TRAVEL – Page 5

June 22, 2019 by: Sunny London

Do Photos of Cornwall Cause Overtourism?

How many times have you stood in front of something so majestic, took a picture to share the view with people and felt crushed when the camera capture didn’t do it justice? That’s how I feel about my photos of Cornwall.

On a five day holiday Mr Sunny and I went to Boscastle, Tintagel, St Ives, Port Isaac and Padstow. The array of sights in just this small area, even on days when it rained, makes it a great destination for tourists. In fact, it’s starting to be too great.

When I first posted photos of Cornwall with Mr Sunny on Instagram, my Florida friends were in disbelief. On many levels I was too. Living in London for six years has taught me to keep my distance from the making physical contact with the River Thames. It’s murky and filthy. But, to be fair, ocean water in Daytona Beach, (my hometown) isn’t very transparent either! The water in Cornwall is such a beautiful shade of blue.

Let’s see what you think.

And in terms of rugged coastlines and beaches, Cornwall scores high on the wow factor too.

It’s no wonder that Cornwall is experiencing overtourism. It is certainly the most beautiful place I have been in England. However, I haven’t made it to the Lake District yet, and I hear that is insanely gorgeous. What do you think Sunny friends, have any of you been to both? If so, how do they compare?

So, this brings us to the idea of overtourism. Like Dubrovnik and many areas, Cornwall is suffering the backlash of an abundance of social media photos publicizing its beauty combined with popular television shows filming on location. These two factors bring tourists to the area in droves.

While that might drive the area’s economy up initially, it also has negative effects. One of the big concerns is people actually causing erosion of the locations. Some cities have imposed additional taxes for tourists to compensate for the destruction caused.

What do you think is the answer for this? With London’s tourist population expected to grow 30% by 2025, what will happen to London? Will promoting less popular neighborhoods in London help balance the traffic? Will the tourism boards follow the lead of the Netherlands and stop promoting London internationally?

Mr Sunny and I tend to pick less popular places to travel because we really like to avoid crowds.Will overtourism affect your travel plans? Could it stop you from choosing a holiday destination?

June 16, 2019 by: Sunny London

What is the Best London Airport to Choose?

Choosing which London airport for your trip can be complicated if you aren’t familiar with their differences and locations. After living in London for 6 years, I have had the chance to explore and learn about what makes one better than the other. If there was an easy answer for everyone, you probably wouldn’t be reading this! However, with the information below you will be able to make a decision on what is the best London airport for you.

The array of choices you have for airports near London can be confusing. To judge by name, you would find 6 options identified as a London airport. From largest to smallest they are: Heathrow Airport (LHR), Gatwick Airport (LGW), London Stansted Airport (STN), London Luton Airport (LLA), London City Airport (LCY) and London Southend Airport (SEN).

However, bigger isn’t always better. For international travel, bigger airports usually mean more time for checking in, going through security, boarding your flight, going through Border Control and waiting in baggage claim.

When deciding what is the best London airport to choose, you need to consider distance because only one airport is really located close to Central London. This area of London is the most popular place for travellers to choose a hotel during a visit. In order of closest distance to greatest, the options are:

London City Airport, 14 km (9 miles)
Heathrow, 26 km (16 miles)
Gatwick, 45 km (28 miles)
Luton, 55km (34 miles)
Stansted, 63 km (39 miles)
Southend, 64 km (40 miles)

What is the Best London Airport to Choose- Most Popular

Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport are the popular options for first time travellers to London. To be honest, they are the two my husband (who has lived his entire life in London) and I choose most. We prefer to pay more for convenience and nearly always book flights on British Airways due to their loyalty programme. I recently cashed in Avios for Business Class tickets to Cyprus, which will be a 4 1/2 hour direct flight for us from Heathrow!

If we book really early flights, we stay at a hotel near the airport, which we book through Expedia. For transportation, we use Heathrow Express, Uber, London Underground or Gatwick Express. Arriving early gives me plenty of time to hit World Duty Free.

If cheap ticket prices are your top concern, you will likely find the best deals through the other London airports. When I say cheap, I mean like £30 each way or less to European destinations! However, these discount airlines tend to charge to choose a seat, bring a carry on, check in a bag, and basically breath on the plane- in our opinion. The seats also offer very, very little legroom.

