Sunny in London

A behind the scenes guide to London's food, life and culture

Generator Hostel London – What’s HOT about a HOSTEL?

Clearly, last night the hottest ticket in town was entry in to… wait for it… wait for it… The Generator Hostel London relaunch party. And, I was there, Sunny friends!

The pre-party tweets were blowing up the Twitterverse with excitement, and the actual party proved to be worthy of all the hype…

WHAT???

A hostel?

Generator Hostel London

Yes. I can hardly believe it myself.

In 1995 I participated in Florida State University’s study abroad programme and lived on Great Russell Street, just inches away from the British Museum in Bloomsbury.  However, ironically, that was also the year the Generator Hostel London opened, just around the corner on 37 Tavistock Place WC1H 9SE.

Back then, hostels had the connotation of being dodgy. In fact, I rarely talk about my experience staying in one. It was in Amsterdam, and it was called “The Flying Pig.” I went with a group of girls from the study abroad programme. Big mistake. HUGE. I swore I’d never step foot in one again. That all changed last night. Generator Hostel London Swanky eh?

The relaunch party started at 7:30. I arrived promptly and was shocked to find a queue extending out the door. SERIOUSLY?!

“Are you on the list?” said an event supervisor surrounded with security team members.

I felt like I was gaining entrance to a chic South Beach or Hollywood lounge.

“Why, yes. I AM.”

They threw a wrist band around my arm, and I took off to figure out what was generating all this buzz. Generator Hostel London

Generator Hostel London
Generator Hostel London With a bar, café, screening room, and lounge, this venue which was once a police station set in antique London Mews, sure has a vibrant, edgy appeal. Generator Hostel London (5) Generator Hostel London The guests continued to pour in… and so did the booze. Generator Hostel London Generator Hostel London

The walls thumped with music from NTS Radio and Eglo Records. I can tell you for sure- if this party is any indication of what a stay is like at the Generator Hostel London- guests are in for one hell of a kick arse trip.

Generator Hostel London (12) Generator Hostel London If you’ve ever stayed at The Standard in West Hollywood, you know what I mean. The club atmosphere in the lobby rolls on throughout the day and night.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one enthralled by the Generator Hostel London. Check out these tweets by my fellow travel bloggers and writers.

https://twitter.com/csmalldog/statuses/446771113058512896

And finally…

If you’re looking for a fun place to stay that doesn’t bust your budget, the Generator Hostel London is a strong contender. By the end of 2018, they’ll have 15-18 hostels. Aside from rooms, their venues offer everything from film and photo shoots, live music events, corporate functions, art exhibitions and pop up concepts.

Generator Hostel London Their work revamping and regenerating hostels in to “…attractive, design and event-driven hostels that are stylish, contemporary, central, social and safe” is simply brilliant.

Current Generator Locations:

Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamburg, Venice

Coming Soon… Rome and Paris

5 Things To Do If You Want a Travel Tattoo

Why is the term travel tattoo predicted to be one of the hottest trending topics on Pinterest this year?

Perhaps since we’re always seeking the next best thing, this permanent mark will soon out rank a selfie braggie in front of Big Ben and a London telephone booth for people on holiday?

To make sure you have all the information you need before you get totally stuck, I consulted one of my lifelong friends, Chris Norton. He’s the proud (yet extremely humble) owner of Hold Fast Tattoo in my hometown, Daytona Beach, Florida.

This town is known for creating NASCAR and rockin’ out motorcycles with events like Bike Week and Biketoberfest. Daytona rumbles year round. It also attracts crowds of people who know their stuff when it comes to ink.

Chris has been a tattoo artist for 13 years. For over five years he’s owned Hold Fast Tattoo on 5153 South Ridgewood Avenue in Port Orange, Florida. Below is what he says you must know when getting a travel tattoo.

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

#1- Getting a Travel Tattoo: Plan Ahead?

Chris says it’s not necessary for you to have a clear image of what you want in advance. The days of just choosing tattoos ‘off the wall’ are kind of over too, but you should have a general idea of what you want in a travel tattoo. He has tons of ideas available to view and can pull them off a computer too.

Getting a Travel Tattoo Hold Fast Daytona Beach

The artists at Hold Fast frequently get customers who print out pictures of tattoos from Pinterest and make requests to replicate them. It’s also wildly popular to mirror a celebrity’s recent ink stamp too.

While he and his staff want every one to be happy with their results, he suggests bumping up your creativity with a travel tattoo.

When I asked him how a person does this, he said, ‘Why not get a travel tattoo that represents a great story from your trip?’

Ahhhhh. That’s genius!

By allowing your adventures to stay with you forever symbolically, you not only have a damn cool conversation piece everywhere you travel, but also know you haven’t infringed on another tattoo artist’s copyrighted image.

With regard to an individual tattoo artist’s work, you should spend some time viewing his/her portfolio, which he or she should be excited to show you.

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

#2- Getting a Travel Tattoo: Hit the Wall

Chris said the amount of certification he, his staff and the business need to go through is extensive.

Good.

