 to actually being a genius idea that makes travelling all the more bearable. Especially now with extended check-in times and unforgiving passport queues. So why not rock up the day before take-off, take a swim in the pool, have an early dinner in the restaurant and get a good night's sleep before an easy stroll to the terminal? Start your trip with zero stress, or eek out your holiday a bit longer by crashing at the airport – and treating yourself to a massage – before heading home. Here's our round-up of the best London airport hotels from City and Stansted to Heathrow and Gatwick. Just a five-minute walk from Stansted's main terminal, and handy for the Stansted Express, Radisson Blu is sleek and modern with a glass façade and an unexpectedly spectacular wine bar featuring a tower of over 4,000 bottles that soars above the lobby. Food wise, try the New York Grill for steak and lobster or there's comforting pizza and pasta at Italian restaurant Filini. There's also a gym and spa on site, which can be handy especially post flight. Comfy beds, black-out blinds and the 'super buffet' breakfast mean it's a failsafe choice pre or post-trip. Read expert review From £ 96 For anyone flying in or out of Gatwick Airport's South Terminal, you couldn't get much closer than Bloc Hotel, a converted office block which sits directly above the terminal building (it's a quick hop from the departure lounge). Rooms are small but modern and tech-advanced, based around the Japanese capsule-hotel concept. Bedside tablets enable you to operate lights, electric blinds, air conditioning and even check-out, which makes it ideal for those rushing off to early morning flights. The potential downside is that there's no restaurant or room service but you do have the run of the terminal literally downstairs to choose from. Read expert review From £ 103 If you don't fancy four-sta){kind=link}
From neat, budget options to Japanese-inspired capsules and a moored super yacht – there’s plenty of pre-flight stays in the capital
We need to reframe the idea of an airport hotel being lacklustre, soulless (and, let’s face it, a tad Alan Partridge) to actually being a genius idea that makes travelling all the more bearable. Especially now with extended check-in times and unforgiving passport queues. So why not rock up the day before take-off, take a swim in the pool, have an early dinner in the restaurant and get a good night’s sleep before an easy stroll to the terminal? Start your trip with zero stress, or eek out your holiday a bit longer by crashing at the airport – and treating yourself to a massage – before heading home. Here’s our round-up of the best London airport hotels from City and Stansted to Heathrow and Gatwick.
8
Telegraph expert rating
• The best hotels in Stansted