London’s Best Airbnbs & Homestays: Coolest Areas & Unique Stays

Getting under the skin of London– discovering the coolest areas and best restaurants in London– can be difficult. For a stay with room service, see our edit of the finest hotels in London.

Notting Hillside Hideaway

The open-plan kitchen area is the heart of this Notting Hillside split-level level. There’s a fireplace for cosy nights in, and exposed brick walls include structure to the tidy white-washed areas. The loveliest of both rooms has a roll-top bath and there’s a petite research study ignoring the surrounding roofs. The roof covering terrace might be this Airbnb’s most significant draw: it overlooks the buzzy area below.

While we have not stayed in every Airbnb featured, we have carefully picked these as recommendations based upon their area, layout, previous guest evaluations and the fact that they have attained Airbnb’s Superhost condition at the time of our research study. All listings on Condé Nast Traveller are individually chosen by our editors. If you book something with our links, we might earn an associate commission.

Islington Victorian Grandeur

This huge pad remains on the upper cusp of Islington, on a peaceful rock road lined with grand Victorian structures. Insides are vibrant and cosy– a mustard-velvet elbow chair is offset by relaxing sage walls in the living-room, and there is bang-on-trend Seventies geometric wallpaper in the corridors. The pleasant sun-trap balcony is a great area for a pre-supper drink before you go out to one of the area’s best dining establishments– we suggest pasta spot Trullo.

Holland Park Leafy Retreat

The beautiful first-floor porch at this West London flat forgets the peaceful streets around leafed Holland Park, a corner of the funding that’s close to Kensington Gardens and Notting Hillside. The flat’s double-height ceilings seem bags of room and the panelled living room is loaded with art.

Walking right into the five-bedroom building, you’ll be struck initially by the layout and exactly how every edge of space has actually been attentively and thoroughly made use of. The open-plan living area on the first stage is bright, glossy and fun, having fun with a blue-and-white colour scheme in the wall surfaces and home furnishings to produce a non-clichéd maritime theme, which continues to run throughout your house, from the one-of-a-kind fish porcelain figurines to the paddings populated about. The modern kitchen becomes the central hub and gives the best supper event setup, with Fantastic Gatsby-style bar feceses and a grand lengthy table to seat 10. The huge bifold doors open out to a perfectly polished garden and the two surrounding living areas supply both a room to review the paper with your early morning coffee, and an area to snuggle up before the television in the evenings.

Chelsea Sun Trap Apartment

Anybody that resides in London recognizes the rarity of having your very own exterior area. This ground-floor level in Chelsea opens up onto a south-facing patio that functions as an all-day sunlight trap. Inside, host Marc has actually made use of lots of geometric stripes to make the space feel roomier than it is– on the fireplace’s smokeshaft breast in the living-room, in among both rooms, and the wonderful breakfast space.

The improvement of this lodge was comprehensive and there is currently a lot to it (did we state the moat in the yard?). The combination of brand-new and old shields the historic charm of your home– it is still a timeless gothic structure in the premises of a cemetery– but open the door and you’ll be petrified by the contemporary creativity and style. It is genuinely a thrilling location to remain. Cordelia Aspinall

East London Loft Renovation

This transformed East London loft has been offered a contemporary renovation, swapping subjected bricks for crisp white plaster wall surfaces and a breezy neutral colour plan. The open-plan cooking area living area is ideal for enjoyable, and there’s a roomy eating table for large household suppers. There’s one bed room, yet little ones can kip gladly on the sofa bed– and everyone will certainly enjoy working out right into the hanging chair with a publication after a sightseeing session.

We downloaded a Treasure Trail map for our son and followed ideas around Trafalgar Square, with back streets to undetected plaques and afterthoughts of history– the club of 2 fifty percents by Charing Cross, the map of the Trafalgar Means by Canada Home. There’s some hidden background in this building also– over the door stands a statue of St Olav, sword in hand; throughout the war, with Norway occupied, Norway House organized the federal government in exile, with King Haakon VII amongst the frequent visitors.

