August 15, 2015
We exchanged fond goodbyes with our fellow travelers on the Rick Steves' "Ireland" tour, and took a 25-minute cab ride from Buswell's Hotel to Dublin Airport, arriving shortly after noontime thanks to a good driver and very light traffic mid-day on a Saturday.
Photo: Aer Lingus check-in. Much faster than it looks.
After checking our bags with Aer Lingus in less than fifteen minutes and breezing through Security even faster, we waited for our flight in the lounge area outside the Jameson shop, where they were serving free samples of Jameson's newest whiskey, Caskmaker, aged an extra six months in casks used previously for Guinness. Caskmaker is only available in Ireland right now, but it may be coming to the U.S. as early as October, according to the Jameson representative.
I commented to John how much quieter it is in Dublin's airport terminals than in Boston's and in other U.S. airport terminals we've visited. Why? First, there are very few announcements, and when you hear them they are spoken calmly and in a quiet voice; second, people are not talking on cell phones constantly; in fact, I didn't notice very many cell phones in use anywhere during our travels; and third, children are well-tended and well-mannered as a rule. What a difference that makes!
Our Aer Lingus flight boarded with the same ease and efficiency as the previous flight, but I was disappointed to find the seats I booked were not in an exit row. On an Airbus 319, this is a bad mistake. (Later, I learned there had been an equipment change. I had booked exit row seats, but on an aircraft with a different seating configuration.) John and I had aisle-aisle seats. I had the misfortune of sitting next to two young men with terrible colds. The one in the middle seat, kissing-close to me, spent the entire hour-long flight sniffling, snarfing, coughing, wiping his nose with the back of his hand - and on his sleeve - biting his nails, and talking to his friend. It was airplane hell. Honestly, the guy was the most disgusting seat-mate ever.
Photo: John was crushed into a seat too small for anyone over 5'8".
Photo: Remember the Airbus 319. Avoid it if you can.
Photo: Seats are ridiculously close together.
Photo: There is hardly any padding on the seat cushion.
Photo: There is even less padding on the seat back - and virtually none for the lower back.
These were the worst airplane seats ever! If I did not have the "Cold One" to flatten and firm the seat bottom and "Bucky" (a bear filled with buckwheat hulls) to provide lumbar support, an hour on the Airbus 319 would have caused lasting back pain.
Photo: I found another use for the "Cold One." It makes a strong sling to hold my backpack to the suitcase handle.
Photo: Heathrow Terminal 2
We landed at Heathrow after a delay due to air traffic. I hope I didn't catch what the guy next to me had, but how could I avoid it? Guess I'll know in a few days. Eeeyuk! Next time I travel overseas, it will be by sea. Seriously.
A note about transportation:
I was unable to find a complete system map for the Heathrow Express online. It may be too complex to render in a single image. There is an app, but I didn't have it at the time. The map I did find online (above, cropped) seems to be out of date, but it gives a sense of the route pattern between Terminals - not a simple star or ring pattern, which is probably why it confounded me.
Our flight from Dublin arrived at Heathrow's Terminal 2. To get from Terminal 2 to the Sofitel at Terminal 5 there was a choice between a shuttle bus and the Heathrow Express train. We wanted to experience the train but had a little trouble figuring out how to manage it. In the end, it worked like this. The route by Heathrow Express from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5:
(1) In Terminal 2, follow signs to a lift marked Heathrow Express Terminal 5.
(2) Go down to Platform One and take the train servicing Terminals 2, and 3 to the next stop. (Terminal 1 service has been suspended.)
(3) Go up in a lift and look for another lift marked Heathrow Express Terminal 5.
(4) Go down in that lift and wait on the platform for the Heathrow Express train to Terminal 5.
Heathrow Express trains are free between terminals; however, the train to Terminal 5 offers express service by ticket to Paddington Station after the free stop at Terminal 5.
I was glad of the many Heathrow employees on duty to guide us through the terminals. They made sure we got where we needed to go. We found the Sofitel easily after we arrived in Terminal 5.
I had booked the Sofitel Heathrow at Terminal 5 based on Trip Advisor reviews, so my expectations were high - and all of them were exceeded. This is a true five-star luxury hotel. From check-in to check-out, everything was perfect.
Etched glass, marble, metal, and wood combine to create a sparkling contemporary interior steeped in elegance. Add a superbly trained staff, soft classical music, thoughtful lighting, champagne bar, gourmet dining, world-class spa, and Sofitel's Club Millesime and you have my idea of perfection.
Our room was ultra-modern and deeply luxurious. The gorgeous, spa-like bathroom (where mirrors never steam up), the crisp linens (but oh so soft), immaculate housekeeping, accurate temperature control, super-clean air, excellent soundproofing (no noise whatsoever), top-notch security (elevator and in-room features key-controlled), and a long list of services available to guests made us wish we could stay much, much longer.
The Sofitel Heathrow is only 21 minutes from Paddington Station by Heathrow Express, and the train is easily accessible from inside the hotel, so the Sofitel makes a great home base when visiting London.
The room I booked came with access to Club Millesime, a private lounge serving continental breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening hor d'oeuvres with wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks - all free of charge. Unlike clubs of this kind in many other hotels where food is served out of a package or a microwave, the food at Club Millesime was gourmet quality, freshly prepared in a kitchen, and plated with the same care it would be for a formal dining room buffet.
The environment and food in the Club were so agreeable, John and I spent several hours there before retiring for a good night's sleep.
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