We're Leaving on a Jet Plane: Customs in London & Yotel Hotel Layover

This is part 3 of a 5 part series of blog posts about Sarah and my physical journey to Israel.

Introduction
Virgin Atlantic from Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR)
Customs in London & Yotel Hotel Layover
El Al from London (LHR) to Tel Aviv (TLV)
Conclusion
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To say customs was a breeze in the UK would be an understatement. It was just incredibly easy. We walked off the plane through some hallways and into the customs area. Not surprisingly, the "Visitors/Non-citizen's" line was much shorter than the Citizen's line. When we walked up to the counter, I was completely prepared to get asked a full on "El Al" style interrogation, so I had the Yotel reservation ready in my pocket. Turns out, it was not necessary. The woman was very nice, asked us what we were doing in the UK, we mentioned the Yotel, she stamped our passports and we were on our way. It took us less than 5 minutes from the time we entered the customs hall until we were moving again. Not bad.

After taking a train between terminals and a short escalator ride, we were at the Yotel. It really is amazing how we walked a short while and suddenly, we felt like we were completely out of the airport, even though we were still at Heathrow.

We walked into the Yotel but were unable to use the automated check-in kiosk (it looked like an ATM) since we arrived about a half hour earlier than anticipated. Instead, we walked up to the desk and checked in. Since the Yotel only has about 20 rooms, it was not a long walk to our room.

The room was quaint, very small, but absolutely perfect for what we needed. We had wifi, a shower, a bed to relax on, power that accepted American plugs - everything we wanted to relax for a few hours. If we had wanted, there was 24/7 food room service available, but we were not hungry. Nevertheless, it was great to know it was there. And hey, for about $50, the room was an INCREDIBLE value and something we would do again in a heartbeat.

NOTE: to get a better idea of what our room looked like, check out the video posted on this previous post.

When it was time to get back to the airport to check in for our next flight, we took the train back to Terminal 1. The cultural difference between the US and the UK, even on something as simple as the train connecting the terminals was remarkable. For example, the voice over on the train felt much more calming in the UK. Also, we realized that people don't only drive on the left side, they also walk on the left side of the hallway.

We finally arrived at the terminal, we checked in with El Al, but that's for the next post.