We traveled with a husband, wife, and twin 7-year-old daughters. Our trip to London was arranged at the last minute, so inventory on HomeAway/VRBO was shrinking. This flat was available for part of the trip, so we took the plunge. Payment was a bit unorthodox for HomeAway but went off without a hitch.

Location is good -- three blocks away from Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line and a block away from Coram's Fields, which has several playgrounds, a kids' zipline, and a small urban farm with goats and a pack of rabbits (bring some lettuce if you want to feed them). The Brunswick shopping mall is right near the station, with a large Waitrose supermarket, a few late night market options, two drug stores, an arthouse-oriented movie theater, and a few of the ubiquitous restaurant and cafe chains that permeate London. Salaam Namaste is a very fine Indian restaurant right around the corner, and the Lamb's Conduit Road pedestrian district with a few quirky shops, cafes, and pubs. There is some road noise that was audible from the living room, but not (to our urban ears) in the bedrooms.

This flat is on the top floor. A small lift can carry luggage but not people, so not the best if you're averse to climbing stairs, but great for natural light. It had a roomy king size bedroom and a second bedroom with bunk beds, each (American) twin size beds.

A flash heater provided plenty of hot water, though the shower took some tweaking to get the desired temperature. The kitchen had an electric conduction stove, small oven, microwave, and a fridge/freezer, along with a range of diningware, glassware, corkscrew, and utensils. Clothes washer was a little quirky but we got it to work. WiFi was a Star dish service and download rates were very good at all hours. Apartment was delivered in spotless condition.

Concerns: flight landed at 7 am. We could drop off our bags at 10 am (and were greeted by one of the managers), but couldn't move in until more like 1 pm. (We knew this, and the flat had just been vacated the morning arrived and they were cleaning the place when we arrived; another group is arriving the day we are leaving.) Would get five stars with a formally written down guide to the apartment, with local resources, tips for using the washing machine (we downloaded a manual) and the shower. But for convenience to shops, and a hop, skip, and a jump away from the British Museum and King's Cross/St Pancras, a good solid last minute option.