Sofitel London Gatwick Review

Do you have an early or late flight at Gatwick Airport? Read on for my Sofitel London Gatwick Review to see if it might be suitable for your trip too.

I have written before about how much travelling by plane stresses me out, especially an early morning flight (Mr DLT can certainly verify this!). And so when www.holidayextras.co.uk recently gave us the opportunity to stay at the Sofitel London Gatwick ahead of our trip to Spain, I was relieved as well as excited! 

The Hotel

The Sofitel is one of many airport hotels available to book on the Holiday Extras website (a website that I have been using to book everything from airport parking to lounges for over 10 years now!), but it is the only hotel that is attached to the airport terminal. This means no taxis or transfers, and therefore extra sleep and less stress! 

The hotel is large, with over 500 rooms and suites, and five restaurants and bars. The central hub of the hotel is its impressive atrium, with many of the rooms overlooking this rather than the airport and its car parks. As well as the reception area, restaurants and bars, you also found some cosy seating areas here – perfect if you have time to kill before or after your flight. 

The Room: Junior Suite

Traveling with three kids often throws up problems for us when staying at hotels, as many have a strict four people per room policy. This means that we either need to consider interconnecting rooms (at an extra cost of course), or look at alternative accommodation.  I was therefore pleased to find that the Sofitel Junior Suite could accommodate us all perfectly, with a double, two singles, and a sofa bed for an additional child under the age of 12 years.

The room was large, super clean, and had some of the comfiest hotel beds ever! There was a large desk with TV, a double cupboard for tucking suitcases out of the way, a hairdryer, iron and ironing board, and a fridge stocked with mineral water.

The bathroom was stocked with ESPA toiletries and had the added benefit of having a bath with shower over, which is always great when travelling with children. 

Our room looked over the atrium, and the kids loved sitting and watching the world go by downstairs, and the glass lifts shooting up and down. It was also super handy to be able to see which bars and restaurants had tables free before we even left our room!

Eating on-site

We ate dinner at the hotel in the Urban Cafe, which has a very varied menu from burgers and pizza to ramen noodles and Thai green curry. The kids menu was fun, with an aviation theme of course, and they all ate so well, which is always so satisfying to see! There were other families eating here, and the staff were good with the kids. I have to say that the food and drinks were very expensive, but it was really convenient and we enjoyed our meal – it was a nice way to start our holiday. 

Getting to the airport

The next morning we needed to be at the South Terminal to check in and despite the Sofitel being attached the North Terminal, it took us only around five minutes to get to the South Terminal from our hotel room. 

We used the key-drop check out at the reception (as we had no outstanding charges), walked through the walkway to the entrance to the North Terminal and then jumped on the skytrain shuttle which takes you to the South Terminal. It runs 24/7, there is a shuttle every few minutes and it takes less than 2 minutes between terminals – I was amazed at how easy it was!

We were all very impressed with the Sofitel London Gatwick and would certainly recommend it to anyone taking an early flight, especially families. 

The hotel was perfectly located and, despite being attached to the airport, I did not hear a single roar of an aeroplane – the soundproofing was amazing.  The room we stayed in was large, cosy and spotless and even accommodated a family of five, which can be hard to find. The selection of bars and restaurants in-house made mealtimes easy (if a bit expensive!) and the ease of getting to the airport was the icing on the cake. 

Have you stayed at the Sofitel London Gatwick before? If so, what did you think? 

Disclaimer: We were provided with a one night stay at the Sofitel London Gatwick by Holiday Extras, we paid for all transport, food and drinks ourselves. As always, all views remain my own – we genuinely loved our stay!

29 Comments

  1. September 10, 2018 / 8:43 pm

    I remember staying here when my daughter was about 1 before an early morning flight and it made such a huge difference. So luxurious and being able to stroll over in the morning was fabulous.

    • daislikethese
      Author
      September 17, 2018 / 1:31 pm

      We really liked it, and would certainly recommend it.

      Thanks for reading.

  2. September 17, 2018 / 7:48 am

    How handy is that skyshuttle train?! And what a lovely way to start your holiday. We’ve booked an airport hotel with Holiday Extras too for our Iceland trip next month. It certainly makes the whole early morning flight thing with kids a lot more manageable! #MondayEscapes

    • daislikethese
      Author
      September 17, 2018 / 1:30 pm

      So much easier, especially with little ones in tow.
      Can’t wait to hear all about your Iceland trip!

  3. September 17, 2018 / 9:06 am

    I’ve never stayed at a Sofitel but this sounds ideal. If we’re flying out of Gatwick or Heathrow we have a six plus hour journey from Devon so staying somewhere the night before is always something we consider. I love the fact it only took five minutes to get to the other terminal! #MondayEscapes

    • daislikethese
      Author
      September 17, 2018 / 1:29 pm

      Seriously so quick and easy to the terminals, even when we had to factor in the skytrain.

