We had an overnight stay at the Hilton London Heathrow after flying down from Manchester for our flight from Terminal 4 to the USA the following day. I had researched Heathrow hotels extensively, and whilst it would have been cheaper to have stayed at many of the other hotels, the Hilton was the only one that was within walking distance of Terminal 4 which is rather out on a limb. Staying elsewhere would have meant a fairly lengthy shuttle bus and train journey, or an expensive taxi, and reading several stressful tales of non-arrival of booked taxis at several of these hotels helped me decide it worth paying extra for the Hilton. Amazingly, I found the best rate through the Hilton's own website, and free membership of the Hilton Honours Club gave additional perks such as free bottled water in the room.
It was, however, a surprisingly long walk from the terminal to the hotel along an interminable covered walkway and my partner, who has mobility issues, was struggling. Apparently it is possible to book a ride on a cart, but we were unaware of this at the time. At the end of the walkway you are exposed to the elements for a short while before entering the hotel lobby. I am surprised they have not extended the coverway to the door. Check in was smooth: our room overlooked the interior of the hotel – bars and restaurants – so we had to keep the curtains closed for privacy, but this was not a major issue. The compact bathroom contained excellent toiletries by Peter Thomas Roth – I particularly relished the shower gel with micro beads of moisturiser which burst on my skin as I showered spreading a lovely citrus aroma. I confess that the rest of the bottle, together with shampoo and conditioner, travelled with me, proving very useful when overnighting in rainforest lodges without any complimentary toiletries.
We enjoyed a pleasant evening meal in the hotel's Zen (Chinese/Asian) restaurant: tasty food, cold beers and excellent service but somewhat pricey, especially after the 15% mandatory service charge was added. There were an Italian and an American style restaurant also available. We did not sample breakfast – the cup of tea and cookie in the room was more than sufficient for us.