For example, in Florida, aside from being insured, Hold Fast must show updated certificates for the city, county, and state health department. And yes, they need a normal business license too. An established procedure needs to be visible for the handling of biomedical waste disposal as well.

Prior to going to a destination, make sure you know what should be clearly showcased on the shop’s wall so you can verify it when you arrive.

Getting a Travel Tattoo Hold Fast Daytona Beach

#3- Getting a Travel Tattoo: Check the Attitude

It stands to reason that you will expect every inch of a shop to be clean and orderly. However, Chris says you can also tell a lot about a tattoo shop through ambiance. You should receive friendly treatment the minute you walk in and throughout your consultation.

Hold Fast Tattoo makes sure all staff fit this expectation and has built the whole venue around this concept. On site, Chris hosts special events and even has a skate ramp. Their next addition will be a basketball court. All these activities encourage a fun atmosphere.

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

The day I visited, Charlie greeted me outside and was very energetic and proud as he gave me a tour around Hold Fast Tattoo.

Getting a Travel Tattoo Hold Fast Daytona Beach

#4- Getting a Travel Tattoo: The Money Stamp

It’s quite difficult to call a shop and get a quote over the phone as to the exact cost of your tattoo idea. The dimensions of your design and style determine quite a bit.

You may want something more traditional or perhaps you would prefer something more creative. Either way, Chris says you should absolutely expect to pay a bare minimum of $50 in the US. Bigger areas like New York City will understandably charge more.

The amount of time involved and intricacy of the ink are two factors in determining price. So, be prepared to pay a range of prices, but ask before you do.

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

#5- Getting a Travel Tattoo: Take Pre-Cautions

When we talked about getting a travel tattoo specifically, the idea of considerations in relation to vacation activities came up.

For example, you absolutely want to make sure you haven’t been soaking in the sun days before your tattoo. The process hurts enough to begin with. Sitting through them with a sunburn is beyond masochistic. You’ll also bleed a lot more during the process because your blood is so close to the skin surface.

Ouch.

Getting a Travel Tattoo Hold Fast Daytona Beach

You probably want to plan a travel tattoo closer to the end of your trip.

If you’re an avid water sports fan, you don’t want to engage in these types of activities for a few weeks after you get your ink. You should stay away from a pool and out of the sun for a minimum of one week. Chris suggests two weeks, just to be super safe.

That means no scuba diving, cliff jumping, or water skiing, Sunny friends.

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

Cold climates don’t have a looming effect on a new tattoo, but hot ones sure do.

Take consideration in to your return flight length as well. The first few days after you get a tattoo you naturally push out plasma, blood and ink. Flying in economy for nine hours and dealing with the pain of a fresh tattoo could be brutal. Maybe this is the time you finally splurge for that first class upgrade?

Chris does suggest if at any point your new tattoo feels stuck to your clothing, you should not immediately rip or pull it off. Instead, you should soak the area and then gently pull the clothing away.

Further, you can preserve the color and prevent fading much better if you always cover your tattoo with sunblock.

Getting a Travel Tattoo: Final Thoughts

Currently, it seems that pocket watch tattoos are popular worldwide. People are keen to get important dates and times etched in to their body to commemorate experiences.

5 Things You Must Know When Getting a Travel Tattoo

Photo courtesy of Hold Fast Tattoo

It seems only natural that a travel tattoo will follow in our Pinterest news feed too.

If you’re considering a tattoo in the Daytona Beach area, it’s well worth your time to consult with Chris or one of his talented staff. To see more of their work at Hold Fast, you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Getting a Travel Tattoo Hold Fast Daytona BeachTell them Sunny sent ya! 😉

What would your travel tattoo be from your bucket list destination? Do you have a fun tattoo experience of your own to share?

If you, or anyone you know, is currently considering a travel tattoo, please share this blog on your social networks so they know what they must do too!

Cheap Must Have Gifts for People Who Travel

Need to find gifts for your travelling friend or lover? Or maybe, you are a person who loves to travel, and you want to gather wish list ideas for the holidays, birthday or anniversary?

The range of gifts for people who travel is quite big. You can choose gifts that help a traveller be more organised, gifts that match particular passions, gifts that are very practical and gifts that are new and cool.  For this gift guide, we’re focussing on items under £25 to keep it simple! Gift giving can be a little hard, so finding the right one for anyone is a challenge, that’s why some people look at something similar to Fruit baskets by gift tree or other types of small gifts.

When you spend money on a holiday, you want to make sure everything within your control goes well. Buying a few items that are cheap and make holiday life easier is smart! Hopefully, then it’s just a matter of flights that are on time and sunshine!

Just before we get to the list of goods, I want Sunny readers on both sides of the pond to know that I’ve linked items available in the UK and equivalent travel necessities in the US below. Make sure you look for US or UK as you move through the list…

Cheap Gifts for People Who Travel that are less than £25 and $25

Gifts for People Travel: Find it Fast

First, it’s always smart to have a basic set of Luggage Locks. I love the options below because they aren’t basic black. This means your luggage could be even easier to spot on a carousel.

