Early departure from Heathrow
 

My husband and I are flying out of Heathrow Air Canada 830AM. We would prefer NOT to stay in a hotel airport but will be turning in our car the previous day and will need transportation to our airline terminal. Any ideas to beat the sterile airport stay and also be assured of an early start the next day? (are there any small towns near by that offer more ambience yet are efficient enough to get us to our flight on time?)
Thanks

Richmond is fairly close. Its a nice town. If you get there early you can visit the wonderful Kew gardens.

regards Ger

Beggars can't be choosers, why have the hassle of having to wake up at around 4am when you can submit yourself to the torture of an airport hotel and have the luxury of rolling out of bed and into the airport.

Especially as you've given up your car transportation is more awkward, life isn't perfect, but having to spend one night at one of Heathrow's excellent hotels is hardly an hardship.

That first flight is a killer for jetlag on the trip home. I did it once because I had a car and figured, correctly, that I would avoid traffic on the M25 by leaving so early on a Saturday AM. The problem is that I had to get up at 4 AM, wich is 11 PM at home. It took me quite a while to get my body clock back to Eastern Time. In subsequent trips I have taken later flights home which make the time change easier to deal with. All of this is to say that I agree with m_kingdom, be kind to yourself and stay close to the airport.

We've stayed at the Heathrow Marriott on the night before the flight home and it's a very nice hotel. They have an excellent breakfast buffet and there is a neighborhood pub within walking distance (ask at the front desk.)

We are staying there again in July before our flight. We normally return our car in the late afternoon, check in, have dinner, and spend the evening getting packed up and relaxing before our morning flight. It's just so much easier than the mad dash to the airport in the wee hours.

We got our rooms this year through Priceline. We bid on a 4* at Heathrow and got them for $67 (US!!)

On somewhat the same note, we have a late afternoon flight out of Heathrow, and would like recommendations of a family-friendly place near Kew/Richmond. We'll be coming from the west and don't want to go into the city a second time. Also, how long would it take to get from Richmond to Heathrow by car?

Agree on using Priceline at LHR. We got the Sheraton Skyline last month for US$60, vs £150 rack rate. The breakfast buffets are not likely to be open if you have an 8:30 departure requiring you to be at LHR by 6:30.

I would also book a taxi from any of the airport hotels to the terminal, rather than relying upon the (pathetic IMO) "Hoppa Bus." You'll spend a couple of quid more but arrive way less frazzled. Have the concierge do it for you and plan on having it take a half hour from the hotel to the ticket counter at that time of morning.

Well..we stayed at the Sheraton Skyline and thought it was great! We had a strip in from Venice to Gatwick and then the bus to Heathrow for an early flight to San Francisco the next day. We had big plans to go into the West End for dinner that night. Frankly. we were exhausted and instead ordered room service and watched english speaking TV. We slept well and transport to Heathrow the next day by cab went off quite nicely. The Sheraton was really ok and not overwhelmingly sterile. They have a bar downstairs and that night were serving free drinks and very decent sushi.

oops sprry for the typo..it is supposed to be trip in from Venice.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to follow your overwhelming advice to be happy with the hotels in the airport which, generally, I tend to enjoy. (I'll admit, I sounded like a B&B snob in my opening query, didn't I?)

I'll book us a 4* via priceline and enjoy a hot bath good book before we take off.
I've never been to Heathrow before and don't really have any idea of what's around it. Most of the hotels around our airports have shuttle service and all sorts of incentives for travelers and services. Just wondered if there was something out there I didn't know about and would later say... gee.. we should have done THAT. Thanks again. You guys are all great.

Just be aware you might get the Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel (or yet another hotel) bidding for a 4* on Priceline. I think I will be very happy with my Priceline win of the Ariel for a one-night stay in a few weeks, particularly for a $40 bid, but just thought I'd mention that caveat.

I read some of the reviews on Airport Hotels.. that's why I was trying to avoid the experience. I would have paid $120 for a B&B. I could probably book the hotel airport I want (should I be that particular) for that amount. But I think I'll be happy with the local convenience and go for cheap for that last night. :) Thanks for the warning. Hmm.. $40??? Very nice!
Petal

Just as a follow up: I bid one night 4* Priceline. Offered $50, they countered with 66. I used a free rebid (added Lutum??) and upped to 60 and was accepted. Got the Sheraton Skyline hotel. I'm very pleased. Thanks for the good advice everyone. (my stay is aug 9)

Petal:

I have stayed at almost every 4-star hotel on the Heathrow strip, and that is by far the best IMO. I paid considerably more for it (GBP150, at least).

Well done, and enjoy it. You can always get there early, dump the luggage and then take the Hoppa and the Heathrow Express into London for dinner and/or theatre.

Happy travels back to Canada. Leave plenty of time in the morning. The traffic around Heathrow can be awful at that time, and the Hoppa does not always come when it is supposed to :(

regards Ger

At risk of repeating myself and others, use the Hoppa only if you don't mind being frustrated. Order a taxi for the morning - you won't be sorry.

You can also stay at the Hilton, it's inside Terminal 4 and our plane home leaves from this terminal so the bell boy gets a cart for you and you just roll in, without taking a bus or a taxi

Petal~good going on the Sheraton Skyline..we thought we had a good price of $135(english) two years ago. Room service is actually good..we had hoped to head into London proper for dinner at #1 Aldwych but were dog tired and ended up staying at the Sheraton..good choice. I agree..absolutely take a cab in the am.