Dinner two Central line stops west, then a cab back to W2

From Queensway the Central line reaches Notting Hill Gate in a minute or two and Holland Park a couple of minutes after that. From Lancaster Gate add one more stop. A cab from a Paddington hotel takes around ten minutes along the Bayswater Road, which is how most couples prefer to travel once dressed for dinner.

She can meet you on the platform at Queensway and ride out with you, or arrive at the restaurant directly. Tell the desk which you prefer when you book, because the start time is counted from the moment she joins you.

On the way back the same line runs late into the evening, but after a long dinner most guests simply hail a black cab on the avenue itself.

Holland Park Avenue runs from Notting Hill Gate down towards the Shepherd's Bush roundabout, and its restaurants sit on the north side under a long line of trees. The pace is slower than Westbourne Grove and noticeably quieter than Queensway, which is the whole point: a table where conversation carries without raised voices.

Four hours at £900 is the usual choice, enough for an aperitif, a proper dinner and the ride home. A shorter supper fits the three hour line at £700.

In summer, an early start leaves time for a walk through the park before dinner. The Kyoto Garden, with its waterfall and stepping stones, sits a few minutes inside the gates from the avenue, and peacocks wander the lawns around the ruins of Holland House. The park closes around dusk, so on a winter evening this part of the plan simply moves to the following afternoon, or is swapped for a drink on the avenue.

At the park's southern edge, the Design Museum on Kensington High Street stays open into some evenings, a good first stop for a guest who likes architecture.

After dinner, the cab back to a Paddington or Bayswater hotel takes about ten minutes at that hour. The booking continues at the hotel until the time you agreed runs out, and nothing about the return journey is charged separately.

If you would rather she met you at a private address in W11 or W14 instead, the desk arranges that on the same terms: the full address, the door and any entry code in your first message.

Holland Park dining is relaxed but rarely casual. A jacket without a tie suits most of the rooms on the avenue, and she will match whatever you mention in your message, from a cocktail dress for a special occasion to something simpler for a weeknight supper. Tell the desk the restaurant name if you already have one, so she knows the room before she walks in.

If the evening is a celebration, say so in the first line. The desk passes it on, and she arrives knowing whether the night calls for a toast or a quiet table in the corner.

18:30, she meets you in your hotel lobby near the station. 18:45, a cab west along the Bayswater Road. 19:00, a walk in the park while the light lasts. 19:45, dinner on Holland Park Avenue. 21:45, a cab back to W2. 22:30, the four hours at £900 are complete.

Nancy and Tina enjoy a dinner with a journey attached and are often suggested for this route. From Paddington, Laura and Vanessa reach any W2 lobby within minutes to start the evening. For the full choice, the lineup shows everyone on the board, and Notting Hill is the stop just before, if dinner there suits better.