Thanks for getting back to me, Andy.
I will have a good look. Obviously, what we want is the easiest (and cheapest!!)
way to arrive and depart.
It seems like on airport parking would be our best bet so there would be
no need for transfers between parking and the airport?

Suzie,
All the car parks, whether on or off airport, require a bus transfer. The shortest is a 5 minute ride and various thereafter up to 15/30 minutes for the further off-airport car parks. The off-airport hotels that offer parking in their grounds will be in the 20 minutes to 40 minutes transfer bracket. Be aware that not all hotels provide the transfers and those that do have limited times and will charge for the transfer.
The airport hotels that offer parking require you to use one of the airport car parks and then get a transfer back to the hotel and then, unless you use the two that are actually linked to the terminals, another transfer to the terminal is required.

Cheers,
Ralph

Thanks Ralph. I looked at the holidayextra site and the choice is a bit overwhelming,
considering we have no knowledge of the area - the prices vary so much too!
We are not experienced travellers so do you think one of the two that are linked
to the North terminal would be our best bet?

Hi Suzie, the easiest are the Hilton and Sofitel but they are expensive those located 15 to 20 mins away are cheapest but need a transfer . If you booked one which was off site you would drive to that hotel and "check in" to let them know you have parked up and then get the transfer to the airport and fly off , on return you would get the transfer bus from the front of the airport and go to your hotel for your overnight stay. If you stayed on site for example you would go to Hilton and can park up while you "check in" an get your parking voucher , you then go to the car park which is on site and park up , there is a bus which picks up and takes you to the terminal entrance and then you can check in and fly off. On return you get your cases and go directly to the hotel which is linked by a walkway from the terminal , after your stay you would get the bus back to the car park .
The on site hotels are the quickest and most convienent to use , but using a hotel 15 mins away is not too much hassle . The hotels linked to the airport are Hilton at the south and Sofitel at the north but there is no problem staying at the Hilton and flying from the north and vice versa as the airport transit train is a quick and easy link . When I looked at some examples on site was about £160 total and off site were around £90 to 100 but also add on transfers each way .

Hi Suzie, I'm told that the Sofitel has its own car park on site , and have looked on their site http://www.sofitel.com you arrive at the hotel and drop your keys at the park and fly desk , they state in their t&c that the car may be moved to a long stay car park but I'm sure it would be brought back to the hotel car park on your arrival , or it may be kept in their own car park ? It might be best to phone them for a quote and check details etc . you would drive directly to the the hotel , drop off your car and then walk through to the north terminal and fly off , on return you would get your bags and go directly to the hotel , after your stay the car will be there for you to drive home , all seems easy !???? The price example is around £179 , but that is the easiest option. The hotel has good reviews and is very nice to stay at , hope this helps

Suzie, have a look at APH, we have used them for parking in the past and they have been very reasonable. They've got a hotel ten minutes from the airport and it would be worth your while seeing what they can do for you. All tthe best.

Les

Thanks Chaps - you have been so helpful.
We are thinking about booking an off airport hotel (due to the price!)
and a cab rather that a bus to get us to/from the airport.
That way, we can stay in a hotel on the night before and after with B&B.
Been quoted:- 2 nights hotel, 2 weeks parking plus taxi = £140.
Does that seem a good deal? x

Hi Suzie , that sounds a really good price , especially if you break it down , say taxi £10 , parking at £45 (£3 a day ) and each night at £ 42.50 , hopefully you will relaxed before your flight and holiday now and not feeling under pressure in driving home after your flight back .

Thanks Andy. That is exactly what we thought.
It should be more relaxing staying the night before the flight because
we will be close to the airport - in fact that way, our holiday will be extended
by 2 more days!!!
Once again, thanks for the input. Where would I be without HT?
still searching

Hi Suzie,

What time will you be arriving back from your holiday because if it's in the early hours you may have a problem. Most hotel check-ins aren't until 2pm although some would let you check in early (say between noon and normal check-in time). We've landed around 6am and asked before booking if it was possible to check-in shortly after to be told the only way to guarantee that would be to book the previous night also, which would obviously put the price up considerably. I also have a friend who was told the same thing. Some hotels say it may be possible to have an early morning check-in but it can't be guaranteed.

Thanks Shirley. I thought that could happen after looking at some hotel/parking sites that do not mention
24hr check in but I rang the hotel we are considering using and they said no problem and although
we won't be with them until just after midnight, we book that night (which we could have used after 4pm).
To be on the safe side I will book directly with the hotel rather than their Site.
I will let you know the outcome. x

that's fine Suzie if you're arriving after midnight and checking out by 11 am or whatever time check-out is. I was talking about arriving say 5 or 6am and wanting to stay there that night which means having to pay for 2 nights. If you're only there for a few hours then as you say you've already paid for 24 hours from the day before

That's an excellent price Suzie. I thought I'd done well with paying £65 for one night and parking for a week, before we go to Malta

Which hotel is it Suzie? we've stayed at a couple when flying from Gatwick. One good one was the Gatwick Worth hotel- they used their own minibus to get you to the airport and back. The Russ Hill was convenient too and you paid something small to get the bus from outside the hotel to the airport.

It's the Worth we're staying at this time Shirley

Good choice helen. I didn't realise you were flying from Gatwick.

Any advice on which of the 2 (or is it 3) Lounges (NT) to pick please?

Does Gatwick airport offer any deals please eg. free cuppa if you buy a sandwich, or buy one glass of wine get one free. There's always loads of stuff like this available from Bristol airport, but so far I haven't managed to find anything at Gatwick. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place

Have you tried the eat drink fly website the usually have some good deals Helen