Best Things Nearby:
Location, location, location. Virtually everything London has to offer is closeby. The tube station (Underground/subway) for High Street Kensington is right around the corner. There is a Starbucks right across the street. Shopping and grocery stores are very close by. Kensington Park and Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, and The Royal Albert Hall are all within walking distance. The main attractions are within 1/2 hour by subway. Trafalgar Square, the centre of London is 12 minutes on the subway.

Best Things About the Resort:
The Allen House Luxury Serviced Apartments are tucked away on a peaceful side street, just off High Street Kensington, on the doorstep of Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, and the bustling West End of London. Allen House is conveniently located to all London has to offer. The Allen House has a beautiful back garden with an iron table and chairs. Lovely for afternoon tea during the warmer months.

Resort Experience:
We stayed in a one-bedroom unit on the ground floor. Allen House also has two- and three-bedroom flats, each one unique. Rentals are also available. Our flat was named "Albert". It faced the back garden, and although we were there in November, there were still flowers and buds on the bushes. The kitchen was very well-equipped, complete with egg cups and a covered vegetable dish. Please keep in mind that I have yet to find a timeshare in the UK that has a coffee maker, but they all have kettles and lovely tea pots. We always bring instant coffee for my husband to drink. There was some sort of percolator, but we didn't use it. The kitchen included a single sink, dish washer, washer/dryer combo, stove, oven, microwave, and refrigerator. Dish soap was included, but not laundry soap. There was a little table in our unit where two people could sit for breakfast. If you use face cloths, you should bring your own, because there were none. Don't forget your shampoo and your own soap (only tiny bars are provided in the bathroom). The living/dining area was nicely furnished. The sofa pulled out to a bed.

The bedroom was tastefully decorated, and there was a beautiful wooden desk or dressing table. Twin beds were made up like a king-size bed. Extra pillows, blankets and sheets were available. There was lots of closet space in the bedroom. The bathroom had ample towels and enough toilet paper for two people for a week. There were no tissues, although there was a tissue holder. The bathtub had both a fixed shower and a handheld shower wand. The water pressure was not the greatest. The towel warmer is always a nice touch. A utility room across from the bathroom served as our luggage storage room for the week. All of the rooms except the bathroom had windows overlooking the garden. There was no door in the apartment leading to the garden for security reasons, but the exit was right down the hall.

Allen House has flat rate charges for utilities. The charges are based on time of year and unit size. I believe we paid around £35 for the week. The front door to Allen House is always locked. You are given keys for access upon check-in; there is a £5 deposit. Security includes a buzz-in entry system, complete with video screens in all units, so you can see who is at the front door before you allow them access. Allen House is not your typical North American timeshare. There are no organized activities and no amenities. It's in London, they don't need them. We left each morning after breakfast and returned in the evening.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Not Available
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
High Street. I dropped my luggage and headed to the activity center. I went back to Allen House for a coat at sunset and went back to High Street.

Best Things About the Resort:
The service was wonderful; everything you needed, they could handle for you, from a car and driver to having a three-bedroom unit for three people instead of one bedroom for three people. (My travelling buddies had to stay home with family health problems.)

Resort Experience:
Walking around the corner to High Street and the hustle and bustle was fascinating. The amazing part was that the sound did not infiltrate the apartment at Allen House.

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Not Available
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
The amazing city of London is easily accessible by the Tube, which is located just two blocks away and it is a short walk to Kensington Palace and gardens.

Best Things About the Resort:
The location and the wonderful English atmosphere.

Resort Experience:
The Allen House is in an older building just a half block off Knightsbridge. Our unit had two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and a lovely living room with a formal dining area which overlooked a garden from a bay window. We also had a very large full kitchen, which also overlooked the garden and had a casual dining area. We did miss our coffee and coffee maker, so we wandered down to Starbucks, where we purchased both. The bathtub was a very big old claw foot soaker and my feet and I both enjoyed it greatly after days of walking all around the city.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
The location and condition of the resort is excellent. Just a few short blocks of the Kensington High tube. It's also approximately 6 blocks to Kensington Gardens and Palace. The resort staff is very friendly and helpful. Overall a very nice unit and we were very pleased with our trade. There are 3 restaurants within walking distance that we would highly recommend. The Kensington Tandoori (Indian), The Blue Lagoon (Thai) and Wodka (Polish) - this restaurant was recommended in several travel books - and they were so right. Yes, they also make their own vodka. There is a great pub just down Allen Street called the Britannia; good fish & chips and air-conditioned. There are several restaurants on High Street Kens., as well as an Easy Everything internet café. In addition to the grocery stores, there is a Chemist (Pharmacy) about a block the other way, as well as a news store with magazines. The post office is three or four blocks away, and you can access the Internet in the basement of the local library (for a fee).

Best Things About the Resort:
As timeshare travelers, we were very pleased with resort. The unit was nicely furnished and was a great place to stay in London but don't expect luxury. It's a large townhouse in the Kensington section -- if you take a car in you must take it four or five bocks away to park. Our apartment was a 1bdrm with a full kitchen including a washer/dryer. The kitchen was stocked with several days' worth of Nescafe and tea. As is common in Europe, there is no outlet for a hair dryer in the bathroom, you must use it in the bedroom or buy a long extension cord in London so you can do your blow dryer and curl iron where the mirror and light is. Since you need a 220-watt dryer, the resort will loan you one if you do not have one. In addition to the double bed in the bedroom, there was a sofa bed in the living room, and plenty of linens and pillows. There were actually two sofas in the living room, in addition to a dining table and four chairs.

Resort Experience:
The unit was very comfortable. The English bathtubs are wonderful - deep, long and just marvelous for a good soak after a busy day in London. Don't forget your best bubble bath! A pre-paid phone card is a good idea for any international calling you might need to do. By the way, the phone book in the unit even shows seating plans for London theatres, making any telephone bookings quite easy.

The only elevator at the Allen House is about 3' x 3' the smallest I've ever seen. They supply paper towels, dish and laundry detergent. The office is only open from 8:00AM to 6:30PM, and closed on Sundays.

There is a charge for electricity based on the size unit you have. For the one bedroom unit, I believe it was about £20 for the week. The staff is very accommodating, friendly and helpful. There are no planned activities at the Allen House - London has enough to offer on it's own.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Excellent