In a pretty residential street in chic Knightsbridge a few blocks from Hyde Park, Harrods, and the boutiques on Sloane Street is this charming 44-room hotel. The rooms are airy, comfortable, and particularly well-priced, and the staff is very welcoming. There is 24-hour room service, and meals are served in the drawing room in lieu of an on-site restaurant.

A wide range of very chic, enticing eyewear.

Heston Blumenthal, famous for his unique restaurant The Fat Duck, has opened his first restaurant in London in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to great acclaim.  ”The best new restaurant in the whole wide world,” according to The Times in London.  A private dining room seats up to 10 guests and a chef’s table in the kitchen seats six.  The menu looks back in time to classic British cuisine sourcing recipes as far back as the 16th century while adding Blumenthal’s highly individual and innovative approach to cooking.

Bursting with meats, fish, fruits and vegetables, coffees and teas and so much more, the Food Halls dazzle. The cheese is particularly delicious here. There’s also a branch of the renown French pastry shop, Laduree, known for their macaroons. Gifts can also be ordered by phoning: +44 20 8479 5100.

Located on the 5th floor of the store, the Foodmarket offers a tempting array of fruits and vegetables as well as prepared foods, cheeses, and packaged goods. If you want to send a gift in London, you can arrange for wine or a food basket to be sent from the store: +44 20 7201 8689.

Called “Harvey Nicks” by the locals, this department store is known for its up-to-the minute women’s and men’s fashion, stylish home furnishings and the Foodmarket on the 5th floor. There are numerous smaller cafes and counter service for in-store dining.

Located in the lower level of the Joseph Boutique, this stylish restaurant is a good spot for lunch. The salads are particularly good, and the staff is professional and helpful.

This gracious, traditional, and expensive 197-room hotel is accommodating to children and has an incredible location overlooking Hyde Park and across from Harvey Nichols and Harrods, two premier shopping destinations.   The rooms overlooking the park are best. A well-equipped fitness center and spa are available for guests.

This elegant, 214-roon luxury hotel across from Hyde Park is very near the stylish boutiques on Sloane Street as well as Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Its two restaurants, Boxwood Café and Petrus, gym, and beautiful rooftop pool add to the charm of a visit.

A branch of the Venice store featuring exquisite scarves and accessories as well as home furnishings.

Zuma has it all: chic modern décor; a solicitous and gracious staff; and extraordinarily delicious contemporary Japanese food. There is a lively bar scene buzzing with the beautiful people, but the open kitchen is a sign that the food never takes a back seat and is consistently of the highest order. There is also seating at the sushi counter and the grill area with an up-close view of the cooks at work. The restaurant can be very noisy, but the solicitous staff provides a soothing counterpoint. Favorites: Zuma salad; spinach with sesame; thinly sliced seabass with yuzu, truffle oil, and salmon roe; grilled jumbo tiger prawn; grilled ribeye steak; roasted baby chicken marinated in barley miso; cod in miso; banana cake with caramel sauce; the not-to-be-missed molten chocolate cake filled with hot caramel sauce (expensive and not on the menu).

Fun for a fast meal or snack, this chain offers an assortment of sushi on a conveyer belt. Patrons pick up the dishes they want and are charged by the number of empty plates in front of them at the end of the meal. There are other branches throughout London.