If you want to play safe and go with the most popular London airports, watch the 4 minute YouTube video below. I compare transportation options to Central London from Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport, assuming flight prices are equal.

You can download my free guide with all the prices and train options I mention in the YouTube video, by subscribing to the weekly email. Immediately you get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London‘ which is the ultimate free travel accessory for a London trip. It features 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 (like the airport guide), plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

Let’s take a look at other options to consider for what is the best London airport to choose. These options would appeal to people travelling between London and other UK or European destinations.

London Stansted Airport

The newest London airport, London Stansted gives access to 200 destinations across Europe, Middle East and Africa. It has one main passenger terminal.

With regard to transportation, Stansted Airport Railway station is in the terminal building. Stansted Express goes to and from Liverpool Street in central London every 15 minutes when trains are running. If you book tickets online in advance and you can pay from £9.45 one way between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport. This offer is only online and allows you a fully flexible ticket. You can travel on any train on the outbound date you book and can return anytime within a month. This option is available up to 6 months in advance. Keep in mind there is limited availability, so you would want to book early.

The journey usually takes roughly 45-53 minutes. The busiest routes from Stansted Airport are: Dublin, Edinburgh, Belfast International, Rome-Ciampino and Malaga. The most popular airlines are:

Austrian Airlines
British Airways
easyjet
Emirates
Jet2.com
Pegasus Airlines
Ryanair
Scandinavian Airlines
Thomas Cook Airlines
TUI Airways

London Luton Airport

Luton is 28 miles north of Central London. It is the 5th busiest airport in the UK and has 1 terminal and a single runway. Luton Airport is the base and head office location for easyjet. Most of its routes are through Europe. Generally, you would fly on the airlines below at really great ticket prices:

easyjet
Ryanair
TUI Airways
Vueling

The fastest train between St Pancras station in Central London and Luton Airport Parkway railway station takes 22 minutes, but they average 40 minutes. There is a 10-minute shuttle bus between the railway station and the airport terminal. You can check National Rail for details, but a Super Off-Peak ticket Single is £13.10.

London City Airport

This airport opened officially in 1987 and is quite small compared to other London airports. It has a single, two story passenger terminal building. They claim you can get ‘From front door to gate in 30 minutes’.

The British Airways business (Club World) London City Service claims to be the smartest way to reach New York City. The exclusively business-class service is the closest a commercial flight gets to a private jet. You are also able to clear immigration en-route so you can skip the queues at JFK.

If you read through the comments on the YouTube video, you’ll learn that that landing at London City Airport is a nail-biter. The airport is busiest during winter months. And, the most popular destinations are: Zurich, Geneva and Milan for winter sports fans. Airlines flying in and out of London City Airport are:

Aer Lingus
Alitalia
British Airways
Flybe
KLM
LOT Polish Airlines
Lufthansa
Luxair
Swiss International Air Lines
TAP Air Portugal

The most popular transportation option (and the cheapest) would be Docklands Light Railway. You can use an Oyster card on it, and easily connect to the London Underground and London Overground. There are currently no plans for a station to London City Airport when the Elizabeth Line opens, but it will come very close.

London Southend Airport

As the furthest airport, you would choose this one if you plan a holiday on the east coast of England and are renting a car. However, as of 10th June 2019, Greater Anglia began running an extra service to London’s Liverpool Station. The airport has up to five services an hour during peak times and can get you to the City in under an hour.

You can purchase tickets at the station from the ticket office and ticket vending machines. Off-peak single fares start at £16.70 to Liverpool street. They give discounts for railcards, travelcards and groups.

What is the Best London Airport to Choose? Final Thoughts

I wish it was one simple answer for everyone. If you are travelling solo to London on business and plan to be mostly in the City or Canary Wharf area, then London City Airport is the best for you. A family on holiday might consider Heathrow Airport and then an Uber in to Central London to a hotel. A budget traveller with some extra time would also consider Heathrow Airport, but then use an Oyster card and jump on the London Underground. A couple seeking an easy route with train travel to the heart of London and then a cab to a hotel would likely pick Gatwick Airport.

