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#953502 by Christo
02 Jan 2020, 11:23
I'm looking for some advice / experiences of hotels nearby to LGW North terminal.

We usually taxi in early morning but are wondering about heading up the night before to slightly shorten the next day's travel time (which otherwise involves taxi-flight to ANU-flight to EIS-taxi and then boat which all up is just over the 24hr mark.

I've so far looked at Hilton, Sofitel and Premier Inn. All well located, all with mixed reviews!

Thanks in advance
#953503 by Restus
02 Jan 2020, 11:55
I stayed at the Premier Inn last weekend. Literally seconds away from the terminal, room size was decent, clean and staff were friendly.
Obviously it's very basic (and the rooms have not been renovated to Premier Inn's 'new' design) but for £40-£50 a night it's worth it.
#953504 by tontybear
02 Jan 2020, 12:33
The Bloc hotel in South Terminal (next to security entrance) looks ok for an overnight stay not luxurious but not a flea pit either. Apparently rooms are small so perhaps make use of twilight checkin to maximise your time in the morning. The monorail between South and North terminals takes only a few minutes. Given the good rail connections LGW has you can even extend your search a little farther afield if nothing close to LGW takes your fancy.
#953508 by Lindsk
02 Jan 2020, 15:38
We stayed at the Hampton Hilton in November - we usually drive to LGW the morning of the flight (VS15) but were moved to the VS27. I didn't want to stay, I thought it would be noisy, cramped and unpleasant, but it was actually the opposite. Really quiet, clean and the rooms were not at all cramped.

We always use the Valet, so we just extended by one night (£5 extra...), walked to the terminal and straight into the hotel, attached to the terminal. The next morning, we hit the gym, had the free, acceptable breakfast and then walked straight into the terminal. Completely hassle-free and will definitely use the Hilton again
#953520 by NV43
02 Jan 2020, 19:21
I'm a fan of the Sofitel.

Specify a high level room, to distance yourself from the bar in the atrium, and you'll find them clean, well furnished and quiet.

The oriental restaurant and brasserie both offer surprisingly good food and, depending on how far in advance you book, you can get good value accommodation & dinner packages, or park & stay.

The bar is expensive.

Opt for express check-out as there is often a queue in the early part of the morning.

The loyalty programme (ALL) links with Fairmont and Raffles hotels etc.
#953543 by AlsirAl
04 Jan 2020, 11:20
I echo the comments of nv43, so another vote for sof here!

It’s connected to the terminal via walkway which is nice
#953549 by Kraken
04 Jan 2020, 15:07
I'd just go for the Premier Inn personally. For the amount of time you're not in the room on a pre-holiday stop it's not worth spending more IMO. I have never had an issue with the rooms I've had at any Premier Inn.

The only poor experience I've had was the speed of food service [or lack thereof] in the Premier Inn at Liverpool airport. The food - when it arrived - was fine, but boy did you build up an appetite whilst waiting for it.
#953572 by deep_south
05 Jan 2020, 12:40
We also use the Premier Inn, as these are leisure flights booked well in advance you can get a room from as low as £35. Perfectly adequate for a night's sleep and so convenient. The restaurant does get very busy, so book a table as soon as you arrive. The meal deal is excellent value - good pub grub and the breakfast is as good as, if not better, than the Hilton.
#953607 by Q_Division
07 Jan 2020, 15:19
I'll echo what's been said as we've done the Premier Inn a couple of times. For the cost (at £50ish a night) it's difficult to beat and the restaurant does get busy so either book a table as you arrive or walk over to the terminal and use the "pub" in there. Can't comment on breakfast as I normally grab it post security.
#953609 by Seany93
07 Jan 2020, 18:14
Appreciate it isn't the north Terminal but I've used Bloc hotel a few times in the past and can't fault it.

Admittedly we always get a late train into Gatwick the night before so it handy as this is a short walk from the train station. Can then hop on the monorail in the morning to get over to the North Terminal.
#953611 by Christo
07 Jan 2020, 22:39
Really appreciate the info.

We will be getting there late evening (by train) and then plan to be in the lounge a few seconds after it opens the next morning, so dinner/breakfast definitely not a factor.

...So perhaps Premier Inn is the way to go...
#953645 by Fuzzy14
10 Jan 2020, 14:08
I do the Premier Inn because we arrive at 10.30pm so not making a day of it. Breakfast is good.
If I was arriving earlier in the afternoon/evening I would consider somewhere else.
#953669 by PilotWolf
11 Jan 2020, 15:13
The only issue I ever had with the Premier Inn was having a hot bath. The steam set off the pre-fire alarm and I had the manager and his assistance let themselves into my room whilst I was in the tub.

W.
#953673 by V1
12 Jan 2020, 12:53
It really depends on you budget and the type of experience you want. We have stayed at pretty much all of them at Gatwick. The Premier inn is fine and the Sofitel is great everything else falls somewhere in between. It is just a bed at the end of the day to rest although some are more comfortable than others. But lets face it the real excitement is the next day and no matter where you stay you can't get away from that.
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