Notting Hill is the kind of neighbourhood that does everything right without trying too hard. A proper pub that serves Guinness and oysters, Britain's oldest cinema with leather sofas instead of seats, a rooftop hotel under £200. That's three reasons to go and three reasons to stay.
It's leafy, walkable, and completely un-self-conscious — which for London is saying something. The market on Portobello Road is worth a Saturday morning. The streets off the main drag are worth an afternoon of wandering with nowhere specific to go.
Start at The Cow for a Guinness and oysters at the bar. Walk up Portobello in the afternoon. If there's a film on at the Electric that evening, book a sofa seat and stay. Ruby Zoë if you're sleeping over. That's a perfect Notting Hill day and none of it requires a reservation more than a few hours out.