fall06

Hi,

You were all so helpful during my recent way-too-busy trip to Europe that I've come back to ask for more!

I need to fly through London to get to Rome at the end of November. My flight arrives at Heathrow at around 8pm and my fliht to Rome doesn't leave until noon the next day.

I had been thinking of staying at a Heathrow hotel, (and grabbing a Pizza Express dinner inside the main terminal) but then I came across Stylotel near Paddington, which offers doubles from 75GBP.

I realize I'll have to spring for the RT ticket on the Heathrow Express, which makes the real cost of the room just over 100 GBP. But I'm thinking a nice Malaysian or Indian dinner at a restaurant is worth it (and I'd rather eat pizza in Roma).

What do you think? If you say "stick to Heathrow," please be so kind as to recommend a decent hotel around 100GBP or less -- and the best dining option.

Thanks so much in advance!

PS: I've been to London loads of times, so I've no need to "see" London or soak up the vibe. So don't base your advice on that! Thanks!

fall06

Sorry for the typo in my headline. I meant to write "Stylotel".

I hope some people have heard of it or have stayed there.

fall06

hmmm. guess nobody's heard of the Stylotel?

Does anybody think I can get a decent double at Heathrow for less than 100GBP?

eyes

We've stayed at the Darlington Hyde Park hotel a couple of times while in London and found the staff to be very friendly and the rooms clean. Also serves a nice breakfast.
It's about a 5 minute walk from the Paddington train station and we paid about 98 GBP for a double room there last year.
They have a web site and are quick to respond to reservation requests.

fall06

Thanks for that reply!

I'm trying to justify the cost of a roundtrip train ticket into London just to have dinner. At 75GBP for a double it's tempting. At 100GBP (given today's exchange rates) I'm beginning to feel like I'm being extravagant.

Robespierre

Just to tempt you a little: the Heathrow Connect fare is only £9.50, or you could take the Tube for £5.80 each day (Oyster cap).

capkirk1

I've stayed at a little Bed and Breakfast 2 blocks from Paddington called the Linden House Hotel. Nice people and full English breakfast. I noticed on londonnights.com their price for a double was 62 pounds. BTW, the Indian meal sounds great to me.

MaureenB

We liked the Sussex Gardens neighborhood very much. We stayed at a little B&B, the Hyde Park Radnor Hotel. . Nice simple breakfast included hot eggs with ham plus cold cereals, juice, coffee, etc.. VERY small room and bath, though, for a quad family room. But a very clean and nicely kept place. Location very safe, and close to Paddington tube. Beautiful residential neighborhood to stroll around in.

There's a very good Indian restaurant just a block or two away: the “Noorjahan 2” at 26 Sussex Place. I had an amazing prawn dish with shrimp so big you'd think they were lobster tails, in this incredible sauce. (And this from someone who thought she didn’t like Indian food!)
>-

alanRow

Frankly I'd just use Priceline to find somewhere cheap near the airport.

If you schleped into town with your luggage you wouldn't get there much before 10:00pm and coming back you'd have to be at the airport for 10:00am at the latest

Sue_xx_yy

There's an Ibis, a Holiday Inn Ariel, and a Premier Travelinn out at the airport which would meet your price range, in the event Priceline doesn't work out for you. I would not go into town - our flight was due to land at LHR at 8 p.m, but it was an hour late, plus by the time we cleared formalities etc. and headed for our airport hotel, it was 10 p.m., and we were glad we weren't facing a trek all the way into town.

lolfn

i used priceline to book a hotel at heathrow airport. i bid for a 4* and my first bid of $62 was accepted and i got the crowne plaza. the room was great--big, clean, comfortable beds, marble bathroom. i highly recommend using priceline for heathrow. you shouldn't pay more than $70 for the night.

featherbrain

There's also the Heathrow Lodge which is a BB just behind the airport. It runs a free shuttle and also is in the centre of a village with 2 good pubs where you can get a nice meal.
It's not posh but it's great for access and is clean enough. Just google for it.

alanRow

By the time you get into your hotel it's likely that most places will have stopped serving dinner

fall06

Thanks for all the replies!

You make good arguments for staying at Heathrow. Here's what i'm thinking in response:

Two weeks I took the same flight across the Atlantic. The flight arrived at 8pm, on time, and I was in Paddington station by 9:10pm.

I realize the upcoming flight could be late -- that's the risk, but I still feel there are more places serving food in London at late hours than at Heathrow. Or am I wrong about that? I have visions that if the flight is late and I'm booked into Heathrow, I'll find nothing at all to eat, except a sandwich from a vending machine. Whereas in London I could go to an all night resto in Soho.

Feel free to call me neurotic, but I always hate the idea of using Priceline and not knowing what I am booking. It's great when you hear stories of people lucking out with a fab room. But I've heard -- perhaps wrongly -- that the majority of the hotels in Heathrow suck. Can I specify what kind of bed I want, and get no smoking and quiet? And what is the cancellation policy?

Again, I appreciate all the advice. I needn't decide this right away. I'm still mulling which flight I'm taking out of London. Right now, the best one doesn't leave until after 1pm, which makes an even stronger argument (in my mind) for heading into London.

Robespierre,

I'm unclear as to whether the 9.80 you're talking about is one way or return. Likewise the Oyster fare. But either way, unless it's a 15 minute ride, like the Heathrow Express, it makes it less tempting.

fall06

I meant to add to others who provided firsthand reports on alternate lodgings in Sussex Gardens, thank you very much!!!

I'm checking them out and crunching the numbers.

The restaurant I'm thinking about eating at is Satay House, which serves until 11pm every day,

fall06

Just one more thing:

Part of the attraction of going to London is that the time difference means that when I arrive in London, it's really only 2pm in the afternoon for me. I'm thinking I'd rather have dinner and then go to a pub for a bit, and get to sleep around 2am. If I'm up by 9am, I can still be at Heathrow 3 hours ahead of my 1pm flight.

Lucia78

I just stayed at the Holiday Inn at Heathrow on Bath Rd (Sipson Way) in August. You can take the Hoppa bus to and from the airport (I think it's 7 or 8 GBP return).

The hotel was great for a one night stay and so convenient. It was only 47 GBP.

I did have room service, though they also have a restaurant. Their restaurant is open until 11 and they have 24 hour room service.

There are 3 holiday inns near Heathrow--the one at Sipson Way on Bath Rd. is the closest to the airport.

There is not much nearby, but you can take a short regular bus into town (which I had to do in order to repair some glasses).

fall06

Thanks, lucia!

When did your plane land and when did you get to the hotel?

How's the food?

Jack

I recently booked the Crowne Plaza at Heathrow for 60 GBP per night, plus VAT. Its a very nice hotel. You can check out reviews for Heathrow hotels on Tripadvisor.

mclaurie

First lets talk about Priceline. Do you realize that in many places you actually CAN know what you're going to get? There are only three 4 star hotels at Heathrow that use Pricleine. They are

Sheraton Skyline
Crowne Plaza
Marriott Heathrow

According to biddingfortravel.com, people have been paying $55-81 (yes dollars) and getting mostly the Sheraton. Reviews look fine
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...x_England.html

So all you'd need to do is bid for a 4* hotel at Heathrow and only bid up to whatever your budget is. This is definitely the way to go if you stay at the airport (imo).

As an alterative, have you considered Windsor? It's not far from Heathrow, pubs and restaurants. A bit nicer than an evening and morning at the airport.