I was slow on the trigger for the flights I was planning to book for our 2-week trip to the UK in late June/early July, and now the fare I had hoped for is gone. We can now get the same fare only if we fly a day earlier... Which means we wouldn't be able to get into our apartment in Winchester until the day after we arrive. Any advice on a hotel to stay in for the one night? We would be flying into Heathrow (from Boston via Iceland), arriving 11:45am on a Saturday. Since we are now planning to pick up our rental car at Heathrow, we don't want to have to drive into London, so I was thinking we could stay in a hotel outside the city and save London for another time during our stay.

I found a hotel near Windsor (Marriott Heathrow Windsor), which is fairly reasonable--would it make sense for us to try to stay there and squeeze in Windsor Castle that first day? (or the following morning, after checking out?) Is there anywhere else that it would make sense to stay for an overnight? I know the kids will probably be wiped out, so we won't want to do too much, but I hate to waste a day!

Going to Windsor is reasonable, and Windsor Castle is open until 5:15pm.

If you think your kids might be too tired, you can still visit Windsor (the town), wander around, do some (window) shopping, and go across the Thames to Eton & Eton College.

What you can do is stay in Windsor, spend your arrival day just walking/wandering and rest; then the next morning tour Windsor Castle, before picking up your rental car from Heathrow. (Is there a car rental pick-up in Windsor?)

P.S. not sure what your budget is for hotel, but you can look into the Travelodge @ Windsor if you're looking for budget options.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_a...p?hotel_id=329

Last December we paid just 80 GBP for a superior double room at the Novotel; it was fine.

Thanks, yk and underhill--will check out the Travelodge and Novotel. The rate I saw on Expedia for the Marriott was $110US for four of us, but it would be great if we could go a bit cheaper, if possible (though 80 GBP is probably about the same?).

And thanks for the thoughts about Windsor--seems like good advice for us to get out and walk around a bit, but not try to do too much that first day. I did look into the rental car, and AutoEurope does not appear to have a pick-up in Windsor, so we'd have to get it from Heathrow. Would that be a bother to go back and do the next day? Or would it be better to get it when we fly in?

If you stay at Heathrow and don't get a car that same day, note that the Novotel is the first stop on the Hotel Hoppa Bus route--very useful. You can take the bus back to the terminal and pick up a car near the bus stop.

Hi jspen,
I just booked the Ibis Heathrow for 52GBP for July 28, one night, double room. Our flight was changed and now we don't arrive until 9 pm at Heathrow instead of 2:30 pm. We will head to the Cotswolds the next day.

The Ibis Hotel info is: Tel : (+44)208/7594888 | 112-114 Bath Road London Heathrow Airport Hayes Middlesex - UB3 5AL LONDON

I looked it up on my map program and it is just outside the airport going towards London.

Good luck,
Michele

I've read on other posts here that people have found excellent deals at airport hotels on Priceline. Have not tried it myself but intend to.

I've had good experiences at the Marriott Heathrow. It's within walking distance to the Avis rental location--I've done it, about 5-10 minutes.

To avoid confusion:

The Marriott Windsor is NOT identical to the Marriott Heathrow.

The Marriott Windsor at USD 110 is cheaper than the Novotel at GBP 80, as USD 110 at current exchange rates come out at approx. GBP 74.00.

The Marriott Windsor is located just off the M4 to the North in a slightly commercial area some 4.5 miles from LHR and some 3.5 miles from Windsor Castle (South of the M4).

If you plan to stay at the Marriott Windsor then I would definitely pick up the car upon arrival at LHR and drive over to the hotel as it gives you the option to then drive on to Windsor castle. Taking 4 cab rides instead (1 to the hotel, 1 to the castle, 1 from the castle to the hotel and 1 back to LHR) seems an unnecessary hassle and expense.

Thanks, hsv--I appreciate your advice about the cabs and costs. Do you think it makes sense for us to stay in Windsor, as opposed to right at Heathrow? We were thinking that we'd be able to do a bit more sightseeing that first day if we got away from the main airport area, especially since we're going on to Winchester the next day, and it seemed like it was the right direction.

You say the area around the Marriott Windsor is "slightly commercial"--would there be places to eat nearby? Is it a fairly easy area to get to from Heathrow? We will be rather jet-lagged and new to right-hand drive (though we've done it once before, several years ago--but that was in the Carribbean!). Thanks!

To me, it seems like you have 4 options:

<u>Option 1</u>
Stay at Heathrow
Pick up car arrival day

<u>Option 2</u>
Stay at Heathrow
Pick up car following day

<u>Option 3</u>
Stay at Windsor
Pick up car arrival day

<u>Option 4</u>
Stay at Windsor
Pick up car following day

Things to consider:
- Cost of hotel @ Heathrow vs Windsor
- Location of hotel @ Heathrow vs Windsor (the Windsor Travelodge I mentioned is right in the town center)
- Cost of parking at hotels (almost all hotels in that area charge for parking)
- Cost of having the car for an extra day (if you decide to pick up car on arrival day)
- Cost of parking at Windsor (if applicable)
- Cost of taxi rides from Heathrow to Hotel to Windsor, and vice versa

I don't think it makes much of a difference whether you stay at one of the airport hotels or at the Marriott Windsor.

The Windsor Marriott is only some 5 or 6 miles from the airport.
Which kind of answers whether it's difficult to drive there.
You have two options: go via the M4 or via the A4. At least if you take the (slightly longer) M4 option, you'd be on a multi-lane carriageway all the time with no immediate oncoming traffic (that is if you figured it out rightly -aehm leftly ;-) - from the beginning. In combination with the short distance, I find this easy.

That said, I have always found driving on the &quot;proper&quot; side of the road as people here call it, quite easy as one is moving within a pretty much closed system and just has to blend in.

I am not that closely familiar with the immediate vicinity of the Windsor Marriott, rather just know it from spotting it from the M4, so I am afraid I cannot make any recommendations for close by restaurants. The area doesn't look bad, btw, the hotel just appears to be a bit roadside to a major road and a major motorway.

If the price is right (which it appears it is), I would not hesitate to go for it. It gets you out of LHR for a start, you can get used to driving the first day on an easy stretch of road and if you want to see Windsor anyway, you'd be passing by the hotel on your way.

I would not cab to the Marriott Windsor and then back in order to pick up the car the next day at LHR and then go back to the M25 on your way to Winchester.

Thanks, hsv--I went ahead and booked the Marriott, since the price was right. Ended up doing it through the hotel website directly and even saved a bit more... I told DH that he can practice driving to the hotel from LHR--hopefully he can make it that distance on little sleep!

I also plan to pick up the car the day we arrive and not wait to pick it up the next day, as DH does not want to have anything to do with the airport after the first day arrival.

My only regret is that I now realize that we are arriving on a Saturday, noon-ish (after an overnight flight from Boston) and will miss the changing of the guard at Windsor that day, and it's not offered on Sundays. I had been thinking we could have the kids see it there and pass on Buckingham Palace later in London... Oh, well! I'm sure we'll enjoy Windsor anyway.

Thanks for the thoughts about motorways as well--all very helpful!
Jamie