We really lucked out with this one. We were vacationing with two teens - 18 year old boy, 17 year old girl, se we needed three bedrooms. Difficult to find in London, and impossible in July without a lot of money. And having a nice grocery nearby saved even more - we were able to do so much in London because we found the right place. Note - the bedrooms are smallish, but the two rooms downstairs seat 4+ people easily. The house is functional and not fancy, but the street is charming, quiet and safe. We liked it more very day.
My recommendations:
- Travel to London using the Norbury Train (take a double-decker bus up from London Rd, then come every 5-7 minutes). Near the station are dozens of great little places to eat, most of them are inexpensive and stay open late.
- Coming from Gatwick airport (or Brighton), use East Croydon Station.
- For prime Charity/Thrift shopping, take the bus or train up to Streatham - great area with a lot of thrift shops in a small area.
- For great days in London, we loved Shakespeare's Globe (cheap if you choose the standing section by the stage), the Tate Modern, the London Playhouse theatre (not cheap but amazing - they reconfigure the theatre for each show), Brighton beach, a haunted walking tour, Shoreditch/Spitalfields market, Abbey Road, Camden Town/Camden Market.
I hope others enjoy it as much as we did.