There are numerous claimants to the title of London's coolest neighbourhood. Shoreditch and Hoxton are unashamedly trendy, revered and mocked in equal amounts for their skinny-jean clad inhabitants with asymmetrical haircuts. Notting Hill, with its boho-chic vibe, is perennially popular, even if its cool-factor credibility took a battering with the 1999 Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts film. Marylebone, in the West End, is the serious contender that ticks so many of the right boxes but doesn't feel the need to shout about it. Affluent, fashionable and oh-so-pretty with its Georgian and Edwardian townhouses and garden squares, it has a central location yet retains a villagey feel. It's five minutes from Oxford Street, which is high-street heaven and home to the retail mecca that is Selfridge's department store, but the village itself is lined with cheesemongers, butchers, chocolatiers and high-end fashion boutiques. The restaurants are first rate, the pubs are charming and if you needed any further convincing as to its cachet, Tony Blair, Noel Gallagher, Madonna and Sienna Miller all have houses here.

Named after a church dedicated to St Mary and mentioned as far back as 1086 in the Domesday Book, today's Marylebone is primarily residential, with its concentration of medical and dental practices on Harley Street. While there's nothing like the Christmas lights on Oxford Street to get you in festive spirit, and it would be wrong not to pay a visit to Hamley's toy store and the wonderful Liberty department store on Regent Street, a more leisurely retail experience awaits on Marylebone High Street, a few minutes' stroll from these somewhat hectic shopping areas. Eminently walkable, you won't find the usual chain stores here but what you will find are fantastically chic boutiques like Matches, Whistles, Theory, French Sole, Margaret Howell and Comptoirs Des Cotonniers.

There are plenty of interesting speciality shops here too such as VV Rouleaux, with its selection of ribbons, trimmings and braids, and The Button Queen, a treasure-trove of buttons, appealing to the crafts enthusiast. Daunt (83/84 Marylebone High Street) merits special mention. A book lover's dream, it specialises in travel books and has a striking Edwardian interior, while the nearby Oxfam book store carries stock that is infinitely superior to your usual charity shop offerings.

Marylebone is great for homewares too – check out queen of chintz, Cath Kidson; the Conran Shop; minimalist emporium, The White Company as well as Cologne and Cottons, purveyors of the finest linens and fragrances.

Eating in Marylebone is a delight. Try Patisserie Valerie (105 Marylebone High Street) for the most wonderful gateaux and a restorative cup of coffee along the way. The Natural Kitchen (77/78 Marylebone High Street), a deli/food shop/café is also great for a browse and the most delicious chocolate brownie with cream. Options range from the Michelin-starred L'Autre Pied on 5-7 Blandford Street (most recently in the news when a couple stepped out for a cigarette and never returned, leaving an unpaid £572 bill behind them) to the reasonable and buzzy Le Relais de Venise L'entrecote, on Marylebone Lane, which has queues snaking out the doors even on damp winter evenings. The steak here, with hand-chipped frites and a secret family sauce, is legendary.

The menu at 108 Marylebone Lane calls upon local suppliers such as Ginger Pig butchers, La Fromagerie and Biggles Sausages for its contemporary menu and it's an excellent place for cocktails where interesting offerings include the Tea Thyme martini. Purl, on 50 Blandford Street, which models itself on a New York speakeasy, is another great cocktail venue, but Marylebone has plenty of traditional, old-style pubs such as The Dover Castle (43 Weymouth Mews) and The Cock and Lion (62 Wigmore Street) to choose from as well.

In terms of non-shopping/-dining activities, you're a short tube journey away from many cultural attractions, including the National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum, whose major autumn exhibition is 'Journey Through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead'.

One of London's lesser-known gems, The Wallace Collection (Wallacecollection.org), is situated in Marylebone itself. It's a museum and historic townhouse exhibiting collections of 18th century paintings, furniture and porcelain with works by Titian, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Canaletto. Entrance is free and a visit to The Wallace restaurant, an elegant luxury brasserie, with a stunning glass atrium roof, run by Irish restaurateur Oliver Peyton, makes for a pleasant end to a visit here – it's open for dinner on Friday and Saturday. And of course you're not far from the heart of the West End, where, if you go on the day of any show, you can pick up half-price and discounted tickets from booths.

Just north of Marylebone is Regent's Park, former hunting ground of Henry VIII, home to London Zoo and a great place to people-watch, especially the joggers who are out in force from 5am. A great way to see the park and to gain a different perspective on the city is to head to Little Venice (you'll need to take a Tube to Warwick Avenue) and get aboard a London Waterbus (waterbus.co.uk) which cruises down the historic Regent's Canal, along the fringe of Regent's Park and on to Camden Lock. It's a gentle journey and a reminder that London doesn't always have to be about the fast pace and the crowds. You can indeed find little pockets of tranquility, which is exactly what Marylebone is.

Off the high street

Portobello

The famous market takes place every Saturday. It's one of the best places in London to pick up one-of-a-kind presents like antiques and great vintage pieces. Think clothes, jewellery, trinkets, vinyl records and valuable old books.

Knightsbridge

Dior, Prada, Armani, Chanel – if it's high-end fashion, it's here. Harrods is the key address, but Harvey Nichols, also here, is less touristy. Look out for speciality shops like Rigby & Peller, where the Queen buys her knickers.

Camden

There are six fairly different markets to be found here: The Stables, The Lock, The Canal, Lock Village, Inverness Street and Main Street (Green Market) but they're all closely linked. Great for vintage clothes, antiques, retro glasses and crafts.

The essentials

The Marylebone Hotel (47 Welbeck Street, Doylecollection.com) has a great offer available until 31 December. Its Harvey Nichols Wintour Package includes overnight accommodation in the Marylebone Hotel, a €50 Harvey Nichols voucher, this month's Vogue, a cocktail in the hotel bar, full English breakfast and a VIP shopping experience (this includes a personal shopper and glass of champagne upon arrival) at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, from £249 for two people, ex VAT. For more information visit Marylebonevillage.com.

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