Next, it’s always nice to have a fun Passport Holder. I like this Union Jack and Banksy Ballon Girl With Bus Passport Holder from Amazon UK also because they’re colourful and show a bit of London love. Having a passport holder that’s decorated is great because you can find it quickly in your bags.


American readers, you might like these passport holders that are fun too…

Gifts for People Who Travel: Electronic Mobility

Next, you want all your electronic equipment to stay organised as you’re moving around, so you’ll need a Universal Electronics Accessories Organizer.


Something you want to include in the case above is a Compact Portable Charger. Nothing is worse than missing a chance to take a selfie or snapshot at your dream destination because your iPhone battery died. And, when you’re on move at a location, you can’t always get to a pub or coffee shop to charge your devices. Much less want to take the time away from your travels!

Finally, you won’t get anywhere if you can’t even charge your devices in a different country. Although many hotels will let you borrow an adapter, you probably want to have at least one of your own for the airport.

Double check the pictures above to make sure it’s from the country where you live and it’s the direction you need. I use my adapters all the time, and they work great on small appliances. (Don’t try them for something like a Juicer or Cuisinart though. You’ll see sparks. Trust me!)

Gifts for People Who Travel: Make it Personal

If you really want to boost your gift giving, you can always buy someone customised items for his/her travels. For example, these luggage tags are from WithLuvDesign, a US company that celebrates life’s adventures with luv.

Personal Gifts for People Who Travel

If you use the promo code SUNNY10 you can receive 10% off all orders over $25. And, yes, they do ship to the UK!

Personal Gifts for People Who Travel

Gifts for People Who Travel: Stanfords Love

Anyone familiar with travel knows that Stanfords put travel gifts on the map. 😉 That’s why I absolutely want to share this list from their website for UK readers who might not be able to make it to their Covent Garden store:

What items always go with you on your travels, Sunny friends? Any suggestions you can add to this practical gifts for people who travel list? if you’re a blogger who travels, make sure you check out my What’s in my Blog Kit page too!

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Northern Spain and France

What could be the advantages of planning a fly drive holiday in Northern Spain and France? Isn’t it less stress and aggravation just to show up in one city and exhaust it?

When Mr Sunny suggested we book a British Airways fly drive holiday through Northern Spain and France, I thought he was joking. We love food and wine. Well, he loves beer and will share wine with me on occasion.

So, why would combining travel, drinking and driving ever be something we would consider?

british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france

After spending a week on our British Airways fly drive holiday, I can now say it was one of the best I have ever taken. And these our my completely unsponsored, honest opinions.

We received nothing complimentary on this week long trip.

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Our Route

Mr Sunny had the idea based on his parents last international trip together. They travelled nearly this same route over a decade ago. The thought of using paper maps for all of it like they did terrifies me! You can see all of our routes we followed via Google maps in the image gallery too.

  • Arrive in Bilbao, via Gatwick Airport and spend 1 night
  • Drive to San Sebastián and spend 2 nights (Stop at Gaztelugatxe en route; take a day trip to Biarritz, France)
  • Drive to La Rioja, spend 2 nights
  • Drive back to Bilbao, spend one night and return via Gatwick airport
  • british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france
    Bilbao to Gaztelugatxe
  • british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france
    San Sebastián to Biarritz
  • british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france
    San Sebastian to Logroño
  • british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france
    Logroño to Bilbao
  • british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france
    San Sebastián to Logroño

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Watch the Experience

Seeing is believing, right? In the YouTube video I made of our British Airways Fly Drive holiday you can learn additional information not included here. Plus, there might be a sneaky shot of me driving! You can see the below in the video.

  • Driving tips for a fly drive holiday in Northern Spain and France
  • Parking Suggestions
  • Cultural considerations
  • Food we loved
  • Wine tour
  • Scenery of driving, Bilbao hotel and park, LaGuardia elevator to the town

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Hotels

Melia Bilbao- On TripAdvisor, this hotel is rated #5 of 117 hotels for places to stay in Bilbao. At the time of this blog, it has 4.5 stars. It is ranked as a 5 star hotel.

We only have positive feedback from this experience. The location was a half hour walk to Old Town, which to us felt like an equivalent of Soho in London. We were glad to stay in a more relaxed area. I shot the YouTube video in front of this hotel and in the beautiful park across it.

british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france

NH Collection Aranzazu- This hotel is ranked #2 best best value of 255 places to stay in San Sebastián-Donostia on TripAdvisor. It’s also located a little bit distant from the very energetic night life in San Sebastián, but we appreciated this.

The staff’s tip about parking also saved us quite a bit of money.

Sercotel Villa De LaGuardia- As we approached Logroño, I was nervous about what the hotel would offer. The area seemed quite desolate, except for the plentiful vineyards.

With regard to hotels, this was our best surprise. Breakfast was fabulous and the spa was mind-blowing. The town was a short walk away and we had to take a lift to get to it. See this in action in the video.

Service, cleanliness and price for each of the above hotels surpassed our fly drive holiday expectations. Again, nothing was given on a complimentary basis.

