Hampstead Village Guesthouse

We spent two nights at the Hampstead Village Guesthouse, after travelling from New Zealand. I had read the reviews on TripAdviser, some of which are quite negative, so I approached the stay with some nervousness.

We arrived from Heathrow by underground on a Sunday afternoon. The house is an easy (10 minute) walk from the station). We had previously advised our expected arrival time to be sure they would be there (which they were).

I found the owner to be courteous and helpful whenever I had a question or needed something. She did tell us on arrival that they would like payment in cash when we could manage it, but did not pressure us to go out and get the money straight away. Some reviewers have thought her to be rude and unfriendly - this was not our experience, although I can see how her manner could be interpreted that way by some people.

The location of the house is great. It is in a quiet leafy street. An easy walk to Hampstead village and the underground station, several good pubs nearby where you can eat, and the Heath is just at the end of the street.

Other reviewers have accurately described the house and the rooms. We were in the room with a big iron bath tub in the middle of the bedroom, whioch we found a source of amusement. Our en suite shower room was the smallest I have seen in any place I have stayed - definitely not big enough to swing a cat. Fortunately we didn't need to swing a cat, and it was actually quite adequate for its intended purposes. -- what do you need a big bathroom for anyway? There are numerous trinkets and other bits and pieces of memorabilia all over the place, giving the house a cluttered feeling, although this added to the quirky and somewhat eccentric charm of the place.

All in all, we enjoyed our stay at the Hampstead Village Guesthouse. It's not the most luxurious place we have stayed in, but its clean and comfortable with its own charm. I would willingly stay there again.

We took the two en-suite rooms on the second floor for our family of two adults and two kids. The bathrooms are indeed tiny, like being on an Edwardian submarine, but amazingly functional for their size, so that was fine. The rooms are fully of eclectic old stuff, antiques loosely speaking, which gives a funky, informal feel.

We liked staying in Hampstead, which has an "urban village" feel, lots of good restaurants and a number of good pubs, and is close to the Heath. The Guesthouse is located a short walk from the tube, several stops away from central London on the Northern line.

We really enjoyed breakfasts in the garden, since we had fine weather. We found our hosts friendly and helpful. It was nice to have Wi-Fi available (and free!).

This is definitely a "different" kind of place, and needs to be approached with that mind. Clearly there are some conflicting opinions on this place; perhaps people approached it with different expectations.

On short notice I had to combine a business/pleasure trip to London where prices are astronomic. My daughter found the going rate was about 90₤ and when she tried to book with two days notice, most people just laughed. The HVGG is about two thirds that rate and all rooms except the small single at the front are huge and well equipped with a kitchen sized sink.

Anne Marie's place is clean, idiosyncratic and very well located from one of the most interesting neighbourhoods in London. She and her staff do everything for you - from helping you park your car, navigate, recommend shops and places to go and generally keep you from losing things or going wrong.