Honestly, when I first walked up to 39A Paddington Street, I wasn’t expecting much – it’s tucked between a couple of Georgian townhouses and you’d actually walk right past it if you weren’t looking. But here’s the thing about these Baker Street area apartments: they’re basically perfectly positioned for anyone who wants to feel like they’re living in London rather than just visiting it.
The three-bedroom setup is genuinely spacious by London standards (and I mean that – not the usual estate agent nonsense where they call a closet a bedroom). What really got me was how quiet it stays despite being so central. You’re literally a two-minute walk from Baker Street tube station, but Paddington Street itself is one of those lovely residential pockets that most tourists never discover. The apartments sit right between Marylebone High Street – which, you know what, is probably my favorite shopping street in central London – and Regent’s Park. I spent most mornings grabbing coffee from Monocle Café around the corner, then cutting through the park to get anywhere I needed to go. The building itself has that solid, no-fuss feel that makes you think it’ll still be standing in another hundred years. Check-in was refreshingly straightforward, none of that awkward hovering around reception desks you get with hotels.
What actually sets this place apart is the neighborhood knowledge you pick up just by staying here. The locals do their shopping on Marylebone High Street in the mornings before the crowds arrive, there’s a brilliant little Pakistani place called Roti Chai about five minutes south that serves the best curry I had in London, and – this is key – you can walk to Oxford Street in ten minutes but retreat back to this quiet residential bubble whenever the tourist chaos gets overwhelming. The apartments themselves feel properly lived-in rather than sterile, with decent kitchen facilities and enough space that you’re not tripping over your travel companions. I mean, the Wi-Fi actually works reliably, which sounds basic but you’d be surprised how many places get that wrong. The only minor gripe I’d have is that the building’s entrance can be a bit tricky to spot when you’re arriving with luggage – took me three passes before I found the right door. But honestly, once you’re settled in, you start to appreciate being tucked away like that. It’s the kind of place where you end up extending your stay because you realize you’ve accidentally found one of those rare London spots that feels both perfectly central and genuinely peaceful.