Notting Hill, London.
House, town near the airport.

Where the house is
The house is in central London, just north-west of Kensington Gardens and on the inner edge of Notting Hill, the district made famous in the 1999 movie by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Walk ten minutes west, past dozens of boutiques and restaurants, and you hit the famous Portobello Road market. The same distance east, passing Paddington Station, you're on your way to Prime Minister Tony Blair's private house in Connaught Square. The same distance south, and you're in Kensington Gardens, one of the four Royal Parks at the heart of the city. Here's a zoomable, draggable detailed map showing the quiet cul-de-sac of 19th century houses where we're situated.

Getting there from Heathrow airport
We can arrange a Mercedes pickup and dropoff provided by our local car service (up to 4 passengers; minivan option for up to six if you prefer). By taxi or limousine from the airport to central London takes around 40 minutes depending on traffic. But the quickest way to arrive is on the Heathrow Express train, a 15-minute non-stop ride direct from the airport terminal to Paddington Station. A taxi from Paddington will take about four minutes to get to the house, or you can walk it in fifteen if your bags have wheels and you feel like fresh air.

Getting around London from the house
We are very well served by public transport. The five nearest Tube stations are Royal Oak (Hammersmith and City line; five minutes' walk), Westbourne Park (H&C, seven minutes' walk) Bayswater (District and Circle lines; seven minutes' walk), Queensway (Central line; ten minutes' walk), Notting Hill Gate (ten minutes' walk) and Paddington (fifteen minutes' walk; Bakerloo, District, Circle lines and trains to Heathrow, Oxford, Cotswolds, and the south-west). A map of the Tube in PDF format is published on the web by Transport for London, whose web site also contains information about the controversial Congestion Charge that has reduced traffic in the city by charging drivers £5 each time they enter the centre of the city.

The local buses within walking distance are the numbers 7, 18, 23, 27, 31, 36, 70, 94, 148, 328 and 390, and they take you almost everywhere in central London. These PDFs of 'spider maps' (simplified not-to-scale maps) for Notting Hill and Queensway show you the buses that are within walking distance of the house and where they take you. For the full story, see this big and very detailed bus map of central London in PDF format (view at 150% or more); look in the area between Notting Hill and Bayswater, which are a bit above the big green patch of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park).

Taxis and car services
You can easily pick up one of London's famous black taxis by strolling down the street to Westbourne Grove and raising your arm. (Note that the system works the opposite way to taxis in New York: when the light's on, that means the taxi is available for hire. No light, no pickup.) Most taxis seat five passengers, and some carry six.

Alternatively, you can simply call for a pickup from our reliable local car service, which usually arrives in five minutes. If you haven't been in London recently, it's worth knowing that these car services, known as minicabs, are now regulated by the Mayor of London, and they're safe and dependable.

Parks and exercise
Our local map shows that it's only ten minutes on foot to  Kensington Gardens, where you can walk, bike, rollerskate, and ride horses. What you may not know is that you can also reach many of the major sites of London simply by continuing through the linked Royal Parks. Start with Kensington Palace, where you can see the clothes of Princess Diana, who used to live there. (Stop for tea in the Orangery, hunt squirrels in the formal gardens, and feed the ducks in the round pond.) Pass the Albert Memorial, built by Queen Victoria in memory of her dead husband, cross a road and you're in Hyde Park, home to Speakers' Corner and a majestic avenue of London plane trees. Cross a second road  -- the junction of Hyde Park Corner, where the Duke of Wellington's residence, Apsley House, fondly called 'Number One, London',  looks over the triumphal arch built to celebrate his victory over Napoleon --  and you can reach Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament.

Swimming
Traditionally, swimmers take an annual dip on Christmas Day in the Serpentine, an artificial lake in Hyde Park; we recommend this only for masochists or people with strong immune systems. The Porchester Baths are the nearest public swimming pool, five minutes away on foot and just past the big public library and children's library; they also offer a famous Turkish bath with a cold plunge pool and spa which offers a range of treatments.  About fifteen minutes' walk away is the Kensington sports centre with swimming, fitness classes, kids' activities and so on. Both these pools are public. If you need more pampering, we belong to a more ritzy private gym housed in a former Victorian school, to which we can arrange guest passes for you at extra cost.

Local shopping
You are within a short walk of one of the best shopping districts in London. Most famous is the weekend antique and silver market of Portobello Road, which also sells extraordinary fresh fruit, flowers and vegetables during weekdays (except Thursdays). But don't miss the many boutiques and designer stores of Westbourne Grove and All Saints Road, or the wonderful range of individual shops around Blenheim Crescent, Elgin Crescent, and Ledbury Road.

Restaurants
Notting Hill is one of London's leading restaurant districts. The Time Out eating and drinking guide lists 82 restaurants within a one-mile radius of our W2 postcode(pick restaurants only, and then change the distance to 1 mile). The highly critical Hardens guide cites 91 in the district of Notting Hill, Holland Park and Bayswater, ten of which it rates as having "exceptional" food. Our personal favourites include Assaggi, Bombay Palace, E&O, The Oak, The Cow, Royal China, Clarke's, Lucky Seven, Mediterraneo, 192, and Osteria Basilico.

Delis and specialist food stores
Again, the area is densely populated. The best include Mr Christian's on Elgin Crescent; Ottolenghi on Ledbury Road; Clarke's on Kensington Church Street; Felicitous in Kensington Park Road; Tom's in Westbourne Grove; The Store in Westbourne Park Villas. Corney & Barrow and Oddbins are among the specialist wine merchants. The fish shop attached to the Kensington Place restaurant is excellent, supplying many of west London's best restaurants.

The UpMyStreet service provides more information for locals on city amenities.