Heathrow~Stansted overnight — help!

Evening all, hope someone can help with advice...?

The missus and I are flying with Air Lingus into Heathrow airport (Terminal 1) at about 11 o'clock on a Wednesday night, and have to be at Stansted airport by 6.15 the following morning for a Ryanair departure, so I'm looking around for a reasonable overnight arrangement (not particularly interested in hotel facilities or "luxury", since we'll only be there for a few hours)

Can anyone recommend a sensible way of doing this? My instinct was to get as close as possible to Stansted airport, given the early check-in time, but the only hotel right next to the airport seems to be the Radisson, and they're quoting Stg £126.85 online — best part of 200 yoyos for a few hours' kip seems a bit silly... :|

Does anyone know of anything more "modest", but within a reasonably short taxi ride of Stansted? Or, alternatively, would I be better off looking for something in Central London? The train from Liverpool St station runs every half-hour from 4am on, and gets you straight to the departure lounge in 43 mins...

Thanks in advance for any advice/recommendations you can offer!

Dr. M.

There's a Travelodge/Little Chef near enough to Stansted as far as I remember. I was in much the same situation as yourself a couple of years ago. Have a look here.

Check out B&B's - I was pleasantly surprised to find loads of B&B's near Gatwick which offered free shuttle services to the airport. I'd be surprised if you can't find some similar ones for Standsted.

Thanks, guys — the only problem with the B&Bs out in the Stansted area is that by the time we clear Heathrow, get into the city centre, hook up with the Stansted Express and get out there, it could be close on 1am... Probably a bit too late to be checking into a B&B, and it would mean getting a taxi to them from the Airport. But fatherd, thanks for that link — through it I found the Travelodge around the corner from the Liverpool Street Station (£85 for a double). That would mean a quick walk to the station in time for the 5 o'clock train (yummy!)

Ah well, three nights in Jerez beckon..!

Dr. M.

In the village of Takely

I stayed with Barry & Vicky in Takely nr. stanstead when 4 of us missed our Ryanair connections. They dropped us to the airport early next morning as well.

+447970040471

Else if you have a short time, you could actually flake out in the airport. Loads do it... in fact there is a web site decicated to it.

Re: In the village of Takely

Thanks, gmankevyahoocom. I'm beginning to think along those lines myself. If we catch the last National Express coach from Heathrow at 23.40, it'll be close on 2.00 by the time we get to Stansted — it seems a bit mad to be paying for a taxi and €100+ accommodation for the sake of a few hours' kip, when we have to be back at the airport by 6.00...! :rolleyes

Do you happen to remember if there's couch-type seating in the departure lounge, as opposed to rows of armchair thingies?

Dr. M.

[Edit: ...[broken link removed] ]