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Day Trips and Things to Do

Gaztelugatxe- Game of Thrones is one of our favourite television shows. When we learned that there was a location used for many scenes less than a one hour drive from Bilbao, we planned to drive there on our way to San Sebastián.

Parking in Gaztelugatxe near the film location was difficult, and we were grateful to have arrived before noon. It quickly became very crowded.

The scenery was amazing, but in the cloudless blue sky, the heat was intense so we didn’t stay long. But, near the beach we enjoyed a relatively cheap lunch and one drink each before making our way to San Sebastián.

british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france-gaztelugatxe-game-of-thrones

Biarritz– I was perhaps most excited about visiting this city out of all our fly drive holiday plans. It did not disappoint. Well, except for the fact that we experienced two huge downpours of rain in the early hours of our visit.

Of all the places to return for more time, Biarritz is my top choice. The beach and surrounding area offer breathtaking views. I wish we had more time to do some shopping because there were quite a few souvenirs I had wanted to purchase.

british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france-biarritz

While the top attraction in Bilbao is the Guggenheim Museum, we did not go inside. The architecture is striking, but when you are accustom to free museums in London, paying nearly €40 for two people’s admission is quite high.

But, as food travel people, we felt the Bodegas Casa Primicia experience (rated as the #1 thing to do in Laguardia on TripAdvisor) was more than worth the €15 each that we paid. Again, we can thank our hotel in LaGuardia for coordinating this for us last minute.

british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france

If you are focused on exploring a winery as a food traveller, you may wish to use Viator to coordinate your tours in advance. I recommend this website because I have had great success planning trips with them to Scotland and areas of England.

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- What We Would Change

Overall our experience on this British Airways Fly Drive holiday was flawless. BUT, and this is a very big BUT- I was extremely disappointed with the communication from British Airways.

Several weeks before our trip British Airways contacted us to indicate they gave us a 20% discount on the Melia Bilbao because the pool would not be available. Ironically, the pool was one of the reasons we chose the hotel. They said it also was the only hotel in the area with a pool.

You can’t control maintenance and we get that. The disappointing part was we had virtually no way to respond to them. They called while I was at work and left a message saying we could take the 20% discount on the hotel or change hotels. But, every time I called the number they gave me to convey my decision, I sat on hold for 45+ minutes. What a waste of my time!

For this reason, and the fact that we couldn’t book a king size bed in the Melia Bilbao hotel, I will hesitate to do more than book flights with British Airways in the future. We also were nearly positive we booked car insurance, but found out through Avis when we arrived that we had not. This added an additional €200 to our trip planning budget that we had not allocated. However, as luck would have it, there was no maintenance happening to the pool when we arrived. Good thing we both packed our bathing suits just in case!

Literally, the only other suggestions I have to make our trip better was to spend more time at each location, especially Gaztelugatxe. With more time, I would have also taken a cooking class or food tour in San Sebastián. And visited a few more wineries in Rioja.

british-airways-fly-drive-holiday-review-northern-spain-france

While we normally book breakfast at every hotel in which we stay, we only had the hotel breakfast in Laguardia. This proved to be smart because there were no immediate surrounding locations to grab a quick snack in the morning. And, you definitely don’t want to do a wine tour and tasting at 11am on an empty stomach!

Finally, know that Basque Country is so green and beautiful because the people are proud and not interested in becoming victims of overtourism. It also rains frequently and suddenly, so plan your wardrobe and experiences around this possibility!

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Be Responsible

Because we researched the legal drinking limit in Spain and France, we knew that we couldn’t really have more than one drink each and drive. This wasn’t a problem for us because we planned all of our drives early in the day and made sure to return to our hotels by 3-4pm each day. It was a great way to save a bit of money too!

Please plan to do the same if you plan a fly drive holiday in the world’s top culinary destination. I’ve read other travel and food blogger’s posts about the same holiday, and it seems they do quite a bit of drinking in the wine region and then drive. NOT a good idea!

British Airways Fly Drive Holiday Review- Final Thoughts

I would love to know your day trip suggestions for any areas around where we visited. Also, are there specific experiences like food tours or visits to wineries that you can recommend? Have you ever booked a fly drive experience? How did it go?

Want a freebie for London?

By subscribing to the Sunny in London weekly email you immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. The Guide has top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means skipping Wi-fi and finding a fab foodie place- fast!

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

What You Need for Smart and Safe Travel in 2020

What’s on your 2020 travel horizon, Sunny friends? Hopefully, you’ve been thinking about your adventures for the upcoming year and are doing the necessary research to make your holiday plans meaningful.

If you’re like me, when you choose a destination you think about: your budget, accommodation, things to do, places to eat and transportation. But, do you also take the time to buy some things in advance that will make the travel experience easier? Or even safer?

