My husband and I are arriving at Heathrow at 4:30 pm, will have dinner with friends in northeast London and leave Heathrow at 11:00 the next morning. I think it would be easier to get a hotel at Heathrow, drop luggage, freshen up, meet up with friends in London, and return to the hotel for a quick getaway in the morning. Any suggestions as to which Heathrow hotel would have the easiest access to transportation?

I've bid on Priceline only once - for a Heathrow hotel and got the Sheraton Skyline, which was perfectly fine. If the transportation options are about the same from all the 4* hotels near Heathrow, I might bid at Priceline again.

Any suggestions?

I stayed at the Shereton Heathrow last year for one night for about 100 USD thru expedia-- it was fine and convenient for an overnight stay.

We always stay at the Hilton, right on the airport/city train line.

If you need to be near the tube, you could stay somewhere like the Continental or the Days Inn a couple stops before Heathrow on the Piccadilly Line (Hounslow Central).

I've considered the Hilton. We're leaving from terminal 3 - I wonder how long it takes to get there?

The Paddington Hilton is in Paddington station and is 15 minutes by Heathrow Express to the airport. It's a breeze.

The problem with most LHR hotels is that in order to get anywhere else you need to go back to LHR first - so adding cost & time.

Try somewhere like the Jurys Inn Heathrow which is walking distance of Hatton Cross Tube station or even consider leaving your luggage at LHR (£8 per bag) and taking a day bag between you into central London (Earls Court, South Kensington) and stay at a hotel there.

Don't bother with Paddington as you'll get all the "advantages" of most LHR hotels with a £60 plus bill on top to get to & from LHR

We love Priceline for a Heathrow hotel. We've done it lots of times and usually pay around $50-60 USD. Transportation is a bit tricky, as you have to take the Hotel Hoppa bus back to LHR in order to take public transportation into London. Or, since we are usually 4 people, sometimes we just bite the bullet and take a taxi into London.

We stayed at the Paddington Hilton once and it was a breeze to get back and forth from LHR. The Hilton was expensive though, so we used Hilton Honors points for the rooms. The Heathrow Express was not cheap. We really did not like the area around Paddington station, so weren't thrilled with this option.

It's easy and cheap to get into London from LHR using the tube. But, I like the advantage of being near the airport in the morning, so I can see why you are thinking of staying at the airport. Also, you can't beat the Priceline deals on nice hotels near the airport.

I also recommend the Paddington Hilton if possible. While the HEX is not cheap, it is sometimes much more convenient than the Hotel Hoppa for the Heathrow hotels. With an 11 a.m. flight, assuming you have an international destination, you probably should arrive at Heathrow between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. at the latest. (Even with preferred access check-in, Heathrow is a nightmare for the check-in process.) The few times I have relied on the Hotel Hoppa bus to shuttle me from hotel to terminal in the morning, I have gotten caught in rush hour traffic. We once stayed at the Marriott Heathrow, and it took us almost an hour to reach the terminal.

With the Paddington Hilton, you can stay out as late as you wish in London with your friends, return to the hotel, and time your departure in the morning according to the HEX schedule. The hotel is directly above the HEX train station; it's a quick walk between your room and the train. You will bypass the morning traffic, and you can leisurely make your way to Heathrow without traffic worries.

The Paddington Hilton is nothing special; a very comfortable but impersonal business hotel. The convenience cannot be beaten, though!

Have a great trip!

Our family LOVES the Jury Inn at LHR as it is inexpensive and very nice. We usually spend anywhere between 59 to 89 pounds for a double or triple which is a wonderful price. Ibis is also supposed to be decent but also hard to get.

Where do your friends live? NE London covers a lot of territory. Not that you necessarily want to stay near them (though depending on where it is that could be a possibility)

But some places in NE London are directly ON the Piccadilly line and would be a piece of cake to get back to LHR the next morning.

The very LAST place I'd stay is Paddington -- inconvenient to get to LHR by tube and expensive by train and not that convenient to other parts of London.

Since your flight out isn't at the crack of dawn --I'd try to stay in central (or NE) London.

Thanks for all the advice - I don't know where to begin. I won't lug luggage far from the airport and since we have to be at LHR early, I want to be right there in the morning. If I know the airport is near, I'll be more willing to stay out as late as I want with my friends and not worry. If I'm at any hotel in London, I won't feel so free. My comfort zone doesn't encompass staying in London.

I just checked out Jury's Inn and it gets pretty good reviews and is close to the tube. I think the Heathrow Express is outrageously expensive but if we end up with time constraints and traffic is lousy (taxi) it will do in a pinch. Otherwise, I'm OK with the tube.

On the other hand, we get points for staying at Hiltons and although a friend of mine says the Heathrow Hilton is mediocre at best, but it is on site.

Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to seeing friends and a night in London is always something to look forward to. Thank you all for your suggestions.

I agree, if you are going to leave the next morning stay at a hotel at the airport. Much less stressful.

That's why I suggested staying one or two stops away from LHR at the Days Inn or another nearby hotel. It's easy to get to LHR in the morning, the tube station is right by the hotels. Check the tube map to see where Hounslow Central is in relation to the terminals. Jurys Inn is also a good option as it is near Hatton Cross. Or stay at the Millenium Baileys near Gloucester Road tube station but that might be a bit too far in London, same with the Novotel in Hammersmith which is near Hammersmith tube.

Jurys Inn is not that close to a tube stop if you have luggage. About 10 minute walk, over a pedestrian bridge, from Hatton Cross. On our trip, we had a rental car upon arrival and after dropping luggage at the room, returned the car and it was a pain getting back to Jurys Inn. It might be easier if you are just riding the Tube straight back from London. The next morning there is a HoppaBus available there to get you back to your terminal. It took us about 20 mins at 5 am(but it doesn't run every few minutes like the tube--check out their website to see what pickup times are) Our at Jurys Inn stank of smoke; should have asked for a change. It was pretty comfortable and pretty cheap. Definitely for peace of mind I'd set 8am as a target time to get back to LHR.

<<< think the Heathrow Express is outrageously expensive but if we end up with time constraints and traffic is lousy (taxi) it will do in a pinch. >>>

Paddington is also nowhere near anywhere you might want to go in London, so not only have you spent a lot of money getting there, you also will have to pay more to get anywhere

"<i>I'll be more willing to stay out as late as I want with my friends and not worry.</i>"

Hope you don't mean that literally. The tube doesn't run all night.

Just seems to me very to-ish/fro-ish to land at LHR, travel to your hotel, check in, drop the bags, travel back to LHR (or to a tube station), go into central London, meet up w/ you friends, then the tube (or a VERY expensive cab if it is after midnight) back to LHR and then on to your hotel.

If your flight was at 0800 - sure, makes perfect sense. But w/ an 1100 flight you wouldn't have to be at LHR until about 0830.

You assume the logistics are easier if you stay out at LHR. That probably isn't the case. Just don't be late for the tube . . .

I probably should have explained that we'll take a taxi to and from the airport and our hotel - if it isn't the Hilton Heathrow. I doubt we'll be out later than public transportation to the airport runs, but if that happens we'll just have to take a taxi back - an unlikely situation. I just want a hotel with a nearby tube station - really close. It is curious that only one person recommends the Hilton Heathrow - any other thoughts about that?