Gatwick hotels

When it comes to the best hotels in Gatwick for location, Bloc Hotel Gatwick is hard to beat. Located in the airport’s South Terminal, the hotel is set just above the terminal building, mere minutes from the departures lounge. It’s the ideal spot if you’ve got an early-morning flight to catch.

Housed within a converted office building, the property is based on the Japanese concept of capsule hotels, so you can expect the rooms to be on the small side. That being said, I appreciate the decor, which is sleek and modern with cleverly designed furniture.

Despite being a fairly no-frills option, all double rooms have plush king-size beds, flat-screen TVs and adjoining wet rooms with monsoon showers. For something extra special, ask for one of the rooms with a runway view – the corner rooms offer the best vistas.

Despite being connected to Gatwick’s North Terminal, Sofitel London Gatwick isn’t your average airport hotel. That became apparent to me as soon as I stepped into the vast lobby, which is a bright, airy space that houses a variety of restaurants, cafes and bars.

One of the best hotels in Gatwick, rooms here are as plush and comfortable as you’d expect from the Sofitel brand, with delightfully large beds and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in plenty of natural light (as well as the odd runway view, if you’re lucky).

If you’ll be spending a bit of extra time here before jumping on a flight, there are plenty of amenities to keep you busy, including a 24-hour fitness suite, a range of meeting rooms and 4 restaurants and 2 bars. My top pick is Vanda, which serves a delicious array of Pan-Asian dishes.

If you’re catching a flight from Gatwick’s North Terminal, you can’t get a closer stay than the Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick. It takes just 5 minutes from the hotel lobby to the airport’s security queue. Add on another 10 minutes if you’re departing from the South Terminal, which you can access via a free shuttle train.

The public spaces are sleeky designed with bright pops of colour – the bar area is particularly buzzy. Guestrooms are clean and comfortable, with purple accents and wooden furniture. I recommend upgrading to a Queen room for more space, especially in the bathroom, where you’ll even get your own bathtub.

This is one of the best hotels in Gatwick for those travelling with young children, thanks to the daily free breakfast. Making sure hungry kids are fed before a flight is essential, as I know all too well from travelling with my young daughter.

This is one of the best hotels in Gatwick for those looking to explore the local area. The Sandman Signature London Gatwick Hotel is just 3 miles from Gatwick but is a world away from the usual bland airport hotels. It’s an easy jaunt to the lively coastal city of Brighton from here, while the picturesque South Downs are just an hour’s drive away.

If you plan on staying closer to home, there are plenty of on-site amenities to enjoy, including a well-equipped fitness centre, where I love working up a sweat, a swimming pool and a steam room to melt away any post-flight aches and pains.

All of the 151 guestrooms come with flatscreen LCD TVs, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi, while family rooms have a king bed and 2 single beds, as well as a mini fridge, microwave and coffee and tea station.

The Windfalls Boutique Hotel is one of the most popular properties in the area, set on a country estate in the pretty village of Worth just a 10-minute drive from Gatwick airport.

It’s not hard to see why this is considered one of the best hotels in Gatwick for couples. The hotel is suitably romantic, with a roaring fireplace in the communal sitting room, fragrant candles scenting the air and chill music playing in the background.

I’m a sucker for a four-poster bed, and 3 of the 4 rooms at the Windfalls Boutique Hotel come with them, each draped with elegant white linen. I could have happily spent all day in mine, snoozing on the Egyptian cotton sheets and snuggling up under the Siberian goose down duvet.

Staying in a quaint old pub with rooms is a proper British tradition, and The Old House Inn is one of the finest examples I’ve come across. One of the most unique hotels in Gatwick, the pub’s exterior looks like something out of a storybook, with its crooked roof and latticed windows.

Inside it’s just as cosy, with wooden beams on the ceiling and intimate booths for settling into. But while the pub itself is pleasingly old fashioned, the 6 en-suite rooms are all stylishly decorated, with contemporary furniture and the odd quirky addition – think a bright orange rolltop bath or an eccentric artwork on the wall.

In the summer, the inn’s beer garden is the place to be, where you can sip a few pints of local cider in the sunshine. In the colder months, it’s all about the Sunday roasts.

There’s nothing more annoying than leaving your car in an airport car park only to pick it up in a worse state than when you left it. The Oakhurst Gatwick B&B prides itself on providing some of the most secure parking around, making this one of the best hotels in Gatwick for those looking to leave their vehicle in safe hands.

As well as being reassuringly secure, the B&B’s parking rates are also some of the cheapest, making this a no-brainer for those who want to leave their car close to the airport. The property also offers airport transfers.

All of the 3 en-suite rooms are clean and comfortable, with pleasingly simple decor. If you’re travelling with kids, as I usually am, go for the Family Room, which comes with a double bed, a single bed and a sturdy bunk bed.

There’s something so reassuring about knowing what to expect from a well-loved hotel chain – and that’s exactly the feeling I get when arriving at this Premier Inn. Located just a 5-minute walk from Gatwick’s North Terminal with free airport shuttle services 24 hours a day, this is one of the best hotels in Gatwick for ease and convenience.

All of the rooms come with the super-comfy beds Premier Inn properties are so well-known for, as well as power showers and blackout curtains. If you plan on doing a bit of work during your stay, I recommend upgrading to a Premier Plus Double for a designated workspace.

The on-site Thyme Bar & Grill is the place to come for a pre-flight breakfast, where you can build your own brekkie with freshly cooked favourites like bacon, sausages and eggs. Best of all, kids eat free, making this a wallet-friendly option for families.

This family-run property is one of the best hotels in Gatwick for cosy B&B-style accommodation with hotel-quality amenities. I love how friendly the welcome is as soon as I arrive, giving the hotel a real home-from-home vibe.

Each of the guestrooms is plush and comfortable, with Egyptian cotton bed linen, flatscreen TVs and complimentary tea and coffee stations. There’s a range of sizes to choose from, from Standard Single Rooms for solo travellers up to Family Rooms that sleep 4 people.

Downstairs, there’s a cosy lounge for pre-dinner drinks and a conservatory where you can order afternoon tea – a must, in my opinion – as well as a restaurant where you can feast on homemade lasagne and cottage pie for dinner and enjoy a full English breakfast in the morning. There’s also a convenient minibus transfer service to take you to and from the airport.

Japan is famous for its ingeniously compact, capsule-style hotel rooms, and YOTELAIR offers one of the finest examples of this concept I've found in the UK. The Gatwick property is located in the airport’s South Terminal, just minutes from departures and arrivals, making this one of the best hotels in Gatwick for those looking for a convenient place to rest their head before an early flight.

You can check yourself in using the hotel’s self-service kiosks and order food directly to your cabin via the same system, which will deliver everything from a continental breakfast in the morning to late-night pizza and ice cream.

The hotel’s signature SmartBeds are supremely cosy, and cleverly glide at the touch of a button to move into any position you need for sleep, work or chilling out. You’ll also find smart TVs and rainfall showers in each room.