so we didn’t have any noise.

The apartment layout worked well, and there was plenty of space for five adults for four days. The staff were very friendly. But every Tube station is a ten-minute walk, which made getting around a bit more of a chore. The place is run down: the sink wouldn’t drain, the dishwasher’s front panel was missing, and the cabinets were peeling apart. The fold-out sofa bed felt very bare bones, almost like a prison mattress. The rating also took a hit because of the limited service. They only service the apartments once a week for stays of a week or longer, and the initial supply is all you get, so we had to buy toilet paper.

The heating was very good, and we could set the room to a temperature everyone was comfortable with. But we had to wait a day for more than one set of keys, so our group of five couldn’t split up and had to put our plans on hold. They don’t service the place until you’ve been there six days. We ended up washing our own towels and buying toilet paper and shower soap. They only leave two tablets for the dishwasher or washing machine. I rang three times about toilet paper, but we still had to supply our own. The sofa bed was another problem, we could feel every spring. When we complained, they gave us a second duvet to sleep on.

It was fairly quiet, and there were safety measures that made me feel secure. They’d told us the rooms weren’t cleaned daily and that we should contact them if we needed anything, so we understood that. Still, the room had mould on the walls, spoiled bed linen, stained carpet and curtains, a run-down uncomfortable couch, and a mildew-covered shower. It seems like a gamble because the rooms aren’t all the same. Please trust the bad reviews. I wouldn’t stay here again.