Apartment in London - Chelsea or Paddington

Personally neither area would be top of my list, but they are both fine. If the Chelsea one is close to Sloane Square tube station then that would be any preference, although I would be looking a it further east. Paddington is OK, but a bit dull and not as central as it could be.

Areas I would look at are Southbank and Liverpool St/Aldgate and maybe King's Cross/St Pancras.

I would always prioritise convenience in getting to and from the airport or train station depending how you are getting to London as that's the time you have your bags with you.

Ivy Lettings are a well known and respected lettings agency and safer than the likes of AirBnB in London.

Sloane Square has the benefit of being on the District Line, so a one change (cross platform) tube ride from Heathrow. While they are naughty in showing you the Chelsea house boats (which you aren't very near to) I can see from the map it is close to Sloane Square station and in a quiet side street (especially if it has access to a garden, as they state). Being on the district line it is a quick no change tube ride to places like Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square (use Embankment) and the War Rooms.
So it has a lot going for it. As you say it probably isn't the biggest apartment in London, seemingly being in one of the big old Mansion or tenement style buildings. That may well mean it has always been an apartment, rather than a converted property.
While the area is a bit "la-di-da" for me I can say it wouldn't be a bad place at all for a week/10 days. You are not going to be in there for much except meals and sleeping (maybe not even many meals) so the size may or may not be a deal killer.

jc, we stayed in an ivylettings flat in the summer of 2022. We found them to be very professional and would book again with them if we wanted that type accommodation in London again. If memory serves, we paid a security deposit - not remembering the percentage- and half of the total with the remaining amount due thirty days out. The security deposit was promptly returned when we got back.

We had an issue with a bathroom fan that I needed to call about on the morning of a Saturday arrival and they sent a repairman out within an hour. Very prompt in email responses to other questions as well. In terms of the flat size, I think ours was even smaller than the one you are considering and the three of us did fine with it for ten days. The heat got to us for a few nights; it was a basement flat with little circulation, but the size wasn’t a factor. Good luck with your decision!

Oh and I found this link on their page with the cancellation policy

https://www.ivylettings.com/guest-info/guest-terms-of-business/

You don't say how many people you are.
Both are smart.
The Chelsea one only has a single second bed and no door on that bedroom.
The Paddington one is tiny - the double bed is pushed up against the wall and the sofa bed may be in the same area as the kitchen - it is not clear if the kitchen is a separate room.
Sloane Square is a better area, in my opinion, but I'd keep looking, and second the suggestion of the South Bank and would also suggest Covent Garden.

Ah three people including our son

After years of staying in the Kensington/Bayswater area, we started staying at the Premier Inn in Paddington Inlet. It is a 5 minute walk from the Heathrow Express and the new Elizabeth line coming in from Heathrow.

The tubes that come into Paddington get you anywhere in town fast. And Hyde Park is just a short walk too.

Chelsea!!!! :-)

But I am biased. That’s my neighborhood. And I love it! I am less fond of the area around Paddington, which has some unlovely/grotty patches.

Sloane Square and environs are charming and walkable. And bus service to all sights in central London is excellent, in addition to having the District and Circle lines at your doorstep at Sloane Square station.

For me, if both choices are legit and in your price range, I would go with Chelsea hands down.

Jc, this is the flat where we stayed. The location was brilliant and I would stay here again, with the exception of the late spring/summer months. I’m not sure when you are going, but it’s worth a look.

https://www.ivylettings.com/search-rentals/ega/

Thank you Mustlovegods-
Would this location be better than Sloane square? I shy away from it but with your comment I may reconsider. I saw it onAirBnB where and saw negative reviews including mildew issue. Wondering if it has been addressed by the time you stayed. Were you guys ok with the upstairs bed?

We didn’t notice any mold smell inside the apartment itself, but we were there 3 years ago. I checked the date of the person who reviewed it on AirBnB and it was more recent and mentioned the smell outside the apartment itself. The way it’s set up is you go through a door to a hallway where there are multiple flats. I think that area is what the reviewer was referring to. It is below ground, but with nice windows to let in good natural light. The stuffiness during the summer, without the ability to open those windows, was not ideal. They provided fans but they just moved around the stuffy air. I don’t think this would be an issue during the cooler months.

Regarding the bed in the mezzanine, my son was in his late 20s when we went and he didn’t have an issue getting up to the full bed. The mattress was on the floor of this level. I was like a big bunk bed type set up, with the ceiling about two feet from your place atop. Interesting use of space to be sure. Below the staired ladder is the twin bed and the pull out trundle. We had to call and have them come and make up the trundle bed for us as it wasn’t upon arrival. I slept well on the twin, my daughter on the trundle.

Honestly, the location is fantastic as is probably this property’s best asset. Knightsbridge and South Kensington are the two closest tube stops. Gloucester Road is walkable, too. We went to South Kensington most of the time. Multiple lines go through and got us very quickly to where we wanted to go. It’s a very nice area of London and we walked to Hyde Park so many times just to relax and meander.

The flat could use a freshen up with its furniture, but it was clean and for the cost (we were really budgeting for ten days) it worked for us. My only other suggestion is to watch the height of the bathtub. It’s higher than what I was used to and had a less than rounded edge. I busted my shin on it the next to last night there. Not as bad an injury as Allan’s bathroom mishap, but it was scary.

Anyway, hope this helps. If you’re interested in it and have questions, you can email ivylettings. See if the owners have done any updating, addressed anything you have concerns about. The representatives there seemed very helpful and honest. Good luck!

That apartment in Chelsea looks very nice, and booking directly with the provider (rather than going through Booking) is always a better choice.