In 2019 Mr Sunny and I enjoyed a fly drive holiday through Spain and France, train travel around the United Kingdom and flights to Hungary, Italy and Florida. Through these experiences there are several items I recommend that you have to make journeys smoother and safer.

smart-and-safe-travel-in-2020

Smart Travel in 2020- Packing Tips

I gave in to the hype about packing cubes two years ago, and it was one of the best travel decisions I made. On our fly drive trip around Spain and France we stayed at a different hotel every other night. Packing our clothes in separate packing cubes made it so much easier to drop our stuff off in the room and jump outside to enjoy the sights and food when we arrived to a new location. Our clothes stayed organised and barely got wrinkled after being in the packing cubes for several days. However, I did put tissue paper in between everything as I folded it.

how-to-go-travelling-young-solo-female

If you are a travel blogger, you have tons of electronic devices, batteries, external drives, SD cards and cords to transport. I love my electronics accessories organiser bag. In fact, I don’t just use it when travelling. Year round I keep all my things in it and just take them out if I don’t need them for a specific trip.

Another item that works every day but especially for travelling is a credit card protector or blocking sleeves. These card protectors are recommended by UK police. They prevent skimming attacks and are very highly rated. For less than “a fiver” you could save yourself a ton of aggravation.

A headache I have as an American expat living in London is monitoring how much I put in my suitcase when I return to the US for visits. I leave London with a bag that’s nearly empty, but the return luggage isn’t so light and pretty. You can find huge deals shopping in America at places like Macy’s, Kohl’s, Target, and Sephora. These deals mean a fully packed suitcase on the return trip for me.

To avoid spending additional money at the U.S. airport, using a portable luggage scale saves last minute panic at the ticket counter when checking in a bag. And, personal luggage tags that are bright and multi-coloured make grabbing the bag on the baggage claim carousel faster too.

Safe Travel in 2020- Health and Security

For international travel, having a pair of compression socks to help your blood circulation is always a good idea. For several years I have worn them and certainly notice a difference. Although, admittedly they are kind of tricky if you are leaving a tropical location. They generally don’t pair well with cargo pants or shorts!

Chances are you are going to bring a laptop with you on a trip, especially if you are a travel blogger and plan to do some writing, photo editing, or video production. You might be using a hotel’s wifi connection for these activities or maybe even plan on doing FaceTime with relatives or partners.

Have you thought about your own personal security while doing this? Again, just a small investment in a Webcam Cover would be worth it.

Smart and Safe Travel in 2020- Final Thoughts

One item I haven’t listed is a pop socket for a mobile phone. Because I don’t think it’s possible to have a pop socket and use a fast wireless charger for a phone, I haven’t bought one yet. If you have one and love it, please let me know. Is there a specific kind of pop socket you recommend? Any tips for a purchase of one?

Midhurst and the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup

I’d love to tell you I had this really wild weekend drinking champagne with polo players at the Veuve Clicqout Gold Cup, but that would be a gross exaggeration. In fact, I’m going to convey just the opposite.

After enjoying two fabulous nights/days in Arundel, my husband and I drove our convertible to the beautiful town Midhurst, also located in West Sussex. We were a bit curious when this banner greeted us as we pulled in to town…

Midhurst-27A

Apparently, our quiet English countryside getaway coincided with the annual Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup, a major polo competition.  SCORRRRRE! I immediately had visions of free bottles of champagne dancing in my head, however, my husband’s reaction was concern that the hotel would be too bustling for him. Not so.

Throughout our stay we did see the players frequently in the car park, conservatory and other areas, but they hardly influenced our relaxing visit.

The Spread Eagle Hotel Midhurst

I absolutely loved the hotel, The Spread Eagle Hotel and Spa. It’s original structure dates back to 1430, and it is distinguished as an English luxury hotel. We made reservations in advance for afternoon tea in the conservatory and dinner in the restaurant, which serves modern classic British cuisine. Both were phenomenal.

The Spread Eagle Hotel Midhurst

Midhurst The Spread Eagle Hotel and Spa

We also enjoyed using the spa facility on both days we stayed. The staff at the hotel is exceptionally accommodating and very approachable. I particularly enjoyed several conversations with the bar maid who had moved to England 20 years ago from Michigan.

The town was beautiful and slightly smaller than Arundel. Once we parked our car, we made all of our travels on foot.

Midhurst

Midhurst is also home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House. While it wasn’t accessible on the day of our visit, we were able to get close enough to take some breathtaking photos.

Midhurst Tudor Cawdray House Midhurst Tudor Cawdray House Midhurst Tudor Cawdray House Midhurst Tudor Cawdray House Midhurst Tudor Cawdray House

If you’re looking for an easy, historic and serene weekend away from the hustle of London Town, I feel the Arundel/Midhurst combination is perfect.

What English towns would you recommend?

by Sunny London

Sunny in London

Delirium Cafe: Where to drink BEER in Brussels

Delirium. Beer. Chocolate. Waffles. Brussels. Did you know Mr Sunny and I were on a mission a few weeks ago when we left London for a long weekend?

Oh yes, Sunny friends. It wasn’t all fun and games. He went to drink beer, and I went to eat chocolate and waffles. That was the plan.

We did our research too. In fact, you might say Mr. Sunny spent his whole life preparing for that trip. It was crystal clear to me that he would complete his goal moments after we ditched our luggage at Hotel Metropole Brussels.

