TRAVEL TEST

BY

NIGEL THOMPSON

WHAT: Sofitel hotel at Heathrow airport. Rooms from £171 a night with free wi-fi. all.accor.com WHERE: Linked to Terminal 5 by a walkway, an easy five minutes to departures/arrivals or the Heathrow Express and other public transport options. EXPERIENCE: The large five-star flagship property has 605 rooms and, after a friendly check-in, I was in my third floor Corner Suite within minutes.

What a room it was, with a huge bedroom fitted with a desk and TV, lounge with a TV, minibar with counter, a superb bathroom with power shower and bath (with a TV too!) and another separate loo; both with ESPA amenities. Add a kitchen and you could live there.

The bed was astonishingly comfortable, with sumptuous pillows and, even so close to the airfield, I heard no aircraft noise and the air con was whisper quiet.

After a beer in the airy Sphere bar I dined in the Vivre restaurant, which has an open kitchen.

If you’ve seen the tense movie Boiling Point – where a chef has a very public open kitchen meltdown – well, it was nothing like that with eight chefs calmly producing an array of fine dishes on what would have been a fully booked evening.

I started with a goat’s cheese and beetroot crottin (£12), with fishcakes, wilted spinach and chips main (£19 + £5) and, heroically, found room for the chocolate and blood orange sorbet dessert (£8.50). With a French Viognier white wine it was all superb, and a nod to attentive, but never intrusive, server Sheldon.

Facing a stupid o’clock check-in, I skipped breakfast and ate at the airport after I’d passed through security. The hotel was full for the Jubilee break, so there were a few short waits for check-in and bar service but the staff were admirably on top of it all. QUIBBLES: None.

VERDICT: Not the cheapest of course, but probably Britain’s best airport hotel. Excellent rooms, dining and service with a swish spa and pool – you are almost tempted to miss the plane and have a holiday here.