Overview
First Impressions
Walking up to Stylish Two-Story London Retreat on Green Lanes, you immediately notice this isn’t your typical London hotel. It’s actually a beautifully converted townhouse that feels more like staying at a friend’s exceptionally well-designed home. The four-star property sits in Hackney, and honestly, the neighborhood has this authentic London vibe that’s way more interesting than the touristy areas.
The Space
What struck me most was how they’ve maximized every inch of this two-story space without making it feel cramped. Each room has its own personality — some with exposed brick, others with these gorgeous period features that remind you you’re in a proper London house. The layout actually works really well because you get that homey feeling while still having proper hotel amenities. I mean, there’s something quite special about climbing actual stairs to your apartment rather than riding a generic hotel elevator.
Location & Neighborhood
Green Lanes is one of those streets that locals know but tourists often miss — which is honestly perfect. You’ve got this incredible mix of Turkish restaurants, vintage shops, and proper pubs within walking distance. The transport links are solid too; you can reach central London easily, but you’re staying somewhere with actual character. Hackney’s got this energy that’s hard to describe — it’s creative and unpretentious at the same time.
What Makes It Special
The attention to detail here is what really sets it apart from chain hotels. They’ve thought about what actual travelers need — decent coffee setup in the kitchen, proper lighting for working, and enough space to actually unpack your clothes. The decor walks this perfect line between stylish and comfortable, so you feel like you’re somewhere special without being afraid to put your feet up. You know what really impressed me? The little touches, like local guidebooks and recommendations that aren’t just the obvious tourist spots.
Why Guests Love It
With a 9.4 rating, it’s clear other people feel the same way about this place. It offers something you can’t get at a standard hotel — that sense of actually living in London rather than just visiting. The two-story layout means you’re not dealing with noisy corridors, and being in Hackney gives you stories to tell when you get home. Plus, let’s be honest, the value is excellent for what you get compared to similar places in more central areas.
Guest reviews
"Delightful little flat"
Great location, well appointed, staff amazing. Our lovely host was very responsive, accommodating and helpful at all times. Very close to public transport, shops and restaurants. Comfortably fit our family group of 6. Excellent new coffee shop a couple of doors down - recommend!
What could be improved: Bathrooms small
3-4 flights of narrow stairs were challenging to navigate with big bags
31 December 2025
"Exceptional"
Everything was great.
The owner is super helpful and even the neighbour was very helpful.
The location was great.
Just the fact that it is after two flights of stairs should be mentioned for people with heavy luggage and old age person travelling together.
Other than that it was perfect.
What could be improved: Liked everything
Having few more sets of hooks in bathroom and bedroom would be great.
2 November 2025
"Nice location, homely atmosphere"
The location was very good, with coffee shops, grocery stores (Tesco Express), restaurants, and pubs all nearby. The apartment had everything needed for a comfortable 'home away from home' stay including a well appointed kitchen/dining room; Washing machine, Tumble dryer, Wi-Fi, TV, fridge/freezer etc. The roof terrace allowed for weather checks before leaving the apartment and parking spots were readily available, often right across the street.
What could be improved: The main door to the street was sometimes left wide open. Not sure if that was by the business on the ground floor or the neighboring apartment.
27 September 2025
"I would definitely come back to this flat on my next visit to London in a group."
The flat was clean and had everything we needed for our stay in London. The host was really kind and helpful and fast in answering the questions we had about the flat.
6 July 2025
"Excellent!"
It was great for our group! Great kitchen where we enjoyed our breakfast! We really enjoyed our stay! The landlord was extremely helpful and willing to support us!
What could be improved: The bathrooms were extremely small and not so comfortable! There were stairs but that wasn’t a big deal for us! What was quite problematic is that there weren’t any adaptors at the house so we couldn’t charge our phones on the first day until we could buy some!
11 June 2025
"Superb"
Great location, good value for money, great host.
2 June 2025
"We were a group of 8 and fit comfortably. 4 adults and 4 teens. The location was perfect for is to attend an Arsenal gam"
Location to Emirates Stadium, Tube, and nice restaurants/pubs. Residential and quiet washer/dryer worked well.
What could be improved: No sink in the 3rd floor bedroom was inconvenient and the internet connection on the 3rd floor was not strong. If anyone needs to work and be online the 2nd floor is where you would need to be. Lots of narrow stairs - which was fine for us but maybe not the best for larger people or those out of shape.
21 May 2025
"Our stay in London was very short, and Esther's place was an excellent choice"
Apartment was an excellent choice. It was very close to a bus station and markets. It was very clean and spacious.
What could be improved: all was perfect
3 April 2025
"Clean, cosy, comfortable base for exploring London using adjacent public transport - super hosts too"
The warmth and information received from the host prior to arrival and the responsiveness during our stay.
The cleanliness on our arrival. The comfortable beds. The colour scheme and general decor.
The kitchen facilities and little 'extras' such as tea, sugar, coffee pods, cling film and spices. The two nice hot showers. The availability of coffee machine, washer, drier, full size fridge/freezer, oven and hob, microwave, hairdryers in each room, heated clothes rack, iron and board.
The locality was excellent - we were able to access all areas of the city for only £1.75 each way on the buses that stopped virtually in front of the building and/or a short walk away. The nearest station was also only 15mins walk away, which gained us access to the underground system - also very cheap transport. There is a cap on transport charge each day, so we made the most of the excellent location of this property. The host paid for our car park permit, so we didn't drive anywhere all week!
The small balcony area, to the rear of the property with table and chairs was a nice area to get fresh air away from the main road.
The sound-proofing - the property is over a barber shop on a main road into London, however we were not disturbed by noise at all. The location had benefits as we didn't need to walk far for the bus, local Tesco express, restaurants or takeaways! The local chip shop offered "Blue Light card" discount which was a bonus or us too!!
The availability of the residential street parking around the corner from the accommodation (paid for by host) was a big bonus. We could see our vehicle from the rear of the property, due to the space we found.
What could be improved: The number of stairs up to the flat and then inside the property to the lounge/kitchen may be an issue for those with mobility problems (however this is very typical of the self catering accommodation so near to London centre, and helped with our fitness!)
The comfortable seating was not enough for 8 people in the lounge area (but the 8 dining chairs were nice and would offer extra seating, plus there were only 5 in our party). However, we generally used the kitchen/diner/lounge for our breakfast and supper, around our sightseeing days, and so tended to go to bed early anyway!
The 2 shower/toilet rooms were small with limited space for handbasin, but totally sufficient for our needs.
23 February 2025
"Exceptional"
Lots of space everything is self-explanatory and easy to find
12 August 2024
