janebell

We are going to be ariving at Heathrow at about 10:30 at night. We are going to be picked up the next morning at about 10:30 by a driver (part of a package with a rented cottage) to take us to the Cotswolds.

When we arrive late at an airport, we find that staying at a hotel attached to the terminal is so much easier - you just go to your room with no transportation muss and fuss. At Heathrow, the attached hotel is the Hilton which is a tad expensive (about $250 I think, unless I can get a deal).

Is there any other hotel option that is super easy to get to yet comfortable?

Lori

If you are coming into Term. 4 then the most convenient hotel is the Hilton as it is attached to Term. 4 by a long walkway and you can take your luggage over there yourself on a "trolley". It's expensive but we found it worth it when we were using Term 4. (sometimes they have special room rates you just need to check regularly). As for other hotels around Heathrow, there are plenty of them but all entail a ride on the Hoppa Bus (they do charge to ride that bus) or a taxi ride. I am not sure how easy it would be to get a taxi to take you 1-2 miles tho.

Dave_

There are lots of airport hotels very near Heathrow just a few minutes drive from the terminals.

I think you are right that the Hilton is in the airport and it is the only one withing the airport. I think it is situated at Terminal 4 - is that where you fly into? If not, you will need to get a transfer from Terminals 1/2/3 to Terminal 4 to get to the hotel anyway.

If I were in your situation I wouldn't want to pay $250 to stay a few hours in an airport hotel when there are so many other options close by. Airport hotels by their nature are reasonably bland places and I expect the Hilton at Terminal 4 to be no different.

Have you considered looking at Priceline. You could get a 4* airport hotel for well under $100 (I have seen people get a 4* for around $60). The transfer between the Terminals is via a Shuttle Bus or a cheap taxi trip.

If you don't want to use Priceline you can get choose one of the airport hotels through conventional means much cheaper than $250.

That is unless you are landing at Terminal 4, ultimate convenience really matters to you and $$$$ do not.

TopMan

I suggest you read the reviews about this specific property on TripAdvisor and then decide.

Rutt_Butler

For about five pounds you can take a cab to any of a number of airport hotels that will cost less. I usually use the Holiday Inn, which is quite comfortable.

janis

Which terminal are you landing at??? if not terminal 4, then the Hilton doesn't make much sense.

If you are landing at term 1, 2 or 3 then many of the off airport hotels are actually closer and more convenient than the Hilton.

Kayb95

If you got a 4* hotel on Priceline (we've gotten the Marriott for $67/night), you could take a taxi to the hotel and still be saving a significant amount of money.

ira

topping

janebell

Thanks for the suggestions. Now that I see that the rate is $250 roughly, I can't really justify that for a one night stay. We will be coming into Terminal #3, by the way, which makes it even less attractive since it won't be all that convenient.

I'm not too interested in taking the Hoppa Bus. It will be 10:30 and after an 8 hour flight, my husband and son are always cranky, cranky, cranky. I have found that the best trips start with a good night's sleep. Figuring out the buses would not be a pretty sight.

Now I'm wondering if we shouldn't just take a cab to Windsor - the ViaMichelin site shows it's about 20 minutes away. Not too bad. I'll check the different threads to see if there are good recommendations for Windsor. Otherwise, maybe we should just crash at the Holiday Inn and take a cab there.

Thanks for the help. The Hilton is definitely out.

janis

Windsor is definitely a reasonable option. But a hotel near LHR would really not be very stressful. The hotel hoppa's are really only hotel shuttle buses like you'd find at many US airports. They are clearly signed which hotels they serve. Most routes cover 3 or at most 4 closely grouped hotels. You wouldn't be wandering around to 5 or 6 far flung hotels.

Windsor is lovely - but you won't have any time to see anything there if you driver is picking you up that early in the morning.