Heathrow: parking or hotel?

mrbadexample

:hello:

I head off for New Zealand on Wednesday 28th of this month for a bit of rugby action. :j

I need to check in for my flight at 1805, so no need to be there early in the morning.

I am undecided whether to drive down to Heathrow on the 28th, or book a nearby hotel for the night of the 27th. I like the idea of the hotel, because it means I won't be under any pressure to get to the airport on time, park, etc.

Some questions:

Does anyone know how much it costs to park at Heathrow for 16 days? Is the parking safe and secure?

Is there a hotel I could book that will also allow me to leave my car there until I get back? Any idea of costs?

Just trying to weigh up the best option.

Comments appreciated!

Cheers,
MBE

Backbiter

My advice would be to book an 'undercover hotel + parking' deal with holiday extras. It'll probably be one of the better known Heathrow hotel like Marriott or Sheraton and won't cost a lot more than parking on its own. I did this last year and got a quad room at the sheraton with 11 days parking for £90.
Remember to factor in bus transfers to the Terminal - around £4 each way -, but also investigate the free buses along Bath Rd.

graciesmummy

I would second the sheraton,we stay there everytime we go away and would highly recommend it,really handy that you can leave your car on site too.

Fen1

When you return you will want to sleep in a proper bed pretty much straightaway. Driving home straight after a NZ flight would be horrendous, maybe even dangerous. I would recommend getting off the plane and going to a hotel and sleep before attempting to drive.

You could park+hotel, but hotel at the end rather than at the beginning.

Doshwaster

Fen1 wrote: »

You could park+hotel, but hotel at the end rather than at the beginning.

That's what I do for long haul flights. Getting into a car after a long flight is suicidal (I did it once and spent 30 minutes driving the wrong way around the M25 before I noticed). It's so much nicer (and safer) to get back to Heathrow, head to the hotel for a few drinks and good sleep in a proper bed then drive home refreshed in the morning. There are some fantastic hotel+parking deals if you aren't especially fussed about which hotel you get.

Try http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/airport-hotels-with-parking.html for starters

bylromarha

On our NZ trip, we got National Express to Heathrow from Midlands. Out flight left at about 3pm. Arrived back 8am. Was so good to climb onto a coach and let someone else worry about the drive.