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Heathrow Layover Recommendations?

rsj

I have an 8 hour layover at Heathrow (in between a 10 hour flight from San Francisco and an 11 hour flight to Cape Town - both at terminal 5). I would like to get a room so I can get 4-5 hours of sleep and a shower between flights. Does anyone have any recommendations on the best place to get a room at Heathrow?

The Heathrow web site shows a hotel in terminal 4 (Yotel) that rents rooms by the hour. Does anyone have experience with this outfit?

Comments

British

If you are traveling on Business Class, especially if it's British Airways, the lounges are wonderful, you can get complimentary great meals. There are probably free showers, but I did not check. I only occasionally travel business class, but the last time we got showers, you put your name on a list and the people come and find you when your name comes up and provide everything you need for a shower, it's great!
I'm afraid I do not know about the hotel, but I think with just an 8 hour layover, by the time you get to the hotel, check in, sort yourself out to sleep and then give yourself sufficient time to sort yourself and give very ample time to get through security and to your gate, it may not be worth it. You really have to allow a much larger amount of time than you would expect to get through the very strict security at Heathrow. We have missed plane connections twice, once when we got stuck in a long line, a very long line, when we had a good two hours between flights, because even when you are airside you have to go through security. And once when we had ample time but my husband did not remove his mini iPad from his carry on bag and we then got put in a secondary security line, which was long and very very slow, they take everything out of your bag and question you most laboriously, if you looked pissed off or impatient or mention your flight is almost ready to take off, they will just slow down even more, it is very frustrating. In all my years of flying I've managed to avoid Heathrow apart from about four times, but sometimes you just can't avoid it.
But whatever you go through the trip to South Africa is worth it all.

joycesw

On the way to Africa, we had to overnight at Heathrow, and our agent booked us into the Hilton at Terminal 4. Since we were coming and going from T5, I have no idea why he did that! We walked to it, and it was a long way! We returned via a shuttle for which we were charged. We did notice a very nice Sofitel at Terminal 5, and you might want to check into their rates. The business lounge there (if you are flying British Air) is nice but very busy. I seem to recall going to a smaller lounge (with fewer offerings) closer to our gate. We, too, had back to back long flights from Nairobi to SFO and our layover on our return was 6-7 hours making it a 30 hour trip. We were able to sleep with the lie-flat beds on both legs, so staying in the lounge was fine for us. BA does not astound me with their food offerings, but their wines are terrific! If you are flying BA out of SFO (as we did), you will love boarding the plane directly from the lounge.

ndvb

Yep, Joyce and British are correct...Heathrow and can be difficult, at best. However, I can relay one story about Heathrow where I really wondered about their "strict" security. We were stopping over for a flight to Edinburgh and due to some delays in Chicago, we missed our scheduled flight. When we got off the plane in Heathrow, United Airlines staff gave me our "boarding passes." (I looked at them and asked, specifically, if these were our boarding passes and do we need to do anything else? The answer was, "No.") We went to the first security check, showed them the "passes" and passports and after a photo being taken, we headed toward the gate. We then had to go through a second security checkpoint where our "passes" and passport were once again examined and compared to our original photograph. We then went to our gate and waited for 3 hours to board the plane. When boarding started we handed them our "passes" and were denied entry saying this was a "voucher" to get a boarding pass. We had to leave the area, get our real "passes," come back through both security checks, and wait another 3 hours for the next plane. So much for "strict security." We got through to the gate without real tickets!!! By the way, you probably have already guessed about our luggage making the trip...no way! We got it the next day.

As far as finding a hotel to sleep in on an 8 hour layover, I agree with the earlier posts....probably not going to happen. You'd be lucky to get 2-3 hours sleep....maybe. You'll also schlep your stuff halfway around Heathrow to do it. You'll need more sleep after that.

Heathrow can be oxymoronic when it comes to "strict security." Hopefully you are traveling in Business or First Class and can use the Lounge to rest in. The good things there, as has been pointed out, are that you can take a shower and get a meal.

If you are in Economy class, you can usually buy a day pass to the Lounge and use it. I think if you buy one pass, you can bring a guest, but don't hold me to that. Call the airlines and ask. The pass is usually around $50, which will be cheaper than the room you are looking for. I would think this would be your best option, but it is up to you.

Happy Trails.

Sue

A few years ago my brother and sister-in-law had a 12 hour layover at Heathrow on the way to South Africa. The airport apparently contained "pods" which had a bed and rented by the hour. They were able to get a few hours of sleep. I don't know whether they still exist but it might be worth checking out.

Have a great trip!

Sue

crackers54

Sofitel London Heathrow (Terminal 5)Luxury hotel with 605 rooms, two restaurants and conference facilities

Swoop into Sofitel London Heathrow an award-winning Heathrow airport hotel that combines luxurious comfort with a convenient location in the worlds busiest airport.

We are connected to Heathrow Terminal 5 via a walkway to other terminals via free inter-terminal transfers and to central London by a 21-minute express train.

Step into a London airport hotel where personal service is complemented by sophisticated decor.Restaurants and bars showcase fresh international flavors from an all-day tea salon to open kitchens to a gourmet French restaurant with a Chefs Table. Sip champagne at Perrier-Jouët Bar or a cocktail at Sphere.

No.1 Traveller Lounge - day rooms (Terminal 3 After Security)Ideal for passengers connecting through Terminal 3 with at least three hours between flights. A choice of twin (bunk) or single rooms are available. [No.1 Traveller Lounge]

I got this from airport website. Hope this helps.

rsj

Thanks for the input/comments.

I did some additional checking on these options.

Sofitel (terminal 5) has a day rate - about $200.

No. 1 Traveler Lounge (terminal 3) has an hourly rate - about $150 for 5 hours.

Yotel (terminal 4) has an hourly rate - about $80 for 5 hours for a small pod - a 75 sq. ft. room with a single bed and shower. (They also have a larger pod available).

From your comments I don't think I have the time to go to another terminal and back so, since I will be at terminal 5, the two options are Sofitel (if I want to sleep) or the BA lounge (if I just want a shower). I am in economy class so I still need to check to see if I can buy a pass for the BA lounge.

Now, if I only knew if my plane was going to arrive on time!

AlisaScott

If you want to stay in Heathrow Terminal 3 or want to avail Taxi for visit then you should visit : Heathrow Terminal 3 Taxis