For those who have visited London or live in London, what is the best airport to choose for your circumstances? Do you prefer one consistently over another? Does an airline loyalty programme make a big difference? Is it time, budget and/or convenience?

June 9, 2018 by: Sunny London

Visit Prague Guide- Short Stay Things to Do

For several reasons, many people list Prague as one of their favourite European cities to visit. Surprisingly, it is one that my husband, a former camera and sound intake man for NBC News- London, had never visited. So many of his mates in London and my friends in the US recommended that we make a trip there for our May holiday.

Because we wanted to make the most of our Prague trip, we booked a room for four nights on Expedia. This decision seemed good at the time, but after the fact we have different views.

Visit Prague Guide: Suggested Length of Stay

First, I think three nights is fair if you are just seeking a trip to highlight the best things to do in Prague. This would be assuming your flight arrives by the early afternoon on your first day. Also, our flight on the last day left at 8:20pm on British Airways to London Heathrow. We also had a hotel which has a 1pm checkout! That truly made the difference, and you can read more about that five-star experience on my blog too.

Visit Prague Guide: Prague Castle

The Prague Castle was on the top of my list of things to do. Therefore, we reserved a half day for it on our itinerary. I had thought it would be best to do on the day with the sunniest weather prediction. However, while we were in Prague someone suggested that since most of it was indoors, that we should not be too concerned with the weather forecast.

Big Mistake!

While rain and thunderstorms were predicted every day, we found that the sun (and heat!) was relentless. Except for the day we went to the castle. After seeing four parts of the Prague Castle, which were part of our general admission tickets, we experienced the most condensed rain I have ever seen and felt in my life. Now this is coming from a girl who grew up in Florida and lived through several tropical storms and hurricanes. We spent a 30 minutes trapped under an alcove with a crowd of hot, wet tourists as the ground literally flooded. It can be described as nothing short of biblical.

So, my advice to you is, consider that the castle has many areas for you to visit and you do walk outside between the areas. Further, you will queue for a while outside them to get in. There are no covered areas for that.

Get to the Prague Castle early and hope for sunshine.

Visit Prague Guide: See the City

Of the options to tour Prague, a walking tour is the most recommended. To see what we did and why I don’t recommend it, you will have to watch the YouTube video below. In the video I show you the most popular attractions, aside from the Prague Castle. And, I give you advice for specific places that are not mentioned here. You’ll want to watch all the way to the end to find out which attraction is under construction so you are not disappointed when you go too!

As foodie travellers, we spent a lot of time trying different food in Prague. For ideas about what to eat and drink in Prague, we created this video for you:

The Sunny News YouTube channel shares even more advice for things to do and what you’ll need to know about London and sunny destinations (like tips for visiting Malta). This includes tips for choosing a hotel, how to tip when in London, food to eat in London, and advice for exchanging money. The blog also has a Guide for Americans Visiting London which is a collection of the top experiences I recommend. You’ll definitely want to bookmark it and visit the Pinterest boards created to help trip planning too.

If you live in Prague or have visited so a short stay like us, please leave your ideas and suggestions below in the comments for people who are researching a holiday.

May 26, 2018 by: Sunny London

The Old Parsonage- Luxury Cornwall Bed and Breakfast

Where can you combine the cosiness of a bed and breakfast with the luxury feel of a hotel in Cornwall? Mr. Sunny and I think the Old Parsonage Bed and Breakfast in Boscastle, Cornwall is the perfect fit for a posh stay in a quiet place.

We celebrated the start of Spring with a short holiday this year on England’s coast. It was my first trip to this part of the country, and I was lucky to have Mr. Sunny as a guide. He spent numerous holidays there as a child with his family. So, his memories were fond and vivid. Together we looked at all of our options on Expedia and TripAdvisor and based on excellent reviews, chose The Old Parsonage a luxury Cornwall bed and breakfast.

Old Parsonage- Cornwall Bed and Breakfast: Our Room

We booked the ‘Luxury Double Bedroom, 1 King Bed’ for two nights and loved it. The room is located right at the entrance, so it is very convenient. In fact, if you are travelling with someone with a disability, it offers very easy access. As you can see from the pictures below, it is quite spacious too.

