I am arriving in Stanstead and leaving the next day from Heathrow and I'm trying to figure out the easiest area to stay in as far as getting there from Stanstead and then leaving there to Heathrow. Any suggestions as to what is best? I was looking at King's Cross area.

1) What time are you arriving into Stansted?
2) How are you getting from Stansted to London?
3) What time is your flight from Heathrow?
4) HOw are you getting from London to Stansted?
5) What do you plan to do during your transit hours in London?

We arrive into Stanstead at 620pm. We leave the next day at 1pm (so will leave for the airport around 830am). We won't be doing much at all in our transit hours. I'm not sure how we're getting from Stanstead to hotel, depends on what makes most sense. The train to Tottemham Hale is quick but expensive but then we could continue on that line I believe? Getting to Heathrow we will use the metro.

W/ that schedule - me personally -- would take the National Express coach from Stansted to LHR and stay in a hotel near the airport. Priceline is fabulous for LHR hotels.

W/ a 6:20 PM landing, you probably won't be to LHR until 10:00-10:30-ish (or possibly later) so it isn't like you'll have hours to kill. Then you can have a leisurely breakfast the next morning and not have to rush out from central London.

If you were to head into London from Stansted, you probably wouldn't get to a hotel until after 9PM

Another option is to go from Stansted directly to Heathrow via National Express bus (www.nationalexpress.com) and spend the night at a hotel near Heathrow. Folks on here have booked excellent hotel rates via Priceline.

I've received decent ratess directly from the Heathrow Marriott and Radisson Edwardian but nothing like the Priceline deals.

Not sure this option is necessarily cheaper because bus fares depend on how far you book ahead, age, etc. The walk-up rate for the bus, just plugging in an arbitrary date and departure from Stansted at 7:45 pm, is 45 pounds.

The bus will drop you at Heathrow Central bus station where you can take the Hotel Hoppa to your hotel.

Depending on the number in your party, I would price car services between the airports, this eliminating dealing with the Hoppa, which is an added expense of 4 pound pp. You'll need to take it back to Heathrow from your hotel in the morning although most of the airport hotels offer local car/taxi service.

In order to save some money would it work to take the service to Tottenham Hale, continue to King's Cross, switch to Picadilly and ride it to Heathrow. I believe it means 3 changes? but is much cheaper.

Stansted has bus to Liverpool Street station. Not sure the cost but access to tube from their to LHR is easy of course. Central line change at Holborn for Picadilly line.

Maybe I'm missing something.

I looked up Nat Express.

Stansted -> Heathrow fare is £22.50 per person. Journey takes 1:30.

Stansted Express to Tottenham Hale is £16 per person. Plus tube fare to Heathrow and takes much lonter.

If you want the cheapest option, why not take a coach from Stansted to London Victoria, then switch for the tube to Heathrow?

EasyBus starts at £2. http://www.easybus.co.uk/gb/bookGB.php
Or Nat Express for £10 per person.

On Hotwire they have 3.5 star Heathrow hotels for $39 US, is that to good to be true? It says places like Hilton and Crowne Plaza.

Nope - that isn't too good to be true. I've stayed at 4 star LHR using PL and Hotwire in the $50 range - a 3.5 star property would be less.

On hotwire, when you see the specific amenities/features of the hotel you can usually figure out which one it is before booking.

nicbur, accroding to betterbidding.com, the 3.5* could be either:

3.5* Holiday Inn M4-Jct 4 (previously 3*)
Amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business
(same as Sheraton Heathrow)

OR

3.5* Thistle London Heathrow
Amenities: Shuttle, Restaurant, Hi-Speed Internet

I've stayed at both before. Let's just hope you won't get the dumpy Thistle Heathrow:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-2006718

Are they all pretty easy to get to from Heathrow?

Holiday Inn M4 Jct 4 - can only be reached by Hoppa Bus. 4 pounds per person each way. Details here:
http://www.londontoolkit.com/lhr/hotel_hoppa_bus.htm

Thistle Heathrow - can be reached by Hoppa; or the free local bus. Did you click on my link above that has my hotel review on the Thistle? I included the details of the free bus.

They are all right AT the airport --not on the airport property, but on the perimeter roads. All are served by the hotel hoppa buses that serve all terminals

YK, does Victoria station allow a switch to Picadilly line to Heathrow? It didn't look like it on the metro map but I'm still learning how to read it so just want to double check. FYI: I got the Holiday Inn Heathrow! Yeh!

There are 2 Holiday Inns at Heathrow, if I recall. Make sure you know which one you got. I suppose it's the M4 Jct4 one?

No, you cannot pick up Piccadilly line from Victoria. BTW, the Victoria coach station (where the bus from Stansted will drop you off), is a good 10-min walk to the Victoria tube station with luggage.

Unless you are broke, I highly recommend the Nat Express direct bus from Stansted->Heathrow.

OK - forget about Victoria. That would have you crossing all of London just to catch either the tube (w/ changes) or a bus for a long ride to LHR. By the time you got just to Victoria, you'd already have arrived at LHR if you took the Stansted/LHR National Express and it wouldn't cost any more.