We are planning a short stopover in Windsor before a flight out of Heathrow next October. We will arrive by train and won't have a car. We prefer a small hotel or nice B&B, in a central location but relatively quiet, max of about 130GBP per night.

I'm having a hard time finding a place that fills our needs. I've looked on TripAdvisor, the AA, and Smoothhound.

So do you Fodorites have any suggestions? Maybe another small town like Maidenhead or Henley? (I like river towns.) But then how to get to Heathrow?

Did you try either the Mercure Castle Hotel or the Harte and Garter, both on the High Street in Windsor, very close to the castle?

Both could advise you on cost of a car service or taxi to Heathrow.

Sonning is a very pretty and quiet village outside Reading. You could try the French Horn Hotel and Restaurant--the dining room is expensive but the rooms are within your price range. You would probably need a taxi from Reading station but again, the hotel could advise best method and price.

From Reading station there's a frequent nonstop bus to Heathrow.

www.nationalrail.co.uk gives rail and bus connections from Henley and Maidenhead to Heathrow or from anywhere else for that matter. Not familar with any hotels Henley or Maidenhead.

Can't help you on hotels. But on transport:

You can't really get to Heathrow by train from anywhere except central London and the handful of suburban stations served by the Heathrow Connect railway line. If you're a train freak, you can, from say Maidenhead, change trains at Slough, get off at Hayes & Harlington, go up to the street with your luggage, buy a new ticket, go back down again to another platform and catch the Heathrow Connect in the opposite direction into the airport. But you'll generally wish you'd not bothered. You need an advanced degree in National Rail-ology to get its website to admit that journey's possible at all, and most ticket sellers tell you it's not.

So, except from London, you get to Heathrow by bus or taxi.

There's a map of buses into Heathrow at http://tiny.cc/zCMQZ and a simplified timetable at http://tiny.cc/gf9LF. Windsor/Eton, Maidenhead and Oxford are the only riverside towns with train access from the rest of Britain and a direct bus into Heathrow.

For Henley, you need to hire a taxi locally (about £30, but google it and someone'll quote) or get a bus to Maidenhead and change, or a train to Reading and a bus from outside the station into Heathrow

I checked both the Mercure and the Harte and Garter. Both are well over my budget. As is the French Horn. (Is there something going on around there midweek in October? And why do the British insist on quoting room rates per person per night? Maybe because of breakfast.) Anyway my budget was 130GBP/night for a double.

I had thought to take the bus from Windsor to Heathrow or maybe a taxi.

I forgot to thank Cathinjoetown and flanneruk for their suggestions.

We're big fans of Red Roofs in Maidenhead which isn't of course in Windsor but a lovely(long)river walk away.
Red Roofs is a really unusual place--check their site http://www.redroofsatoldfield.co.uk/\
and the owners will run you into Heathrow if you arrange ahead of time. Great breakfasts.

the Chutney in High Wycombe (best Indian restaurant ever--housed in lovely old pub)makes a wonderful last evening out.

Meg

Up the Ben and Down the Boozer
A Boomer's Guide to Exploring Great Britain (and some other parts of the planet)

http://megrobb.typepad.com/britishtravel/

Each of the 3 times I've stayed in Windsor we have gone to the tourist information office on the high street upon arrival and they have found us accommodation. Coincidentally, that's been at the Castle Hotel each time. The hotel has been offering a special each time we've landed there - our budget has been around the 100GBP mark... although that was 3 years ago.

The tourist info offices are not mentioned much on here but we have found them to be a great resource. We've used them at towns in Wales, Shropshire, West Mids, Cornwall, etc. We have often made them our first stop on arriving in a town. They have info and photos of lots of types of accommodation. You tell them your budget and what you'd like - they have photos to look at - and they will call the place and secure your room for a small fee as I recall. They also offer a "book ahead" service if you tell them where you're headed next.