This Heathrow Airport Hotel is considered a celebrity favorite (Image: Getty)
Harass the handling of large passport cues, lost battles of luggage, and shouting baggage in volumes cut out. We all love to run away, but the airport? Not that much. That's the obstacle course we endure through gritted teeth. With all the screams of “Take off your shoes”! Jacket off! Electronics from the bag!
Heathrow Airport has been declared by many as the most stressful place on the planet, but I have found a hidden heaven of peace and tranquility just a few minutes' walk from there. There is good reason why, as I'm trying to find, this place is rumoured to be a hangout for sleep-deprived celebrities before and after a trip. At the Hilton Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 Hotel, it is technically difficult to believe you are close to London as it is hard to find a place to be.
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Airport hotels are a haven of tranquility compared to the fuss and busts of Heathrow Airport (Image: Chloe Govan)
The confusion in the carousel of luggage is replaced by the sounds of birds, the fuss of water fountains, and the tranquility of a secret garden filled with homemade fruits, vegetables and herbs.
The fresh and clean air is one million miles away from the pollution emitted on busy London streets, but it is still very close to the capital. I took a quick look at the chef's garden and he said I would go for a snack when it comes to dinner. 80% of the ingredients in the salad were grown on the premises.
Oxbo Kitchen Restaurant – less than a minute's walk from the garden where all the magic happens – offers a real field-to-folk experience in the most unexpected places. Homemade honey is everywhere, from breakfast tables to restaurant's signature dinners. This is thanks to the suffering of the hotel's 160,000 residents honeybees.
I recommend sharing the starter. Hot Honey Baked Camembert comes with toasted sourdough bread. The honey roast chicken dish on the grill menu is equally tasty.
Dining at the airport hotel (Image: Chloe Govan)
Meanwhile, the possibility of suffocating toast with homemade honey gave me a reason to wake up in the cracks of dawn for my absurd, quick flight without complaining.
Elsewhere, 70-80% of the appropriately named ingredients for Oxbo House Salad are sourced directly from the garden, including baby gemlettes, tomatoes, radish, sweet corn, and onions.
Another luxurious starter that stood out from the dinner menu was the sticky garlic squid. With generous help of crispy capers and lemon and fresh parsley, you guessed it – the garden.
Anyone craving a meaty dish is filled with ordering free-range pork chops with crushed new potatoes, apple rimulado and sage brown butter. Homemade ingredients for this dish include chives, apples and sages. Meanwhile, a flavourful plate of tenderstom broccoli completes the east feast with garlic and chili peppers on the sides.
My dark chocolate mousse dessert, accompanied by biscuit crumble and whipped cream, was accented with raspberries and blueberries grown on the premises just seconds away.
Delicious Honey Grilled Camembert Cheese Food (Image: Chloe Govan)
Finding a way to a plate for hungry guests Other produce in the garden include beetroot, garlic, green onions, spring onions, spinach and kale, as well as herbs such as coriander, mint, sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano, and also appear on the menu, as well as Hilton branded gin.
The ingredients are less fresh and you don't travel from afar, so there's no need to load up any chemical preservatives. The difference in taste from the average restaurant is huge. And I had a flight to catch, but it would have been worth the trek to Heathrow Airport due to the quality of the food alone.
Are you coming back from a scorching winter sunset holiday just to feel your heart sink when landing in cold England and raining? It's not a problem. There's no need to even step outside, so the hotel is connected directly to Terminal 4 via covered passages, whisking straight from the airport into a secret paradise sanctuary.
As other passengers moan and reluctantly reach for the umbrella, those staying here don't have to be soaked in the knowledge that the holiday is not over, and at least for the day.
Whether you're rewind and stressed after a long inbound flight, or getting an early evening before the outbound to avoid a painful 3am start, this hotel (a hotel just 30 minutes from Paddington, London) fits the bill.
However, with Windsor Castle less than 10 miles away and Legoland is also nearby for those with children, the hotel could be a viable lodging spot in itself, even for those who are not planning on traveling abroad.
The racecourse at Kempton Park is less than six miles, with Bedfont Lakes Country Park and tennis and squash courts even closer. Meanwhile, on the premises, plump raspberries and giant melons are one of the fruits proudly displayed in the garden just outside the reception.
I loved restaurants so much that I definitely came back for an appetizing field two-fork meal, completely different to most London eateries. Food may direct the attention-grabbing lion share, but rooms will also be delivered. Even a standard room boasting a 50-inch flat-screen HD TV, soundproofing (a jet rug and an unconventional “nighttime” lifesaver), and extremely comfortable beds.
It was the last place I was hoping to find such a relaxing venue, combining the atmosphere of an organic foodie feast with a wellness retreat. It's easy to see why the hotel is a celebrity favorite trying to get caught up in front of and after a long flight – but why wait for the next holiday when this secret sanctuary could be a mini-break on its own?
