Overnight stopover in London!
 

OK, here's the deal. We've been to London a couple times - but not for too many years.
We're about to embark on a two month trip to India: DC to India via Virgin Atlantic through London. On the way back we arrive at Heathrow at 6pm (Saturday eve) - and then leave the next day from Heathrow at 11:30 am (Sunday).

So - London experts - how can we best get in a little London time - Book airport hotel and zip in and out of the city on train that night? Book London hotel ? What would you do?

Thanks!

Since your flight out is not early AM, I'd get a room in central London.

Hi Glover. Looking forward to reading about your India trip.

I was in London in Sept and found everything we did took much longer than what we expected. I would get a room at an airport hotel to make the morning departure more streamlined.

After checkin and train in to the city and if you are just planning to wander around and see the buildings lit up, you might first get a quick bite at the amazing Food Court at Harrod's. They have everything!

I agree with the airport hotel but then I hate a rushed morning. An 11:30 am flight is early to me, given the ride to Heathrow and lead time required for checkin. I'd much rather get the ride over with the evening before. Nothing left to think about except where to have dinner.

Personally I would stay out at the airport. You land at 6PM and by the time you do customs and get your bags it might be closer to 730PM-800PM. It would take at least 40 minutes on the tube to get into central London from Heathrow or close to that in a cab. In the morning, you will need to be back at the airport by 9ish so whats the point?
When I flew from Delhi to LHR on BA a few years ago, it was almost 7 hours so I am sure you are going to be tired and ready for a shower when you get to Heathrow?

The mathematics behind the "airport hotel" arguments simply don't stand up

There are no hotels around Heathrow as close, in travelling time, to Terminal 3 as the Paddington Hilton, the Metropole or a host of smaller hotels clustered around Paddington station. These are 15 minutes, plus walking time at Paddington(in the case of the Hilton, 2 minutes max) from the Heathrow Express platform at Heathrow, 5 mins from Customs at Terminal 3

Apart from one hotel almost plugged into Terminal 5 (as far as your travel plans are concerned, halfway to Oxford), all Heathrow hotels are a significant pain to get to from the airport. Getting into London, once checked in, requires another journey to a tube station or an expensive cab ride (roads between the centre and the M25 on a Saturday night are clogged till well past midnight, and buses from the terminals back to the hotels stop absurdly early). Getting off a plane at 1800, going through formalities, getting to a an alegedly "airport" hotel, then getting into London, probably via an airport terminal, means it's highly unlikely you'll be there before 2130.

Hours after the dubious delight of Horrids' foodhall have closed

It's simply impossible, if you follow the advice of people who think Horrids is open at 10 pm, to do anything in London. All the "airport hotel" suggestions are simply telling you not to go into the centre, but to spend the whole 18 hours stuck in a suburban Holiday Inn

Flamboyant mathematical objections aside, even when I've been staying in London I like to stay the last night near the airport at a B&B whose owner gets me to airport with a 5 minute ride from door to door for my 1:00 or 2:00 flight. I've had a leisurely breakfast and no concern whatever about being late. It's what I like to do, zero stress.

The 1 time I took the Heathrow Express it sat on the track in the middle of the journey for 20 minutes. I'm sure it doesn't happen often but a short cab ride to a nearby hotel and back in the morning, for me, would be far preferable to any imagined benefit of central London for a few hours.

"a short cab ride to a nearby hotel and back in the morning, for me, would be far preferable to any imagined benefit of central London for a few hours."

But that wasn't the question the poster asked.

"how can we best get in a little London time " said glover. What none of you will face is that using an airport hotel, if arriving at LHR at 1800 on a Saturday, means zero London time.

As so often on this forum, we're getting answers that tell us a great deal about respondents' individual neuroses - and extraordinary delusuions about Horrids' opening hours.

But - except for janisj and me - absolutely bugger all about how glover can achieve glover's objectives.

"But that wasn't the question the poster asked."

Sometimes, as you often point out, f., there's more to the question than the OP may realize. This one is pretty straightforward, though, and yes, my answers and others are about our own preferences/neuroses, same thing, what anyone ever offers, what we would do.

On that note, since you've mentioned already that food halls will be closed (twice) and transport into town a bother, after a flight from India I'd stay at my convenient little B&B, have dinner locally, despite the likely dearth of Michelin options, maybe even room service if the hotel choice provides it, go to bed early, have a leisurely morning and back to the airport relaxed and ready to go again. To answer the OP's question, "What would you do?" that's what I'd do.

You could stay near Earls Court tube - - it's on the Piccadilly line 40 minutes from Heathrow. Drop your bags at the hotel, then continue on into the center. There are lots of hotels at Earls Court, but it's tricky to get a nice one. :>