Chelsea: pick your end of the King's Road first

We list only ten residences in Chelsea, a small pool next to Mayfair or Kensington, and the King's Road runs a long way west from Sloane Square. So which end you stay at matters more than which building, and a flat near the square is a very different stay from one out at World's End.

Sloane Square: the best-connected end

If you'll be out most days, stay within a few minutes of Sloane Square. The station is on the District and Circle lines, so Westminster, Embankment and the City are direct, and Victoria, for Gatwick trains, is one stop east. Peter Jones & Partners fills one side of the square, which matters more than it sounds when you need a plug adaptor, a kettle or a spare phone charger at short notice.

The streets behind it, Draycott Place, Cadogan Gardens and the red-brick terraces of the Hans Town conservation area, are residential and quiet by 10pm. The Royal Court Theatre is on the east side of the square and Cadogan Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is a few minutes up Sloane Terrace, so this is the end for an evening out that finishes with a short walk home.

The middle stretch and World's End

Between Sloane Square and Old Church Street is the Chelsea most visitors picture, with Duke of York Square, the Saatchi Gallery and a Saturday food market, and side streets like Royal Avenue opening onto the green of Burton Court. There's no Tube on this stretch, though, so you walk back to Sloane Square, head north to South Kensington for the Piccadilly line, or take one of the buses that run the length of the road.

West of the bend at World's End, the nearest stations are Fulham Broadway on the District line and Imperial Wharf, served by the Overground and Southern trains. It's further from everything but closer to Chelsea Harbour, the river and the antiques trade on Lots Road. On Chelsea home match days the streets towards Fulham Broadway fill up a couple of hours before kick-off, so check the fixture list before booking a weekend at this end.

The apartments, and daily life

Chelsea is mostly one- and two-bedroom territory, with a few studios, and three bedrooms or more is rare, so a family of five will find far more choice in Kensington. The buildings run from 1930s mansion blocks along Sloane Avenue to Victorian houses where your apartment is one floor of a terrace. Lifts are far from universal, with only about half of residences having one, so ask before you book if you're bringing a pushchair or heavy cases.

The Waitrose at 196 King's Road covers the weekly shop, while The Chelsea Grocer, which took over the old Partridges site in Duke of York Square, is better for bread, cheese and things you won't find in a supermarket, and the Saturday market outside adds produce and street-food stalls. There are far fewer places to eat around a Chelsea apartment than in Mayfair, most with a top hygiene rating, which is why evenings here feel local rather than busy.

South Kensington is about 15 minutes' walk north of Sloane Square, up Sloane Avenue and past Brompton Cross, and from some Chelsea residences the V&A is within about a kilometre, with the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum a few minutes beyond on Exhibition Road. For Heathrow, the Piccadilly line from South Kensington runs direct and is the easier option with light luggage; for Gatwick, take the District or Circle line one stop to Victoria and change to the train. With children and cases, book a car to the door, and most residences can suggest a firm they use.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show takes over the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea for five days every May, and two-bedroom apartments near Sloane Square go early, so if your dates fall in the second half of the month, fix them months ahead rather than weeks. For a stay of a month or more, it's worth asking the residence about a weekly or monthly rate.