Need current info. in re: B&B (with transportation to Gatwick available as part of the deal) or affordable hotel (with transport) near Gatwick, as need to spend the night near Gatwick the night before departure (2:00 p.m.) Training in or by coach appears too risky with timeline from Cotswolds....Safer to spend night, I believe, at a hotel near Gatwick - Thanks for any ideas or suggestions!
We stayed at Barn Cottage which was in a RS book. The owner will drive you to LGW but there is a charge. There is a good pub next door. We took a taxi to the B&B. I read about one that was even closer to the airport but can't find the name of it.
While it's a good idea to spend the night somewhere relatively close to the airport, why not stay in London and enjoy an evening in the city? Stay near Victoria station and take a Southern train to Gatwick in the morning. The fare is £8.90 (much cheaper than the Gatwick Express), trains run about every 15 minutes, and the trip takes no more than 40 minutes.
Suzanne,
If you want to stay REALLY close to Gatwick, you might have a look at the recently opened Yotel. Have a look at www.yotel.com/default.aspx for further information.
Hope you have a great time in the Cotswolds (I was there in Sept.).
Happy travels!
Another pleasant place to stay would be Brighton. It's a 30-minute train ride to Gatwick and the fare is £7.50 on First Capital Connect trains.
At Gatwick, a good buy is the Premier Inn Central about 400m from the North Terminal. (You can walk it if you want).
About 3 years old and very good - a room is about $120-$140 normally. Family rooms are available at the same price where there are sofa beds for a couple of kids.
As its so near the terminals you can arrive by public transport or hire car from the Costwolds quite late and just walk across to the hotel.
We stayed at the Cartref House--a 5 minute walk to Victoria Station (Belgravia.) It was an easy Express Train ride to the airport for a morning flight. There are other options listed in Rick's book under "Victoria Station Neighborhood." It's a nice neighborhood and you can easily get into the city center as well for your last night. The hotel's website is: http://www.cartrefhouse.co.uk/
SHARON, I also stayed at Cartref House when in London a few months ago. It's a great location and I really enjoyed my stay!
However, I was a bit dismayed to see that Cartref House is not listed in Rick's 2008 Guidebooks. Not sure why? I definitely plan to stay there again on my next visit to London.
I stayed at Cherry Court B&B near Victoria station in August. Check with transporation to Gatwick though because at times they were shutting down the train and busing people to the airport. There were lots of B&Bs about a 5 minute walk from Victoria Station AND you can take a quick tour on the hop on hop off bus around London.