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WSSS/SIN - Singapore - Crowne Plaza - January 2026

Stayed a night at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.  Booked a runway view room.  All of these seem to be single rooms and not twins.  So I emailed a week before and asked them to add a roll away bed, which they happily did.  It’s expensive, but it’s by far the best placed hotel at SIN, and we only missed a couple of movements in around an 18 hour period.

The hotel is interconnected to T3.  We were allocated room 611 which is a bit lower than you’d ideally like 9th floor is the top floor, however they had nothing higher available. 
Rooms x02-x12 will give a similar view (and I guess on the lower floors too) except x01/x03/x05/x07 which face the wrong way. 
Room 909 - 912 offer the best views. Whilst 20C can't be seen from  the corridor outside the Sing AF A332 can be read off in the late afternoon.  Seletar arrivals and departures can be seen from the 9th floor as can Paya Lebar movements 

Runway view rooms overlook runways 02L/20R, so you won’t miss anything on this runway as they are right in front of you.  To see the other runways 02C/20C and 02R/20L you need to leave your room and look through a gap on the other side of the hotel landing (across the top of the swimming pool).   With electronics it is easy enough, however we had to keep using the internal fire escape staircase to get the height we needed (walking up to the 8th or 9th floor is helpful) – for the whole time we visited they were landing / taking off on the 02’s - with 02L and 02C being used for all movements and 02R not used at all.



WADD/DPS - Bali - Patra Bali resort and Villas - January 2026

My hotel of choice was the Patra Bali resort and Villas   https://www.thepatrabali.com/  .  The site is set in tropical gardens and palm trees with a large outside pool area. It is located next to the beach adjacent to the Western end of the airport runway, which juts out into the sea to the south of the resort. The way to do this is to get a sunbed that is close to the beach side of the resort. From there you can see any aircraft landing off the sea and anything lifting right in front of you when taking off East to West. That was the main direction during my time there, except for a few hours when the inbounds were off the sea.  From the sunbed it is possible to see aircraft taxying down to the sea end threshold, but since my last visit a lot of vegetation has grown along the runway edge , obscuring much of the taxying aircraft, so you need to be on the case using FR24. There is a gap near the end of the beach though that is very useful. Whichever direction though, if you are there full time you are unlikely to miss anything. I should say that this is not one for the photographers, the best place for you is the H Sovereign hotel at the other end of the runway. It’s a short Taxi/ Grab ride though so you can still stay at the Patra anyway.

I booked a Deluxe suite room number 432. There are 4 rooms in the block and this is at the top RH corner and with balconies on front and rear gave views of all outbounds whichever direction but not inbounds. If you book a ‘family room’ they will put another very comfortable bed in the lounge of the suite. The main bedroom has a double. Cost was £94 per night for two of us. Cheaper rooms are available but I don’t know what they are like. Staff are amazing and the food excellent, especially the outstanding breakfast.


Credit Dave Parker

RCTP/TPE - Taipei Taoyuan - Gateway City Suites - January 2026

The Gateway City Suites is sited just off the airport and is eleven stories high. Were given room 1014 which gave great views again nothing could be missed, any room facing the airport from 6th floor up would be just as good The building currently has scaffolding over the front but the protective netting is poor and did not affect viewing. This hotel is a cheaper option and is used by a number of Taiwanese tour companies. Therefore the breakfast and buffet meals are more Chinese orientated Western option is available and had no issues, This gives views into EVA maintenance but due to ground equipment reading aircraft is limited, It has no airport shuttle but cabs are very cheap and plentiful.


Credit Martyn Castle & Dave Hutt

EGLL/LHR - London Heathrow - Premier Inn Bath Road - January 2026

NOTE: This is not the Heathrow Premier Inn. 

The Premier + rooms that face the airport cost a few pounds more and are only double rooms, no twins and no family rooms face the airport. If you don't get or want to share a bed with your mate then you can walk to the glass walkway on floors 1 and 2 which have a settee and you can watch the aircraft land or take off right in front of you. You may want to put a camping chair in your car as sometimes there are others sat on the settee. In the summer you can sit on the grass bank at the top of the car park with your camping chair and watch the aircraft. 




