The Best Luxury Hotel Near Heathrow Airport – The Runnymede on Thames

I recently had an early flight out of Heathrow and wanted to be closer so that the early morning wasn`t as harsh as it might have been. I was looking for a luxury hotel near Heathrow airport and found the on-site hotels were lacking. Looking slightly further afield, I came across the Runnymede on Thames.

The newly refurbed Runnymede turned out to be an absolute jewel, best luxury hotel near Heathrow airport it wins hands down. The Runnymede on Thames is up there as one of my favourite hotels, with the emphasis on customer`s relaxation being obvious from the start.

The Runnymede is a four star hotel and is all the better for it. If you want a hotel that is a little stuffy and pretentious, go and stay at the hotels on the Heathrow complex – there`s a few to choose from. If you want a hotel where you can feel at home and recharge, stay at the Runnymede. The location takes advantage of its natural beauty and the overall ambiance is relaxing enough. If that doesn’t do it for you, the hotels excellent luxury Spa will leave you in a higher state of calm….trust me!

The décor is modern yet not in your face. The lounge area has been divided up into sections that could resemble your living room. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. The bath was generous in size and I spent far too long in it!

This is a forward thinking hotel, a breath of fresh air for the hotel industry. This hotel should in fact be used as a business model for any other aspiring hotels whose desire is to service the customer, not their own egos or balance sheet.

We ate in the Lock restaurant, which again does away with the flashiness. It just delivers what you need – great food in comfortable surroundings. I had the `meat board` to start, followed by a steak with big chips. For me, the perfect meal! The open kitchen was fascinating to watch, with each dish perfectly and effortlessly executed.

The Runnymede on Thames has flashes of fun dotted everywhere. The new logo features a rubber duck, the reception has a vast collection of rubber ducks to admire too (Including a large duck signed by some real A listers who have stayed at the Runnymede including Whoopi Goldberg – I bet she loved it here). By not taking itself too seriously, the Runnymede allows us to unwind. Why go to a hotel with airs and graces when you can really kick back and enjoy yourself. This, for me, is the future of hotels.

The staff were attentive and everywhere. Always someone floating around, again reinforcing the notion that this hotel`s number 1 priority is the customer.

The Runnymede on Thames is in a tremendous location and takes full advantage of this. Forget the grey concrete of Heathrow, this hotel is right by the Thames and when the sun shines, the Runnymede really comes into play.

The best luxury hotel near Heathrow airport passed the early morning test too. I ordered a wakeup call at 05.00, with breakfast to the room between 05.00 and 05.15. The call was punctual and the breakfast arrived at 05.01. I imagine this was all planned – just enough time to put the phone down and wake up.

Clearly a very `kid friendly` hotel, there is a brand new outside splash pool and lots of activities to keep the little ones amused. The Children even get their very own rubber duck when they check in! My only regret when staying at the Runnymede on Thames was I had left the kids at home. next time, little ones – I promise!

Out of all the hotels I have reviewed this year, the Runnymede on Thames is a clear winner at the very top of the list. Fun, funky and faultless.

And I do mean faultless. After an hour or so, I thought this was all too good to be true and started looking for faults. I found absolutely nothing negative about this wonderful hotel on the river.