In London, a Blooming Array of Urban Villages : From Sloane Square to Soho, England’s capital comes alive in the spring.

Start ticking off virtues of the world’s great cities and it’s nearly impossible to name a place with more or better shops, galleries, museums, parks, monuments, tailors, shoemakers, buskers, pubs (on practically every corner), theaters (48 in a six-square-block area) and civilized taxi drivers than Old London Town.

London in the spring has a charm all its own. While hot chestnuts are still being sold in the streets, daffodils are blooming in Hyde Park. Theater and dinner reservations are a bit easier to book than in the summer and there are fewer tourists in the museums. You might experience a shower or two, but we had five days of glorious sunshine in mid-March.

If Britain in general and London in particular once had a cultural calamity on their hands, it was in the kitchen: The steady flow of peas, puddings, chips and overdone meats resembling braised brontosaurus were capable of rendering one physically and morally unfit after the first fortnight.

Yet happily, this all began to change about 20 years ago. It is now possible to dine very well with or without Michelin stars, which have been sprinkled sparingly on British restaurants.

As is the case with many European metropolises, London’s character and vitality derive from the collection of villages that make up the city--ethnic or social-strata enclaves like Chelsea, Soho, Belgravia, Bayswater and the City. The latter dates from Roman times and is now a bubbling mix of Cockney and financial London.

About 10 years ago, another “village” took shape around Sloane Square--the turf of young, trendy and upwardly mobile types known only half in jest as Sloane Rangers, for their Kiplingesque resolve to achieve What Really Matters in Life.

Sloanes claim to know exactly which shops to visit for decorating a flat, the au courant places in town to do a proper lunch, which raincoat and boots are de rigueur for mucking about in the country, and the correct London hospitals for soon-to-be-delivered Rangerettes, all hopefully headed some day for Oxford or Cambridge.

Princess Di was the Sloanes’ guiding light, since she was always 19th-Century chic (the Sloanes’ favorite era), her public duties were always carried off with aplomb, and she was, in short, what being royal was all about. Her recent problems aside, the princess is still looked upon with a great deal of affection by Sloanes and most other Londoners as well.

New and often not-so-stately buildings spring up yearly in London, much to Prince Charles’ chagrin, but the profile of the town has changed less in our 30-some visits during the past four decades than in any other major European city we know, save Vienna.

Still, some things are never what they seem to be. The statue of a winged archer in Piccadilly Circus, London’s vibrant hub by day or night, has been known by one and all as Eros since its unveiling exactly a century ago. The sculptor, however, titled it “The Angel of Christian Charity.”

And flavorful, pulsating Soho, once the home of Mozart, also had Dylan Thomas and Brendan Behan getting sloshed regularly in its grotty pubs. London takes all kinds and makes them its own.

Getting settled in: We’ve been visiting and keeping an eye on the Best Western Mornington Hotel (formerly the Mornington Lancaster) since the early 1950s, watching it climb steadily to become one of the best values in London if not in all of Europe. And its cost is almost in the “budget” range for what is a very pricey city.

Its Georgian entry, just a few steps from Hyde Park’s Kensington Gardens, leads into a lobby of deep leather couches, a large Belgian tapestry, Oriental rugs, paneled walls and a library-bar that is as warm and cozy as one is likely to find anywhere.

Bedrooms are all done in soft pastels, as is the cellar breakfast room, and the bar serves light meals costing around $6 or less. Just around the corner is The Swan pub, opened in 1775 and still lively, a great place for lunch or early supper. The Best Western Mornington and The Swan are both terrific finds.

In the same Lancaster Gate-Kensington Gardens area, the Anna Hotel is another small and well-run place. A very contempo rary lobby has a conservatory bar and coffee shop at one end, plus a tiny grotto. Bedrooms are small, but each has TV and refrigerator.

A step up in cost, the Flemings Hotel in fashionable Mayfair is still a good buy. Its lobby, lounge, restaurant and bedrooms are all furnished traditionally. The Flemings is a short walk from the shopping of Piccadilly, Regent Street, Old and New Bond streets, plus the pubs and night life of nearby Shepherd Market.

Regional food and drink: Think of typical English fare, then add the very best cooking from anywhere on earth. After all, the Empire once reached there. For a choice of exotic cuisines, head straight for Soho, the area bounded by Regent Street, Shaftsbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road and Oxford Street. You’ll find some of the best Indian, Italian, Greek, Chinese and other ethnic restaurants, many at moderate prices.

The best British beers, ales and bitters come straight from the keg, with most pubs pulling at least half a dozen. Pub hours are much more liberal than they used to be, with only Sunday openings staggered.

Good local dining: One of the latest stars to enter London’s galaxy of excellent and affordable restaurants is Soho Soho (11 Frith St.), an outpost of Provence where the heady scents and colors of tomatoes, garlic, innumerable herbs and olive oil create a menu that gives the food of France’s Mediterranean province an innovative twist. There’s a restaurant upstairs, a bar, rotisserie and cafe below, making for an all-too-rare option for dining to fit one’s appetite and wallet.

Try starting with a fish soup of Marseilles with saffron mayonnaise ($5), or a pissaladiere , the Cote d’Azur’s version of thin pizza loaded with black olives and anchovies ($6). Then consider the sauteed young pheasant with a turnip compote and game sauce ($16), or grilled baby squid on a bed of grilled peppers with a spiced chili dressing ($15).

