Hounslow lowdown: discovering Heathrow’s surrounding area

If you’re looking to fly into Heathrow Airport – either for visiting the UK capital for leisure or for business or work purposes – then there is a chance you’ll like the idea of finding accommodation as near to the airport as possible.

Different people choose different accommodation in and around London for different reasons, of course, but the idea of staying near the airport you’ll fly in and out of (and take advantage of its area’s excellent transport links to get to and from the city) may very appeal to you. To that end then, choosing a hotel in Hounslow like the Park Grand Heathrow hotel may well be just the ticket for you.

Indeed, Hounslow, the small town that’s nearest Heathrow, in which you’ll find many hotel properties, is more than a decent, well-appointed London suburb – here’s our guide to the place…

Transportation

As mentioned, Hounslow’s primary appeal for visitors – and those staying in the area – is the combination it enjoys of its proximity to Heathrow and its excellent transport links to and from the UK capital on its doorstep. For instance, Hounslow mainline railway station affords travellers access to the major London station that’s Waterloo, while the area’s trio of London Underground (‘Tube’) stations – Hounslow West, Hounslow Central and Hounslow East – are all served by the Piccadilly line. Nearby too, it ought to be mentioned, the District Line and London Overground (railway line) run through nearby Chiswick, which ensures an alternative speedy option to get into the heart of Central London.

Attractions

It’s not just about accommodation and transport options in Hounslow, however, because the place and its wider borough also boasts a good deal of fine retail, eating out and pub/ bar and a number of enviable attractions too. These include:

• Hounslow Heath – a nature reserve of 200 acres; although the original Heath comprised more than 4,000 acres

• Hounslow urban farm – 29 acres in size; one of the capital’s largest community farms features many fabulously furry critters for all the kids to make friends with, such as alpacas, pigs and peacocks

• Osterley Park and House – one of the only country estates in London that remains as it was in centuries past, its gardens, farmland and the great mansion itself are presented to visitors exactly as they would have looked almost 250 years ago.

Regeneration

Finally, Hounslow’s a place that’s very much looking to the future. Its proximity to the airport, its business and economic hub and its large number of visitor accommodation options (including many a Heathrow Airport family hotel, like the Best Western Park Grand London Heathrow) means that as much as £3.7 million is currently being invested in the town and its surrounding area. This includes plans to redevelop the town centre by 2021; a central plank of this scheme being the Hounslow High Street Quarter scheme, which is all about the building of 525 homes – all in all this construction scheme’s expected to be completed by the end of 2020. It ought to be pointed out as well that the wider Hounslow borough’s undergoing several regeneration plans at present, including in the surrounding areas that are Brentford, Chiswick and Feltham.