We were astonished at the size of the room and bathroom. It was spotless and very English country chic. The bed was ginormous and tough to get out of each morning because it was so comfortable.

Old Parsonage- Cornwall Bed and Breakfast: The Hosts

Before we even arrived the hosts, John and Delwyth, made an excellent impression. Soon after we made our reservation they sent us information about local restaurants we might find of interest and directions to the bed and breakfast in the event that our satellite navigation did not produce accurate results. Yes, that is something you need to consider when staying in Boscastle- good mobile signals are sporadic.

John and I communicated briefly via email the day we arrived because I wanted him to know our estimated time of arrival. Seconds after we opened our car doors outside the Old Parsonage, John greeted us. He gave us a quick tour of the room and everything we needed to know about keys, breakfast, and general amenities they offer.

Old Parsonage- Cornwall Bed and Breakfast: The Food

You know that Mr. Sunny and I are super foodies, so here comes the best part, Sunny friends. We enjoyed every bite we ate. As with the other bed and breakfast locations where we have stayed, we completed our morning food order the evening before.

We chose to have breakfast in the conservatory, which has a very cosy environment and tons of beautiful natural light. We both had an English breakfast, and I chose to also have porridge for the first time in my life. I know porridge probably isn’t that difficult to make, but I wish I had asked Delwyth for the recipe. Since that day I have craved it several times, but I want it exactly how she made it!

Food was warm, delicious and ready on time both mornings. Delwyth is an exceptional cook. Further, each night we received a small box of homemade treats in our room that Mr. Sunny and I literally argued over who would get the last one. And, at breakfast there was also a different selection each morning of freshly baked breads, as featured in the image above.

Old Parsonage- Cornwall Bed and Breakfast: Final Thoughts

We would without a doubt stay at the Old Parsonage again, if we were in the Boscastle area of Cornwall. Both evenings we went to the restaurants they recommended (The Riverside and The Wellington Hotel) and enjoyed the experience. If you are planning to stay at a luxury bed and breakfast in Cornwall, put this place high on your list of options.

Some considerations for a first time visitor to Cornwall involve the terrain. Roads are tiny and often barely fit two passing vehicles. The coast is full of cliffs that are certainly gorgeous but this uneven land and remote atmosphere means it is tough to get a mobile signal many places. We were grateful the Old Parsonage offered wifi. You might also want to keep in mind that the bed and breakfast is located on a small road above the restaurants and shops of Boscastle. While on a map it may look like a short walk to this area, it’s actually quite the hike- literally. Mr. Sunny and I walked to dinner the first evening, but we took a cab back to the Old Parsonage and just used cabs the second night. We recommend doing this. The ride was about £5 each way and sure is a lot cheaper than a ride on the London Underground for two people. Just book them in advance of when you need them, so you aren’t disappointed.

While in Cornwall we visited St. Ives, Padstow and Tintagel Castle. If you follow my Instagram, you saw the amazing pictures and videos of the crystal blue water in Cornwall. I still have so many places of England that I would like to see. Where would you suggest? Do you have any bed and breakfast recommendations for me that are similar to Old Parsonage in England? Please leave any questions you have on Old Parsonage below and make sure to check out their excellent reviews on Expedia and TripAdvisor.

August 7, 2017 by: Sunny London

Game of Thrones Tour in Malta Review

Would you be surprised that the Game of Thrones Tour in Malta experience is exactly like watching an episode? It’s an emotional roller coaster made up of trying to process so many events and important information at once!

That is how I felt on the five hour Game of Thrones Tour in Malta. It was by far the highlight of our five day holiday for so many reasons. We had the luxury of doing a private tour, which meant it was just Mr. Sunny and I, along with another couple who are as passionate as we are about the epic HBO series.

This tour, however, is not only great because you literally get to stand at the gates of King’s Landing and take pictures, but also because of the guide. The Game of Thrones Tour in Malta rocks because your tour guide starred in Season 1.

