London, UK
Qantas arrives at Terminal 3 at Heathrow and we are staying at the Sofitel Heathrow which is at Terminal 5. Our flight arrived on time just after 5am. We collected our luggage then followed the signs to immigration. Heathrow now has electronic machines installed just like in Sydney for citizens of countries with ePassports. This makes immigration really quick. There was no queue so a minute later and with no-one in customs we headed towards the train station to change terminals. We had purchased Oyster cards several years ago and take them with us each time we go to the UK. There are machines at every station to check the balance and top up either on card or with cash. Train travel is free between the terminals, but it is much easier to have an Oyster card to get through the gates. While it is necessary to tap on and off, no money is deducted.
Leaving our luggage at the Sofitel, we made our way back to the station. Central London is an hour from Terminal 5 but that didn't worry us. It was a really dreary day so I didn't feel at all guilty just shopping. I actually found a dress quite early on our expedition and celebrated with morning tea at a French Patisserie. However I really wanted to make sure there was nothing else I liked better so we did wander in and out of the High Street shops and also had a look at Westfield. Then it was off to the Whole food Market, an enormous shop on two levels at Kensington High Street which sells an amazing array of fresh food as well as organic food. Also personal care items and homeware things. It was really, really crowded. There were lots of food samples to taste - bread, biscuits, and cake as we walked through the doors. I found the lignonberry powder from Finland that I wanted. The Market has a gourmet bakery so we bought some delicious bread rolls and cheese for lunch. It was such a pity it was raining as it was impossible to sit in a park and enjoy.
Next stop, Hatleys, near Turnham Green station. At least it is on the way back to the airport! They didn't have too many pyjamas left in small sizes. By October the sales have finished. But I was able to buy some 2's, 3's, 5's and 6's. The twins won't wear any other pyjamas except Hatleys.
We were really starting to feel tired after our long flight and busy day so we caught the train back to Heathrow for an early dinner at the Sofitel and bed shortly after. Our dinner was delicious and the service excellent.
We had breakfast at the hotel the next morning. It was one of the best hotel breakfasts I've had. There was the usual buffet but all eggs and omelettes were made to order by a delightful chef. Tea and coffee were also made to order. My favourite though was the orange squeezer. The fresh orange juice was superb!
Sofitel Heathrow Terminal 5 - Room 2513
We were upgraded to a luxury king room although it looks the same as all the other rooms to me. The Sofitel is rather confusing as the number at the front, in my case '2', means Wing 2 and the '5' means 5th floor. The wings are all built around indoor courtyards and I don't like the indoor facing rooms as they are quite dark inside. My room was 513 in Wing 2 and it had an external facing window which I had requested. Tea/coffee/kettle with good sized mugs although I had to ask for extra tea bags as there was only one black and no green. The bed was very comfortable with good pillows. A safe, mini frig with 2 complementary bottles of water (no minibar which I prefer), iron (dry) and ironing board, Plenty of power points in easy to reach places, excellent lighting, 2 bathrobes and slippers and the coat hangars could be removed from the cupboard.
The bathroom is big and the large walk-in shower with both a rain shower and shower head has excellent pressure. Plenty of Espa toiletries, tissues, cotton buds, cotton balls, shower hat, large thick white towels, face washers and hand towels. I was impressed that the mirror didn't fog up while the shower was on. I searched everywhere for the hairdryer though. Not in the bathroom, not in the wardrobe. I finally found it in the very last drawer I pulled out - in the desk! It is bolted inside a drawer so it couldn't be removed. It was a little awkward to use but a good hairdryer nonetheless.