KSAT/SAT - San Antonio - Crowne Plaza San Antonio Airport - January 2026

I spent one day here in late January. I picked the Crowne Plaza San Antonio Airport because it looked like it might have a good view of arrivals/departures. I was not disappointed with the views or the rate. I got the top floor for $99. All I had to do was ask for a room facing away from the freeway. (motorway) Luckily I was assigned the larger corner room, but any room on the top 3 floors I am sure would work. During my stay the two NW/SE runways were closed for construction so all that was available for use was the single crossing runway. You don’t miss anything on that runway, whether it be landing or departing. There are buildings that obscure the view on either end of the runway, but everything eventually comes into view. I will say that once the NW runway is active again, the arrivals and departures will be just overhead. For those into biz, you look right across to the Citation Service Center, but a good pole will be needed. It’s not a very busy airport, but if you need any Mexican Airlines or Biz, it might just be the spot.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/BZKkw7bFncBjgyhB6

Credit Ryan Hales


RCSS/TSA - Taipei Songshan - Riviera Hotel - January 2026

We stayed at the Riviera Hotel which has a roof top garden which will provide excellent photo landing shots even of the smallest types, The airport departures can also be seen from the roof garden. From the 6th or 7th floor any rooms facing the front road will all be good as everything passes right in front of you. We had room 612 a corner room that was just as good.

Credit: Martyn Castle and Dave Hutt

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TSa2xCF7uqT4Z84R7

EDDF/FRA - Frankfurt - Holiday Inn Gateway Gardens - January 2026

I’ve just spent a few days in Frankfurt and stayed at the Holiday Inn Gateway Gardens EDDF/FRA.

The hotel has 6th floors and during my stay the airport was on Easterly ops. The weather was not conducive to seeing much as Low Visibility Procedures were in place with mist, snow and low cloud most of the time. I requested a high floor south facing and Departures off 07C and 07R can be seen from the room (627) but you’ll need the help of electronic aids as no ground movements can be seen at all. The approaches to both 07R and 07C can be seen but very distant, and not many were seen due the weather. The Terminals and other airport buildings also block views of the aprons and Taxiways. Runway 07L can’t be seen nor can the approach be seen from this side of the hotel.  Runway 25R when in use for landings the approach path will be very close or just to the north of the Hotel.  

Having the S Bahn station nearby both to the airport and city was handy. If you do stay in the area for a day or two without a car and intend to go around Frankfurt, I would suggest the Frankfurt Card. It costs 13 euros and allows you a whole days travel (21 euros for 2 days) anywhere in the Frankfurt Area (including the airport) on the S, U Bahns, Trams and buses plus discounts on attractions/museums. For comparison, a single journey from Gateway Gardens to the Airport Terminal Railway Station (1 Stop) is just over 2 Euros. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SefBBEPSJEn9hSWy9 

Credit Adrian Broadbent

TBPB/BGI - Bridgetown - Little Arches Boutique Hotel, Christ Church - January 2025.

My wife and I have stayed here 6 times since February 2017. Whilst it is not at the airport, it is on finals for runway 09 and aircraft pass very slightly to the north of the hotel at 850 feet. Everything is readable with a normal set of binoculars and even at night aircraft are easy to see so it is not a question of spotting light bulbs at night. I’m unsure how visible aircraft would be from the hotel if departing from runway 27, but during my time staying at the hotel I’ve only ever known one landing and no departures from 27.

The hotel only has 10 bedrooms, and aircraft are visible from most without leaving the room. If you are in a room on the wrong side of the hotel, the use of SBS/FR24 and or Airband radio will give you enough notice to slip out and see aircraft. There is a restaurant (Café Luna) on the roof which is open to the public as well as hotel guests, and this has excellent views of landing aircraft. Whilst the hotel and café are well positioned to see aircraft, they are not in the best position for photos however a short walk will provide plenty of better spots.