Soho Soho’s decor is in the sun-bleached pastels of Provence, with enormous blowups of Picasso line drawings on the walls. Main dishes in the downstairs rotisserie run about $10, with house wines $12 a bottle in both rooms. Soho Soho seems to be the latest command post for London’s chic set.

We’ve been stopping in at a tiny Italian restaurant in Soho for nearly three decades, even if it does have the unlikely name of Piccadilly (31 Great Windmill St.). Capo Aldo is from Parma, his partner Roberto from Rome, assuring diners of two of Italy’s best kitchens.

There’s nothing trendy or chic about the Piccadilly, just casalinga (down home) Italian cooking such as saltimboca alla romana (thin slices of veal layered with ham and fresh sage, $9.50) or eggplant parmigiana ($7.50). The tortellini with wild mushrooms is the same price. Desserts run from crema caramella to fresh figs with cream, both $2.75.

Many visitors to London consider the trip incomplete without a meal at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand (100 The Strand), so we popped in for the third time just to see if things have changed. They have not. Simpson’s is still serving the same Lancashire hotpot, Aylesbury duck and Dover sole they have been turning out since 1828. “Joints” like saddle of lamb and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding are served with cabbage and roast potatoes, and go for $19. Don’t forget to tip your carver a pound ($1.49) as he moves about Simpson’s clubby and very traditional main hall with his cart and white toque.

Going first-class: To London’s formidable collection of outstanding hotels, two recent arrivals have made the choice even broader.

The Regent, built of Victorian red stone in 1899 and considered one of London’s finest examples of that era’s architecture, reopened in late February after five years of total restoration. It’s gorgeous and has one of the most beautiful atriums we’ve ever seen, topped by a soaring ceiling of Victorian ironwork and glass to provide a bright and airy enclosure for a cafe, lounge and lots of greenery.

Bedrooms are downright palatial, and there’s an indoor pool, sauna, gym, health club and massage room. The Cellars, a basement pub, is all dark paneling and masculine. It has 20 British and imported brews, an impressive wine list and serves lunches daily.

The Lanesborough, a member of the same group that manages the Bel Air Hotel, opened on New Year’s Eve, 1991, in the heart of London at Hyde Park Corner, overlooking the grounds of Buckingham Palace. It was built in 1733 as St. George’s Hospital, by the same architect who designed London’s National Gallery.

A measure of guest room amenities are the 24-hour butler assigned to each room, private-number and operator-assisted phone lines, a fax machine with private number, CD and videocassette players with libraries for both.

In addition to the very formal dining room, the Conservatory in a glass-roofed courtyard is reminiscent of the whimsical Brighton Pavilion, with its chinoiserie decor and fountains. It’s a great place for lunch, after-theater suppers or dancing on weekend evenings.

On your own: The best way to get an overview of London is with a London Plus ticket that allows you to board a red double-decker at any of 30 locations, get off and reboard at your leisure at 20 major sightseeing stops. The cost is $12 for one day, $15 for two; kids are $6 and $7.50. One-day Travelcards allow unlimited rides on any bus or underground in central London: adults $4; kids to 15 years, $2.

After the obligatory visits to the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, Westminster Abbey and the British Museum, there are a few other places one shouldn’t miss.

Step from Trafalgar Square into the National Gallery to view a collection of Old Masters representing the best of European art, including marvelous 15th- and 16th-Century Italian painters. The Tate Gallery has a superb collection of British painters, particularly Turner and Constable, and modern art from all schools.

Squeeze in a visit to Harrods, purveyors of everything from prams to potted partridge since 1849. It is unquestionably the world’s most famous department store. Fortnum & Mason does a fine afternoon tea; as Charles Dickens wrote, “There was never such a Derby Day--so many carriages, so many fine ladies, so many Fortnum & Mason hampers.”

The 29th edition of Beyer and Rabey’s “Passport to Europe’s Small Hotels & Inns” ($9.95) has just been published by John Wiley & Sons.

GUIDEBOOK

Landing in London

Getting there: Fly nonstop from LAX to London on British Airways, American, United, Virgin Atlantic or Air New Zealand, or other domestic and foreign carriers with changes. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket will cost $639. Continental is offering round-trip service with one stop for $398, but tickets must be purchased by Friday and departure must take place no later than June 5.

A few fast facts: Britain’s pound sterling recently sold for $1.56. The AIRBUS Central London Express, a double-decker, has two routes through central London (north and south of Hyde Park) from Heathrow Airport, and the cost for either is $10.

Where to stay: Best Western Mornington Hotel (12 Lancaster Gate, telephone 800-528-1234; $127 double with buffet breakfast); Anna Hotel (74 Queensborough Terrace, tel. 011-44-71-221-6622; $119 double B&B;); Flemings Hotel (Half Moon Street, Mayfair, tel. 011-44-71-499-2964; $209 double); Regent London (222 Marylebone Road, tel. 800-332-3442; $266 double); The Lanesborough (Hyde Park Corner, tel. 800-999-1828; $326 double).

For more information: Call the British Tourist Authority at (213) 628-3525, or write (350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071) for a London guide listing sights, a city map with the underground system, and a brochure on travel throughout Britain. BTA representatives will also try to fill any individual requests.