Gatwick - Hotel & Parking recommendations?

[Rascal1003]

That is an exceptional rate - I am seeing £189 through the Sofitel's own website (15 days parking) or £186 through holidayextras.co.uk (15 days meet & greet parking) for your dates

Alice

Just been back and am seeing £143.82 for Park Stay & Fly with 15 days parking.....ahhh....plus tax ! That makes it £168.99. Still, that is a bit better than we expected, so looks like we will be giving them a call this evening.

 

[gbrchill]

If you go to the Sofitel and chose to have breakfast in their restaurant then don't be tempted to try and warm the pain-aux-chocolat in the toasting machine. DW did this last time (her excuse was that she'd previously been to a posh hotel where this was the done thing). It got stuck halfway.

Cue the smoke and tongues of flame licking out the front of the machine.

Enter, stage left, one French waiter who retrieves the offending article with a pair of tongues. A deft flick of the wrist put out the remaining flame and he promptly puts it on DWs plate, as if that is how they are meant to be served.

I was well on the way to MCO before I stopped laughing.

Chris

 

[AliceGardner]

Just been back and am seeing £143.82 for Park Stay & Fly with 15 days parking.....ahhh....plus tax ! That makes it £168.99. Still, that is a bit better than we expected, so looks like we will be giving them a call this evening.

Still better than what I was seeing - was seeing £160 + tax for 15 days park stay and fly on their website

If it helps, you should be able to get them to do "meet and greet" for £8 extra (total) - I enquired by email (after booking their standard 15 day park, stay and fly) and was charged £8 for upgrading it to "meet & greet". £8 for saving the hassle of parking the car and picking it up afterwards is well wroth it

Re breakfast (pain au chcolat or not ), we always have it in the airline lounge or the terminal instead.

Alice

 

[Rascal1003]

Alice - would "Meet & Greet" mean that we would not be able to get back to the car the next morning? We plan to take a travel cot and dump that along with our overnight bag back in the car the next morning before heading across to Departures (where we also opt to have breakfast).

The Pain au Chocolat story is brilliant !

 

[AliceGardner]

Alice - would "Meet & Greet" mean that we would not be able to get back to the car the next morning? We plan to take a travel cot and dump that along with our overnight bag back in the car the next morning before heading across to Departures (where we also opt to have breakfast).

Ah, good point! I don't think that you could get back at your car, but you would have to ask...

Wont that be a bit of a pain? I am assuming that Sofitel (still) don't have the parking on-site. So assuming you are flying Virgin (and use the "South Terminal" Car Park), the morning of your flight you will need to walk/monorail across to the South Terminal, wait for and catch a bus to the car park, dump the stuff back in your car, then wait for a bus to get back to the South Terminal, then take the bus back to the South Terminal. If you leave your other half and baby in the South Terminal, that is better than going back to the Sofitel (in the North Terminal) to get them. Still a bit of a performace... and takes the "edge" off of the convenience of the Sofitel

Alice

 

[Rascal1003]

Yes, my point indeed. If we cant get back to the car then it is a bit pointless spending the extra and being on the airport site.

What about the Hilton, does that allow you to get back to your cr in the morning?

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

have you not checked whether Sofitel can furnish your room with a Travel Cot? We have done that before instead of taking our own.

If you are staying there, why not;-
Check in on line the night before then tkae your cases with your overnight stuff in to the fast bag drop the next morning?

We never use Twilihght Check in, always just fast bag drop the next morning

 

[AliceGardner]

Yes, my point indeed. If we cant get back to the car then it is a bit pointless spending the extra and being on the airport site.

What about the Hilton, does that allow you to get back to your cr in the morning?

Both Hilton AND Sofitel "allow" you to get back to your car in the morning - being allowed is not the issue, the issue is that (unless things have changed over the past year, which I doubt) NEITHER have parking on-site. So you be in the same boat if you stay at EITHER the Sofitel or the Hilton... both will require 30/45+ minutes (probably more - depending how lucky you are at catching buses) to drop your cot/bag off at your car.

I know that when we used to stay at the Renaissance, their parking was on-site at the hotel. Although that was a few years ago (haven't stayed there in at leats five year, but probably more like 7) - so their parkinf situation may have changed AND have heard some bad reports about the Renaissance (gone downhill apparently...). Moat House also has/had parking on-site at the hotel, but I was incredibly unimpressed by botht he hotel and the parking and REALLY wouldn't recommend it...

There may be other hotels with parking on-site at the hotel - maybe someone else can share their experiences.

Personally I would ask the Sofitel to provide the cot and follow Obi's advice...

Alice

 

[wilma-bride]

We stayed at Gatwick Manor a couple of years back. It was perfectly adequate and parking was on-site so would be more convenient.

I am sure, however, that both the Hilton and the Sofitel could provide a cot for your little one if needed. It would be a real pain to trek back to the long stay car park the morning before you fly.

 

[jtlover]

Both Hilton AND Sofitel "allow" you to get back to your car in the morning - being allowed is not the issue, the issue is that (unless things have changed over the past year, which I doubt) NEITHER have parking on-site. So you be in the same boat if you stay at EITHER the Sofitel or the Hilton... both will require 30/45+ minutes (probably more - depending how lucky you are at catching buses) to drop your cot/bag off at your car.

I know that when we used to stay at the Renaissance, their parking was on-site at the hotel. Although that was a few years ago (haven't stayed there in at leats five year, but probably more like 7) - so their parkinf situation may have changed AND have heard some bad reports about the Renaissance (gone downhill apparently...). Moat House also has/had parking on-site at the hotel, but I was incredibly unimpressed by botht he hotel and the parking and REALLY wouldn't recommend it...

There may be other hotels with parking on-site at the hotel - maybe someone else can share their experiences.

Personally I would ask the Sofitel to provide the cot and follow Obi's advice...

Alice

That is not the case with the Hilton anymore, you cant go back to your car with them, you drop off your car and it is returned to the pick up point in the parking lot on your return.

What we are doing is parking at the car park behind the Hilton on the night we stay and then taking the car to the car park early morning of our flight. That way we can put our overnight stuff in the boot and walk to the terminal after dropping off the car - or rather after hubby has dropped off the car and meets us in the terminal

 

[Disney owl]

Stayed in the Sofitel in Feb & couldn't beat it. would def stay there again. Got a much better price than for the Hilton through Holiday Extras.

used valet parking as part of the deal & it was brill especially on our return.

 

[Elise79]

Alice - would "Meet & Greet" mean that we would not be able to get back to the car the next morning? We plan to take a travel cot and dump that along with our overnight bag back in the car the next morning before heading across to Departures (where we also opt to have breakfast).

We used meet and greet at the Sofitel last september and we parked in the hotel car park overnight dropped the overnight bag back in the car in the morning. He then handed our keys in to reception as we checked out.

HTH

Elise