Excluding aviation considerations, it is an excellent hotel. The standard of service is second to none and the management and staff will go out of their way to do make sure guests have a memorable stay. They are spotter friendly so you won’t get asked any questions. The food and service at Café Luna are excellent; both hotel and restaurant have won numerous awards. It is adults only.
So, lots of pros but three cons:
  • Because there are so many repeat guests, rooms book up a year or more in advance in advance so if you are thinking of a spontaneous holiday here, you are unlikely to be able to book.
  • It is not cheap.
  • Because it is a small hotel, the swimming pool is tiny, but the beach is only 50 yards away.
Alternatives: 30 yards to the north of Little Arches is The Abidah by Accra hotel which is a new build and opened post COVID.  It’s a much larger hotel and although I don’t know that much about it, I would guess that room availability would be better than Little Arches and prices lower. The hotel is still to the south of the 07 approach but a little closer. I would guess that rooms that face north would be the best option whilst rooms that are east or west facing would be OK but not as good. I strongly suspect that south facing rooms would have little or no view of aircraft.

There are also a number of hotels to the north of the 07 approach heading towards the Saint Lawrence Gap area. However the further west you go along the coast, the further away aircraft are. That means that you either need a fairly powerful telescope if you want to read off registrations or you rely on trackers etc. Nighttime viewing can also be reduced to just looking at “light bulbs”. All that said, any hotel with rooms that have a sea view as far west as the Dover Beach Hotel would fall into this category. As long as you can get a room looking in the right direction,  then the Bougainvillea Barbados would be fine. Ditto the Turtle Beach albeit this is currently closed for refurbishment.      

Credit Chris Mellon.


WMSA/SZB - Kuala Lumpur Subang - Mercure Glenmarie - January 2026

I am staying at the Mercure Glenmarie.  This time Room 718 which is South facing.  Any Room 723 to 718 offers the same view.  Nothing of the airport can be seen but departures pass close by.  Any Room on the 6th to 12th floor will offer the same views.

I checked out the bar on the 13th Floor and this faces South as my room does so no real advantage. Views of the airport are blocked by an adjacent building from the pool area next door.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uB5SRBRJETq6nCYL6

EDDF/FRA - Frankfurt - B'Mine - January 2026

The B’mine Hotel at Frankfurt Airport is located in Gateway Gardens which is a recently constructed district to the north of Terminal 2, where there is a cluster of hotels and offices.

It is a mid-range, boutique style hotel with a few quirks, including the car loft where you can take your car up in a lift and park it right next to your room. More conventionally, however there are also “normal” hotel rooms including mostly single rooms in a style akin to Citizen M.

I stayed over for one night on business in January 2026 and the hotel was an easy 13 minute stroll from the front of Terminal 2. There is also an S Bahn stop nearby (lines S8 and S9).

I booked a “Smart Room” which is the smallest of the rooms, effectively a single room. None of these rooms face the airport – they are city views but I knew that. For a €30 upgrade I could have got a “Smart Double” which does face the airport.

I’m not aware that there are any twin rooms available. For those with a car, as well as the car loft rooms, there is an onsite car park (I assume paid).

View from the room.

I was allocated room 719. The highest floor is floor 10.

East is to the top of the image, with the airport facing views on the left. The four smart double rooms on each floor are at either end.

As I mentioned all the smart rooms face away from the airport.

The room, above, with its bed by the window

Above is the view from 719 in the daylight. Arrivals to 25R (new runway) would come from right to left here. I wouldn’t go for a lower floor than this.

If, however aircraft are landing from the east (25’s) then this room, although facing away from the airport would provide a view of aircraft approaching the “new” runway.

There are however windows at both ends of the corridor facing east or west. The east window by the main lift lobby gave me a view of all inbounds to the 07’s and outbounds off 18 as they climbed above T2 at about 1500 feet.

Above is the lift lobby facing south.

Facing east from the 7th floor, lift lobby.

My visit was pretty much during the hours of darkness which made things really difficult so this is very much a summer hotel.

