What to do/see during overnight Heathrow layover?

Really should plan for 3 hours prior to flight time to be at airport to begin 'the processing'

So we have to get back by 11 a.m. for the 2:15 p.m. flight. Is there anything we can do between checking out of Hotel Sofitel and 11 a.m.?

So I heard there are tours to Windsor Castle where they pick you up and bring you back three hours before your flight. Not sure if we have enough time for that.
Also heard that there's a Ye Olde English-type pub near to the airport that we can Uber to for a traditional English breakast/lunch/brunch before our flight.
Are there charming villages really close by we can Uber to just to have breakfast/lunch/brunch and stroll?
Was thinking of going to a proper English tea room instead of a traditional English pub, but don't know of any close by and if they even are open that early. Hotel Sofitel's high tea is in the afternoon, so wondering if most tea rooms would have later seatings as tradition dictates.

What terminal are you leaving out of? The Sofitel is Terminal 5. If you are going out of 3, it took us over a half hour a few weeks ago to take the free train to Terminal 3 since it only leaves every 15 minutes. Are you Premium, business class or first class travelers? If not, you will not get a Fast Pass, and Security can take quite a while to get through. Boarding typically starts about an hour before take-off, and the doors close 20 minutes before. Some of the gates are a bit of a walk from the lounge area. I do not have the nerves to cut it close time wise when I fly, and I leave time for any unexpected hiccups. I enjoy the Duty-free shopping at LHR and there are some nice food places, too.

You've got a lot less than that if you're thinking of going into London or Windsor, since you'd need to allow close to an hour each way for transportation. You'd have to start back to the hotel before 10:00 and then retrieve your bags before going to the airport. .

We'll be leaving from Terminal 5. Not thinking of London, not enough time. Just wondering if there's something really close by the airport that we can do for a short time, like have brunch at some place atmospheric. Instead of having breakfast at Hotel Sofitel.

Terminal 5, we're flying Economy, and we've been to London twice.

Why don’t you stay in London instead if the airport? Find a hotel close to a Piccadilly line stop so you can take the tube or a hotel by Paddington Station so you can take the Heathrow Express. You’ll get in to London late but it’s a very safe city to walk in. On your departure day, get up as early as you want, have breakfast, take a walk, then get your luggage from your hotel and make your way back to Heathrow by 10 am. Look through Claudia from the Land of LA’s posts and she has a great suggestion for walking theough Kensington Park with a breakfast stop in the park itself. I’m planning to do her suggestion on my trip!

If you decide to stay at Heathrow, you can call Windsor Cabs to take you into Windsor so you can spend a few hours there in the morning before your flight home. The fare should be less than £20 each way.

I was thinking of staying in London, too, but if our flight arrives at 9 p.m., what time do we get out and then how long does it take to wait for the train and then how many minutes is the train ride? Will it be midnight by the time we get to the London hotel?

I was thinking of staying in London, too, but if our flight arrives at 9 p.m., what time do we get out and then how long does it take to wait for the train and then how many minutes is the train ride? Will it be midnight by the time we get to the London hotel?

I usually take a flight that lands around 9pm and I routinely get to the hotel via tube (Earl’s Court) between 10:30 and 11.

If you want to go into London, then look for a hotel on the Piccadilly line. This would give you some time in the morning to take a walk and have breakfast before you head back to Heathrow. Keep in mind very little is open on Sunday mornings, so there aren’t a lot of options for seeing indoor sites. Also, you will need to catch the tube to head back to Heathrow by 10:30 at the latest (assuming you have checked in on-line).

Alternatively, just stay at Heathrow, sleep late, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

Thanks for sharing your experience about your 9 p.m. arrivals and getting to your hotel between 10:30 and 11. That's an option I can consider. What would be the closest decent hotel to the Earl's Court tube station?

I was also thinking of maybe staying overnight at a bed-and-breakfast inn at some charming village near Heathrow where we can have a traditional English breakfast the next morning. Would that be much closer than staying in London? We won't have a car, but so we may have to take a cab/Uber, but not sure if that's doable after 9 p.m. at night. It would be nice if the inn was also near a traditional English pub for late night grub or if the village was strollable. What are the closest historic/charming villages near Heathrow?

The nearest pub of any decency to Heathrow is the Pheasant, but last orders for meals is 21:45. Quite convenient for the Bath Road strip of hotels.

At Earl’s Court, I have stayed at both The Nadler and the Premier Inn on Knaresborough Place. Both are a block from the tube station. On Saturday night, the Piccadilly line runs all night.

I really don't see the point of going into London. You're likely to arrive at your hotel gone 11pm, no sightseeing unless watching drunken revellers making fools of themselves or fighting interests you. You need to be up early and at Heathrow for 10 am so again, no option for sightseeing or anything worthwhile. I can't think of anywhere "charming" nearby so for me it'd be a hotel on Bath Road or the Sofitel for a treat and a leisurely breakfast the following morning.

Thanks for all your input. Maybe I'm being too ambitious. So maybe I should just look into finding the best restaurant to lounge and have lunch at in Terminal 5, lol. If you have any suggestions, that would be nice.

There's not a great deal at Terminal 5, I would probably opt for Wagamamma (unless you don't like Japanese!)

There is also Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food. I had lunch there once during a layover and thought it was fine.

By the way, I just arrived in London tonight. As just one datapoint, my flight was wheels down at 8:09 pm and I checked into the hotel (Nadler Kensington) at 9:45 pm. However, I agree that unless you want to go out late or are an early riser, you are probably better off just having a leisurely morning at the Sofitel.