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Holiday Inn Express at M27 Junction 7 wins on breakfast and an early key. Breakfast is included, check-in starts at 2 PM, and family rooms take two adults and two children or three adults.
IHG calls the terminal about 25 minutes' drive. Our routing puts Ocean about 5.4 road miles away and Mayflower 6.2.
Parking is £7 (about US$9) a day, and IHG says nothing about leaving the car for the cruise. There's no shuttle.
Book it as the night before, then take the car to the port's own parking in the morning.
Book it if
- An early check-in at 2 PM
- Families of four, breakfast included
- Dog owners
Look elsewhere if
- You want to leave the car for the cruise.
- You want a pool.
- You need a ride to the ship.
Your night before, from here
From check-in to the gangway, using only what Holiday Inn Express M27 publishes.
The Conservatory Restaurant and a lounge bar; no pool.
No shuttle, per IHG — there's no complimentary local one.
Breakfast is included: 6:30 to 10 AM on weekdays and 7 to 11 AM at weekends.
IHG puts the Southampton cruise terminal about 25 minutes' drive away. On our no-traffic routing, Mayflower is about 6.2 road miles off and Ocean 5.4. By our routing the drive from Holiday Inn Express M27 is about 19 minutes to Mayflower and 16 to Ocean on empty roads — leave room for real ones.
£7 a day, 162 spaces. IHG mentions no cruise parking.
Night-Before Score: 33 of 100
Scored only from what the hotel publishes — see how the Night-Before Score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
Heathrow is about 67.1 road miles from Holiday Inn Express M27 and Southampton Airport about 4.1 — our routing, with no traffic. From the hotel it’s 6.2 to Mayflower and 5.4 to Ocean. Question marks are rides you arrange, not ones Holiday Inn Express M27 runs.
No Heathrow ride is listed by Holiday Inn Express M27. By our routing it’s roughly 81 minutes away with no traffic.
No shuttle, per IHG — there's no complimentary local one.
IHG puts the Southampton cruise terminal about 25 minutes' drive away. On our no-traffic routing, Mayflower is about 6.2 road miles off and Ocean 5.4.
From LHR without a hotel shuttle
By our routing, Heathrow to Holiday Inn Express M27 is about 67.1 road miles — roughly 81 minutes with no traffic. National Express 032 runs to Southampton Coach Station from £17.40 (about US$25), a taxi ride from Holiday Inn Express M27. More: the airport page.
Gatwick isn’t mentioned on Holiday Inn Express M27’s pages.
No shuttle, per IHG — there's no complimentary local one.
IHG puts the Southampton cruise terminal about 25 minutes' drive away. On our no-traffic routing, Mayflower is about 6.2 road miles off and Ocean 5.4.
From LGW without a hotel shuttle
From Gatwick to Holiday Inn Express M27 it’s the National Express coach, which reaches Southampton Coach Station from about 10:40am, or a booked car; we don’t promise a direct train.
IHG mentions no shuttle; it puts Southampton Airport 3.5 miles and about 5 minutes away.
No shuttle, per IHG — there's no complimentary local one.
IHG puts the Southampton cruise terminal about 25 minutes' drive away. On our no-traffic routing, Mayflower is about 6.2 road miles off and Ocean 5.4.
From SOU without a hotel shuttle
From Southampton Airport, about 4.1 road miles from Holiday Inn Express M27 by our routing, it’s the 7-minute train to Central — or a taxi from the desk in the terminal.
£7 a day, 162 spaces. IHG mentions no cruise parking.
Parking for your stay: £7 a day; 162 spaces, 8 accessible.
No shuttle, per IHG — there's no complimentary local one.
IHG puts the Southampton cruise terminal about 25 minutes' drive away. On our no-traffic routing, Mayflower is about 6.2 road miles off and Ocean 5.4.
Landing on sail morning instead? Skip Holiday Inn Express M27 and go straight to your terminal — the airport page checks your landing time.
Which terminal
Five terminals, two docksYour cruise line picks the terminal, not Holiday Inn Express M27. From here our routing puts Mayflower about 6.2 road miles away and Ocean about 5.4 — road distance, not a straight line, with QEII further down Test Road past Ocean. More in the terminals, explained.
