Last updated on March 17th, 2016 at 01:49 pm
Sometimes “less” isn’t “more” when it comes to prices for travel. “Cheap” is a buzzword these days and travel websites bombard us with deals, cheap flights, cheap hotels, cheap car rentals. Where this may make all of these things seem like the best choice many times cheap isn’t best. Radisson Blu London Stansted Hotel helped us learn spending a bit more can add up to great value for money.
We have been disappointed in cost for value staying in hotels many times. This taught us to spend as little as possible on hotel rooms to avoid disappointment and pain in the pocketbook. Choosing the cheapest hotel finally bit us in the ass, though, and we will never look at a cheap hotel stay as the best option ever again!
Here’s the story, our flight time to Fort Lauderdale from Panama was at 3 am, the flight was a great price so we decided to accept the ugly departure time. We thought staying in a hotel close to the airport was a good idea given the early flight time. We searched for the closest hotels and there were two options, one expensive and one cheap. We instinctively chose the cheap one. We did visit the cheapest hotel before booking but didn’t ask to see a room (our first mistake).We settled for the cheaper hotel thinking “this will be good enough” (2nd mistake). The place we booked was horrible; the room, the service and, in the end, the value for the money was horrible.
We learned from our experience so when we were leaving London on a 6 am flight and we wanted to book close to the airport we made our choice based on brand reputation and customer reviews. We decided on the Radisson Blu London Stansted Airport. Room rates were more than what we usually spend on accommodation but the service, comfort, and convenience made this hotel great value for the money.
We had our onward flight to Romania from Stansted Airport booked for the day after our house sit in Bury St Edmunds was finished. We were flying early so we wanted accommodation at Stansted Airport to make our travel day less stressful. We decided on the Radisson Blu London Stansted because of travelers reviews and convenient access to the airport, we could walk from the Radisson to catch our flight!
We arrived at the Airport by train and after five minutes walking arrived at the Radisson. It was love at first site! We knew we were in for a special stay just looking at the outside.
As we rolled off the train and approached the Radisson, it was the first time in a long time we felt excited to stay in a hotel!
The lobby was stunning! The wine bar in the middle was the highlight. Angels Wine Tower Bar boasts a lit glass tower, three stories high that holds thousands of bottles of wine. When a bottle of wine is ordered a tower “angel” is raised to retrieve it. The angels perform artistic acrobatic moves making every order an exciting show.
A truly impressive display.
The room was very comfortable and quiet. You would never know you were right beside the airport! We all slept well in luxurious beds complete with premium bedding, and peaceful quiet.
We enjoyed spending time in our room. It was comfortable to work and the internet was fast!
Radisson Blu offers all guests free access to the PACE Health Club. You can work out in the gym, and luxuriate in the pool, sauna or steam room. It’s a great place to de-stress before or after a flight. All the amenities are first rate at PACE. You can purchase a variety of beauty treatments or massage at the Indulgence Spa to complete your relaxing experience.
Mak did his first backstroke in this pool!
The Radisson Blu London Stansted has three in-house restaurants. Angels’ Wine Bar, Filini, and New York Grill Bar. Something for every taste. The Super Breakfast Buffet is offered each morning and includes traditional English breakfast offerings and everything you could possibly want for breakfast. We were impressed with the vast selection of breakfast foods including gluten free options! There were eggs three ways, four types of sausage, cooked mushrooms, waffles, and pancakes, regular and Canadian back bacon, fried potatoes, a huge fresh fruit bar, a variety of cheeses and cold meats, a selection of cereals and yogurts, five types of juices, breads, bagels and pastries including gluten free choices. It was outstanding! We didn’t need lunch after this meal, we were all full until dinner.
What impressed me the most about the Radisson Blu Stansted was the genuine caring shown by staff members we encountered during our stay. Having worked in the customer service for over 20 years this means the most to me. The service, comfort, and conveniences at the Radisson Blu London Stansted Airport make it excellent value for the money in our books.
A bad experience changed our approach to booking accommodation and Radisson Blu changed our perspective on good value for money. Thank you Radisson Blu! We look forward to staying with you again.
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Fabulous post, thanks for sharing x