IHEARTNY1

I will be heading ot LHR next week with a mixture of T4 and T5 departures/arrrvials/transits:

1) Elemis Spas (Departure Lounges). How busy does these get and have they increased cpacity compare to T1/4 before in T5? Also in T4, given there are less flights, are there more change to get an appointment?

2) Arrivals Lounge. For both T4 and T5, how hard is it to get the Elemis Spa Appointment

3) Transit b/w T4&5. I am planning to go landside in T4 instead of using FCC and then use the arrivals lounge in T4 (as I heard is better than T5 and I have no access to the Cocnorde Breakfast room). After that I will get a BUS? or train to T5. USe the arrivals lounge again just to check it out. Then head airside for the Galleries First. I have 4 hours of transit and obviously will have to adjust this strategy if my incomign flight is delayed.

It is the first time to T5! Lookforward to this!

LeisureFirst

Well, you'll have to go landside anyway to use the arrivals lounge, regardless of any terminal change.

If you have plenty of time and are in the mood for a big breakfast, I think it a good idea to go to the Arrivals Lounge for a bit. But I'm not sure I would agree that T4 Arrivals is better than T5 Arrivals. The latter is more spacious and not yet that busy.

IHEARTNY1

I heard the showers in T5 are pretty bad.

The breakfast seems to be always better in the arrivals lounge compare to the departure lounges (except maybe Concorde Lounge).

I think with 4 hours it may be sufficient to do at least 1 arrivals lounge and 1 departure lounge, but obviously will depend how early/late does my incoming flight get in.

OPebble

One way of getting from T4 > T5 is to use the Heathrow Connect train to Heathrow Central and change to a Heathrow Express to go to T5.

IHEARTNY1

But the problem is that isn't it the train is every 30 minutes or 1 hour??

Can u actually use the Tube

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

From Terminal 4, the tube (underground) goes only to T123 IIRC . Once at T123 you would need to change to a T5 tube.

Regards

TBS

LeisureFirst

I admit I never use them as I always go straight home from the Arrivals Lounge (if only briefly on my way to work). However, I thought the T5 showers had improved. A friend who was there about two weeks ago certainly found them fine; and found the service generally to be excellent. This friend has very high standards (a hotel he set up and owns as a sideline was recently voted best small hotel in Africa - you can't do that if you're the kind of person who doesn't notice sloppy service or bad plumbing).

I have only used T5 Arrivals once so far (in July) but on the occasion the wait for the spa treatments was less than I've ever had in many visits to T4 Arrivals. In other respects it seemed either better than or as good as T4 Arrivals, apart from the fact it was more of a trek to get to it. When most of the flights have finally switched in October, the waits may lengthen and it may not seem so spacious, but for now I would recommend it.

You could do both as you suggest. If you're starving after the flight and you're anything like me, you'll feel the need to get something to eat as soon as possible. When you get to T4 Arrivals and look at the wait for spa treatments. But I would plan on spending more time at T5, and once you've had a plate of food, get the journey to T5 out of the way.

IHEARTNY1

Thanks.

I will be having 3 arrivals lounge experience in the upcoming weeks

2 arrivals in T4
1 Arrival in T5

Therefore I think for the first arrival I will just used T4 as I am transiting in T4 only and I will head home first before coming back in the evening for the next flight.

The second arrival is the transit between T4 and T5, so might do both lounges, but will try and see whether I can score 2 spa treatments.

The last one will just be limited to T5.

IHEARTNY1

Thanks.

Is the frequency still OK in T4? or the Bus will be a better alternative?

Prospero

I'd avoid the tube as it still involves a change at T123 and go for the HCon/Hex:

Heathrow Connect trains operate between T4 and T123, departing T4 at 01, 21, 31 and 51 minutes past the hour

Heathrow Express trains operating between T123 and T5 leave at 11, 26, 41 and 56 minutes past each hour.

These are weekday times, weekend times differ. More details can be found <<here>>

LeisureFirst

You would have to be completely nuts to do anything else. If you're going to T5 (quite a trek) just for the lounge "experience", when you're seeing it anyway a few weeks later, well, it's the sort of totally barmy thing only FTers would even consider. (And yes, I have considered such things myself, although never actually done them.)

A lot of FTalk is about optimizing the travel experience. But I'm sure for everyone ten lessons learnt in optimization, there's one person who manages to pessimize it (so to speak) so badly that somehow it all balances out.

Pity there isn't an Arrivals Lounge at LGW for you to try on your LHR T4 arrival.

Best Ferret

I strongly advise you to avoid the T4 arrivals lounge. I've posted elsewhere about how bad the showers are in there, now that the terminal is a building site. No aircon or ventilation so you end up dripping wet from steam once you are dressed. I haven't tried the T5 version yet but can't imagine it's worse than this.

IHEARTNY1

Does this exist in the UK or Euorpe?

Thanks for the tip, however for the first arrival might have to rough it out there in T4 as I don't want to travel to T5 just to expreince the arrivals lounge when I will get to try it in a few days time on T5 transit.

Travelling Man

Hear hear to Best Ferret's posting! The showers should actually say "steam rooms" this way!!! Whoever would build a shower block with no ventilation?????? Yes, a definate to the showers - the breakfast in T4 arrivals is, however, very good... ^

frankvb

Agreed, even if it was only for the fact that you'd have to pay for the tube, and can use either the local bus or HCon/Hex for free. I'd go for the bus (unless it is very warm outside, no airco on the bus) but would only recommend that to travellers with local LHR orientation experience