Travel fm Heathrow to Kennsington

Your options are a care hire as Tim noted, a National Express Coach, and a black cab. You could also use the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect (trains) which travel to Paddington Station. From Paddington you could take a black cab to your hotel. IMHO you WILL find the tube a valuable means of transport during your stay.

A private car service will take you door-to-door and will cost less than either a taxi all the way from the airport or the Heathrow Connect to Paddington plus a taxi from there. Kensington is in postal code W11. Just Airports offers a discount for paying cash. The cash fare from Heathrow to anywhere in postal code W11 is £32 for a saloon (sedan), £36 for an estate (station wagon), and £46 for a MPV (minivan). With four people plus luggage, you'll probably need at least an estate.

Walter, It looks like you have your answers, but since you mentioned you aren't interested in using the Tube, I am curious. May I ask why? Transport via the Tube and buses in London is generally excellent.

First, thanks to all that replied. The idea of "Just Airports" appears to be the right call at the right price. Re the question about not useing the tube or bus: we are 4 adults over 65 (w/heart bi-passes, replacement hips, etc) who can afford the few extra pounds of not having to pull big suit cases around London. Furthermore, we have a relatively short period of time to see a magnificant city. Does it not make some logic to see it above ground? Were we 30 years younger with all of our parts & more time to explore, I assure you the answer would be different.
Thanks again for your reply.

Fair enough. Enjoy your trip!

Walter, Once you've ditched the luggage, you may want to still think about the Tube for getting from one part of the city to another part of the time. Traffic in London can be brutal and so the question is also, do you want to spend your time sitting in traffic. ; ( I was in the UK a couple of weeks ago with a torn meniscus and did use a combo of tube and taxi's. Pam

Given your requirement, Walter, hiring a car from Heathrow makes sense. The driver should be waiting for you, with a sign, after you clear passport control. There will be a good number of other people holding signs for other people. When I used a care hire, the driver put my first name on his little sign, not my last name. Took a bit to figure that one out. The Tube is the best way to get around. Downsides: It's really busy during morning and evening rush, more the standing room only. I try to schedule my day to avoid the Tube at those times. Also, traversing a Tube station to get to your train often involves a surprising amount of walking. Many stations are old and do things like route you up and down stairs on the way to the train. Cabs are great, but they are not especially cheap, and can and do get stuck in traffic. Plus, they're very hard to find during during the rush.

Once you've settled in though using the tube to help get to the sites should be considered. Traffic in London is horrific at times so hailing a black cab or riding a bus may take more time than you wish. Great city. Enjoy it as you choose.

Fair enough, we will make the tube an option to get around London, although, if walking is good enough for Mitt Romney, it is good enough for four old Republicans:)

Absolutely walk. Very walkable city but you had mentioned some limited mobility issues and a shortage of time. From Westminster Abbey to the Palace, easy stroll. From Parliament to the London Eye, no problem. The Palace to Piccadilly no problem. Trafalgar Square to Covent Garden, same thing. However, you won't be walking to the Tower. Not even from Borough Market. Besides using the tube helps after a long day of walking. From an old independent I respectively suggest you not mention Mitt while there. Absolutely did not endear himself with some Olympic remarks and now is simply referenced as Mitt the Twit!

The tube is usually much quicker than a cab or a bus, both of which I have been stuck in traffic on for what seemed like an eternity. The only problem would be the fact that there is still walking to get down into the tube platforms, and although they do have escalators, there are still usually a handful of stairs in each station as well. Earls Ct station and a few others have elevators, but that is an exception rather than a rule.