Area to stay for Family of 4 in London

all of the above areas would be OK

Covent Garden would be slightly different as its right in the heart of London surrounded by the bright lights of Soho and the West End, which may or may not appeal

to be honest I wouldn't get too focused about one particular area - find a flat that appeals then ask again for comments

mind you, some of the most exclusive areas are like ghost towns as their billionaire owners are somewhere offshore avoiding taxes

Areas of Notting Hill and Baayswater are within walking distance from Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. You and your kids might enjoy outings to these beautiful parks.

We always stay in Bayswater with our kids. It's close to the tube and near the Diana Memorial playground in Hyde Park. There are lots of good restaurant options too.

DJ

Be careful of finding places near or towards Holland Park. One of the most exclusive parts of the very exclusive Notting Hill Gate area. But hopping and full of yummy mummies.

Problem is that Holland Park tube Station is closed at the moment while the guys with hammers and saws have a bash, making Notting Hill Gate even busier than normal.

Bayswater and South Kensington are both lovely areas to stay in. I have stayed in both many times, love them.

I stayed in South Kensington with my family a couple of years ago (kids ages 5 and 7 at the time). It worked out well for us. We found an apartment on Thurloe St. and could easily walk to the underground station, nearby museums, restaurants, etc. in the area.

You've identified some nice areas in your list. At this point I think proximity to the Tube is as important as the particular neighborhood. The tourist sites in London are so widely scattered that you'll be traveling to them anyway.

I suggest that you also look at more options than just VRBO. There are several other apartment rental companies that might have options that VRBO doesn't show.

Good luck!

Don't forget about the bus option for travel. We stayed in an apt. In South Kensington with a bus stop right outside. Once you get the hang of it, you see more using the bus. The TFL website will plan your route for you.

I'll cast a vote for Southwark. We stayed there this November and enjoyed it very much :-)
Especially the proximity to the Borough Market (http://boroughmarket.org.uk/).

We stayed in America Street (close to Southwark Street), but you may want to move a bit more south to get into a more residential area.

We just stayed at Go Native Monument apartments and found it very good and they also have apartments in other areas of London. We have stayed in Dolphin House Apartments near Pimlico and found that they had everything we needed. We booked an apartment in Earl's Court years ago but it was run down so I would not suggest that. I enjoy apartments especially with kids as everyone has room and not confined to a hotel room.

Thank you everyone for your replies and suggestions.
We have decided to stay in the West End/Covent Garden area. Since we will be traveling in late Fall, we chose to stay "in the heart of London" where we can simply walk from our flat to so many places.

Looking on VRBO, we have narrowed it down to 3 places (links below). Any thoughts/recommendations you have for any of these?

Thanks again

Option 1: https://www.vrbo.com/760993
Option 2: https://www.vrbo.com/2256323ha
Option 3: https://www.vrbo.com/748584

This thread has now morphed into another

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/family-flat-in-covent-garden-west-end-area