Hello all, I have did a few searches for a topic close to mine and haven't found quite what I am looking for...
I will be flying into London on June 10 in the a.m. (on a yet to be booked ticket - airline prices are an entirely different problem) and then flying out on a 6:30 a.m. from LGW to Athens. That morning flight is an easyjet flight and I know the importance of getting there plenty early.
SO, I need advice as to a good place to stay the night before that flight. any advice would be great!
Requirements:
1. Easy (quick) commute to LGW in the early hours of Sunday June 11.
2. Cost - I don't have a monetary limit, but b/c it is just myself and the short time I will be there the cheaper the better.
Other than that, I am a 24 y/o female traveling alone, have never been to London (yet I will be ending my Europe trip with a 4 week study abroad period in London, so sightseeing the the day before I fly to Athens in not necessary).
I would be open to a hostel for the economics of it as long as I could get a good night's sleep and it's clean.
Again, most important is the ease of the morning commute to the airport.
Thanks for your help!

With a flight that early your are better off staying at the airport or very near it. If you stay in London you will have to get up by 3:30 - 4:00 a.m.

Ther are hotels all around LGW, including right at the terminals, and some B&Bs close by.

This site has info about most of them http://www.gatwick-airport-hotels.co.uk/

try priceline for london airport hotels.
www.biddingfortravel.com
www.betterbidding.com
to learn how to take advantage of these great deals.

There are several B&B type places in Horley which specialize in accommodations before/after flights out of Gatwick. They usually drive you to the airport for free (not sure if they would start as early as you'd be needing). It is only a 5-10 minute ride to the airport. We stayed in one for 1 night before a flight out of Gatwick. I can't recall the name, but we searched on tripadvisor for a couple of names and got referrals from them to other B&B's with availability. It was not fancy and was fairly noisy as our room was in the front and it was on a main road (ask for a quiet room in the back). The managers were nice and helpful and the breakfast was decent. It was very convenient. It was not expensive, as I recall. There didn't seem to be much to do in the area, although we just had the evening to spend there. There was a pub within walking distance that was surprisingly good for dinner. The outdoor patio was a lovely setting too.

I agree that staying at or right near Gatwick makes more sense than going into London. Gatwick has many terminals. I stayed at a Meridien hotel which was attached to the terminal I needed for a BA flight several years ago. No worries about a shuttle etc. I made the reservation using lastminute.com and got a great rate. Don't know if that option exists for you but worth checking.

Here's an old thread with more info
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34403070

I probably should have added - you can still spend the day doing something fun. When you arrive at LGW leave your bags at the hotel and either take the train into London or down to Brighton. Even IF you will end up in London later, you could still see a bit (or take a hop-on-hop-off tour bus and see a lot) of London in a few hours.

Or you could take the train to Brighton and see the Pavillion, pier, etc.

Then back to LGW and a good nights sleep.