Mr. Sunny knew exactly where he was going. Delirium-Cafe-beer-brussels-feature

After walking for a few minutes, he stopped and declared, ‘I’m just going to go in there, drop to my knees and start chanting!’ Here’s what he saw in front of us…

de-Bier-Temple-Brussels-beer

Mr. Sunny is no joke when it comes to beer. We headed inside to do what he called ‘pre-gaming.’

Since I don’t drink beer, this was all foreign to me. The endless merchandise available was in itself intoxicating.

de-Bier-Temple-Brussels-beer

Beer glasses. Beer mugs. Beer shirts. Beer bags. Shrimp beers. (HaHa! Sorry, just had to see if I still had your attention there, Forest.)de-Bier-Temple-Brussels-beerde-Bier-Temple-Brussels-beerAnd of course, they had stacks and stacks of the coveted Kwak glass. Mr. Sunny taught me the importance of those on our very first pub crawl. de-Bier-Temple-Brussels-beerAfter our designated time of worship ended, we headed to Mr. Sunny’s promised land. Delirium Café.
Delirium-beer-brussels-cafe
Sunny friends, if you’re a serious beer drinker, Delirium Café in Brussels needs to be at the top of your bucket list.

Why? They have over 2,000 beers. Well, that’s what they told us. Today, their website says 3,162. And just in case you’re wondering, they won the Guinness Book of World Records in 2004 for the most varieties of commercial beer available.

I’m not kidding about this place being the real deal. We made our way through the not-so-glamorous doors and up the sticky stairs.Delirium-beer-brussels-cafeDelirium-beer-brussels-cafeDelirium-beer-brussels-cafeDelirium-beer-brussels-cafeAs we walked inside, Mr Sunny was captivated. ‘I wonder how many beers have been spilled on this floor?’ he said in utter amazement.

To be honest, my nose lost count after a thousand. And, I’m happy for that.

Delirium Café is literally covered in beer.
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I plugged my nose and drudged behind Mr Sunny. He walked to the bar in complete concentration. He was like Indiana Jones in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark as he gets ready to swap a bag for the golden idol in the booby trapped temple.

This was his golden idol. Well, there were hundreds…
Delirium-beer-brussels-cafeMr. Sunny told me to take a picture of that for you. He said any devout beer drinker would probably copy, print and frame it. If that’s you, throw me a little spare change as a royalty fee.

Next, Mr. Sunny told me to grab this picture for you because he wants you to see that this beer is bigger than the guy’s head.
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My temporary Indiana Jones then pointed out the two blokes at the end of the bar who ordered the ‘Holy Grail’, as he called it. Delirium-beer-cafe-brussels-guysThey proudly took their trophy beer to a table with two girls and began the challenge.

I ordered a water and patiently waited through Mr Sunny’s selections.
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‘What did he try?’ I bet you’re wondering.

Well, so am I.

You see, ummmm, the best I can clearly tell you is this:

‘Delirium: The serious disturbance in a person’s mental abilities that results in a decreased awareness of one’s environment.’Delirium-beer-brussels-cafe-elephant
‘Delirium: a name for acute confusion. The patient who is delirious is often experiencing a world that makes no sense to us but is very real to him.’
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That’s right. Mr. Sunny can’t remember. He said to tell you ‘they were dammmnnnn good.’
As for me, I stuck to my water.

Or did I? We’re still trying to figure out how this picture ended up on my camera…
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Which is just before this shot, which is of the ceiling at Delirium Café.

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How to make booking a flight between the US and London EASY PEASY!

Flying internationally between the US and UK can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a novice flying alone. Having made the trip many times by myself, I know I can eliminate potential headaches by booking my flight correctly. If you’re a first timer, or just need some advice, here’s my checklist to make booking a flight between the US and London easier!

– Make sure your PASSPORT is valid. If it’s expired, stop reading NOW and start the renewal process.Booking a FlightUK_Passport

–  Choose your AIRPORT in LONDON. I’m often asked the difference between Heathrow and Gatwick.

  • HEATHROW (LHR)- Southwest of Central London. A one way trip on the Underground (AKA Tube) to Central London is no more than $5-$7. Consider the time of day you are arriving. You don’t want to drag your luggage up and down escalators during rush hour, and there won’t be room on the carriage for it. Heathrow to Knightsbridge is roughly a one hour ride on the Piccadilly Line.
  • GATWICK (LGW)- South of Central London. You will need to take an Overground train to Central London, Victoria Station. On the Gatwick Express it will take around 30 minutes and cost approximately $30 one way. Roundtrip tickets are slightly cheaper than two singles.

–  Do some RESEARCH and try NOT to be on the LAST FLIGHT of the day.

–  Book flights that have a minimum of a TWO HOUR LAYOVER both directions, if you can’t get a direct one. This table indicates the steps you have to take at each airport on a multi-stop trip.

