One Fine Stay : The Best Accommodation in London

We are a British Australian family so travel to London is a yearly, sometimes twice yearly event. Even though we have family in the UK who we could technically stay with, we realised many years ago that staying in our own London accommodation was a much better idea than disturbing grandparents with our jet lag shenanigans. (Before we came to our senses, my husband and I spent many mornings in those early years shushing our small children every two seconds while trying to quietly find cereal bowls and keep Dora the Explorer quiet enough on the iPad so as not to wake anyone). No one needs this stress at 4am.

But staying in a hotel with said jet lag is even worse. When you wake on that first morning at 4am and have nothing other than a mini bar and a kettle at your disposal, it’s a long old morning with children before you can eat breakfast and generally stretch your limbs. Not to mention that now our kids are old enough to stay in their own room, the cost of two hotel rooms adds up. Which is why for the past 10 or more years we have chosen to stay with One Fine Stay when in the UK.

Why I love One Fine Stay

One Fine Stay have beautiful properties in London (and so many other cities now…when we first started staying with them it was a new business and only operated in London - now you can book their properties in multiple cities). Unlike Air BnB, when you book a home with One Fine Stay you know that the property has undergone a One Fine Stay review and been accepted by them to be part of their portfolio - which just means there is a level of quality to the properties and no second guessing whether it will be good or not.

Hotel Linen and Concierge Service

Aside from having great properties, One Fine Stay also provide a hotel-like service. Before you arrive, One Fine Stay make the beds with hotel quality bedlinen and big fluffy hotel towels are provided. The homes are always sparkling clean and have also had any personal mementos of the owners stored away, so that when you arrive, it really does feel a bit like you’ve lucked out and, in this case, are the temporary owners of an amazing London pied-à-terre.

Upon arrival at your chosen property one of the One Fine Stay staff is there to greet you and show you around. These ‘meet and greet’ personnel are always really friendly and helpful and it means that if you need to change anything or request anything for the property, they can action your request. One Fine Stay also provide a little welcome pack for your stay - think luxe food goodies from small providores that are a combination of lovely treats and practical items like tea and freshly ground coffee.

The One Fine Stay concierge service is available 24 hours a day and can help you figure out where to go for dinner, book you a driver or to help you navigate anything about your stay. It really is like having the perks of a hotel but in a private home where you have space and a sense of freedom lacking with a hotel stay.

anonymity creates a sense of home

The other thing that I like with One Fine Stay, is that because the properties are all managed centrally, the owners of the home remain anonymous to you - and similarly, you to them. Not knowing who owns the property helps to feel like while you are staying there, it is yours. Plus, I quite like to try and figure out who owns the property based on their interior styling choices - are they old or young? Artistic? A couple? Or someone single? Let’s face it, when you’re up before dawn with jet lag you have plenty of time to ponder these things. And I love a little interior Cluedo.

Our Most Recent One Fine Stay

We’ve just returned from Easter in the UK and Europe and we stayed 3 nights in a wonderful One Fine Stay property in Notting Hill. We have a few favourite suburbs to stay in that generally hark back to my years living in London and over the years we’ve stayed at One Fine Stay properties in Regents Park, Chelsea, Kensington, Marylebone and multiple times in Notting Hill. In ten years, we’ve never been disappointed. This latest home was absolutely lovely. Located on the first floor of an old Victorian home and mere moments away from Westbourne Grove, the home had soaring ceilings with traditional floor to ceiling French doors and windows, little balconies off the living room and master bedroom (which we couldn’t use because bloody hell London was freezing!), marble fireplaces and an old world charm that had me lying in bed recreating the layout of the original house based on the architectural details I could observe. None of the properties we’ve rented are huge - this is London after all, but given it’s only for a few nights and we are generally out and about most of the day, the size isn’t an issue.

When you look at the One Fine Stay properties online, there is always a section titled ‘Home Truths’ which is a handy list of quirks about the property that they want you to know before you book so there are no surprises. I can’t remember what the ‘home truths’ were on this property but probably one of them was that there is no elevator so you need to carry your luggage up the stairs. No biggie…for those soaring ceilings and period details, I’d haul my suitcases up multiple stairs. (Just prior to this latest trip, One Fine Stay contacted me to say that the owner had just been informed that the common stairwell was being renovated just as we arrived and they wanted to let us know it wouldn’t be looking its usual best. It’s these details that help to prepare you for what the property will be like). The owners placed pretty Spring flowers from their garden along with an apology note for the unfortunate timing of the stairwell renovation as a kind gesture - which was totally not needed but gratefully received nonetheless. It was a lovely touch.

In terms of cost per night, obviously this varies depending on the size, location and style of property you book. In general, I have always found the cost to be cheaper than booking two hotel rooms, so for us it also makes financial sense.

That’s it from me. As I type this I am under an extreme first-day-back jet lag fog. Urgh. Love travel / hate jet lag. On the upside, in the five hours that I lay awake last night I managed to plan out a whole heap of things - from work projects to dinner parties.

If you are interested in One Fine Stay, head to their website here. And as always, it goes without saying, this is an entirely independent post - no payment, favour, gift or affiliated link received.