We have booked the premier inn at north terminal for Easter for £42 a night. Can't beat that for convenience...it's steps from the terminal...

A journey of a thousand miles begins with literally steps.

No you can't beat that - a great deal and I would too - over a dumpy perhaps B&B 5,000 steps away or so!

Continuing to beat this horse:

As a fellow US Midwesterner, I appreciate Pal's mentioning B&B's. Some of us who are surrounded by corporate conformity get a kick out of straying into a more authentic, if dicier, experience when traveling abroad.

I was looking very hard at Cumberland House in Horley. If you dangle "locally sourced full English breakfast included" in front of us we become very tempted, plus the place looks comfortable. When I emailed the hostess, though, it seemed likely we would not have time for a hot breakfast before their recommended shuttle departure.

Then I looked back at Premier Inn North Gatwick and found I could get a nonrefundable twin room that night for £29. I snatched it.

So, done, and thank you all so much for your help. At the very least, you've saved us from racing for a predawn London train that Saturday morning.

Not sure if you've mentioned it above, but which terminal at Gatwick are you leaving from? The Premier Inn is close enough to the North Terminal to be able to walk (approx 5 minutes) but for the South Terminal you'd need to use the paid-for hotel shuttle bus which runs every 20 minutes (or perhaps go the the North Terminal and use the mono-rail to get to the South).

Thanks for the heads up, Gordon.

The reason I didn't mention terminal is I hadn't gotten around to noticing. It does fly out of South. We'll be sure to leave plenty of time. At the room price we have extra £ for shuttle and early boarding seats.