After what seems like a ridiculous amount of research, including endless searches of this forum, I think I've found a tiny but serviceable flat for our summer 2018 week in London. We're a family of five, with boys ages 10, 14 and 16. We first started looking at flats outside the city core (Walthamstow and Highbury and Dalston, for example) and then budget hotels like the Celtic and Cherry Court. I finally found a flat in Pimlico that comes well reviewed and only elevates our budget a bit - it's actually a little less than renting the two rooms we'd require at one of the budget hotels.
Anyway, I was about to pay the reservation fee, but then I started having doubts about Pimlico as a base, as compared to the Celtic in Bloomsbury. Things I most want, aside from safe and comfortable, are to show the boys the heart of London and British culture. I'm a photographer, so a scenic neighbourhood is desirable, and an early riser among late sleepers, so I'd like a neighbourhood that's good for solo exploring before everyone else wakes up. How does the area around Gloucester Street in Pimlico hold up to these criteria? It looks like I could walk the Thames, but it also looks mostly residential - not too much in the way of local shops, etc. I've google-street-mapped a bit, but it's hard to get a feel for it compared to other neighbourhoods. Any feedback?
Also, I'm wondering if anyone has experience with cancellations via services like VBRO and HomeAway? I want to book this now because several weeks in summer 2018 for this flat are already booked, and I would like to reserve our currently-available preferred week. But, I'm waiting on seat sales to book our flights, and may have to cancel later if I can't make the dates work (and then, back to the drawing board!) The listing says full refund on cancellation, but full payment is required on reservation. It seems like a lot to risk. Just looking for assurance, I guess, that the listing service will stand by the cancellation policy as long as I follow the fine print.
Thanks!