Flight Pattern Orlando Atlanta Heathrow
Orlando–>Atlanta–>Heathrow Arrive early for 1st flight; Check in; Clear security SHOP in Duty Free; Be at international gate 45 minutes early for boarding process Land; Gain Entry Clearance; Retrieve checked luggage
Flight Pattern Heathrow Atlanta Orlando
Heathrow–>Atlanta–>Orlando Arrive early for 1st flight; Submit receipts to receive VAT refund (optional);   Check in; Clear security; SHOP duty free Land; Gain Entry Clearance; Retrieve luggage from international carousel; Recheck luggage (put all liquids purchased at Heathrow duty free in   checked luggage not carry on); Clear Customs; Go through security again; Go to connecting flight’s gate Land through same process as you would for any flight within the US
  • If you plan on spending significant time in DUTY FREE before a connecting international flight, you will need to calculate that as well. Entry Clearance in to a country can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on the time of year and day. Always remember- as soon as your feet stand in a new country, you must go through the Entry Clearance process.
  • Avoid JFK. Unfortunately, my experience there has always been difficult. I’ve found their Entry Clearance process unorganized, the VIP Lounges sub-par, and the methods for changing terminals archaic.

– Choose your SEAT. You have a bit more space with a window, but if you are like me, you may have anxiety about bothering your flight mate to move if you need to stretch or use the loo. Watch the seats as your flight gets closer. Many times I’ve changed my seat a day before the trip because I spotted a better seat that opened on the airline’s website. Avoid a middle seat at all costs.

– Make any special meal accommodations. Often, they are delivered well before other passengers’ meals.

Duty_Free– Review the DUTY FREE RULES for each country, as they are different. Before you promise to purchase and bring liquor, cigarettes, perfume or other items to family and friends in the other country, make sure you know the allotment. Pretending like you didn’t know anything and batting your eyelashes to the customs agent who confronts you won’t allow you to break the rules and keep your purchases.

  • UK DUTY FREE ALLOWANCES
  • US CUSTOMS and BORDER PROTECTION ALLOWANCES

Best of luck booking your international flight. Look for future posts about what to pack, weather expectations, language translations and more travel tips!

As someone who has lived in both countries, I’m eager to make your trip fun and stress free. If you have any suggestions or questions, please leave a comment and I’ll reply quickly.

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by Sunny London

Sunny in London

Visiting Malta Travel Tips and Advice

Why should you consider visiting Malta? For so many reasons, my British husband and I highly recommend it. We spent five full days in this gorgeous island in between Italy and North Africa. Though that hardly makes us experts or anywhere near the level of a local, we feel there are some travel tips and advice we learned that you will need before you plan your trip to Malta.

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Visiting Malta Travel Tips: Time of Year

When we were there the last week of July, temperatures were between 85-96 degrees Fahrenheit. One day was nearly unbearable, but after spending the morning at our hotel’s pool, we took cover in a Valletta pub for several hours. There wasn’t a drop of rain during our entire visit.

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If you’re keen to swim in Blue Lagoon, you will face mobs of crowds during July and August. Weekends are apparently the worst because most locals are off work and trying to enjoy the azure waters too.

Visiting Malta Travel Tips: Money Advice

Malta uses the Euro. The rate against Pounds Sterling when we went was £1.00= €1.09. We planned on spending about €220 each day after arriving. This figure does not include our flight and hotel. We were happy to stay exactly to our budget. Most of our money was for food. As a travel and food blogger, I don’t miss opportunities to enjoy eating. Our breakfast was included in the price of our hotel. We spent approximately €60-70 on lunch each day. This included a starter, main course, and 1-2 drinks each. For dinner, we averaged €75-85. Neither of those amounts include gratuity. You can figure on adding about 12-15% on your bill for that.

Visiting Malta Travel Tips: Food and Drink

As part of a visit Malta series, I will have several articles and videos on our trip. While the topics may be the same, they will have different content. For example, the What to Eat in Malta YouTube video shows views from the restaurants we visited as well as some things we tried. The blog article will highlight other suggestions. However, one tip for you now is that food and drink are relatively cheap in comparison to London. Mr. Sunny said Malta is the first place in the world where wine has been the same price or cheaper than beer!

Visiting Malta Travel Tips: Transportation

Malta is a bit tricky. Many evenings we did not feel like venturing into Valletta because it was a daunting task. We chose a hotel specifically for its pool and view. This meant we weren’t in the heart of the city. These are the steps we faced anytime we left the hotel on foot.

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In the sweltering heat, this was not fun. Further, Valletta is full of tiny, steep streets. Marching up and down stairs to get anywhere is the norm. Girls, this is not a place I suggest you bring your newest pair of heels to showcase. You will look and feel like a fool.

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Further, we were distant from any convenient stores. We didn’t see too many when we visited Sliema, Mdina, Gozo or Comino either. Keep this in mind if you might want to save some money on beer and wine by stocking your hotel’s refrigerator. We had this intention but since it was such an ordeal to find a place and then possibly carry it for twenty minutes back to our room, we didn’t take advantage of the idea.

Mr. Sunny really wanted to rent a quad bike in Malta. Had we been there for more than five days, I am sure we would have tried this. You might consider renting a car, but with the amount of tour companies that are eager to collect you from your hotel, I would refrain.

