Harry's Hogwarts Haven

This apartment suffers from the fact that it is located in an area of Watford which seems to be rather on a downward path… if you consider ‘broken windows theory’. The idea of putting in a few items to turn it into a ‘Harry Potter’-thingy doesn’t make up for the shortcomings. It is clearly overpriced and very limited value for money.

The apartment is not very well maintained: there is mould in several places (see photos from inside shower/washing machine: health hazard, and photos from the area), especially in the washing machine and the shower. The bathroom facilities are in a bad condition, loose, a technology from hell (maybe typical British, but clearly not at an international standard and not justifying this price- even in London).

In terms of a place to stay, the location was ok and did us for the 2 night stay. The owner messaged on the day I was arriving with the access code for the lock box. The host, when I needed help to get the boiler working, was available via a quick facetime call and ran me through the fix. They did have Netflix on the TV in the living room which was a nice addition if you're wanting to waste some time while waiting to go out or something to watch when you return. An Uber from the property to Watford Junction was around £5-7 which wasn't too bad. Parking wasn't far away either, about a 5 minute walk from the property, but it costs £10 every 24 hours to leave your car there (May 2025 - City Park Gade). I didn't experience any issues with leaving the car there or picking up the car (albeit didn't feel the most secure car park), I parked on the first floor.

It did feel a little bit rough around the streets, rubbish left out in people's front gardens, and the area in general wasn't too appealing. Felt out of place and not the most safe during my visit. If you're needing to drop off luggage and take the car to a car park, be wary of wardens, they operate in the area and if you're parked in that street without a permit, you will receive a fine. My suggestion, have everyone help get everything out the car as quickly as possible, move, and on leaving day, have everything ready in the garden ready to go to avoid getting a fine. I would say the place itself shouldn't be advertised as "Harry Hogwart's Haven" because apart from a few bits here and there Harry Potter related, it might as well have just been a normal looking property. It could definitely do with a touch up in areas as you could see overtime, the place has been used to quite an extent, and just needs a good bit of TLC. Marks on the wall, drink stains on the walls, floorboards have popped out, etc. I did have to fix the pressure on the boiler when I arrived as it didn't have any. The owner did help with this, but this should have been done for arrival. The kettle, fridge, cups, plates, and cutlery weren't clean. There was a dirty old dish rag which we didn't use, so we had to clean a plate and knife as best we could with a paper towel and tried to make do with those until our 2 night stay was over. We used it for toast as we were out most of the 2 days. There was leftover milk in the fridge when we arrived which itself wasn't very cool, so any drinks or food you want to keep cool, good luck! The beds were not the most comfortable, and had some questionable stains on the duvet covers. They looked and smelled clean apart from the look of the stains. Toilet and Shower we're ok, not the best in terms of cleanliness, but not terrible. I wouldn't stay here again!

Location was good,quiet enough area and train service into London. The door inside the garden felt more private. It had all the basics we needed.

No major complaints all basics supplied. Some bedside lamps would have been very helpful.

Buena ubicación para ir a los estudios de Harry Potter

Hacía bastante calor y no tiene aire acondicionado

Spacieux et bien agencé, fonctionnel et pratique pour une famille, petit jardin parfait pour les enfants, très bien placé près des commerces.

Tout était parfait

The location is close to Watford Mall that has plenty of places to dine. The backyard space was nice for a little room to stretch the legs outside. Was a short drive across town to the WB Harry Potter Studio. The parking garage is a 5 min walk crossing multiple streets and is right next to the Watford Mall outdoor pedestrian area.

House wasn't ready upon arrival. Sheets were still drying on the laundry rack in the kitchen. We stayed during a hot period and there were no fans in the property. Leaving windows open to cool off was questionable at night as the houses location is in a neighborhood that clearly has some questionable nighttime activity. The floating lights didn't work. While honoring the no shoes please inside, the laminate floor is chewed up a bit and can scrape your feet if not careful. Also there were a bunch of shampoos left in the shower and the Fridge had milk in it that was close to expiring. Watford Tube station is a 19 min walk and is not well lit for a night time return. It is an hour and 15ish minute ride into London Buckingham Palace station. During the process of vacating the house, what I assume was the owner was standing outside the property waiting for us to depart at 1050. He didn't say a word until I was going to lock up. As I used a lock box to enter I had no idea who he was and had to deal with a awkward lock up when he said to just leave the door open and not worry about locking it. As I didn't know him it was even more awkward returning the keys to the lock box as I wanted to ensure the owner was getting into the property. Would have been nice if he could have waited at least 5 mins past the 1100 checkout time to show up and avoid the awkwardness. Finally, after providing feedback via booking.com he was trying to figure out where I traveled from. This is a red flag in my book and not a question you ask guest.

Perfect place for what we needed and had all the amenities also

Not alot

Nice and clean, comfy beds, large kitchen, walk in shower. The kids liked the Harry Potter theme but it was a pity the LED suspended candles did not work in either bedroom. If they can't be fixed I would replace with bedside lamps. Good location in the centre of Watford, short walks to plenty of eating places and the main shopping area. A short walk to a choice of underground and overground services to Wembley stadium and London.

Although the apartment is quite big, there is no proper table to eat at if there are more than 2 of you - just a small table with two chairs in the lounge. We ate out mostly, but breakfast meant bowls on laps in front of the tv. Parking is a bit of a pain, the only real option is the Gade car park about 5 mins walk. We parked up there for 3 nights at a cost of £34, you can then come and go as you please without worrying about paying. The area itself is a bit lively but quietens down around midnight, we live in quite a quiet area, so it's probably no different to any other town or city. You can hear the people upstairs walking around.