He took on the large task of renovating the 19th-century neo-gothic lodge, which was broadcast on Grand Designs in January 2021, and after 4 years of excellent however tiresome jobs, the area has been transformed into a terribly attractive room– from deserted residence amidst disordered weeds to a smart and advanced London playden– this is the utmost destination for a quirky break in the city. It’s one of hundreds of London homes that you can remain in by means of OneFineStay, and a booking below also includes a welcome and scenic tour from a concierge, a hinder filled up with goodies such as unique set coffee, English sparkling wine, tea and shortbread, and, if you desire them, extra customized experiences such as culinary classes or a nanny service. The home is simply actions from Islington Eco-friendly and Camden Flow, and a brief stroll from Hoxton, on the side of East London.

The best feature of the house though has reached be the spiralling rock staircase that takes you down to the shocking basement, where there’s a spa-like pool and sauna, chill-out amusement area with its very own intricate bar and a considerable wine cellar to have a peak at (this is strictly secured to guests but a drooling sight). Spend the days drifting in a zen paradise and finish them knocking back a few G&T s. Stumble back upstairs to the bedroom at the really top of your home for a relaxed resort far from everything– wade your way with the thousands of paddings to strike the fluffy, plumped-up pillows on the superking bed– or burrow downstairs in one of the four other rooms. Delight in a bubble bathroom in one of the humongous bathtubs, blast your favorite songs from the stereo which has speakers paired up in a lot of spaces, and dim the lights to develop whatever atmosphere you are after.

This is the London Airbnb for society enthusiasts– established just a couple of minutes’ stroll from several of London’s finest galleries, including the V&A and the Nature Gallery. Floral textiles would not look out of area in a grand country heap, and there are quirky touches– tall lights, hand-blown glass vases, a gallery wall in the living room– populated around the tight room.

Mayfair Townhouse Gem

At the far end is a little however fully equipped kitchen, and a clubby resting area with light beams from the initial structure and lined with recovered wood panels. It’s a little like sitting inside a walnut, or a Jeeves and Wooster-era bachelor pad, with a vintage Harrow XI cricket bat in one corner, a deer-antler light in one more, and a herringbone-print sofa and pneumatic armchairs to sprawl decadently in before blending a mid-day Old Fashioned on the Calligaris teak dining table. Weekend mornings right here can be quieter than some backwater suburban areas; the clop of steeds heading to Hyde Park, the Blog post Workplace Tower welcoming us with ‘Good Early Morning London’ on its electronic screen.

This Georgian residential property sits in a row of traditional North London balconies. The deep colours used on the ground floor– a soothing, grey-green living-room and bold navy cooking area– are cancelled by the light-filled bedrooms upstairs. Your home is simply steps from Islington Green and Camden Flow, and a short stroll from Hoxton, on the edge of East London.

This trendy Elephant & Castle home is slap bang in the centre of Area 1, so you can mark off all the sights– Huge Ben, District Market, Tate Modern and a string of various other museums– within 20 minutes walking. A comforting combination of neutrals and tasteful modern-day furnishings choices make a relaxing sanctuary to go back to at the end of the day.

Getting under the skin of London– finding the coolest neighbourhoods and best restaurants in London– can be tricky. Living like a local, in one of the resources’s finest Airbnbs, or conversely a OneFineStay or home using one more attractive rental business, is a brilliant location to start. We have actually scoured through one of the most attractive London homes listed to bring you this edit: the smartest homestays in great places that we enjoy the appearance of. For a stay with area solution, see our edit of the best hotels in London.

Warehouse Quintessentially Stay

This level toes the line between retro style and modernity in a pleasingly diverse and artistic method– unsurprisingly, considered that both hosts are designers. An ochre, pink and lotion palette injects a shot of dopamine to proceedings, and every space contends least one statement piece, from the gigantic cocoon of a chair in the living-room to the concrete coffee machine in the bed room and the kitchen area’s floor-to-ceiling ribbed headboard. The location is suburban sufficient to be quiet while still within strolling distance of lots of exceptional coffee shops and boutiques to discover. It’s been an overall hit with previous visitors to date, also, keeping an impressive five-star ranking overall.

