Hidden London: The Capital's secrets that will make you a tourist again

However the old saying may go, many of us tire of London every now and then.

There's just so much you have to do to stay in the loop. You can't escape the latest must-eat, must-see and must-go. And there are just so many people. It can be exhausting. You can be left feeling that this capital has (whisper it) nothing left to offer you.

But fear not. This city really can continue to surprise even the most jaded of us. Try our tips to reset your London love affair and make you feel like a tourist in your own town.

Shop

Head to Oxford Street, carefully ignoring Selfridges, Primark, Topshop and the ilk. Instead beat the crowds by turning down the little alleyway under the clock, opposite Bond Street tube that leads to St Christopher's Place.

The city's first 'village', SCP has a mixture of high street stores such as Whistles, Jigsaw, Kurt Geiger and H&M, mixed with a cute collection of boutiques, including fashion stores Les 100 Ciels, Matilda & Quinn and Marimekko, as well as Mrs Kibbles Olde Sweet Shoppe, which sells traditional sweets and gifts.

If the weather's nice, for lunch or coffee you can sit in the courtyard Continental-style and while away the whole day pretending you're not in London.

Photograph

We're not talking selfies here. London is the most beautiful subject matter you could hope for as a photographer but ditch your smart phone and instead spend some time getting to know that expensive camera that you bought and never learnt how to use.

Head to No. Ten Manchester Street (see Sleep below), which is running a photography package over several weekends to help budding shutterbugs make the most out of this glorious city.

Photographer Ben Fisher gave Yahoo Lifestyle a taste of what the package will be like, taking us around the backstreets of Marylebone armed with a DSLR camera.

We discovered some of the winding streets, taking the time to appreciate the Georgian and Edwardian archtecture that London is full off, which we've never noticed before. And with a few expert tips our photographs went from being completely wrong-exposed to spot on.

For anyone keen on photography, the tour is ideal, Ben is an expert in using light to get perfect pictures and he leads us to Marble Arch for sunset, where we learn how changing the exposure, shutter speeds and ISO all make a huge difference in the quality of pictures.

Buttons that were completely unfathomable on our cameras suddenly hold the key to glorious shots and it's a side of London we've never before seen. Plus, the people watching (and photographing) is second to none.

Eat

After a hard day's shopping and photographing, around the corner is Ayoush, a family-run North African restaurant that serves possibly the coolest cocktails in town. And that's quite a claim.

Downstairs, you can retreat into a 'cave' that takes you straight to the riads of Marakesh and the food is a delicious mix of Moroccan-style tagines, dips and flatbreads with fluffy couscous, or simple fish and meat dishes such as sea bass and steak.

But seriously, do leave room for cocktails (if not dessert). The mixologist behind the bar has a huge array of alcohols, all infused with flavours in-house, and delivered in quirky receptacles. We had the Old Pot Coffee Cocktail and it tasted like caffeinated Christmas.

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Chill

If you need a proper break, London is full of unexectedly quite places. In the Centre, Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is the perfect place to reset your brain. It has a strict no-music policy and all you can hear is the rustle of pages.

If you want to stay outdoors and don't mind getting the Tube, head to Chelsea Physic Garden. It's a stone's throw away from the river but the perfect green escape from the man-made jungle that surrounds it.

Sleep

Head back to No. Ten Manchester Street to unwind. Each bedroom is uniquely decorated and if you can, splash out for the downstairs rooms that open onto their own forest-themed courtyards - unusual in a bedroom so centrally located.

There's a old-school cigar bar, where you can settle for a drink (and a cigar if you're of that persuasion) or just take tea on the covered terrace.

Marylebone Through a Lens costs from £228 per person based on two sharing. The price includes a double or twin room for two, overnight accommodation, a three course lunch at Dieci and the photography course with Ben Fisher.Dates: Saturday 31 May, Saturday 2 August with more dates to be confirmed.