Woodville Guesthouse

I will not recommend this place to anyone. The owner was arrogant and unproffessional. He did not want to be asked questions. The place was dirty, cold and damp. PLEASE AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COST.

Emma Watson, Liverpool
I had a very warm welcome into wood ville guesthouse by James, it wasn’t a hotel environment, i was traveling into London during the night and he made sure i would be safe and know my way around, he showed me the bus routes and gave me a map and his phone number incise i couldn’t find my way back. It was very helpful for me as it was cheap and we were provided with cooking facilities so i also saved money on food. I would recommend this to any of my friends and family, you wouldn’t get this kind of service in a hotel, and i would definitely stay there again.

noisy, filthy and shabby. I wonder who is giving 5 star reviews really. I found hair from at least 2 different species on my bed sheets. I did not sleep much as the creaky floor boards were waking me up every time some one was walking on the top floor or stairs. the owner was overly polite except when money was the topic. for the same price you can find a decent clean and hopefully quiet hotel or hostel in London. I paid for 2 nights, left after the first night and was told that that is my decision, I will have no refund and if I want to complain or write a bad review I should not hesitate. So here I am

after planning to stay one night in london, i CANNOT recommend staying at this hotel. after we arrived we were showed our double room which was very small. this i can handle but the standard of the room was terrible, the bed sheets were unchanged and filthy, the room was unclean and smelt.
after raising this with the owner, after 3 seconds of conversation he stated that he "did not care if we left" as he would be paid through our booking website anyways. I tried to be as reasonable as possible as i wanted to stay but not to stay in filth. the manager was very rude and could not of cared less that we were unhappy customers. To sum up,this hotel is very cheap,but for a reason, feel free to stay just bring your own bedsheets, hoover, duster, mop and bleach. FILTHY

Ali CIMBIZ 19 march 2011(Turkish)

James is very nice person. One of the wounderfull place with this price. Clean, worm and friendly. Thanks a lot.

Woodville guest house is ok if you like this sort of thing. The whole place in one sentence: small, hot, full of "house rules" and likely to raise your blood pressure. One to avoid. But read on, if you wish...

The owner (James) sleeps downstairs, with his dog. Oh yeah, if you don't like dogs, DON'T stay here. He generally keeps himself to himself. There are three rooms available upstairs. One of them (which has three beds in it) is occupied by a long-term guest. The other two are a double room, in which I stayed, and a very small room, whose size is unknown to me. None of the rooms has a key to it, despite the fact that they all have locks. So you just have to trust that none of your stuff will be nicked. I must emphasise though, in all fairness, that I left two laptops in my room, and nobody went near them. Nothing was stolen from my room, ever.

If you want a lockable room, you won't get that here. But the desirability of a lockable room is a moot point, I suppose.

The double room isn't really a double room - it's merely a box room that happens to have a double bed in it. While I was there, it was obvious that housekeeping had not been done before I arrived. Dog hairs (white in colour, which just happens to be the colour of the owner's dog) remained on the carpet for the length of my stay.

On the other hand, the bathroom (downstairs) is always clean, so you can chill out aplenty in there.

The kitchen is downstairs. If you have a meal and want to wash up, you'd better get used to washing up without filling the sink. There's no plug! The metal rack on the draining board next to the sink is also woefully inadequate.

There is reasonable storage space in the cupboards and fridge, but don't keep your food in there for too long without gobbling it all up or you may find yourself getting told off!

The heating is always on, such that the house feels like an oven. This is great if you come from a hot country, but not so good if you're actually from the UK.

The double room at the back (where I stayed) has no curtains, and there's a noisy primary school behind the house. Not a great proposition if you're on hols and like to sleep in. The radiator was rather difficult to access, but it was possible to turn down the sauna style heating. I kept the radiator OFF for the latter part of my stay.

Much is made of the "homely" nature of Woodville guesthouse. This is fine, just so long as you remember that you are entering a house owned by one person, with all the problems that entails. That's the problem: it's neither a hotel nor a home.

James may have friends over for dinner. Expect a lot of noise until at least midnight (not very convenient if you're trying to get some shuteye). If you happen to be in the kitchen at the time of said dinner, expect to be a wallflower unless you like to wax lyrical about world cinema.

I'm old school, in that I expect to be addressed in a polite way if I pay money to stay somewhere. If this doesn't happen, well, I tend to get rather cheesed off.

If you want to stay in a small, average condition house, heated like an oven, where you can't REALLY feel at home, and have to keep going up and down the stairs to go to the kitchen and bathroom, go ahead.

Otherwise, if you want a stress free experience, DON'T stay at Woodville Guest house!

There are plenty of other places in the Travelstay network. (Oh yeah, don't expect travelstay customer service to be on the ball either).

Happy accommodation hunting!

Can only echo the other reviews on here - I was so pleased with my stay that I signed up to Qype specifically to give it its well-deserved praise. Its excellent facilities and convenient location (it is much quicker to get into London than it may seem - a Victoria Line Tube stop is only a short walk away) already make it a great option, but the hospitality and generosity of the host, James, will ensure that your stay becomes special.

Will definitely come back whenever I am in London, and have no hesitations about giving it the highest recommendation.

Woodville Guesthouse is a place where as soon as I entered I picked up on a great vibe. There is always a good atmosphere here and the host makes you feel like you are at home with family and friends. I stay in London on weekdays and I am delighted to have found this excellent home from home to live in.
The guesthouse is not far from central London and close to the amenities (tube station, supermarkets, shops) yet on a beautiful, quiet street. The house comfortable and is kept clean and welcomingly warm, and there is a well-equipped kitchen.
The host James has an excellent sense of humour and is very intelligent and knowledgeable. You can have fascinating conversations with him on all sorts of topics. Woodville Guesthouse is a guesthouse in the true sense of the word: James really is the personification of hospitality, something so rare these days. Be sure to respect the (very fair) house rules and you will have a very happy time here. I cannot recommend this gem of a place highly enough.

