OskiBear

Instead of the multiple stops, I'm thinking I might just book a hotel in WIndsor itself. Then I can taxi/uber over after the flight arrives and spend the night there. Then, in the morning, I can leave my bags while I'm visiting the castle. The town also looks quite charming. Then I can grab the bags and taxi directly back to T5 for my flight home. It's a bit of a bummer that there isn't actually a hotel onsite at T5 but I don't know that I'm up for making the multiple stops between airport/hotel/windsor/hotel/airport...

pauleeepaul

You can walk from T5 to the Sofitel.

MoodyB

I stay at Hilton T5 quite often...Always upgraded and always treated well.
The Hoppa bus runs very frequently and relatively cheap imho...

FlyerTalker7654

How long does it take you to get to the hotel using the Hoppa? Someone posted on Trip Adviser that it took them 40 mins.

shmom

thats exactly what we are doing in April. I had reserved at the HGI near Heathrow but it did sound sort of depressing staying our last night at the airport. I also have a bunch of dumb Choice Hotel points which never get used so I booked rooms at the Clarion Harte Garter at Windsor. We have a 10:30 a.m. flight and I am going to get a car service reserved for the morning drive.

MoodyB

It only takes 15 minutes... from the hotel to T5 it does make a stop a the Travelodge on the way, but as I said it really is a 15 minute ride. My only complaint is that the seats are not designed for those of us over 6' tall, lol
For Ł4.50 / Ł9 return I can't grumble too much...

MoodyB

I hope you have a better experience at the Harte & Garter than I did...I generally have low expectations, but I won't stay there again.
First my booking was wrong and they argued with me about it, despite having a print out of the booking. I was given a room at the very top of the stairs, which is fine, but the lift was broken, there wasn't a porter so I had a 70lb suitcase to lug up the stairs!
Sorry, don't want to put a damper on it for you! Hopefully they have sorted themselves out since then!

corporate-wage-slave

Hilton Hotels in Heathrow will be my specialist subject in my next appearance on Mastermind.

The hotels in question are:
Hilton T4 (often just called Hilton Heathrow for historical reasons)
Hilton T5
Hilton Garden Inn Hatton Cross
DoubleTree Bath Road

In 2018 I made at least 8 stays in each of the above. Some time in 2019 a new HGI Terminal 2 will open up, which will score highly for connectivity for all terminals. I'm not a fan of Hoppas and when I refer to buses below I mean the public Transport for London (TfL) buses.

To answer the question as posed in Post 1, I would go for Hilton T5, using it with either Uber or the taxi firm advertised on that property's main webpage on Hilton.com (currently Windsor Cars on 01753 677 677, Ł18 cash). You can do it by bus and in summer I often just walk to the hotel, it's about 1.5 miles., there is a very limited TfL service too. It has the biggest and most up to date rooms, it's quiet despite being right underneath runway 09L's approach, and its food, beverage, lounge and leisure facilities are top quartile. The OP here has the time to take good use of the facilities. There is a limited range of food options walking distance from the hotel.

Hilton T4 is much better located, due to the buses, trains and tubes to other terminals, you can get from T5 to T4 on the free public bus which runs every few minutes - you can assume on a 15 minute trip there. It has the better lounge, better staff, the food is a bit better than T5 but not to the extent of changing a decision based on more important factors. Its downsides are small rooms, long walkway from T4, and the limited facilities close to the hotel. Had the OP only had a short stay I would have suggested this option.

HGI Hatton Cross is often very inexpensive and can be great value for money. The rooms are reasonably good, avgeeks love some rooms since you get good views of aircraft movements, the breakfast is OK to good. Connectivity is quite good using the tube though there is a 5 minute, perhaps unattractive walk, from the tube station. It is the only one here with a self serve laundry. A downside is the slowest wifi of those listed here. No lounge but you can take drinks/snacks from the HGI Pantry.

Doubletree is often the cheapest option but it has good points to it, since the rooms are larger than the other hotels except Hilton T5. It has good bus connectivity to T2 and T3 and getting to T4 and T5 is fairly good too. Breakfast - the hot options are good and above the brand standard, but the cold options are the absolute minimum in the brand standard. It also have shops and restaurants near by. Just avoid rooms fronting on to Bath Road to avoid traffic vibrations from the traffic lights, but the App (online check in and digital key) fully works here. Note Queen rooms have armchairs / sofas in them, King rooms don't. No lounge but the do give out drinks tokens at the front desk.

There is a case for all of these hotels depending on what specifically you are looking for, and there are no real turkeys. However also note that Heathrow Express means that hotels near Paddington are in time terms not much further away, so that adds in Hilton Paddington and the Metropole.

:D!

When basically every other Heathrow hotel costs Ł0 on a free bus, or Ł1.50 for the DT (and you won't ever be checked on the way there) and Ł1.50 for the HGI if you really don't want to sit on a free bus for 25 mins, it's certainly worth a slight grumble.

MoodyB

Thankfully, my grumbles are few and far between. Now, If they wanted to provide a free shuttle, I'm sure I'd be even less inclined to grumble...In the interim, the T5 & Hoppa arrangement suits me just fine.

BearX220

My vote also, on value and proximity counts and also the Green Man being a short ten-minute walk away. The only drawback is that if it's raining hard, the walk to / from Hatton Cross tube can be rough with all those lorries swooshing past you on the speedy A30.

I will try the new T2 one when it opens but suspect it will be a good deal pricier.

Having been sentenced to the Metropole several times I do not think it remotely justifies the 15 minute ride.

Finkface

Well the Trafalgar St. James has just come available for 70k. So while I am still hoping for the Conrad (showing as sold out), do I stick with the Waldorf or move to the Trafalgar?

Criteria are good breakfast, nice room, walkability, proximity a tube station. Unless I get an upgrade to an Exec room, lounge access as a Gold is likely not in the cards. I love the ‘old English’ feel of the Waldorf and loved the Conrad but Trafalgar looks pretty good too.

So Waldorf or Trafalgar?

sarahluv

I'd go with the Trafalgar. I know too many people who have had major service issues with the Waldorf.

wizla

If I was gold I would choose trafalgar too, chance of upgrade for lounge access at Waldorf very slim, plus th trafalgar has just had a refub too.

daloosh

I always pick the Waldorf for business, but would choose Trafalgar for my family, hipper and newer. But the service at the Waldorf has been mostly great in my experience.