Little Venice? or South Kensington - First time London

If there’s availability at the Kensington go for it.

By using the London Underground, busses and your own 2 feet for transport you can get everywhere in London and the various neighborhoods.

I’ve been going to and staying in London neighborhoods since 1972. Hotels, AirBnBs and friends homes.

Have Never felt scared in any of the neighborhoods. Even walked from the Richmond Underground station back to my friend’s rental house near North Sheen after a night of theatre. It was around midnight and a good 25 minute walk.

Kensington is like Beverly Hills.

Hello

I loved London.

I stayed at Hotel 63 when I went for my first and only time. It was recommended to me by a member on forum. I do not know if this historical hotel will work for you but it is right across from Kensington Gardens Great location and close to public transportation.

https://hotel63.co.uk

I enjoyed a short walk in the Paddington Basin area but had to turn back before I really got to see much of Little Venice. Regret. It's definitely not too far from anything. We stayed on the other side of Paddington Station and got all over. The path along the canal was very nice, and there were loads of restaurants, some on barges. I would choose the flat in Little Venice, hands-down.

I would choose Kensington, that is where we stayed and it was very convenient and lovely to be near the park. We went to Little Venice one day. It was highly overrated and was our least favorite thing we did the entire two weeks of the trip.

Thank you for replies so far. I guess I'm trying to get area vibes. The flat is stunningly decorated. I'd just love to see it in person but the area was a new one to me in my research and wasn't sure what that meant in my trip.
We are big walkers btw. I can't wait to walk by all the cute little store fronts.
The Kensington hotel looks gorgeous and the area around looks very Georgian. I've just read a few complaints about the rooms being less consistent as far as updates.

For what it's worth, we booked at the Kensington Gardens Hotel. When we arrived we found out they had moved our reservation to their sister hotel, just a few doors down, the Phoenix. It was fine, nothing "charming" but quiet, clean, and comfortable. The breakfast is something I would skip, it was pretty boring.

I was looking at The Kensington over by the natural history museum in South Kensington.

Little Venice is safe. More of a neighborhood feel.
With a tube stop nearby, getting anywhere is not a big deal.

South Ken is maybe a bit more posh, but, I think you would be fine either way.

I'll just chip in on the tubes at either location. A lot of how simple the tube is depends on where you're going.

The only tube to serve Warwick Avenue (don't abbreviate) is the Bakerloo Line, which is basically a north/south line. You may find that you have to frequently change to another to get where you are going. Not a great hassle except at rush hour or late at night, but one more thing to deal with.

South Kensington is served by both the Piccadilly Line (straight shot from Heathrow and goes east/west, then north, stops at many key stations) and also by the District Line (branches go to various parts such as Kew, Richmond, Wimbledon, and all the way along the north side of the River all the way to East London and beyond) and also the Circle Line which defines central London and stops at just about everywhere important.

So South Kensington wins the tube competition for convenience.

Little Venice is lovely. Neighbourhood feel, some gorgeous residential architecture, excellent restaurants, and very SAFE. It also boasts the Prince Alfred pub, which is a perfectly preserved Victorian treasure. https://www.theprincealfred.com/history-of-the-pub/

Little Venice is not “far” from any of the top tourist sites. Nigel makes a sensible point about tube access, though.

South Kensington is more touristy and feels “more central,” I suppose. It is also very safe.

I cast no Nasturtiums about Little Venice and Warwick Avenue, nor the Bakerloo. In fact good friends of mine used to live in Little Venice until they moved out into the beautiful Northamptonshire near me. And they loved it. I used to have a good relationship with the Bakerloo at both Baker Street and at Marylebone, but there are few accessible stations on the Bakerloo and we need that now so I don't use it. Buses in Maida Vale are not great either.

I'd agree with Volva's comments too.