While Notting Hill may be well-known worldwide for the eponymous film featuring the famous blue door, it made our top five list for two very different reasons: “Alfie” and “The Italian Job,” both watershed movies in the career of Michael Caine and in their portrayals of swinging ’60s London. If you’re a fan of either film or just love that time period in general, then Notting Hill is the place for you—and New York Habitat has the perfect pad (um…vacation rentals).
In 1966’s “Alfie,” Caine plays a playboy with an irresistible Cockney accent, about a million assorted girlfriends and a West London flat off Chepstow Road (at 29 St. Stephen’s Gardens, to be exact). That neighborhood was—and still is—the epicenter of happening London and hasn’t changed all that much in terms of being the place to see and be seen.
Filled with cutting-edge shops, retro fashions, antique decorations, laid-back cafés, cool cinemas and artsy residents, Notting Hill ranks as one of London’s must-see neighborhoods. That’s especially true on Saturdays, when Portobello Road market comes alive, just as it has been doing since the ’60s—the 1860s, that is! The streets overflow with international travelers, vendors, local celebrities (just look for the not-so-inconspicuous sunglasses) and more vintage finds than you ever imagined could be assembled in one place. Sienna, Gavin and Gwen all call Notting Hill home—and Alfie would fit in just as well there today with his mod look and stovepipe pants.
Just as smooth is Caine’s Charlie Croker in 1969’s “The Italian Job,” one of Britain’s most beloved films. If it’s playing in Notting Hill Gate’s historic Coronet movie theatre or Portobello Road’s funky, art-house Electric Cinema while you’re in London, be sure to catch it—and listen as the locals sing along to the theme song and recite some of the movie’s classic lines (it’ll come in handy if you know when to say, “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”).
In that comedy, Charlie stayed in a campy Notting Hill flat at 18 Denbigh Close in , off the north end of Portobello Road near Alice’s Junkshop. (His coming out of jail party was celebrated close by at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on Lancaster Terrace in always buzzing Bayswater.)
Through the decades, directors have loved the look and feel of Notting Hill, using its colorful houses and vibrant streets as backdrops for “Withnail and I” and “Performance” (where Mick Jagger had a hideaway), and the more contemporary settings of “About a Boy,” “Sliding Doors,” and, of course, “Notting Hill.” You’re sure to fall in love with the neighborhood, too—especially during your stay in a New York Habitat vacation rental in Notting Hill, such as:
• A lovely Studio apartment in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-666) on Ladbroke Grove between Westbourne Park Road and Blenheim Crescent. This duplex apartment is lined with hardwood floors and features large windows that allow natural sunlight to brighten the apartment. Since this apartment is centrally located you will be near various shops, restaurants and entertainment outlets.
• A nicely decorated and comfortably furnished 1-bedroom accommodation in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-622) on the second floor of a walk-up townhouse located on a residential street in the heart of this cosmopolitan neighborhood.
Stay in a New York Habitat rental accommodation in Notting Hill and experience swinging London the way Sir Michael Caine did!
What was your best find in Portobello market? Let us know in a comment below—and be sure to check out our other selections for cinematic London and next week’s number one.
Check out the prvious selections:
Check out: #5: Liverpool Street, #4: Earl’s Court and #3: Canary Wharf.
I am sorry to say that my time in the Notting Hill district was a short visit. I would have loved to be able to extend my stay, and I am most definitely hoping to have the opportunity to return sometime in the near future. This part of London has everything one could want; restaurants, bars and shopping are all within a close vicinity. The houses are beautiful and make for great walks down the street. Notting Hill has my approval and I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a different type of experience!
Notting Hill is one of my favorite movies, so I was very excited when I was able to visit this particular part of London…and it did not disappoint. It is a lot of fun, and there is a lot going on, but it is not like the hustle of the streets of New York City. It has a very different feel, more relaxed. I am already planning on returning next summer! If you have any doubts of going here…lose them and go!