You’ll want to schedule a stockroom stay for an immersive, quintessentially Eastern London ambiance. The area is full of previous industrial buildings currently exchanged chic houses– and this a remarkable alternative amongst the bunch. Exposed brick wall surfaces and whitewashed floorboards maintain the commercial vibe, and an eclectic mix of furnishings and lots of plants generate plenty of London’s characteristic cool. There’s a complete cooking area, plus a large open-plan living dining space that bleeds into a sleeping area with a comfortable double bed. Plenty of home windows ensure a constant stream of sunlight all the time. The location is additionally superb; it sits best in between London Fields and Victoria Park. It’s simply a five-minute stroll to Broadway and Netil markets, plus stylish Mare Street with its wide range of coffee shops, dining establishments, bars and stores.

Central London Apartment

London is complete of high rise apartment or condos with flashing skyline views, however this might be the most novel around. An open upper body of cabinets turns right into a staircase leading to a small space, the stove has a youngsters’s nursery visual, and if you draw back the hand-stitched drape hiding the secret door to the restroom, you can take a shower under the moonlight.

Every information in this lovely flat has actually been correctly thought about, and the result is a tribute to Bohemia straight out of a home style magazine; travertine sinks, tadelakt wall surfaces and honey-hued timbers abound inside and out. Scattered throughout, you’ll discover a mix of local ornaments and porcelains mixed with things brought home from the proprietor’s journeys– a French trunk, Hungarian milking stools and a Chinese elm wood bench, among various other gems to uncover– plus great deals of recovered vintage.

Minutes far from Mayfair, Bond Street and Regent’s Park and on the edge of villagey Marylebone High Road, this two-storey 18th-century townhouse can hardly be more central– although we could not perhaps tell while inside its peaceful refuge. Filled with moody, muted art and vintage furnishings pieces, the subway-tiled bathroom and kitchen are trendy but simple and retro, while the large bedrooms are put comfortably downstairs on the lower-ground flooring, and the grand, high-ceilinged living-dining area is centred around an unforgettable, captivating marble fireplace. There’s even a tree right outside the imposing front door that handles to blossom in the heart of winter. It is among hundreds of London homes that you can remain in through OneFineStay, and a reservation right here additionally includes a welcome and trip from a concierge, an obstruct loaded with rewards such as unique batch coffee, English sparkling wine, tea and shortbread, and, if you want them, much more tailored experiences such as culinary courses or a nanny service. Becky Lucas

This is grand-scale Monopoly-board London, a land of giants, of consular offices, participants’ clubs and museums. This OneFineStay apartment or condo sits 5 floorings up contrary Canada House, just off the Square in what used to be Norway Residence, and offers a snug vantage factor to dip in and out of central London as you such as. Pick up stipulations from Fortnum & Mason; take a morning stroll previous Buckingham Palace and around St James’s Park to spot the pelicans; be first in line to see the Monets at the National Gallery.

That understood that a derelict old keeper’s lodge on the borders of a burial ground could be transformed into such a phenomenal piece of contemporary architecture, spread over three floors and fit with a 43ft swimming pool? Proprietor Justin Maxwell Stuart had foresight. He tackled the hefty task of refurbishing the 19th-century neo-gothic lodge, which was broadcast on Grand Designs in January 2021, and after four years of outstanding however exhausting works, the place has been exchanged a staggeringly eye-catching area– from abandoned home amidst disordered weeds to a smart and sophisticated London playden– this is the utmost destination for a quirky break in the city. What’s even more, when you reserve your stay with quality homes industry Wiser, it will certainly give a section of every reservation to its sis charity Keep For Good Foundation as part of its dedication to sustainability and minimizing carbon footprint.

A classic, pastel-painted condominium near Chelsea’s Sloane Square is the setup for this peaceful Airbnb. Interiors are extra soft than the candy-coloured façade may suggest– single elbow chairs, a shiny, oatmeal-hued kitchen, four luscious bed rooms. There’s space for 6 around the official dining table, which makes this a great alternative for those holding throughout their time in the capital, and a cute yet compact patio for those rare sunshiny days.