Christmas in Islington
Submitted: January 7, 2010
Stayed: December 2009
We chose to spend Christmas in London because two of our daughters are attending universities in Europe, one in Paris and the other in London. Thus, London seemed like a good place for the family to get together. We were fortunate enough to find the house in Islington and the owners were kind enough to invite my daughter who is in London over for tea. My daughter enjoyed the visit and reported that the house was perfect for our vacation. The house is located near King’s Cross and St. Pancras station so that it was easy to get to from Heathrow or by Eurostar from Paris.
From the moment we first saw the house we knew we had made the right decision. It is in a very quiet and charming neighborhood in Islington. The house appeared warm and inviting. Inside it was clean and well decorated with a cozy living room with a working fireplace, modern kitchen, two full bathrooms and two half bathrooms, a family room and a very pleasant sun room that looks out onto a surprisingly large garden. We found it was very nice to come “home” and sit by the fire after a long day of touring London rather than going back to a hotel room.
Islington has a large number of great pubs and restaurants, theaters and antique stores. It also has a fun open air market where you can get the world’s best hamburger. My favorite is the spicy bacon cheeseburger; it is a cardiologist’s nightmare, but well worth the experience. We spent most of Christmas Eve shopping for Christmas dinner in the market, supplemented with a visit to the two local grocery stores. Everything was a short walk away from the house. The house’s modern kitchen is well stocked with everything you need to prepare a meal. Our Christmas dinner was excellent, except for the Christmas pudding we bought from Harrods. I guess that is either an acquired taste or a joke Londoner’s play on tourists.
We purchased 7 day unlimited travel Oyster cards and took the double decker buses or the tube all over London. Since the house was located near a tube/bus station commuting to anywhere in London was very easy. The buses were fun because you can ride on the top deck and see all of the sights. We often took a bus just for the views.
Overall, we had the best holiday of our lives and found the owners to be very helpful and friendly in helping us setup our London holiday. They even purchased and decorated a Christmas tree for us! We highly recommend staying at this wonderful house in Islington.
Recommended for:
Age 55+,
Tourists without a Car,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Families with Young Children
Owner's Response: We so enjoyed preparing the house for the Christmas holiday of your visiting family while we were away.It was great fun meeting your daughter and looking at London through her student eyes.
Glad you were able to make good use of books, music , maps and guides about London we left for you and that you appreciated the architecture of the Regency part of the house . Have a good year!
Helpful votes: 2/2
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