Staying a month or more? Pick the commute first

Over a month, the commute matters more than the postcode and the flat matters more than the lobby. A luxury long-term stay in London works when the desk is usable, the washing machine is in the apartment and the trip to your office doesn't involve changing lines.

Start with the commute

Map the office, then choose the area. For the City and Canary Wharf, the Elizabeth line is the fastest spine: Bond Street serves Mayfair and Marylebone, Tottenham Court Road serves Covent Garden, and both run direct to Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf. For West End offices, Mayfair and Marylebone are walkable, while Kensington and Knightsbridge suit offices out west, or anyone flying a lot, since the Piccadilly line goes straight to Heathrow.

Try the journey at rush hour before committing to a month, because a route that's quick at noon can take nearly twice as long at half eight.

Which area for which office

Mayfair has the most choice for a long business stay, and it's ringed by Tube lines. It's calm after dinner, which suits early starts, and its weak spot is everyday shopping; most people walk to Marylebone for groceries or get them delivered. For a lunchtime breather, Mount Street Gardens and Green Park are both close by, and the walk to Green Park station is part of most commutes anyway.

Marylebone is the best balance of working and living. There's a good spread of Tube lines, Waitrose on Marylebone High Street and the Sunday farmers' market on Cramer Street cover the weekly shop, and Regent's Park is right there for a morning run. It's also the cheapest of the central areas, from about £165 a night.

If you want the second bedroom as a study, look west. Kensington has lots of residences, and most of them do two-bedroom apartments. Knightsbridge is smaller and dearer, from about £230 a night, but nearly every residence there has three-bedroom flats, which helps if family are joining you for part of the stay.

If you're working in Holborn, round the Inns of Court or on the edge of the City, Covent Garden is closer than it sounds. The Chancery Lane conservation area is a short walk east, there are Tube lines in every direction, and the Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road gets you to the City in minutes. Supply is small, though, so book early for a long stay.

What to check before a month

A month shows up things a weekend never does, so put these to the residence before you commit.

• A proper desk and chair (not a dressing table), with a socket beside it.
• Wi-Fi speed. Ask for a recent speed test if you're on video calls all day.
• Laundry. Fewer residences list laundry facilities than you'd expect, so confirm there's a washing machine in the flat.
• Housekeeping: how often, and whether linen changes are included. Not many list a maid service.
• A gym on site, if you need one. Most don't have one.
• Reception hours, for parcels and late arrivals. Plenty of buildings have no desk at all.

Use a contactless card or your phone on the Tube and buses. Fares cap daily and weekly, so you never pay more than the equivalent Travelcard and there's nothing to buy in advance. Ask for spare keys or fobs if family or colleagues will visit, find out which day the linen's changed, and check whether parcels can be left at reception, because on a long stay small things like these shape every week.

A few of the residences we list only take bookings of four weeks or more, and the rest take shorter stays, so it's always worth asking whether a month gets you a lower nightly rate. Ask for early check-in at the same time, since on day one of a long stay it makes a real difference.