Jade

Hello<BR>I will be at Heathrow from 2PM until 8AM the next morning due to an incredibly long layover. I really do not want to get a hotel because it is very expensive and plus the probability of me sleeping is very small do to having to get up early, etc. the next day. So what is there to do to waste A LOT of time at Heathrow? Have an advise<BR>Thanks

Suzy

Where are you flying in FROM? If it's from the US, you'll be jet-lagged, 2PM will feel like 6 to 9 hours later, and 8 AM will, too. <BR><BR>You will certainly not feel like staying awake for another 20 hours, no matter where you're arriving from. Hotels are indeed dear, but you have enough time to take the Express into the city to a relatively cheap place. I'd do so, otherwise you risk getting so tired or even sick that you'll spoil the rest of your trip.

liz

Jsde,<BR>I would get out of the airport to start with, and head for central London to a top spa somewhere in Knightsbridge you can be massaged, mani, pedi etc. and start to recover from jetlag and relax a little. I guess I would pick one associated with a hotel so you could check your luggage, and then leave to do some shoppng, pick up some gifts or clothes, whatever. Then I would go to play and after that, I would have a great late supper until at least midnight or later. Then I would go back to the hotel where I had my luggage checked and negotiate a bed for a few hours, you can probably get something pretty cheap when you show up at 1AM and plan to check out at 5AM or so. Then I would taxi back to the airport and take off. If you still don't want to pay for a room, just sleep in the hotel lobby, say you are waiting for a friend to arrive or something if anybody questions you. Or just hang there and read a book. I don't think it is a good idea to spend alot of time at airports, they are not even safe places these days. There are plenty of huge travel class hotels where no one is going to question you, like the London Hilton right on Hyde Park for example. Good luck

Andre

HUH?<BR>I think Suzy's got the jet lag thing mixed up!<BR><BR>Anyway, Jade, do yourself a favour and get a hotel at Heathrow, even a cheap one (do a search on the forum or bid on Priceline UK - www.priceline.co.uk).<BR><BR>You can go into London, do some sightseeing, then return to your hotel after an early dinner and take the shuttle bus to the terminal in the morning.<BR><BR>This is a vacation for crying out loud!<BR>Andre

janis

There is really nothing to do at LHR in the middle of the night. Since there is a landing/takeoff curfew and no passengers to serve, the restaurants, shops and airline lounges are not open.<BR><BR>You should definitely get a hotel - but not AT LHR since you are correct, they are more expensive.<BR><BR>You can take a cab or local bus to Windsor which is about 15 minutes away. There are tourist information offices in the airport and they can find you a room before you go over to Windsor (or you can wait til you are in the town and go to the tourist office there.) <BR><BR>Stay the night in a B&B and if you have the energy you can visit the castle, walk along the river, visit Eton, or just wander around the lovely town.

xyz

Liz's message is a load of crap! every word of it is just wrong. you cannot sleep in the lobby of any reputable London hotel. in fact you might be detained and not even make your flight.<BR><BR>you seem to want to save money so visiting a &pound;100 per visit day spa makes no sense at all.

Dawn

Not all the hotels at Heathrow are expensive. We've stayed at the Heathrow IBIS, and while its not the Claridge, its decent, clean, cheap and convenient to the airport. For $95 for a double and you can throw a stone and hit the airport. They have a Hoppa bus that costs less han $4 that runs every 20 minutes to the airport. Let me know if you need more info.

Susan

I don't have any details how, but I would definitely find a place to stay. Personally coming from west coast U.S. I get bad jetlag, plus never can sleep on the plane going over, so am dead tired upon arrival the next morning.<BR><BR>I would spring for a hotel, have an early dinner with wine (!) and go to bed. Use a taxi to get back to the airport in the morning. Screw that advice about staying up late or getting "onto" local time. It never worked for me.<BR><BR>Also note, if you are continuing within Europe they don't expect you at the airport WAY far ahead of your flight, as they do at U.S. airports especially recently.<BR><BR>Summary, I just returned from 3 weeks in Europe where I passed thru Heathrow FOUR different times (blessedly a brief 1-2 hrs. each layover). You don't want to spend 20 hours there, take my word for it!

Suzy

Andre, you're right, I got it backwards. Just shows what bad jet lag can do to you!

Lori

20 hours is way too long to hang around an airport, or anyplace for that matter. Do yourself a favor and get a hotel room. There are a few lesser expensive hotels near Heathrow, IBIS is one. Just having the opportunity to shower,change clothes, lay down (even if you don't sleep a lot) will make you feel much better when you get to the end of the trip. This is one time when it does not pay to try and save money, just get a hotel room at the airport. You could go into London and get a room but personally I'd stick closer to the a/p itself. There is a Holiday Inn at Heathrow, 2 Sheratons, and a number of others. Check into their rates, in the long run the hotel room is your best bet.

