Originally Posted by Brownyboy

Well I can safely say in the 3 years since we last stayed there, nothing has changed, just the furniture is 3 years older! Our room was dated but clean with a comfy bed and we had a nice runway view. The lack of lifts is always going to be an issue, I don't think my wife would have managed the suitcase up the stairs herself.

The car park was rammed, cars were parked everywhere, on the grass, curbs you name it if a car would fit there it was being used. Turns out there was a big wedding party in the conference room. The guys on reception were really helpful though and came out to check where I parked was OK, and suggested waiting until later to see if better spaces came up after the party finished. In the end I went down early this morning and easily got a 'proper' space right by the pod gate.

Of course the pods being available was the added bonus, its still £6 PP per way although due to a misunderstanding with my accent we only ended up booking the outbound so will have to pay back at the hotel for the return in a couple of weeks.

I don't see why you couldn't just pay in reception if you staying at say the premier Inn across the road. We had pre-paid the room so just asked to pay for the pods on their own.

We'll be flying long haul again from T5 this summer and I think I'd book the same again even though its probably the worst hotel I've stayed in for 20+ years!! For the price it's impossible to beat and I can't bring myself to pay the Sofitel for what amounts to a 10 hour stay and then have parking on top. I find holiday extras is usually cheaper than booking direct and they have more flexibility in how long you can have for parking. If you search but don't book they will email you later offering an additional discount to complete.