Non Sightseeing Motel Choice in London

I posted this on the UK, board, it was suggested I post it here instead:

We'll be landing at 10:45pm on Friday March 25, 2012, for a Princess cruise that leaves the next day. Since it appears we won't really have time for sightseeing in London, would you recommend staying in a hotel close to the airport (Heathrow), or close to the Southampton pier?

If you don't land until that late, I should think a hotel at Heathrow would be best and then travel down to Southampton in the morning. It will be very late indeed by the time you get out of the airport and it is quite a long drive to Southampton, maybe an hour and a half.

By the time you land and collect luggage all the bus and train transfers will have finished to Southampton so you will need a private transfer and expect to get there between 1.30am and 2am. Cheap hotels near the port are ibis and premier inn.

Suggest you stop at an airport hotel so you can get on either transfer to Waterloo for the train or coach or get a private transfer. Give yourself at least a couple of hours from central London to get to Southampton .

Thanks, we've actually decided to stay close to Heathow that night, and then take the tour bus that picks up up at the motel, takes us to Stonehenge for an hour, and then on to the Southampton port.