I stayed at Woodville guesthouse for 2weeks while I was in London. The house is close to the walthamstow high street which is very convenient to buy food or other stuff. However, the enviornment around the house is peace and quiet. U will not heard any noise when u want to have a good rest. For me, it is very important to having a good sleep when I was in a new place. On the other side, the room is warm and nice. It won't let the guest feel he/she is in a strange place because eveything there just like home. The host of the house is the most undeniable reason why I highly recommend Woodville guesthouse to u. The host--James, is a very warm-hearted and generous person. He prepared a very impressive welcome party when I arrived with another 2 guests. We had a unforgortten night and became friends. But there is a kind reminder I would like to mention to the other guests--u must follow the rules in the house. Break them without host's permit will either embarrass him or yourself. So be kind to the host as well if u want a good experience. In a word, fabulous guesthouse with my honest recommendation.

I stayed in a single room at the Woodville Guesthouse twice recently while I was visiting London for work and it gives me great pleasure to recommend it to other travellers.

First, the basic stuff: The bedroom was clean, warm, spacious and quiet, with a comfortable mattress. The rest of the house is likewise kept scrupulously clean, including the bathroom and the well-equipped kitchen.

The guesthouse is situated in a quiet residential area very near to Walthamstow High Street, which has an excellent range of shops. The transport links are also marvellous, as it is situated close to the Tube, the overland and a bus network that serves a huge array of London destinations.

These things alone would make the Woodville Guesthouse great value for money. However, what made my stay particularly enjoyable was the hospitality of James, the guesthouse owner, a larger-than-life character and one of the funniest people I've ever met. He creates a marvellous atmosphere so that you feel more that you are staying with good friends than renting a hotel room. On both nights of my latest stay he cooked huge amounts of delicious food and invited the guests to share it, and my second evening there (when I was too tired after work to go out) was one of my most enjoyable in recent memory - I had a fabulous time with James and the other guests eating, chatting and laughing so much that I cried. I liked it there so much that I'm considering going there to stay again just for fun. Which sounds a bit sad, but is true.

In short, this place is a find. Highly recommended.

I lived in this guest house for a week. I was on my trip in London. And I fully recommend this place to everyone who prefer live in a comfy room like 3 stars hotels but pay less money. What is more, the position of the house is amazing. It is not far away from central London. And you can find tube station within 10 minutes by walking. Another good alternative is buses. There are more than 15 different buses near this house that will take you to wherever you want.

The house is pretty and very clean. I was happy that I can use the kitchen free. The bathroom is always clean, because the host---James clean it every day. I am very happy with my experience in Woodville guesthouse. The host was very nice and with great hospitality. He cooks very well....to be honest I do miss his food......:-)
My trip in London was perfect not only because of the view but also James and his guesthouse. To be honest with every one who will see my review, this guesthouse worth more than the price it charges.
After all, highly recommend this place to every one and believe me it will become one of your best experiences in London......

I stayed in Woodville Guesthouse in October when I had a job interview in London. From the very first minute the owner James did everything to make me feel comfortable and at home.He rushed to get me bus and tube maps and gave me directions to my interview location. When later I met the three other guests (4 rooms only, never crowded there:-)) we had good chats in the nice kitchen. They all wished me well for my interview and couldn't wait to hear what the outcome was.(well, got the job !!)
Rooms are simple but clean and tidy. I had the triple to myself (booked a single) Bathroom good and the well equipped cosy kitchen a perfect meeting place. The owner couldn't be more friendly and helpful.
Transportation is no problem from there. Even though Victoria Line had some difficulties that day, James knew the best ways out by bus. I can highly recommend this place and will be back for Jame's vegie curry. (thanks for the invitation, James:-))) Ute from Germany

I think this is a great place to stay if you want to explore London on a budget, but don't want to give up comfort and privacy. The host rents out 3 rooms in his house, and you have full access to the kitchen and the bathroom. I really liked the arrangement because I could cook me own meals and save some money on eating out.
The facilities were clean and well-maintained.
The host, James, was very helpful and considerate. He is also very knowledgeable of London, so make sure to ask him for sightseeing suggestions. He is also very smart and pleasant to talk to. Definitely talk to him about art :)
The house is situated in Walthamstow, one of the London suburbs. It's a nice neighborhood, there is a huge street market working on High street, so you can get, for example, fruits or other food for cheap. There are also at least three large supermarkets on High street, some pubs and restaurants if you don't cook or prefer eating out.
Despite the presence of tha market I didn't have any problems with security, even when I came back late at night. The streets are well lit, there are police patrols, so it indeed feels quite safe.
Walthamstow central station is within a 15-minute walking distance. There's a Victoria line Tube station there as well as buses and trains (I've never used the latter). The Underground will take you to King's Cross in 25 minutes and to Victoria Station in 40. The trains go every 3-7 minutes, but, unfortunately, I've found the London Underground to be quite unreliable, e.g. the service is disrupted sometimes -- but that is the problem you will have to face if you're staying in the suburbs (and a lot of other hostels and rentals are situated in the suburbs too). The buses are more reliable but take more time to reach London. There are night buses that run all night and you can use them if you're coming back late (the underground closes at 11pm).
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Woodville Guesthouse. It's a really good alternative to staying at a hotel if you're traveling on a budget.