enjoying the advantages of hotel airports
Having just returned from a fascinating, but hectic trip to Peru and Ecuador, I have travel logistics on my mind.
Sometimes, we have to do layovers at airport locations in order to catch an early morning flight somewhere else. Make the most of these opportunities. They may give you the opportunity to quickly explore a city you may not otherwise have had time for, they may save you the agony of having to drive to an airport at an ungodly hour, or they may just provide you with an opportunity to savour some local culinary favourites or an exotic spa treatment you may not otherwise have taken the time to try.
As I live an hour from the Winnipeg airport, I’ve had to stay overnight at proximity to the airport on several occasions. There is no place more convenient than the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. Unfortunately, with the construction of the new terminal building they lost the privilege and convenience of being a simple walk across the street from the check-in counters. Now, one must take a shuttle to the new terminal building from the hotel. But it is still your quickest option for overnight stays if catching an early morning flight in Winnipeg.
The Starwood chain that owns the global network of Sheraton properties also has a lovely hotel at Terminal 3 of Pearson International Airport in Toronto. (I’ve yet to go wrong with any Starwood property.)
I’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Sheraton Gateway on several occasions and indeed, it was the gateway for my trip to South America last month. It is SO convenient to get off a plane, wheel your luggage to the hotel and relax, refresh or step out a bit.
The Sheraton Gateway has many services including the Vaccaro Spa — which I’ve yet to try. And yes, they have a chocolate wrap, so I think a future visit will have to occur.
On arrival in Peru, we had the pleasure of staying at the Ramada Costa Del Sol Airport Hotel in Lima. Again, this reservation was made to facilitate ease of travel, as we had a morning flight to Tarapoto and our entry into the Amazon jungle from there. But we were thrilled with our stay at the Costa Del Sol. In fact … after a week of trying various meals and beverages throughout Lima, I can say with all honesty that the airport hotel had the best Pisco Sours anywhere! And some lovely Peruvian cuisine as well. So we were very pleased to have had the convenience and authenticity of location all packaged into our entry into the country.
the Pisco Sour is Peru’s most popular drink
Virginia checking into the Costa Del Sol at Lima Airport
When in Rome in 2010, we took the advantage of staying at the Airport Hilton. Having the convenient location enabled us to catch an early morning flight the next day, and quickly enjoy the sights of Rome before settling in for the night.
How about you? Have you had some positive experiences staying at an airport hotel? Has the convenience opened up an opportunity that may otherwise have passed you by?
I look forward to this discussion. (Thanks to everyone who shared thoughts on travel vaccines in response to the last post.) And please join us back here the week of April 23rd when we’ll talk about our visit to the Amazon jungle of Peru.
About Doreen PendgracsKnown throughout the Web as the "Wizard of Words", I've been a freelance writer since 1993. I'm currently researching and writing "Chocolatour: A Quest for the World's Best Chocolate". Also find me at my writer's lifestyle blog, DoreenPendgracs.com where I blog to educate, entertain and inspire writers and anyone interested in creative endeavours.
- Posted in: Travel ♦ accommodations ♦ airport hotels ♦ Lima ♦ Peru ♦ Ramada Costa Del Sol Lima Airport ♦ Sheraton Gateway ♦ Starwood Hotels ♦ Travel
I love the Fairmont Hotel in the Vancouver (Canada) airport. When our flight was delayed, we went back to the hotel and took a nap. And, on another trip, we loved just walking down in the morning (after coffee in bed) and right to our gate. Makes for a stress-free day, no? Love your posts. Sorry about the sand flea incident!!
Thanks for your comment, Irene. And thanks for visiting the blog.
I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Fairmont at Vanc Airport, but I certainly love Fairmont Hotels, so I can imagine that it would be lovely, and oh-so-convenient when you have an early morning flight out of Vanc.
I agree with you when it comes to staying at an airport hotel. I use to travel a great deal for work and one the place I frequented was Baltimore. There is a Four Points Sheraton at the airport. It was my favorite hotel to stay while in Baltimore. The food was amazing and service was the best in the area. It was also at the airport making my early flight back home a breeze.
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Thanks so much for your comment, Susan.
I’m sure you’ve made the folks at Starwood very happy. They’ve been known to read my blog from time-to-time.
I’ve never been to Baltimore, but you’ve given me a reason to add it to my list. Do they have any good chocolate???