My room on the 7th floor was as low as I think you could go without other buildings getting in the way.

The Roof bar and Restaurant

This is located on the 12th floor with an outside terrace and panoramic views of the airfield.

I wandered up at 6pm hoping to secure a table by the window for dinner, I couldn’t, the restaurant was fully booked all evening. I was also told the outside terrace was closed. It wasn’t, it was fully open with people wandering on there to smoke.

I was accommodated for dinner and had a very nice burger at the bar, but there was no view and if you wanted to see something you’d have to run to the terrace.

Overall

It’s a decent hotel with probably the best views of Frankfurt Airport, it has a great view over T3, so when it opens later in 2026, this will also be a big appeal for it.

It’s also easily walkable from T2.

Some views from the terrace are below

There are a few caveats which I’ll summarise below.

  • This hotel would be much better in summer when there’s daylight and you can see things more easily from the bar, restaurant and actually eat outside on the terrace.
  • There is a lack of twin rooms and singles facing the airport, you will need a Smart Double “Planespotting” (or a Car Loft) if you want to spot from the room.
  • It is easy to spot from the lift lobby (daylight helps).
  • Go higher than the 7th floor for the best view
  • If you don’t want to eat in the restaurant, there’s a coffee and sandwich place on the ground floor, there are also restaurants and supermarkets nearby.
  • You can eat in the restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner as a non-resident, so if you want a few hours on the terrace, this is an option.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/CNTLpoWXKFv7xmH37

WMKP/PEN- Penang - Amari Spice Hotel - January 2026

The Amari Spice Penang is about 2 miles from the Airport.  I booked an Executive Room with City view.  Any room between  the 10th and 23rd floor facing this way will give views of the approach and departures but nothing on the ground as there is a wooded hill blocking the view.  I was upgraded to a suite so had 1921 which had a great view.  This also gave me Lounge Access which is on the 25th Floor. From here you can see stuff on the Ground as well as arr and deps.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/JetxsX26cmYL9wwR6 

Credit Mark Paulin

RJAA / NRT - Tokyo Narita - Narita Tobu Hotel - January 2026

I spent 2 nights in the Narita Tobu Hotel at Tokyo Narita Airport NRT / RJAA. I asked for a high room facing the cargo area because I felt that this runway had a better chance of covering all movements as the northern runway is used for arrivals usually. The hotel gave me room 1264,  This was a great position and allowed views as requested. It was a 2 bed room and is reasonably priced. There's was a lift near the room and the lift are allowed views over the northern runway to allow aircraft that may not been seen for a while to be seen. I used the hotel transfer bus to go to terminal 2 and its viewing area.
Photos are a view from room 1264.  Credit Neil Martin


WMKC/KBR - Kota Bharu - Perdana hotel - January 2026

The Perdana at Kota Bharu is about 6 miles from the airport. Any Executive Room in the tower above the 6th floor would give an unobstructed view of the approach to 14 which seems the prevailing landing runway. I had 8004 which is perfect. 


EGLL/LHR - London Heathrow - Marriott Courtyard - January 2026

The Courtyard at Heathrow is on Bath Road to the north of the airport.  Bath Road is a Street which runs parallel to Runway 27R/09L, albeit slightly set back and one which is famous for hosting the majority of LHR's hotels.  The Courtyard is at the east side of Bath Road, near the threshold for Runway 27R.

The body of the hotel runs north/south, so very little frontage is actually overlooking the airport.  There are 6 floors.  For my stay I was allocated a Superior Double Room, which came in at the same rate as a normal room - however I suspect that this was down to low demand with it being January.

The 6th floor only has a small number of rooms in comparison to the other levels as it also hosts the Sky Bar and PK Indian Restaurant.