      Thanks for reading.

  4. September 17, 2018 / 9:39 am

    I didn’t realise it was such a big hotel, good to know there’s a range of eateries to choose from and they can put all of you in one room. #Mondayescapes

    • daislikethese
      Author
      September 17, 2018 / 1:27 pm

      It’s huge! And yes, so brilliant to find a room to fit us all (we do often struggle with that).

      Thanks for reading.

  5. September 17, 2018 / 12:13 pm

    looks nice, I’ve stayed only once at an airport hotel before:) #mondayescapes

    • daislikethese
      Author
      September 17, 2018 / 1:26 pm

      It was lovely, I’d definitely recommend it if you are flying from Gatwick (especially early in the morning!)

      Thanks for reading.

  6. September 17, 2018 / 12:34 pm

    I’ve never stayed at a Sofitel, but heard so many great things about their hotels. That room looks so inviting and beds so comfy.
    #Mondayescape

    • daislikethese
      Author
      September 17, 2018 / 1:24 pm

      It really was such a comfy bed – actually, my boys are still talking about how much they loved the beds!!

      Thanks for reading. x

  7. September 17, 2018 / 2:01 pm

    I’ve stayed at the one at Heathrow before and it looks so similar its a little spooky. It really does take the stress out of that early morning staying on site doesn’t it. Thanks for hosting and taking over Monday Escapes.

  8. September 17, 2018 / 3:54 pm

    It certainly sounds like a stress free start to the holiday. Unless it’s long haul we try and use our local airports but it still usually involves a horribly early start. Great to see Monday Escapes back.

  9. September 17, 2018 / 4:52 pm

    Wow! I’ve had quite a few bad experiences of airport hotels but this one looks great! I’ll check it out next time we travel from Gatwick!
    #MondayEscapes

  10. katerinaemalina
    September 17, 2018 / 5:17 pm

    One to remember as we travel from Gatwick regularly – thanks! #MondayEscapes

  11. September 17, 2018 / 5:45 pm

    I love that atrium! And how it’s so close to the airport – no excuse for for being late to check-in! #MondayEscapes

  12. September 17, 2018 / 10:33 pm

    It sounds great. I particularly like the fact that you can fit five in one room – we often struggle finding hotels that will accommodate the five of us. Jemma x
    #MondayEscapes

  13. September 18, 2018 / 7:59 am

    This looks great! I’ve never had great experiences at airport hotels but this one looks fabulous! I’ll definitely check it out if we fly from Gatwick! #MondayEscapes

  14. September 18, 2018 / 9:18 am

    We’ve stayed at the one in Heathrow a couple of times when we’ve had an early morning flight. It makes such a difference to be able to get a decent nights sleep before flying with kids #MondayEscapes

  15. pigeonpairandme
    September 18, 2018 / 12:59 pm

    We had some hideously early starts over the summer, and it sounds as though this would have made all the difference to our trip. Nobody wants a 2am start to their holiday! I like the sound of the comfy bed 🙂 #MondayEscapes

  16. Mama Travels Earth
    September 18, 2018 / 2:13 pm

    This is a great one to know about! I am ALL about making life – and travel – easier with little ones is tow and would definitely want a hotel for an early start, this sounds brilliant will definitely bear in mind for future holidays.

  17. September 18, 2018 / 3:34 pm

    I totally think that splurging on an airport hotel is a great idea for early mornings/late nights with Kids. This sounds like a fantastic option! #mondayescapes

  18. September 18, 2018 / 5:51 pm

    We always book an airport hotel if we have early or late flights. It really takes the stress away! I love the look of this hotel. The junior suite looks amazing!!! #mondayescapes

  19. September 18, 2018 / 5:51 pm

    I love the idea of staying in an airport hotel, especially to avoid the stress of early starts. But we’re always on tight budget, so it never happens! #MondayEscapes

  20. September 18, 2018 / 6:38 pm

    Love the idea of the Junior suite and being able to accomodate the whole family together. Looks like a great place to unwind at the start of a trip! #MondayEscapes

  21. September 19, 2018 / 7:08 am

    Like you, we REALLY struggle to find hotels that accomodate the five of us (and if we do find one that we can all stay in the rooms are always booked up months in advance). For early morning flights we usually just get up ridiculously early and make the drive to the airport at silly o’clock in the morning. Being able to stay overnight the night before would be so much easier. The hotel looks lovely and if we ever fly out of Gatwick I’ll be sure to try and book the Junior Suite – a bit of luxury to start the holiday with!

  22. September 20, 2018 / 7:41 pm

    This looks lovely! We’ll certainly check it out next time we fly…we’re in Sussex so Gatwick is our local. Great review! #MondayEscapes

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