I didn’t realize that you were also a Canuck..whoo hoo! I live in Alberta, so we are almost neighbors ^-^
I have to be honest and say that I have not traveled in many many years, but I remember those days with a great deal of fondness and reading about your experiences brings back many memories.
um, maybe next time you go anywhere, I could make myself small and travel in one of your suitcases? no? sigh, well I tried!
Diane ( Blogneta) recently posted..Talk about Pet Peeves| My Top 3 Pet Peeves
Thanks for dropping by the travel blog, Diane. I love AB. I think we’ll be in Calgary in Sept. Have good friends there. I’m glad I love to travel as I certainly do enough of it!
I don’t think I have any room in my luggage. It seems these days I always have to leave room for the chocolate on the return journey home.
did I just hear you say chocolate? In that case I certainly won’t blame you for not wanting to have a stowaway… I love Belgium chocolate, dang now I am getting a choco – fix coming on….lol
Have fun!
Diane ( Blogneta) recently posted..Talk about Pet Peeves| My Top 3 Pet Peeves
Diane: This blog is basically about chocolate travel. Check the archives! You will find tons about great places to find amazing chocolate. Including Belgium!
I’ll be talking about Peruvian and Ecuadorian chocolate over the next couple of months. Let’s just say … I was impressed!
Good to hear your recommendations Doreen , and glad you had a good trip. I’ve rarely had to stay at an airport hotel – usually do the schlepp in from the nearest town. Really good to hear about the Rome Hilton as I love Italy.
A.K.Andrew recently posted..Writing Like Steinbeck
Thanks for dropping by, A.K.
Yes, I love Italy, too. One week just wasn’t enough! Will have to try and get back to launch my book as Italy has some amazing chocolate!
I never stayed in an Airport hotel. Mainly because I never went to see foreign countries, without having a relative there. Your blog makes me think of taking advantage of airport hotels when we go to see Europe. I think, it will take a long time for us to go….
Bindhurani recently posted..Weekend trip to Webster’s falls and Tews Falls
Hi Bindhurani: Travel is quite infectious. Once you begin to travel for the sake of exploring new places and things and not for the sake of visiting family, it will take on a whole new light and have a whole new attraction for you. The possibilities are endless as are the wonderful things you will learn and explore. And as I have taught my husband … it doesn’t have to be expensive!
Granted, some destinations are more expensive than others. And yes, on the whole Europe can be quite expensive. But, wow! Is it ever worth the cost and effort.
I generally hate airport hotels because of the ugliness that surrounds them and the price you have to pay for convenience. But I must say that the airport Ramada Costa del Sol in Lima (despite the deceiving title) was an exception. They really looked after us! Not only was the Pisco Sour one of the best, it was complimentary. Roger often ends up there too, so much so that on our latest Visa bill we couldn’t figure out if the Costa del Sol charges were his or mine! The quality of the service is even more surprising because they have a captive audience: North American flights come in to Lima at night, but flights to the main tourist areas such as Cusco don’t start leaving until the next morning.
In a similar vein, Toronto’s Pearson is finally improving their food offerings: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/trends/trends-features/dining-at-torontos-pearson-airport-will-get-a-big-upgrade/article2397382/. I can’t wait.
Yes, I was surprised at the excellent service and quality of the food and drink at the Costa Del Sol. And the fact that the restaurant was open 24/7. That is really amazing and commendable. So often, hotels don’t cater to guests who arrive at odd hours, but like you say, Virginia, I guess they are used to people coming in late and leaving early, so they’re right on top of things. No need to order off a lousy room service menu when you can eat (and drink) in the comfort of a lovely resto.
Glad to hear Pearson is expanding their food offerings. For a large international airport, they definitely were lagging behind many other airports.
For me, staying at an airport hotel is a good idea for travelers since it can save you a lot of precious time especially if you are boarding a flight soon.
Appreciated blog. Thanks for posting this blog.
I have to admit that I haven’t *yet* had a good experience but I’m highly likely to try this chainnow that you’ve reviewed it! I often do have to stay at an airport so I’ll try and swing one at onbe of these places!
(dofollow)
Mostly About Chocolate Blog recently posted..Pink Marc de Champagne Truffle Easter Egg
Thanks for dropping into the blog, Judith.
Just wait until the next few posts, when I’ll talk about my chocolate travels in Peru and Ecuador. So many amazing discoveries …
Sounds like you’ve been eating some pretty terrific chocolate creations, too. Enjoy!