I was allocated Room 605, which had a great side on (west facing) view overlooking Runway 27R/09L and parts of the terminal complex.  From the room you can also see 27L departures on climb out or 09R arrivals to about 500ft - then they disappear behind the terminals.  For views of 27L arrivals or 09R departures you would need to walk to the lift area that gives a view out to the east.  Rooms 601-609 will also have similar views to the room I had.  During my stay I was unable to access any other floors to assess other rooms...  if you do stay on floors 5 and below then please feed back.  I reckon floors 5 and maybe 4 will have similar views, although the lower you go the more the Best Western hotel next door will start to block things out.

During my stay I enjoyed an excellent pizza in the Sky Bar.  The Sky Bar has tables by the windows that give views to the to the east.  It's relaxed and serves drinks and food with an outdoor terrace that during the winter has the movable roof fixed in place.  The Sky Bar opens 1200-0000.  The PK Indian Restaurant overlooks the airport in all directions and has tables inside as well as outside (although in January the terrace is closed).  PK's only opens 1700 to 2230.  It is worth noting that if you are not staying you can still visit the restaurants and the hotel offers free parking for restaurant guests when spending over £30. 

All in all a very nice hotel with some great restaurants and some good views.


Views from the Lift Lobby / Sky Bar.
Views from the Lift Lobby / Sky Bar.
Lift Area.
View of 27L climb out from room 605.
Views to the west from room 605.
27R arrival from room.

EGLL/LHR - London Heathrow - Hilton Garden Inn - January 2026

This hotel is located about a 5min walk from the Hatton Cross tube station and is essentially located to the east side of LHR airport and between the approaches for Runways 27L and 27R.

The hotel has 7 floors and is shaped like a square "s", see floor map below.  On this stay I was allocated the 6th floor and room 646.  Despite being on the northern side of the hotel, room 646 has a window facing west and one which afforded a full view of Runway 27L/09R.  Additionally from the room and looking towards BA engineering there are gaps looking onto 27R/09L.  While not all runway configurations were used during my stay I would be confident that all movements can be seen from this room, you just have to be quick to see aircraft on 27R/09L as they land or take off.  

Rooms ending *46 are corner rooms and are likely the best option for spotting, however my room was a double room and therefore not useful for those sharing.  Rooms ending *47-52 will offer similar views and rooms ending *34-45 will give a slightly different view and one that favours Runway 27R/09L.  I was unable to select my room through the Hilton app, however I was able to message reception via the app and make my request before arriving.

The fire exit between rooms *33/*34 has an unalarmed door and gives views to the north.  Similarly the fire exit between *07/*08 has views looking west. 

I think rooms on floor 4 and above would be fine, but clearly the higher the better.  I was happy with the view during my stay and would defiantly use this hotel again.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mmDhc1JpFAWcPZrJ6

Outside of hotel from Envoy Ave.
Map of level 6.
View from 646 of Runway 27L/09R.
View of BA engineering, with gaps behind hangars onto Runway 26R/09L.
View from end fire escape of Runway 26R approach.

EGPF/GLA - Glasgow - Holiday Inn Express - January 2026

The Holiday Inn Express - Glasgow Airport. This hotel is a three floored hotel. I stayed in Room 337 which was on the top floor and had views out towards the ramp where some easyJet, Loganair park as well as the BA maintenance hangar. This room also has views of the single runway 23/05. A lot of the terminal as well as the GA parking area cannot be seen from the room but anything arriving or departing should be seen on the runway.The hotel is situated at the airport and is a short mostly covered walk to the terminal where there is a Marks & Spencer's Food Store where supplies can be purchased. There is also a petrol station a short walk away with a Subway attached.  There is also a Holiday Inn at Glasgow Airport which has higher floors, some of which will have a more panoramic view of the airport.



LFPB/LBG - Paris Le Bourget - AC Hotel - January 2026

Rooms x12-16 all have this view. If staying in x01-x08 the rooms face the museum, but the hallway window allows for view onto the ramp. x09-x11 faces CDG direction. Floors 5 and up work. 8th floor only has x01-x12. 9th floor is the rooftop bar with terrace, open 1200-2200.





