Gatwick-Heathrow transfer and hotel choice help
 

I would really appreciate some advice, both with choosing a hotel, and method of transfer.
We have a stop over in London on October 10.
We will be flying IN to Gatwick on Oct 10 at 3:00 PM, and then Flying OUT from Heathrow on Oct 11 at 10 AM.
This is will be a stop over in transit, as we come in from Greece, and head out to Africa the following day.
We may well be tired so sightseeing is not a major concern.
We will be staying three nights in London later in the month before our trip back home.
What we would like is to find out the easiest way to make the transfer, and the best location to stay overnight.
I had originally thought of taking the transfer bus from Gatwick to Heathrow, and then getting a hotel near Heathrow overnight. (and this still may be the best option)
However I got thinking, that I would still be dropped off at Heathrow airport and need transportation to and from the hotel.
I then started to wonder if it would not be smarter to take the Gatwick express into London, maybe stay near Paddington Station, and take the Heathrow express in the morning.
If anyone has any other ideas, they would be welcomed as well.
I need as much help, and "detail" as possible, as we have never been to London.
What would you do if this was your situation?
Remember we will be tired, so the easiest transfer/hotel combo is the goal.
Money is also a minor concern, but we do not want to stay at a "dump" either.
Thanks in advance for any help.

I've stayed a few times at the HI Gatwick and loved it every time - it's quiet, has a good atmosphere in the bar, and is a stone's throw from the airport, the hotel supplies a bus every 15 minutes anyway.

You can book a private car transfer for £51, a National Express bus for £38

One thing you should definitely not do, is travel into London itself.

[QUOTE=tagor;8418509]I would really appreciate some advice, both with choosing a hotel, and method of transfer.
We have a stop over in London on October 10.
We will be flying IN to Gatwick on Oct 10 at 3:00 PM, and then Flying OUT from Heathrow on Oct 11 at 10 AM. /QUOTE]

For one person, the most cost effective way to transfer between LGW and LHR is the National Express Bus -

www.nationalexpress.com

The service links both terminals at LGW with both T4 and T123 at LHR. The fare is about 19 GBP one way.... If there are enough of you a pre-booked car might be worth it

I think the buses tend to depart from the South Terminal, call at the North Terminal - head to T4 and then T123... (for hotel shuttle)

Leaving Gatwick at around 4pm would (given the rush hour) get you into LHR123 (with some margin of safety) at around 5:30-6pm (the schedule is less but the traffic can be nasty)

I will leave it to others to reccommend LHR hotels - I live too close and have never stayed in any..... If the flight is from T4 - I think the Jury's Inn and Hilton are close.....

If you are going into London - note that the "Southern" train also serves Victoria from Gatwick and is a little cheaper than the Gatwick Express. There is a Circle Line tube train from Victoria to Paddington but it sounds like you will be there in the rush hour so a taxi could be better (there are even direct London Buses for the adventurous !!)

There is a Hilton Hotel at Paddington Station itself and plenty of other hotels around.

Another alternative is to put yourself somewhere on the Piccadilly underground line overnight . This line terminates at Heathrow (both T4 and T123) and passes through South Kensington, Gloucester Road, and Hammersmith on its way through from central London .... (the journey would be between 25-40 minutes into Heathrow the next morning) These areas have plenty of hotels (certainly the first two)

The Picadilly line is certainly not as comfortable as the HEX - but there is limited provision for luggage and certainly it is used as a way to the airport with bags - depends on how "much comfort" you want though !!!


There is more on the tube network on the transport for London website...

www.tfl.gov.uk/

The website has Maps and even accommodation searching functions - relative to the tube lines



BUT.......

If you have no desire to see London at that stage of your journey

I would do as previously suggested - avoid it - and get the bus around to Heathrow.....and have a quiet night in !!!

Why? Going from Paddington to Heathrow is as quick as going from a Heathrow hotel to Heathrow

Yes - assuming you are staying close to (or at) Paddington of course.....

Because travelling in and out of London will take a lot longer than just going between airports, it is also a lot busier and not something you might want to deal with on a short lay-over.

Travelling from Gatwick to London Victoria is about 30 minutes

Travelling by taxi accross London from Victoria to Paddington is about 20-30 Minutes

Travelling from Paddington to Heathrow is 15 minutes (train frequency every 15 minutes)

Gatwick to Heathrow by road should be quicker than that journey but not by much....


Time wise there is not too much difference -

but unless I was getting the taxi between the stations and unless I was happy to stay at the Hilton in Paddington.... (rather than having to walk to the station from a nearby hotel with luggage) I wouldn't see the advantage over going straight to Heathrow....

especially (as has been suggested) you could possibly go direct from Gatwick to a Heathrow hotel by pre-arranged car.....

The other question would be.... if you are not so tired - you will have little to do at Heathrow all evening of course ......!

Thanks to all who took time to reply.
I think all things considered that we will stay at Heathrow.
I like the idea of a private transfer for around £50, there are two of us travelling. Which one would you use?
Can anyone recommend a "nice" hotel close to the airport?
They all seem so expensive for a Wed. night.

Doing the same thing on October 31, would love to hear how it works out.

I used Priceline lately and got the Sheraton Heathrow for only about £55 per night. It got terrible reviews on TripAdvisor.com, but as you can see from my review there (here) I didn't have a bad experience. (There are some good tips on the Sheraton Heathrow TripAdvisor page vis a vis transportation on Bath Road, so it may be worth your while to read all the reviews.)

Which brings me to my pet topic: Hotel Hoppa doesn't visit Terminal 4!! Just be aware of this issue if booking a hotel near Heathrow. (I'm sure there's some explanation, but as I haven't done much UK travel I haven't any details. I can tell you it's possible to make it to Terminal 4 from Terminal 3 in about 25 minutes using HEX, though...)

I will let you know how it works out...
Believe it or not, I too used priceline (before I read your post), and was able to get the Crowne Plaza Heathrow for $75 USD!
I also booked a private car for £55
I am very happy with the way it turned out, thanks again to everyone who replied.
I was just wondering for curiosity if anyone knows how much a normal taxi fare would be from Gatwick to Heathrow, if we just decided to Q up when we arrived? That is the only thing I forgot to check. I can't imagine it would be much less than £55 do you think?

I'd forget transferring by cab. Per the London Cabs website, cab fare from LGW to Central London is 85 pounds, and from there to LHR is another 45 - 60 pounds.

I second the recommendation for the National Express Bus. Per their website, it's only 19 pounds/person for the transfer.

I recently landed at LHR with LGW flight the next day. Took the national express bus, it was pretty good. I've done the train connection (2 trains plus tube) and it isn't that great - probably actually takes more time.

Based on my travel history I'm more familiar with hotels around Gatwick. This time I picked the Ibis at 50 quid. Nice pub next door, free ride from airport, city bus back to airport.

If flying BA they usually arrange the transfer for you in the price. £19 for a short bus ride is legalised robbery. There is a new hotel at LGW which is Japanese style, Yotel, they also have one at Heathrow. I think they are far from cheap for an overnight as you pay by the hour.