Game of Thrones Tour in Malta: Summary

For nearly the entire tour, our guide Malc gave us information. There is no way I can capture it all here. Besides, I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for you. Aside from visiting tons of locations used in Season 1, throughout the tour you learn about:

why the chose Malta and certain areas for filming the episodes
what they did to dress exterior sets to make it look appropriate for the time period and location
problems that occurred during the filming and how HBO addressed the issues
inside stories about the what happened to the actors during filming (which are all told with a professional tone and not ‘Hollywood gossip’)
bloopers that appear in the episodes
how filming the show affected Malta
tons of information about other movies filmed in Malta

Also, I am not going to list every location we visited in Malta. For the full list of all the stops, you’ll need to visit Malta Film Tours.

Game of Thrones Tour in Malta: Highlights

Mr. Sunny and I snapped pictures and video constantly as Malc, the owner of Malta Film Tours, escorted us around to the various locations. To tease you a bit, here are some of the highlights of the five hour tour.

game-of-thrones-tour-malta-kings-gate-kings-landing

King’s Gate, the entrance of King’s Landing

game-of-thrones-tour-malta-cobblers-square

The Street of Steel, where Ned and Jory follow Jon Arryn’s last movements

game-of-thrones-tour-malta-shadow-cliffs

The Shadow Cliffs, along which the Khaleesi and her Dothrakis travel

Gardens of King’s Landing

The Red Keep (old Dominican Priory in Rabat)

game-of-thrones-tour-malta-reivew-red-keep

The Red Keep, ‘When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die’

Game of Thrones Tour in Malta: Winner?

‘When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die,’ is perhaps the most famous line from the series. This tour is a winner, and let me tell you exactly why. Malc is amazing. His personal touches throughout the tour make it an unforgettable experience. It is understandable why some of his guests have taken the tour twice. At every stop he uses professional portfolios to show you the set that you are seeing and how it was featured in the series.

Even more impressive is the fact that his wife and son also played parts in the show. And they all survived 😉 In fact, that is his wife featured in the photo above. She also conducts tours at Malta Film Tours.

His knowledge of the show and production reflects his years of experience in the film industry. His approachable demeanor and affect, as well as candid, yet impeccably professional delivery, add even more flavour to the experience.

We really appreciated the extra stops that Malc made on our private tour. We had a quick refreshment stop where he provided us with an opportunity to try Maltese beer. Later, we were taken to the food establishment that created the original pastizzi recipe. (See my ‘What to Eat in Malta‘ video for more on that.) And of course, he gave us freshly made pastizzi to eat as well.

Two other extra stops we were able to make are to see The Statue of Our Lady, which reportedly wept blood in Rabat and to visit Popeye’s Village.

I don’t know if every private tour includes those last two stops. It may depend on traffic and the pace of the overall day.

Game of Thrones Tour in Malta: Recommendation

Malta Film Tours offers larger tours for a cheaper rate. I imagine that experience is stellar too, based on their Facebook page and all the reviews you can read about the tours. I actually recommended to Malc that he charge more for the private tours because he really provides so much in terms of information and the overall experience. We felt we received huge value for what we spent on the experience. In fact, he made every effort to accomodate our travel plans while we were in Malta, and we really appreciate his efforts to do that.

That being said, I think you appreciate the tour most if you are a passionate fan. It’s best to have seen the most current episode so Malc can speak freely about the show. We were grateful the other couple on the tour was nearly at the same episode as Mr. Sunny and me. It allowed Malc to discuss events that had transpired since the wrap of Season 1.

Note that he doesn’t receive any direct information about current episodes and is careful to adhere to professional standards of information disclosure expected of actors and production crew.

Finally, the last reason we loved the tour is because it allowed us to see areas of Malta that we would have missed on our short five day holiday. Specifically, I don’t think we would have made it to Mdina.

I would love your thoughts on any other Game of Thrones tours offered in Europe. I know they are in Northern Ireland and Croatia. If you have been on one of those, perhaps you can share feedback in the comments? I am also happy to answer any questions you may have about my experience should you have those too.

Sunny in London: Malta Travel Series

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:

Food to Eat in Malta
Things to Do When Visiting Malta
Advice for Visiting the Blue Lagoon
What to Pack When You Visit Malta
Luzzu Cruises Review- Gozo, Comino, Blue Lagoon

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!

