Flexistay Ambers Gatwick Aparthotel

The service was friendly and efficient, and it’s only an eight-minute drive to Gatwick, making it ideal for a night before an early flight. The room was clean and comfortable. The bathroom was a bit small but did the job, and the water pressure was good. Would recommend.

There’s no elevator, so taking large luggage up can be a struggle. The bathroom was outside the room, which wasn’t very convenient, and reception isn’t open 24/7, though they send detailed self check-in instructions. The room is small but clean and has the essentials. The common area is very nice, with a large, fully equipped kitchen and plenty of food to cook, including eggs, bacon, potatoes, and oats, as well as cereal, bread, and jam. It’s close to the airport, with public buses nearby that go there.

The communal kitchen is on the small side and gets busy, so expect to share the space while making breakfast, which you can cook at any time of day. We liked the cookies and the neatly arranged coffee, tea bags, and sugar in the room. There was some linen dust in the cups, perhaps because they’d been set out before the bed was made. It’s a house divided into several apartments, with no reception desk. Self check-in was easy enough with the simple instructions sent after booking. The hotel is a bus ride from the airport, around £2.50. Our room was very small but clean, with French doors, a curtain, and a yard behind them. The small bathroom had only a shower. There was no kettle, but the hot tap water was scalding, so we made tea with it. Since there are separate hot and cold taps, you either get cold water or risk burning your hands unless you fill the sink.

We paid £17 for the room, so having breakfast included was a brilliant deal. There was bread, bacon, eggs, milk, juice, and cereal, with lots of space in the kitchen and labels that made everything easy to find. The common areas were great. The rooms were fine for what we wanted: tea and coffee, a private bathroom with a shower, and a hair dryer. It was cold, but the plug-in heater sorted that out. Check-in was ace too. The key was in a safe box and they emailed us the code that day, so getting in was quick after a day of travel. We could walk from the hotel to the airport through a nice wooded area along a paved, signposted route. It took 27 minutes and was a stress-free start to the holiday, with no bags. I’d definitely stay again when travelling to Gatwick.