Andre

Suzy, I know the feeling - flying TO Europe gives me the worst jet lag (although I've heard a red eye from Asia to the US - transpacific - is pretty grim as well).<BR><BR>What works best for me is to arrive at my final destination in Europe as late in the day as possible. That way, I don't have to force myself to stay up very long and can sleep through on those terrible first 2 nights - the second one being the most difficult! <BR><BR>A lot of airlines are now offering transatlantic flights which leave the East Coast quite late at night and that has made things a lot easier for me.<BR><BR>Andre

just

FIRST - LIZ,<BR>What kind of drugs are you doing lately? Please send some this way as I would like to try them. That's the only explanation for your reply. You would have Jade spend 200 BP so she could save about 50. Please for your sake send the stuff to me and I promise to dispose of them for you. You will see the brain clearing up in about 30 days. <BR>NOW JADE - Assuming that you are flying from US and continuing to some exotic location (only explanation for a 20 hour layover), I would STRONGLY suggest a hotel. If you stay at the airport, and unless you have a strong will, you will spend in the vicinity of 50 BP anyway(lunch/dinner/drinks/magazine/etc..... 20 hours is a long time with no place to go. Why don't you try Priceline. I got a 3 star(St.Giles-Heathrow) hotel for $45.00US. It will be the best 45 you ever spent.Shower, TV, and most importantly a bed. If you can't afford that then maybe you should consider staying home. Also, whoever your TA is, I would shoot him/her NOW.

Doug Weller

Although I'd advise staying at a nearby hotel, there is an option, which is to sleep in the airport. People really do do this, and Heathrow appears to be a good place to sleep.<BR><BR>See<BR>http://www.sleepinginairports.net/airports.htm<BR>for general tips on sleeping in airports as well as specific posts about Heathrow.<BR><BR>Doug

elvira

Jade, there is zippo nada rien bupkus to do at Heathrow in the middle of the night. You can't possibly stay awake until 8am, especially with nothing to do. You'll end up collapsing somewhere where the security people will interfere with your sleep. Yuck now you have to hop a plane in clothes that have absorbed airport odor and cooties.<BR><BR>You arrive at 2PM if all goes well; by the time you get through customs and immigration, it'll be closer to 3PM. Get a hotel room NEAR the airport (I like the idea Check in, clean up, figure out if you have the energy to troop into London for the afternoon/early evening. If you do, go see one or two things, or take the OpenBus ride, eat dinner, get back to the hotel at a decent hour. If you haven't the energy, then do something near the hotel (front desk probably can give you some ideas for walks or things to visit), eat dinner, go to bed.<BR><BR>In my yout', I slept in airports (LAX, CDG, MIA just to name a few) rather than spend money on a room. Not any more....

Christina

I think the idea of going to Windsor was really good -- it's close but something to do. A lot of the other ideas of making a big night on the town out of it make me tired just reading them -- if I understand, the plane leaves at 8 am! Heathrow isn't at bad as some airports, I wouldn't want to spend that much time there, but if forced to, I think you could shop and dine there and then sleep at the cheapest airport hotel like an Ibis after turning in early.<BR>

Nancy

Windsor sounds like a good idea to spend the afternoon/evening but you would want a hotel in order to get back to the airport early. Don't know if there are any Windsor hotels that would transport you but you might check that out. At least you could see the castle, walk around Eton, have dinner and head to the hotel. On a trip to Africa we had a "day" hotel rate at Gatwick for a few hours so maybe some Heathrow hotels have the same deal.

Jade

Hello<BR>Thanks for all the post, I really appreciate it. I am now leaning towards getting a hotel for a night. I am actually flying home to the States from Spain and could not get a sooner flight between my arrival in LHR and my departure. But thanks anyways!!!

Dee

Staying in Windsor adds the cost of a taxi, and its not that close by. Stay at the airport, if you have the energy there are buses that run to the tube, very convenient.

xxx

Dee: True you need a taxi or bus to get to Windsor. However, any B&B in Windsor will be much cheaper than any hotel near Heathrow, so the cab fare will be more than made up. And there is the upside of actually being in a lovely town with things to see and do within walking distance.<BR><BR>Jade: My guess is that you could get a very nice B&B for 1/2 the cost of an airport hotel and still be close enough to the airport to easily catch your morning flight. Windsor Castle is wonderful

Dawn

You can get a room at the IBIS-Heathrow for less than $95 a night which is very reasonable for London. A block from the hotel you can pick up a bus that will drop you off at the tube. If so inclined, you could nap and head into London for the evening.