September 8, 2017 by: Sunny London

Visit Malta – Tips and Advice for Visiting Blue Lagoon

If you’re planning on visiting Blue Lagoon, you need to be prepared. Hitting Comino, the tiny island between Gozo and Malta, is a must-do for not just water sports fans but anyone who loves breathtaking scenes. However, it’s certainly not an easy day at the beach during peak travel season.

I had glorious visions of a chilling out on a tranquil beach and gazing at azure waters before I went. When my husband and I arrived, we found it to be quite the opposite. Therefore, I promised myself I would make it my mission to prepare anyone thinking of this adventure.

Visiting Blue Lagoon – How We Got There

As part of our full day excursion with Luzzu Cruises (full review here), we had a short stop built in for visiting Blue Lagoon. Friends from London who were also visiting Malta at the same time as us took a bus from their hotel in Sliema. For general advice about planning a trip to Malta including what to do, what to eat, and things you should know, I have separate YouTube videos.

I would highly recommend visiting Blue Lagoon through a boat or small cruise ship like we did. While it doesn’t give you a ton of time to really dive in, it does provide the opportunity to check it off your travel bucket list.

Visiting Blue Lagoon – Minimal Gear

We were in Malta at the end of July, which is peak travel season. As crowded as Blue Lagoon was on a week day, we were told by a local Maltese man that it’s even more crowded on weekends because of the locals with boats also visiting the area. When our boat docked, we had 90 minutes to embark, enjoy Blue Lagoon and return to the boat. While this seems like plenty of time, it flew by like a New York minute.

Since the boat didn’t have any place for us to securely leave our stuff, we had to bring everything with us. My fear was that my husband and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the water together because one of us would have to stay with our stuff. Luckily, there was a place which had lockers for rent.

We were able to shove our iPhones, wallets, and my Sony camera inside a small locker for €5. And, for €2 more, the gentleman in the photo above allowed us to keep a medium size backpack with a change of clothes in that green tub you see off to the right of the stand.

This means we were left to capture all of our sunny swimming and beach views with my GoPro Hero and a monopod. I can’t emphasize enough how happy I was that I had this tiny, waterproof camera. However, with no monitor on the back, I was literally in the dark as to what I was filming. The irony of being surrounded by such picturesque scenery and having no clear ability to capture it is pretty funny.

Before our next trip to somewhere sunny, I will certainly upgrade to the GoPro HERO5. Oh, and my monopod is now a rusty mess so I need to grab a waterproof one of those too.

Visiting Blue Lagoon – Keeping it Real

Once we wrestled our way through the crowds and found a few nice British folks in chairs that agreed to watch our shoes, shorts and shirts, we made our way to the water.

While it was certainly much clearer than the River Thames or Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida where I am from, it’s not as transparent as you hope. There was barely any room for us to swim, so do the math. With all of those people wearing sunscreen and doing gosh knows what else, the water is a bit murky. Although, it certainly doesn’t look that way from above.

You have just enough space to splash around and say you have gone in the Blue Lagoon. Don’t get your hopes up for a selfie that doesn’t have a random other person or two or three.

Visiting Blue Lagoon – Final Thoughts

I have never been scuba diving or even snorkeling, despite growing up in Daytona Beach, Florida. In fact, I am really afraid of going in any water past my ankles that isn’t manmade. However, I did last about 10 minutes in the water while visiting Blue Lagoon. There was no way I was going to let my fears stop me from saying I had the experience. What could have cut it short would have been bringing too much stuff. Please consider this before you go.

Finally, what my husband and I really wish he had for the visit are these…

Water shoes! I will never, ever go on another beach trip without them. My husband and I both brought old sneakers with us on our trip. Our intent was to let them get destroyed and to leave them behind. While that worked, we still had to walk around without shoes for some time while visiting Blue Lagoon. We could have avoided that.

Visiting Malta- More to Share

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

Please leave any questions you think I can answer about planning your Malta trip in the comments here or on YouTube. If you have been to Malta, it would be great if you can add your advice here too! These are a few other photos from the day we toured Gozo and Comino.

September 4, 2017 by: Sunny London

Luzzu Cruises Review – Gozo, Comino and Blue Lagoon in Malta

What’s the best way to get around Malta? Luzzu Cruises gives a great option for those who enjoy water sport activities. With only five days to visit the country, my husband and I were keen to balance relaxing by our hotel’s pool and seeing the beautiful sights of Malta.