Traveled from Italy last month and had a lovely overnight at the Holiday Inn Malpensa. It’s a few miles from the airport, but a wonderful, quiet property with caring hotel staff. Live and Learn: there’s a Sheraton at Malpensa that hadn’t shown up on the searches! Next trip we’ll try there and I’ll click back for an update. Peru? Ecuador? What a trip!
Hi Rose and thanks for dropping by the blog.
It’s wonderful how we’re developing such an amazing group of chocolate-loving travellers!
Stay tuned for lots of posts about South America. It was quite the trip!
I’ve stayed at the Four Points Sheraton Airport Hotel in Winnipeg many times. It is actually one of my favorite Winnipeg hotels (I’ve stayed in quite a few different ones over the last few years)! Rooms are nice, and the food from the restaurant is quite good. I live 4 hours from Winnipeg and most times we fly out early morning so staying close to the airport is essential. I recently stayed there on my way to Florida and I must say I do miss the enclosed walkway attached to the old airport. It was so easy and convenient. That being said, the new Winnipeg Airport is beautiful and worth the short walk outside or the shuttle. I will definitely stay there again and recently I signed up for their frequent rewards program.
Thanks for sharing your comment, LGB. It’s always great to hear from you.
Yes, it’s a shame that we had to sacrifice the attachment of the hotel when they built the new terminal, but as you say … the Winnipeg Airport is now worldclass, so it was worth the exchange.
Hope you enjoyed your trip to FLA.
The best layover experience I’ve had was at the Frankfurt airport when I took the high speed train ( just 20 minutes) to Wiesbaden where I bathed in thermal waters that date back to 1st century AD for just $15.
Michele Peterson recently posted..Maya waterfall hike in Chiapas, Mexico
Right on, Michele! It’s great to make the most of our time when we have layovers. There so much to discover, and we can often see and do much in just a few hours!
Nice webpage. I got a lot of good info. I’ve been following this topic for a bit. By the way, have you noticed much impact since Google made their most current improvement?
Hello, Rene. Thanks for your comment. No, I haven’t noticed any significant change in traffic to the blog. It’s slowly growing thru word of month and my efforts on social media platforms such as Twitter, LI, Google+ & now Pinterest.
I have sometimes stayed at an airport hotel the night before a flight, but I can’t remember anything spectacular about them. However, I do agree with you that it helps to stay there if you have an early morning flight. You just get up and go and no messing with traffic.
I am interested in this pisco sour you had in Peru. I have never heard of those but the picture makes it look like a tasty drink.
I like your blog.
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Thanks so much, Bethany. I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog.
No, you don’t hear too much about Pisco Sours here in North Am. I think it’s because they’re made with Pisco, a Peruvian brandy that is not too widely distributed. The drink is somewhat similar to a Whiskey Sour. I’d love to be back in Lima enjoying them, as I know there is much of the city that I have yet to discover. Stay tuned!
I haven’t had the need to stay at an airport hotel, yet. Mostly because I book hotels in advance within the city so I can roam around to see city attractions easily. Longest I have spent at an airport must be at Toronto waiting for my flight back to Calgary
Anyway so far I’ve only heard good things about Sheraton.
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Hi Shamis: Airport hotels are ideal when you only have a short stopover in a city and need to get up at an ungodly hour to catch a flight. I’ve found them to be most convenient in that regards, ad have made some great discoveries along the way!
And yes, you can’t go wrong with a Sheraton hotel,. I’ve always enjoyed my stays at Starwood Properties, the parent org of Sheraton and W hotels.
Doreen,
I had the pleasure of staying at the XXXXXXX LAX Airport this weekend, to attend a Miles and Points seminar for travel geeks like myself. But, I say pleasure, not because the hotel itself was such a treat, but because they happen to have a glitch in their system, whereby when you book this particular hotel, then use the BRG, best rate guarantee, they somehow zero out how much you are supposed to pay, and write the rate in a small box on their screen in which the desk clerks don’t read, and then when you go to check in, it looks like you owe $0 and they don’t charge you! Plus I was signed up for their “get one night free” promo! Now that is a great airport hotel!
The thing that i liked about airport hotels is time saving and also less chances of being missed the flight. I found that these hotels are little expensive however we can look for the best deals available online. Doreen, I really like your current writing topic:Chocolatour…
looking forward for more post..
Thanks for your comment, Kerry. Yes, airport hotels can certainly be expensive, but I think the convenience outweighs the cost.
We have another night booked at the Sheraton Gateway in Toronto in a few nights and know it will be a comfortable and convenient way to end our amazing trip to St. Lucia.