Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Terminal 2 and 3

After a long flight, this is a comfortable place to rest before carrying on with your journey. It was my second stay, and this time we had booked a spacious, comfortable Family Room. The hotel was clean and well kept, and the staff were very kind. They even offered to help us make an outside phone call, which we really appreciated. Breakfast was delicious and very good. My child and I both enjoyed it.

Getting to Terminal 3 takes a little route finding: go through the car park, turn left to the C lifts, take them down to -1, then keep walking past the Underground and train entrances to the escalators or lifts for departures. The Runway bar was a nice place for drinks, with great views. We also had bar food on level 1, and the crispy chicken wings were excellent. At dinner, the Caesar salad with salmon was excellent too, while the steak and ale pie was only average, a bit stodgy underneath. Our King Room was clean, comfortable, and well equipped, with free WiFi and plug sockets that had USB A connectors. A great place to stay before an early flight.

The night was remarkably quiet, with no runway noise at all despite the hotel's close proximity to it. We asked for a quiet room and got exactly that. We haven't tried breakfast, though after such a good dinner I imagine it would be very good. We chose the hotel for its proximity to Terminal 3 at London Heathrow, as we're flying from there soon. From Terminal 2, it was easy to reach on foot through the short stay car park and a covered walkway. At check-in, the receptionist was helpful and explained how to get to T3 for our departure the next day. The spacious room was well equipped, with a large bed, flat screen TV, tea and coffee facilities, and air conditioning. The triple-glazed windows don't open, for obvious noise reasons. The bathroom was a good size with a large walk-in shower. There are lifts to every floor. We were on the 10th floor. We had dinner at the Apron Restaurant. Prices weren't particularly cheap, though that's London pricing. We each had a starter and main, both first class, plus a large glass of wine and a Guinness. The total was £110, plus a 12.5% service charge. Service was excellent, and the menu had plenty of choice. The separate bar area had comfortable seats and was pleasantly quiet. A TV in one corner was showing the US Masters Golf, but it wasn't intrusive. It's been a long time since I stayed at a Hilton, and I didn't expect much beyond the convenient location. My wife and I were impressed by every part of the stay. If we fly from London Heathrow again, from terminals 2 or 3, I'd happily stay here and recommend it.

In the room, the light didn't work, the toilet wouldn't flush, and one of the towels was dirty. Breakfast was a standard buffet, but I've had better and more choice at a Premier Inn. It was my first Hilton stay, and I wasn't too impressed. Check-in was friendly and helpful. At the bar, though, service took a while. Soon after, we were told they were closing, so we asked for the bill. The staff went off to clean tables and left us waiting. We asked again, and they went back to cleaning tables.