A private London stay, without a lobby full of strangers

Start with a building that doesn't have a lobby bar. On a London trip where you'd rather not be noticed, a serviced apartment works mostly because of what it hasn't got: no crowd at breakfast, no public lifts, nobody watching who comes and goes. In their place come room to spread out, staff who keep to themselves and a front door onto a residential street.

Why apartments suit it

A five-star hotel is built to be seen in. Its restaurants, bars and spa are part of the draw, which means a steady stream of non-residents through the building. A serviced apartment residence works the other way round: most have a small entrance, a desk and the apartments, so guests come and go without crossing a public room. Size helps too. A couple of dozen of the residences we list have apartments with four or more bedrooms, enough for a family with a nanny or an executive with an assistant, without anyone sharing a corridor with strangers.

Choosing the street and the building

The calmest addresses in Mayfair, Belgravia, Marylebone and Kensington are on side streets and garden squares a block or two back from the shopping streets, so the street matters more than the district. Marylebone is especially good for a slower visit, with independent shops on Marylebone High Street, garden squares and the Wallace Collection on Manchester Square.

Then look at the building as hard as the neighbourhood. A residence with a dozen apartments and a single discreet entrance will feel more private than a big block on a calmer street. Ask how many apartments share the entrance and the lift, whether there's a separate service entrance for deliveries, and whether the desk is staffed by the same small team all week, because being left alone depends on seeing the same faces.

Staying out of view doesn't mean doing without help. The better residences offer housekeeping on your schedule, a concierge who books rather than just recommends, and a desk that takes deliveries and screens visitors. When you book, say whether they may confirm you're staying, which visitors should go up, and when housekeeping should and shouldn't come in. Chefs who cook in the apartment, trainers and personal shoppers can usually be arranged through the residence, but housekeeping itself is less universal than people expect, with only a minority of residences listing a maid service, so check the arrangement before you arrive.

Spending the days

A low-key London means going early and going small. The Wallace Collection at Hertford House is free, open daily from 10am to 5pm, and on a weekday morning its galleries of French furniture and Old Master paintings are still enough to hear the clocks tick. The courtyard restaurant does breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, plus dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. Sir John Soane's Museum on Lincoln's Inn Fields is free too, open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and needs no booking, though room is limited and there can be a wait, so arriving at opening time helps.

Many of London's best garden squares are locked to non-residents. Once a year, usually in June, the London Open Gardens weekend lets ticket holders into a selection of them, along with roof gardens and private plots you wouldn't normally see.

The median starting rate across these residences is about £270 a night, and top-floor and multi-bedroom apartments cost a good deal more. On a long stay, though, a large apartment usually works out cheaper than a hotel suite of similar size, and it comes with a kitchen and a second living area that no suite offers.