come on over to my place

We stayed for 4 nights at Carol's place in London, and we would like to share our experience to prevent other travelers from having a similar situation. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing in several ways.

Upon arrival, we were greeted politely by Carol, who showed us the room and the bathroom. However, after a quick inspection, we immediately noticed that the cleanliness was far from acceptable, both in the bathroom and in the bedroom and living area.

The bathroom was dirty, with visible mold in the corners, and the shower was not clean and the floor was dirty. Additionally, cleaning products (mop, bucket, cleaning supplies) were left lying around in the bathroom and shower, making the space even less pleasant. Finally, there was no place to put our toiletries except on the toilet, which we preferred to avoid.

The bedroom was basic, but it was clear that it hadn't been vacuumed properly. There was dust and dirt on the floor, and although it was meant to be a place to sleep, there was no storage space. All the closets were full, and we finally realized that we were sleeping in Carol’s own bedroom, and when she hosts guests, she sleeps in a bed in the living room.

Let's not forget the musty smell mixed with cat food that filled the apartment, making it nauseating, especially in the mornings.

We encountered other uncomfortable situations.

Upon our late arrival at midnight, I wanted to take a shower, but the host refused, telling me there was a pump issue and that I could shower the next morning at 6 AM. The following morning, at 8:15 AM, I finally went to take my shower. To my surprise, when Carol realized I was in the bathroom, she entered without knocking — luckily, I had just finished and was in a towel, but it is completely unacceptable for her to enter the bathroom without knocking or waiting for my consent. Carol stayed in the bathroom while I was still in my towel instead of letting me get dressed before we spoke. She explained that she had a water drainage issue and that showers had to be very quick to minimize water flow. To make it clear, the shower was supposed to last only 1 or 2 minutes, which is barely enough.
Afterward, my friend asked if she could take a shower, but Carol refused and told her she could do so after breakfast. When breakfast time came, the table wasn't cleaned.

Carol entered our room several times without knocking or asking for permission. She came in to open the curtains while we were preparing. Although this may not have been ill-intentioned, it was still inappropriate.

After 3 nights spent in increasingly unbearable conditions, we decided not to stay the final night in the accommodation. We chose to stay at St Pancras station overnight, knowing our train was early in the morning, rather than return to a place in such poor condition. This decision perfectly sums up how unpleasant our experience was.

Although Carol is a kind and friendly person, this does not compensate for the unacceptable living conditions. The cleanliness was poor, our privacy was not respected, and the overall quality of the accommodation was far from adequate.

Oh, Carol, oh Carol... Such a lovely host but beyond that, a lovely woman ! She took care of us very well : prepared breakfast, some snacks for the day, gave us advices (very good one for the weather!!),... We talked about life, we met her lil cute kitty and now share some memories !
I felt safe with you, Carol. Thank you so much for this experience, I hope to see you again when I come back to London !!
(Sorry again for startling you while you were watching your show on that rainy evening.. Haha)