LFBO/TLS - Toulouse - Ace Hotel Cornebarrieu - January 2026

Room 305 (end of corridor) 304, 303, 302 plus maybe 301 all have airport views from the end of the runway and unlikely you would miss any movements. 305 would be the best view and all these rooms are double. Room 306 307 etc are the other side of the corridor facing away from the airport. Cheap, quiet, clean, free parking and plenty of food options you can easily walk to

https://maps.app.goo.gl/QoEYERjJmWkKPKnq7

LFPB/LBG - Paris Le Bourget - Hotel Kyraid - January 2026

Stayed at the Kyraid Le Bourget for £45.  Its a basic hotel. I asked for a road facing room which allowed views over the departure tracks for both LBG and CDG.

The hotel has a limited food and drink service. Pizza and beer was the best they could offer in the evening a continental breakfast was available for an extra charge. and there is a garage close by for supplies. The room has a small desk close to the window but only one chair.  there is a standard European plug on each side of the bed, which just about worked. The hotel is 600 yards away from the LBG museum.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/B27GYNVJt7q5fT3A6

ESSA/ARN - Stockholm Arlanda - Radisson Blu Airport Terminal Hotel - January 2026

There are two Radisson Blu hotels at Arlanda - be sure to choose the correct one.  The Terminal hotel is accessed from the retail/restaurant area between Terminals 4 and 5.  The hotel sells Airport View and Runway View rooms: the former appears to be rooms that look in to the terminal, and the latter are above the terminal looking out over the ramp and western runway. 



HESH/SSH - Sharm el Sheikh - DoubleTree by Hilton - January 2026.

DoubleTree by Hilton Sharm El Sheikh - Sharks Bay Resort. This hotel is in two parts either side of the road, and you need the Mountainside area (which is actually the cheaper of the two parts). 

I stayed in room 4104 (a King Single) where can you view departures as they climb out from the room balcony, which overlooks the central pool area. A small gap between block 4 and block 5 allows very quick views of the runway. A short walk from the front door - along the corridor - gives good views onto the main apron. 

View from outside room 4015.
Hotel room map for Mountainside. Ideally rooms upstairs in block 4 (bottom left) are desired.

Ideal rooms would be 4108-4126 where the front room door has a view - across the corridor - of the terminal and 95% of the main apron. Rooms 4115 & 4120 are also confirmed as King Single. All rooms have a pool view, but – in the winter - the balconies in block 4 tend to be in the shade all day. You must ensure that you don't have a ground floor room (room numbers starting 40), as this will prevent spotting.

The terminal ramps are well lit up at night, allowing easy identification of the contents. It should be noted that the General Aviation ramp is not visible from the hotel. As with most airports in the area, the whole airport is surrounded by a high wall, and it doesn't look like the GA ramp can be seen externally from anywhere.

The airport has two parallel runways 04L/R & 22L/R, due to the prevailing winds runways 04L/R are usually in use.

Taking telescopes, binoculars and telephoto lens into the two Sinai provinces of Egypt are not allowed, and they may be confiscated on entry. They will be returned when you fly out again, but check in early as it took me an hour to get my telescope back. So you have to rely on FR24/ADSB Exchange, however coverage below 5000ft is almost non-existent, which makes relying on the FR24 airport arrivals/departures web pages very difficult, so you have to keep on your toes when tracking movements.

I found the easiest way to spot was to watch departures from your balcony as they climb out, and then wait for them to pop-up on FR24 above 5000ft.

On the 12th day I was here they switched runway direction. From the room balcony I found it made no differences to seeing departures lifting, you can see arrivals on the approach through the palm trees. However you have to know where to look, and it took me while to find the optimal seating location on the balcony.

For those who collect aircraft 'over the top' then Airway L677 runs in a NNW direction (northbound flights only), and is used by many aircraft from Saudi Arabia and those avoiding Iranian/Syrian airspace heading for Europe. About 50% the aircraft trail, but generally most aircraft can be seen from the hotel balcony. During my 14 days, 11 of them were largely clear skies.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HLqx4Nx5erh9GEzG8

Credit Sean Meager.

Mobile phone pictures of the runway/terminal from external corridor outside of Room 4105.