We are considering renting a small studio apartment for one week in May 2013 on Hornton Street, near Holland Park in London. Would you consider this to be a walkable neighborhood and central enough for seeing London? We like a quiet area with good access to Tube travel, but walkable to grocery stores and restaurants.

Thanks!

Yes all of the above IME - and besides British supermarkets and specialty food stores lining Kensington High Street nearby you also have Whole Foods Market there in case that kind of fare is your bag. A very quiet area if not on a main thoroughfare like Kensington High Street.

Holland Park is a delightful public park with the historic Holland House stately home in it - lots of strutting peacocks too.

Great place to stay IMO - not in the hectic tourist centrum of London but a short tube or bus ride away - can walk to several sights if into walking like the museum district, Harrods, etc.

Generally one of the more upscale areas of London IME of staying there multiple times.

Seconding

We would alway try to stay in this area.

We hate trawling over London after a meal and there are a huge number of non chain restaurants within a walkable distance of this area. We really don't like travelling on the tube at night after a meal but there again we are countryside Scots!

If you are staying in central London you will at some way use the tube and so we always feel it is best to stay in a comfortable area and travel during the day to the sights/sites.

Yup agree with the above

Agree with all of the above, that is a really nice place to stay in London. Lots of restaurants on Kensington Church Street. And easy access to anywhere in London through High Street Kensington or Notting Hill Gate.

Thank you everyone! This is very helpful information. I forgot to add that we'd also be close to our daughter in this location. She will be studying at the Royal College of Music near Royal Albert Hall.

For your needs that is a perfect location. A very upscale neighborhood w/ lots of nearby places to eat and very near High St Kens tube station.

(When I saw your thread's title I figured it would be about Shepherd's Bush. Lots of landlords take 'liberties'. but in this case - yup - terrific location)

Sorry, I don't know about the Shepherd's Bush reference.

Not to worry. It is just that some 'cheat' and list their flats as being in 'Holland Park' when they are really farther west in Shepherd's Bush, or 'South Kensington' when they are in Earl's Court. Just trying to make the locations sound better.

Your Landlord could have said Holland Park -- or maybe more accurately, Kensington since it is just a block over from Kensington Church Street, and wasn't cheating

Shepherd's Bush is an OK area - not posh like Holland Park area - but interesting - it is an ethnic area which is why some folks may eschew staying there perhaps. Earl's Court is one of the tackiest places in all of London - totally given over it seems to starvation budget tourists/young folk from Oz and New Zealand - lots of dumpy 'hotels' there and a few OK ones as well.

Both Shepherd's Bush and Earl's Court abut Holland Park area - at least vaguely so janisj makes a good point to investigate where your hotel really is!

BTW In an interview with The Who they, talking about some song, said "It was a Shepherd's Bush type thing."

Our studio is on Hornton Street at Holland just two blocks north(west) of Kensington High St. I'm not sure what district/neighborhood this would be.

Again, thanks to everyone for your kind help.

Could you post a link to your studio rental? This is just the area I want to stay in next visit to London.

Just adding another vote in favour of this area. We have stayed several times in Palace Gardens Terrace, quite close by, and we love the area - a good range of shops, restaurants & other services, and close to transport.

Love this area - a definate yes.