Anyone taken the Heathrow Express?
 

I've got a 7+ hour layover through Heathrow on the way to Milan and want to see a friend for an hour or so. I was wondering if anyone's taken the Heathrow Express into Paddington Station and back again to Heathrow?

Is it reliable?

Totally reliable. But where are you meeting your friend? If at Paddington, the HEX makes sense. If in some other part of London, there are other modes that might be better.

Yes, the tube is cheaper though it might take a bit longer. Depends also on the time of day.

The HEX is most useful if you are going to areas directly around Paddington. To many parts of London, I find the tube to be faster, easier, and cheaper.

If you just want to find a quiet place for a cup of coffee, the Paddington Hilton, while extortionate for such things, is effectively part of the station and is by far the easiest place for you both to meet short of your friend's shlepping out to Heathrow.

There's better and cheaper coffee, though in a slightly tinny atmosphere, at the coffee place at the top of the station.

If you want a pint, the beer in the pub at the station's mezzanine is good and a damn sight cheaper than those rapacious sods at the Hilton charge - though the atmosphere can be raucous around going-home time.

The HEX is THE most reliable bit of the London travel system. Though nothing's infallible, the closest it's ever come to letting me down in over a decade of use was it was once five minutes late arriving. I've even used it while changing planes: going home, printing off a presentation, packing a new shirt, dunning a few late paying clients and still getting back to the lounge at Heathrow less than six hours after the arriving plane touched down.

I can see why the Paddington Hilton would work well, but a hotel like the Heathrow Marriott or Sheraton Skyline would also work well, as all you have to do is hop a free public bus from Heathrow and be there a few minutes later. I'm not sure what the HEX costs for a day ticket, but for sure the free bus is cheaper. It depends on what location is convenient for your friend, though.