Bloc Hotel at Gatwick
 

Hi Dibbers,
We are heading off to Florida next year and as we will be in tow with 4 kids the group have decided to break our outgoing flight at Gatwick and stay overnight. I have stayed at the Sofitel in the North Terminal previously and enjoyed it but as we flying BA we will be leaving from the South Terminal so are considering using the Bloc hotel, on TA it's getting reasonable reviews but has anyone used it with a young family?

Many Thanks
Budmiester

It really doesn't matter which terminal you are flying from - they are a few minutes apart on the shuttle. That shouldn't influence which hotel you choose.

The Sofitel is lovely, as you probably know what you've said and is always my first choice. Bloc does look intriguing, due to the runway views, and I'd be tempted to give it a go for that reason.

We don't have kids, however we've stayed at the BLOC for our last 3 trips out of Gatwick as a couple.

We have stayed in the 'Aspire' room 2 times out of the 3 which is exactly the same as the 'Aspire Family' room but they just don't setup the bunk beds.. however you can easily open them out as they pull out from the wall, there was more than enough room for 4 people if required.

We stayed in the Runway Suite in March which only has a queen bed and no further beds, but if you do ever fly out as a couple this room I'd 100% recommend.

They do some great deals which include purple parking and breakfast etc but do note that the bathroom is just a wet room :)

Bozza and itsmeGAV thanks, I like the look of the hotel and think the kids will like the quirkinesses of the rooms. I noticed that it’s before security, are there child friendly restaurants and other things available before security?

Another vote here for the BLOC hotel at Gatwick, myself, DH & DD stayed last year and it was great place for the night. We ate at Giraffe the night before which I would also recommend, we also grabbed some drinks from Costa and after the meal went to the weatherspoons for a G&T before bed.

I find the parking an amazing deal with The Bloc. You literally pull up into valet and that's it. It's there when you get back. No shuttles. You also get premium access line for security and a book of vouchers. The staff are friendly, the hotel is clean and has a lovely smell and it's fab looking out the windows. The ease of everything is the perfect way to start the holiday. I ventured down to M&S for some beers and then we had breakfast at Weatherspoons.

There are limited eating choices before security.

One thing some do is walk, to the Hilton and enjoy the dinner buffet. It gets you in training for whats to follow and is good with kids options.

Garden Restaurant

Disney332

We were really happy with Bloc especially as we did twilight check in & then used the fast security which is only a few steps from the lift.

I hated the Bloc bathroom though - the lack of privacy having a glass door was not for me. I think I maybe an exception as I didn't see any reviews on TA mention this!

We used the Bloc for day rooms (at a very decent price) and they were excellent. All we wanted was a kip and some comfort for a few hours.

The only complication we had was that larger rooms were not available for day use and that meant our 4 adults and 2 children were spread over 3 rooms. Still worth it even then.

However you might want to check maximum occupancy per family room if you have 4 children

The Bloc and Sofitel are very different grade of hotel. That said, the Bloc is great. I live 5 minutes from Gatwick and work at the airport, but my sister who lives abroad and husband stayed with their 2 kids aged 6 and 8.

They paid a little extra for a runway view and they loved it. 7 of us spent the evening in their room watching the planes land, all piled on the bed! 4 years on my niece and nephew still ask when they can go back to the party bed hotel!