Staying at the Radisson Blu Stansted: a review

This stay was gifted as a PR stay, however I have stayed at the Radisson Blu Stansted Hotel as a paying guest several times over the years.

London is amazing in that it has so many airports. For some very popular travel destinations you have a choice of where to fly from but for others, there is no choice. When flying to Perugia, our only option is to fly from London Stansted Airport. And of course they’re really early flights! So what do you do when your flight is before 8 am? You stay at an airport hotel, of course! Read my honest review of the Radisson Blu Stansted – our hotel of choice when flying from Stansted.

Located just a 5 minute walk from the airport terminal, the Radisson Blu Stansted is a great option for early flights. No need to get a shuttle bus or taxi! Of course the close proximity does mean that it’s probably more expensive than other hotels that are just outside the airport but this convenience is a price I’m more than happy to pay for!

When you enter the hotel, you’re greeted by a bright open space with three check-in desks and the striking Wine Tower Bar just behind – which looks just as impressive from the ground floor to the top floor.

Check-in was really quick and in no time we were in our fabulous Premium Room with its ‘Business Class’ sign by the door, which I thought was really cute. Whenever we’ve stayed at the hotel before, we’ve just booked a Standard or Superior Room but now that I’ve had a taste of Business Class, that’s the only room I’ll book now!

The room is quite large at 25 m² and is stylishly decorated. I really liked the colour palette of white, grey, charcoal and pops of yellow. There are some lovely design touches too, such as the framed art print with a Banksy vibe and USB plug points at the bed – so handy.

The King-sized bed is huge and very comfy. At first I thought the pillows looked a bit small but they were actually fine. One of the best features of the room – for me – was the fluffy dressing gown and slippers!

As we checked in fairly early, we decided to head down to the Pace Health Club to get in some relaxation time. We had spent the week organising our move to Italy and we were both emotionally and physically exhausted so a swim in the spa and alternating between the steam room and sauna was just what we needed to recharge our batteries. They offer spa treatments too and there’s even a relaxation room.

After some time at the Health Club it was time to head up to the room and get ready for dinner. The bathroom is equipped with premium bathroom amenities as well as a large shower with a rain shower head, which always feels luxurious! The water pressure and temperature were perfect too. And then putting on the dressing gown and slippers afterwards was the cherry on the cake.

One of the things we love about staying at the Radisson Blu Stansted is a having a drink before dinner at the stunning Wine Tower Bar. There was even a live singer to entertain us! As well as a bar, you can also choose to eat dinner here if you wish. We had a glass of Prosecco each to toast our last night in the UK and to our new life in Italy, while soaking up the buzz of the bar.

The Radisson Blu Stansted has three dining options: room service, the Wine Tower Bar or Collage Restaurant. We chose to eat at Collage Restaurant, which doesn’t take bookings but as I was on a PR stay they had reserved a table for us. Not only that, they had spelled my name out in Scrabble letters! So adorable. My husband couldn’t stop smiling. He thought it was the cutest thing ever.

The menu is quite eclectic, so there’s something for everyone. We started with the vegetable gyoza and the Korean chicken. Both were yummy but I definitely preferred the chicken!

And of course, with it being our last night in the UK we both had to go for the fish and chips – a British classic. The portion was very generous! The batter on the fish was crispy and the fish was perfectly cooked. The tartar sauce worked perfectly with the fish and I loved the mushy peas with a hint of mint.

Even though we were quite full, we were tempted by the chocolate fondant so ordered one to share. It was so gooey and delicious! A great way to end off the meal. The food was really good and the service was excellent. A big ‘thank you’ to our lovely server Deekshitha and to the supervisor, Daniella, for such a wonderful evening.

With full bellies we were off to bed. Usually I sleep quite badly before a flight as I’m a bit of an anxious flier but I had a fantastic sleep. I didn’t wake up at all until our alarm went off at 5:30 am. Must be testament to the comfy bed! Sadly our flight was too early for us to enjoy breakfast but I’m sure it’s great – based on our experience at dinner.

If you’ve got an early flight from London Stansted I highly recommend booking yourself in to the Radisson Blu Stansted. And pack your swimming costume so you can enjoy the Health Club and de-stress before your flight!