Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 Review – Family friendly hotel at Heathrow
Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 Review – Family friendly hotel at Heathrow
Looking for a Heathrow hotel for an overnight stay before an early morning flight can be overwhelming, with over 30 hotels to choose from close to Heathrow Airport, which ones are the best for families.
As we had an early morning start to catch our flight to Chicago with American Airlines from Heathrow Terminal 3, we decided to stay at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 after recommendations and we were so glad with our choice. Having the convenience of having such a high standard of hotel really makes a difference to the start of your holiday.
You might think it’s a strange combination staying at Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 when we were flying out of T3, but with limited onsite hotels at Terminal 3 (the only options are the Hilton Garden Inn at T2 and the Aerotel at T3) the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 seemed like a good option, especially as we wanted to make use of our Hilton Gold Elite status.
We have stayed at many of the leading hotels in the Heathrow airport area on our previous travels and I would rate the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 as one of the very best, especially if you are travelling with children. Let me tell you why.
What was evident when we walked through the doors into the stylish lobby area was this is not like your typical airport hotel. Once we were inside, we felt instantly removed from the noisy hectic surroundings of the M25 and Heathrow and surrounded by a calm and chic interior design.
Even though the hotel is directly under the flightpath for Heathrow, the rooms are so well sound proofed we couldn’t hear anything, although it did make for an exciting walk into the hotel with huge planes flying literally only a few hundred feet above our heads.
We had a lovely warm welcome from the reception staff, the girls in particular were made to feel like little VIPs from the moment they checked in to the moment they left. Although there were many business people using the hotel, it very much had a family feel and catered for children brilliantly.
After a long drive along the M4 to Heathrow, it was so refreshing that the check in process was very quick and efficient and within minutes we were handed the keys to our rooms and the girls excitedly led the way with their key in hand to find their room.
Our Family Interconnecting Rooms
We stayed in king and twin interconnecting rooms on the executive floor, which are well worth the extra cost.
There are 36 interconnecting rooms at the hotel which are perfect for families and really spacious which I find are a must when travelling with the children getting older as they offer the extra space we require with a growing family. There are also 4 dedicated family rooms that are large rooms however not interconnecting.
The girls don’t have to sleep on sofa beds and there is no squabbling trying to get them to sleep at night which is what tends to happen when we are all in the same room.
The bathrooms had both a bath and separate shower and some really cool design features like the colourful lighting behind the vanity units that would look perfectly at home on an interior design Instagram feed.
Another benefit of booking rooms on the executive level is that we had access to the executive lounge, which is definitely worth upgrading to if you don’t hold certain Hilton status.
Added perks to your stay include complementary afternoon tea, evening drinks and canapes and breakfast the next morning. These savings typically more than cover the upgrade cost. We quickly settled in and made our way to the afternoon tea service in the lounge.
Afternoon Tea is served between 3pm – 5pm with a selection of teas, coffees, soft drinks and a choice of freshly made sandwiches, cookies, cakes, scones and jam to choose from.
The girls really loved it here as did my husband and I as it is such a relaxing way to begin our stay – the executive lounge at the Hilton T5 is impressive. Chloe and Holly were treated to their own selection of handmade treats such as scones and jam, chocolate cake etc.
The warm welcome continued when we returned to our room and were greeted with cakes, chocolates, drinks and much to the delight of Chloe and Holly a box of sweets each. It’s these little touches that make the Hilton Terminal 5 such a special family friendly hotel.
Our spacious modern rooms contained all the facilities you’d expect in this standard of hotel – large flat screen TV, complimentary high speed WiFi (free for Hilton Honours members – which is also free to join), tea and coffee making facilities and a selection of magazines.
In executive rooms you also get bathrobes and slippers and 2 bottles of mineral water.
One of the main reasons I like staying at a Hilton property is because of their serenity beds, which are so comfy to sleep in. With the blackout curtains and triple glazed windows, we all slept wonderfully and were well-rested for our 9 hour flight the next morning.
In the evening between 6pm and 8.00pm a selection of canapes and drinks were available, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and it was a great place to start our evening with pre-dinner drinks.
Chloe and Holly made themselves at home helping themselves to the complimentary snacks and drinks whilst relaxing on their iPad or using the computers in the lounge.
Dining
After a long day travelling, we didn’t want to venture out again and chose to make it easy dining at the hotel’s Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen restaurant for our evening meal. Cyrus Todiwala is one of Britain’s most unique and characterful chefs.
Dining in an AA rosette restaurant with kids can be daunting with a limited menu, but not at Mr Todiwala’s. The style and décor of the restaurant is totally different to the hotel, but it works really well with open kitchens. Also Roy, the large wooden elephant centrepiece, was a hit with Chloe and Holly, as they had each been left a Roy elephant squishy toy in their room.
It was really family friendly and a great way to introduce children to some of the finest Indian cuisine that you will taste. If it’s not to their taste then there is a range of English dishes which are available to order.
We started with a selection of Papads (poppadoms in the UK) along with a range of pickles and chutneys and the girls had chicken samosas but their favourites were the dosas (Indian pancakes).
For mains the girls and I had the Chicken Tikka and my husband chose the Murgh Makhani Pasanda along with fresh naan .
On top of the delicious food, the service was also very attentive; nothing was too much trouble for the staff who were so welcoming and friendly especially toward the girls.
Hilton breakfasts are typically excellent and the buffet style breakfast (the next morning in the Gallery restaurant) certainly didn’t disappoint with a range of options on offer from hot cooked breakfast options to small pastries, yogurts, fruit and cereals.
One of the girls’ favourite areas of breakfast is always the pancake machine, I think they have more fun making the pancakes than eating them!
Location
Although this hotel is not located at the airport, despite the T5 in its name, it’s in a really convenient location near J14 of the M25 and was just a 25 minute drive the next morning to our parking which we pre-booked in advance at the short stay car park in T3.
If you are flying from Terminal 5 this would be a 10 minute drive or Hoppa bus ride away.
What we didn’t factor in was getting lost through Google maps who decided to take us to T5 instead of T3 which added another 10 minutes to our journey.
If you are flying from T5, I would also recommend looking at the hotels park and fly packages which are really good value and cheaper than booking your hotel stay and parking separately.
Overall and is it family friendly?
Definitely, from the moment we arrived, the whole family was taken care of. The level of service received during our stay was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference to your stay.
If you are looking for one of the best airport hotels to stay at in Heathrow airport. You won’t be disappointed with the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. We highly recommend it – but go for the executive level rooms, they are definitely worth it.
