Need Hotel near Gatwick Airport

[jrcooper]

On our return flight home from our Med cruise we have a one night layover in London. We arrive and depart the following morning from Gatwick airport. We arrive at 12:45 pm and depart the next morning at 10:30 am. We want to go into London as we have never been there before and thought it would be easier to stay near the airport since we have a morning flight. Does anyone know of any reasonably priced hotels in the Gatwick area beside the Le Meridien and Hilton at the airport? I am currently trying to get a 4 star hotel in the Gatwick area on Priceline, but so far all of my bids have been rejected. I have followed the advice given on betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com, but so far no luck! I am going to continue to bid every three days since out trip is not until September, but don't want to overbid for a hotel if I can find a 3 star or nice hotel near the airport that would be just as convenient. One thing that I want the hotel to have is air-conditioning. I am very hot natured and that is a requirement regardless of the time of year.

 

Also, does anyone have any suggestions of what we can do in London since we will only have one afternoon and night there? I thought about taking the Gatwick Express train to the Victoria Station and take one of the Red or Blue bus tours. Do you think we will have time for this or is it even feasible?

 

Any help or info will be appreciated!

 

jan

[Nickwolf]

Jan, what is your reason for not wanting Le Meridian? I have stopped there on several occasions and have found it fine and very convienient for the airport since you do not even need to step outside to get to the north terminal. The only thing that I don't like about the hotel is that the restaurants are very pricey.

 

I have also stopped at some off airport local hotels which, in all honesty, were not as good for similar money. Since you (sensibly) want to use the Gatwick Express to get into London, an on airport hotel would seem to be a better option because you can use the airport's free transport to get to the station.

 

The hop on/off tours take about 2 hours to do if you do not get off and you will get to do most of the photo opportunities in central London, so that is certainly an option. I think the last train back to Gatwick is about 22.30 so I don't think a late night in London is on the cards.

 

I don't know if you have thought about Brighton, which is a coastal city and only a short train ride south from Gatwick and has some lovely hotels. The shopping in "The Laines" is superb with some very narrow and winding paths between quirky shops and cafes. HERE is a website that will give you some more information. My sister lives in Brighton so I know the area very well indeed should you want some more information.

 

Hope all that is of some use.

Nick.

[Globaliser]

If you stay in the hotel that's attached to the terminal that your flight departs from (the Hilton to the South, and the Meridien to the North), the extra money may well be worth it. Apart from anything else, you can stroll over to check in early and get rid of your luggage, and still go back to the hotel to enjoy the facilities and use the room, and check out of the hotel much closer to your flight time.

 

This will also give you more time if you really do want to go into London (or Brighton) that afternoon. You can easily waste 30 minutes getting from the airport to the hotel by shuttle, and 30 minutes back again. Just by doing that, you have lost an hour out of your afternoon. Considering that a flight arrival at 1245 means that you probably won't even be out of Customs until 1330-1400, and that the process of checking into a hotel is likely to take about 30 minutes by the time you've got all your luggage in to your room, chucking away another hour that afternoon isn't exactly the most efficient way of spending your layover.

 

The last Gatwick Express back from Victoria to Gatwick is not until 0030, I think, so you can stay later. Southern Railways run hourly services to Gatwick all night anyway, so you're not stuck even if you miss the last GEX.

 

Finally, if you stay late in town, you might have problems getting to an off-airport hotel from the terminal at Gatwick. If you're just in the airport hotel, though (particularly if you're in the Hilton at the South Terminal, which is where the railway station is), then you don't have this problem. (I don't know whether the shuttle between the North and South Terminals runs all night - you'd need to look this up.)

[jrcooper]

Thank you Nickwolf and Globaliser for responding so quickly! I want to stay at either the Le Meridien or the Hilton, but I wanted to see if there were any other hotels around that would be better. After reading your responses, I will probably stay with one of those. Your suggestions about what to do in London and train times were also very helpful!

 

I'll post again when I have made final plans. Thanks again for your help!

[shellyc]

We just booked the Renaissance Gatwick Airport Hotel for 2 nights post cruise in May 2005. I think DH will want to rest up before heading by train to London. We will stay 2 nights at the Renaissance before heading back to the states on a noon flight. I booked thru the Marriott website at 83 GBP . Any opinions on this Gatwick area hotel? We planned on taking a train or bus to London.

[halj]

Shelly, The Renaissance Gatwick got fairly good reviews on Trip Advisor. Here is the link for a hotel review.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g191265-d229508-Reviews-Renaissance_London_Gatwick_Hotel-Horley_Surrey_England.html

[shellyc]

Thanks, I would rather stay in Central London, but DH moves a littler slower than I do, so I think staying close to the airport is better for us old folks.

[soraya]

I tend to stay at the airport, it can cost a bit more, but it's well worth it for the convenience. If the flights are early or late ones, it makes life easier. I have taken and checked in my luggage and then gone back to the hotel for breakfast and to relax. They have flight info on the TV in your room which is very helpful too.

 

Also, for meals you have the choice of the airport places as well as your hotel.

 

I've not used priceline, but often the websites have good deals.

 

HTH Soraya

[J & K]

Try the Copethorne at Effingham Park, it is 7 miles from Gatewick and is 4 star

[shellyc]

How is the Hilton at Gatwick. They have an internet special for $79.50 GBP which includes breakfast and dinner (the first night).

We will not have a car. We will take the Gatwick express into London.

[Globaliser]

If you're wanting a Gatwick hotel because of a flight at the end of your stay, particularly if it's a morning flight, then I would grab that rate with both hands and not let it go. The Hilton at Gatwick is on-airport and connected to the South Terminal by a walkway. Even if you could find a better value rate somewhere nearby (allowing for the quality of any other hotel), the convenience of being able to walk across to the terminal, and the time saved in avoiding a transfer by shuttle van, is worth quite a bit of money in my book.

 

It's also easy to get onto the Gatwick Express because the train station is also connected to the South Terminal.

 

However, if you're going to be staying several days and intending on going to London every day, don't forget to add in the costs of travelling by train. You also won't have the flexibility of dropping into your hotel to unload any shopping or other stuff you've picked up or to have a rest.

[gracecarmo]

I was not aware that there are seperate terminals at Gatwick. We are on Delta Airlines and I do not see where they leave from (from the Delta website).

Does anyone know? We plan on staying two nights at the airport hotels, after 3 nights in Southampton. (in October)

Grace

[Nickwolf]

Grace, Delta operate from the North terminal.

 

This means Le Meridian is the hotel that is directly connected.

 

Nick.

[shellyc]

We are staying at the Hilton Gatwick, and flying back to Newark NJ on Continental, which leaves around 12:30PM. Do you know what terminal Continental flys out of, and approx how far in advance do we have to check in for our flight back to USA, NJ.

[Nickwolf]

Shellyc, Continental operate from the South Terminal so you are fine in the Hilton as it has a direct walkway to the terminal.

 

HERE is a link to all the Airlines and which terminal they operate from.

 

They will recommend checking in for your flight 3 hours prior to departure.

 

Nick.