Source: visitsouthampton.co.ukDistance
25 min drive, per IHGIHG puts the Southampton cruise terminal about 25 minutes' drive away. On our no-traffic routing, Mayflower is about 6.2 road miles off and Ocean 5.4.
Source: ihg.comShuttle departures
No shuttleHoliday Inn Express M27 runs no shuttle to the ship, so book the taxi around your check-in slot, not the hotel’s checkout — about 16 minutes to Ocean and 19 to Mayflower with no traffic, by our routing.
Source: ihg.comParking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmed£7 a day, 162 spaces. IHG mentions no cruise parking.
Source: ihg.comThe port and the council
Eastgate Street £9, then £5 a dayAgainst £7 a day on site at Holiday Inn Express M27, the council’s Eastgate Street car park is £9 (about US$12) for the first 24 hours, then £5 (about US$7) a day, paid on exit, per Southampton City Council — then a taxi to your terminal. The port’s own parking goes by cruise line, not terminal, and must be pre-booked.
Where the car goes while you sail · Southampton cruise parking, compared.
Source: southampton.gov.ukThe evening and the morning
The evening
Food or bar on siteThe Conservatory Restaurant and a lounge bar; no pool.
Breakfast
FreeBreakfast is included: 6:30 to 10 AM on weekdays and 7 to 11 AM at weekends.
Address
Botley Road, West End, M27 Junction 7Botley Road, West End, Southampton, SO30 3XA
Hotel website
The fine print, in one place
Times, fees, rooms and the small stuff, as Holiday Inn Express M27 publishes it. The gaps here are whether you can leave the car while you sail — a call to Holiday Inn Express M27 settles it.
Check-in and check-out
Minimum age
Not stated by the hotel.
Resort fee
None stated
Wi-Fi
Not stated
Parking for your stay
£7 a day; 162 spaces, 8 accessible
Breakfast
Included, 6:30–10 AM weekdays and 7–11 AM weekends
Pool
No pool mentioned on the pages we read
Pets
Dogs £15 (about US$20) a night, two per room at most.
Food and drink on site
- Conservatory RestaurantRestaurant
- Lounge barBar
Rooms
Family rooms for up to two adults and two children, or three adults, with breakfast.
Accessibility
Eight accessible parking spaces.
On site
- EV chargingNot stated
- Guest laundryNot stated
- Fitness centerNot stated
- Pets allowedYes
Nearby, by the hotel’s count
- Southampton Airport3.5 miles
- Hedge End station5 minutes
Distances as Holiday Inn Express M27 or its brand lists them, on a square-root scale so short walks stay visible.
Also worth knowing
- Dogs £15 a night, two per room at most
- No complimentary local shuttle
Before you book
Worth knowing
- Check-in 2 PM, check-out 11 AM.
- Parking £7 a day.
- No shuttle.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Whether you can leave the car while you sail
Every hotel fact here comes from Holiday Inn Express M27’s own pages, read October 3, 2026, unless we name another source — so before you book, confirm whether the car can stay while you sail.
Worth a look alongside it
Around Holiday Inn Express M27: the Southampton cruise guide, Southampton cruise parking and the splurge list.
Wake up off M27 Junction 7, breakfast included.
Tell us your sail date and we’ll check Holiday Inn Express M27 for the night before. No payment on the form.
Holiday Inn Express M27 FAQ
Is breakfast free at Holiday Inn Express Southampton M27 J7?
Yes — included, 6:30 to 10 AM on weekdays and 7 to 11 AM at weekends.
What time is check-in at Holiday Inn Express M27 Junction 7?
2 PM, with check-out at 11 AM.
How far is Holiday Inn Express M27 J7 from Southampton docks?
IHG says about 25 minutes' drive. Our routing gives about 5.4 road miles to Ocean and 6.2 to Mayflower.
How much is parking at Holiday Inn Express Southampton M27?
£7 a day, with 162 spaces including 8 accessible ones.
Does Holiday Inn Express Southampton M27 J7 take dogs?
Yes, £15 a night, two per room at most.
Dollar figures use the European Central Bank reference rate of Oct 2, 2026 (about $1.32 to the pound); your card’s rate will differ.
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