Views are worth fortunes in London, and second only to a sight of the
Queen hanging out her washing is a view of the Thames. From Windsor
through to Woolwich, a glimpse of the river adds thousands of pounds to
real estate values and hundreds to accommodation rentals.
Only a handful of London hotels offer significant views of the river;
notably the Savoy, where river-view rooms start at $1000 a night and
spiral up to $4200 for a Thames suite.
So Prospect Quay, sleeping six at just $500 a night, is a snip. And you
don't just see the Thames - you're on it, since the accommodation is a
30-metre houseboat operated by Coach House London Vacation Rentals and
moored at Wandsworth Park, near Putney.
This is no tatty old barge - the living and sleeping rooms are on two
decks, with a salon bigger than the average St Kilda Road apartment. The
dining room seats eight and the master bedroom has a four-poster bed.
Included in the price is garage access and the use of a nearby gym. But
best of all, in my view, is entry to the nearby pub, the Cat's Back, in
Point Pleasant Road. Peeping over the embankment, it has a big selection
of real ales, excellent food and a patronage of houseboat dwellers.
The houseboat owner is allegedly a Lady of the Manor somewhere in
Essex, but is coy about revealing her identity. Maybe she's that
interesting-looking woman in the pub with the titian hair and a pint of
Fuller's London Pride best bitter ale.
Coach House Rentals specialises in upmarket self-catering
accommodation, such as the sleep-seven apartment just around the corner
from Harrods at $682 a night, or the 300-year-old townhouse in Chelsea
with two Rolling Stones and one Eric Clapton as near neighbours.
Online: http://www.rentals.chslondon.com/
