We're going to have to spend the night at Heathrow next December prior to flying back to California the next morning. I'd be grateful for recommendations of hotels that offer shuttle service. Thanks.

Finally back on line after knee surgery!

No hotels offer shuttle service. You must pay to use the "Hoppa" bus. I think it costs 4 or 5 pounds per person, which is particularly steep. And the hotels themselves aren't cheap either. Some people just take the tube to a stop with a nearby hotel. Or there is now a pod-type Yotel right in Terminal 4, which might be worth it for you not to have to schlep luggage (and you could take a taxi into Windsor to have dinner). Or you could just stay in Windsor and head back to the airport early the next AM.

Hilton at T4 is the only proper hotel in Heathrow BUT once T5 opens it will become painful to transfer from there to any terminal apart from T5.

Much as I loathe both Paddingotn & the Heathrow Express it might be better to get a hotel at Paddington and take the Heathrow Express to Heathrow. It'll be just as quick (if more expensive) than coming from any of the Heathrow area hotels and at least it means you can eat somewhere decent

You can get good prices with princeline

I've never had to pay more than US$75 for a 4-star hotel at Heathrow using Priceline. 4-stars include the Sharaton Skyline, Marriott, Crowne Plaza, and several others. All are "served" by the Hoppa Bus, which currently is £4 per person each way. The hassle factors and the grimy surrounds of the Hoppa stops come at no additional cost.

...it will become painful to transfer from there to any terminal apart from T4. T5 form T4 will be extremely nasty as you will have to go to T123 first unless you take a taxi around

Sounds like a taxi might be the way to go. But years ago we had a serious problem getting a taxi driver to take us to an airport hotel--he wanted a fare into central London. Might that still be a problem? Do any hotels have pay shuttles?

The hotels aren't allowed to have their own shuttles, anymore, is my understanding.

The taxi drivers are supposed to have a system where they are allowed right back into the queue after taking a short fare. I don't know if that affects their willingness.

<i>I don't know if that affects their willingness.</i>

Not noticeably, especially later in the evening. They HAVE to take the fare, but sometimes they can be very grumpy about it.

Unfortunately, the Hoppa is usually cheap enough by comparison to black cab charges that it's not cost effective to take a taxi.

The Hoppa doesn't serve T4, so getting to one of the Bath Rd hotels from there first involves a ride on the choo choo then a long walk through the tunnels to one of the Hoppa pick up points. Oy.

Four of us took a taxi from Heathrow to the Novotel LHR for &euro;11 +tip.

we would much prefer to take a taxi--but at this point I have no idea what terminal we'll be flying into from Nice, arriving just after 9 p.m. All we'll want to do is get to a hotel and have a good night's sleep; we get dinner on the plane. So...what hotels at the airport do you recommend, the transportation issue aside?

If I needed one, I would take Gardyloo's advice and use Priceline.

Question...if the hotels no longer offer shuttes, how about dropping a car off at Budget/Hertz/Avis, etc....do these still offer shuttles to the terminals??? Haven't been there for several years...so what's the latest? Thanks..

Stu T.

We have stayed at the Jurys Inn at Hatton Cross, they are a mid price chain hotel. Note there is nothing around the hotel, no restaurants or shops or anything. The hotel is about 10 mins easy flat walk from Hatton Cross tube station. Hatton Cross is the next station to Heathrow.

Also check out the cost of the Yotel inside Heathrow airport. We stayed at the Yotel at Gatwick and it was fine and incredibly convenient.
Kay

The car agencies will shuttle you to and from the terminals. I asked one time if they'd shuttle me to the hotel (Marriott I think) and got a polite &quot;Sorry, pal.&quot; Don't know if that's a regulation or just hono(u)r amongst... oh never mind.

We'll be flying in from Nice to Terminal 3 and departing from there the following morning. How hard would it be to get from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4, from which we could walk to the Hilton? My husband is violently opposed to schlepping luggage very far.

I stay at the Holiday in on Bath Road when I have early morning departures. They always take me to the airport in the morning (even when I've asked for a taxi). They don't charge me but I do tip them.

T3 to the T4 Hilton is about the worst of all schleps - not only do you have to go down to the HEX station to catch the train to T4, but then the Hilton is a major march from there. Of course there are free bag carts throughout LHR, but they've cunningly designed the HEX stations to prevent rolling the cart train-side, so hefting and mini-schleps are still part of that process too.

I'd suck it up and take the Hoppa to/from T3 to the hotel.

Any other ideas? While my newly replaced knee should be fine by December we'd rather not have to lug the baggage all over the place.

Given the Hoppa fees and the limitations of staying at a Heathrow hotel (dining choices, things to see/do), I suggest booking a car service (about &pound;20 to &pound;30) for a pickup at Heathrow and a dropoff at your hotel door in Windsor. Windsor is a short drive from Heathrow and if you stay in a centrally located hotel, you will have picturesque sites and a slew of restaurants and cafes right outside your hotel door.
An inexpensive lodging option is the Travelodge, located a short stroll from the castle and also a short stroll from the arcaded restaurant area by the Windsor &amp; Eton Central train station. We had dinner at the Wagamama's in Windsor this evening (&pound;25 for two people), then walked around the corner for dessert and drinks at one of the more posh hotels.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/find_a_h...WindsorCentral

If you want to splash out a little more, the Mercure Castle Hotel is one of the nicest properties in central Windsor, just across the street from the castle.
http://www.mercure.com/mercure/fiche...he_hotel.shtml

Thanks for the suggestion--but we won't get into Heathrow until late evening, will have had dinner on the plane, and will leave the next morning--so no time for sightseeing or much or anything else.

How long does the drive to/from Windsor take?