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
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WSSS/SIN - Singapore - Crowne Plaza - January 2026
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
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.
RCTP/TPE - Taipei Taoyuan - Gateway City Suites - January 2026
EGLL/LHR - London Heathrow - Premier Inn Bath Road - January 2026
NOTE: This is not the Heathrow Premier Inn.
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/BZKkw7bFncBjgyhB6RCSS/TSA - Taipei Songshan - Riviera Hotel - January 2026
Credit: Martyn Castle and Dave Hutt
EDDF/FRA - Frankfurt - Holiday Inn Gateway Gardens - January 2026
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SefBBEPSJEn9hSWy9
Credit Adrian Broadbent
TBPB/BGI - Bridgetown - Little Arches Boutique Hotel, Christ Church - January 2025.
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.
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.
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.
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
RJAA / NRT - Tokyo Narita - Narita Tobu Hotel - January 2026
WMKC/KBR - Kota Bharu - Perdana hotel - January 2026
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.
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
EGPF/GLA - Glasgow - Holiday Inn Express - January 2026
LFPB/LBG - Paris Le Bourget - AC Hotel - January 2026
LFBO/TLS - Toulouse - Ace Hotel Cornebarrieu - January 2026
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.
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.
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





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