Visiting Malta Travel Tips: Different Sights

Again, I will publish a separate video and article on suggestions of what to do when you visit Malta. But, one sight in Malta that will be a little different is the amount of cats you will see lounging around. They are everywhere. We attribute it to the abundance of seafood. Just prepared for them to be lurking and laying about in every corner! Also, what you won’t see are tons of police cars. Mr. Sunny said he didn’t even see any our first day. When he did see them, he felt it looked as if they were wearing the same kit as the London Met Police. From his observations, it looked as if they also did not carry guns.

Visiting Malta Travel Tips: More on the Sunny News

Below is the matching video which details more information you will need for planning to visit Malta. Notice my hair is pulled back. I spent some serious time at a salon (not too mention money) before we left getting balayage. It was way too hot for me to blow dry my hair and leave it down. Not to mention the abuse it took from the sun, pool and sea over the five days. I would advise that you book your hair highlights and conditioning treatment when you return, girls! And, don’t judge my appearance too harshly in the video either! 😉 There is another weather tip that will surprise you in the video, so please watch it if your’re serious about visiting Malta.

To make sure you don’t miss any Sunny updates about visiting Malta, be sure to subscribe to the Sunny News. Upcoming videos and advice articles that will be linked to this article when they are ready include:

On the blog you can also find my review of Air Malta and Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta. I haven’t created a video of the cruise and Blue Lagoon experience yet. If that’s something you would like to see, please let me know in the comments. Also, leave any questions you think I can answer about planning your Malta trip here or on YouTube. If you have been to Malta, it would be great if you can add your advice here too!

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What Food to Eat in Malta

Do you try to eat regional cuisine when you go on a holiday? Curiosity about what food to eat in Malta was one of the things that had Mr. Sunny and I eager to start our holiday. Yes, of course we couldn’t wait to get out in the sun and sand. However, you can’t bake outside all day. Can you? 😉

Part of our research for our trip involved investigating what local food we could eat while in Malta for five days. Some of the things were pretty easy to learn about in our pre-trip planning. However, some items we discovered through talking to Maltese people and then ordering the items for ourselves.

If you haven’t discovered my Malta Trip planning videos yet on YouTube, you’ll definitely want to give those a look. I am careful not to put the same information in the video and blog that matches it. For example, we will start with pizza. That’s always a good place to begin a conversation, right?

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Food to Eat in Malta: Pizza

While I hope that picture above looks delish, I actually didn’t like it, and I don’t mention pizza in the video. If you look again, you’ll notice that it seems only the bread is baked. The other ingredients just feel like they are tossed on the top. In fact, it was a typical windy day in Malta when I had the pizza, so most of the ingredients blew off the top of it before I got to eat it all. If you’re an American girl like me, keep in mind that pizza will be served much differently in Malta.

Food to Eat in Malta: tomatoes

Juicy alert! Mr. Sunny and I both were enamoured with the tomatoes in Malta. They are so luscious and rich with flavor. Every bite is an explosion of warm sweet love. After realising it wasn’t at just one restaurant, we asked one of our tour guides to tell us more. We learned that Malta only exports a few food products. The top two are tomatoes and potatoes. Because of their very hot weather conditions and great soil, they are able to grow exceptionally good tomatoes in Malta. So, get your mouth around as many of these little red balls of juicy joy as you can while you are there! Oh, and the watermelon is crispy, sweet and fresh too.

Food to Eat in Malta: Restaurants

Since we were only in Malta for a five days, we didn’t get to his nearly as many restaurants as we would have liked. One we missed is Barracuda Restaurant in Sliema. My friend who was also in Malta at the same time said it was fantastic. Many celebrities have eaten there.

However, the most romantic location we went to was in Valletta.

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I went back the next day to quickly take the photo of Papannis because we were there late in the evening and had a table inside. It was 95 degrees the day we went and they have air conditioning! We highly recommend eating here for Italian food.

In the YouTube video I show you the spectacular views you can see at the seafood restaurant below.

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Our Game of Thrones private tour guide identified Fontanella in Mdina, the country’s former capital, as having excellent views of Mdina. It was packed with eager diners when we passed it.

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Food to Eat in Malta: Final Thoughts

Our typical bill was between €70-€80 for dinner and included a starter, main course and two drinks each. Mr. Sunny had beer as always, and I enjoyed red wine. To see more about what I suggest you eat in Malta, take a few minutes to watch this…

More on Malta:

To make sure you don’t miss any Sunny updates about visiting Malta, be sure to subscribe to the Sunny News. Videos and advice articles about Malta on the blog include:

On the blog you can also find my review of Air Malta and Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta. I haven’t created a video of the cruise and Blue Lagoon experience yet. If that’s something you would like to see, please let me know in the comments. Also, leave any questions you think I can answer about planning your Malta trip here or on YouTube. If you have been to Malta, it would be great if you can add your advice here too!

foods-to-eat-in-malta-maltese-cuisine-video

foods-to-eat-in-malta-maltese-cuisine-video

THE ESSENTIAL 1st TIME GUIDE TO LONDON

Sunny in London Guide

HARRY POTTER

Harry Potter Sunny in London

PUBS IN LONDON

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