Since renting a car to get around seemed to big of a hassle, we investigated the various boats that offered trips to places outside our hotel’s area. The day we spent with Luzzu Cruises was well worth it and provided everything we could ask for during the time we spent with them.

Luzzu Cruises Review – What We Saw

From 10am-5pm we ventured around Malta. The packed ship left Sliema promptly in the morning for a full day in the sun. We spent the first hour or two travelling north to Malta’s sister island Gozo. Since we had paid a bit extra, we boarded a small bus to enjoy a three-hour sightseeing tour of the island. Our guide was friendly and full of pride and information about Gozo.

As we passed significant locations, he shared the highlights of their history. Our first stop was visiting the Dwejra. You might know this location as the place where the Azure Window once stood. Game of Thrones fans would recognise it as the location where Daenerys Targaryen married Khal Drogo. Sadly, it did collapse earlier in 2017.

Our next stop included a time to quickly explore the Citadel. Views of Gozo were breathtaking at the top.

After seeing the harbour from a high view, we boarded our boat again to make our way to Blue Lagoon. For those interested in that experience, you’ll want to read my Advice for Visiting Blue Lagoon. There are tips there that will really help make sure your trip, and possibly entire holiday, aren’t ruined. Finally, we cruised the crystal waters and stopped by the outside of a few caves for a quick peek.

Luzzu Cruises Review – What We Loved

We stayed at the Grand Excelsior Hotel Malta, which meant Luzzu Cruises met us in the reception area at 9:00am to take us to the cruise ship. We also disembarked the boat right at our hotel at the end of the day. While we could have taken the ferry from Valletta to Sliema, having roundtrip transportation meant a lot less hassle.

Further, we appreciated that we received a phone call in our room the day we had originally scheduled the trip stating it had been cancelled. Apparently, the water was too choppy for the adventure. Had we paid for and made the trip to Sliema, we would’ve been very disappointed.

All of the staff, including the driver of our Gozo tour, were honest and cheerful. They adhered to a strict schedule, which meant the day went smoothly.

Luzzu Cruises Review – What We Recommend

Since Malta experiences a tremendous amount of wind, the day of our cruise was affected by really choppy water. The Captain was clear about this from the moment we left Sliema. If you aren’t fond of a bouncy ride on a boat, skip this trip. About 15 minutes in to our voyage, nearly half the people on the upper deck went below. My husband went for a beer during this time and said quite a few of them were physically getting sick.

As a girl who grew up in Florida, I knew what to expect when the Captain said choppy. This meant I didn’t take advantage of the open bar with beer and wine. Well, not until we were making our return journey and I knew I had no worries 😉

Apply sunscreen before you board the boat and bring it with you. You will bake in the sun for the entire journey. Go back to the top of this and slowly count those hours if you need to. It is a LONG day in the sun. With regard for what else to bring, the boat doesn’t have lockers so plan on carrying all of your stuff at all times. Again, for your visit to Blue Lagoon, you want to know what to bring, so READ. THAT. ADVICE.

While you could purchase food on Luzzu Cruises, we opted to grab a quick sandwich at a local restaurant in Gozo so we could continue enjoying the Maltese cuisine at every opportunity.

Our trip was €40 per person. This is €5 higher for each person than what you’ll see on their website. It is because we were greeted at our hotel and dropped off there. The entire experience was worth every bit we paid and more.

Visit Malta – More Information

January 15, 2016 by: Sunny London

How to Ride the London Underground not like an Arse

Are you planning to use the London Underground as transportation for your upcoming trip? Or maybe you live in London and use the Underground often but don’t have a clue about what to do?

Let me help you.

No, I’m not a life long Londoner, but my husband is. He is not fond of the ‘Tube’, as some refer to it in town. In fact, he says he’d prefer to ride with ‘the great unwashed’ as little as possible.

His wife (me), and millions of others, however, understand it’s one of the most practical and cheapest ways to get from place to place in the world’s most expensive city.

Even though I’ve only lived in London a few years of my life, I’ve noticed some basic steps you should follow as an etiquette guide on the London Underground. In fact, when you’re an expat living in another country, you’re keen to notice the habits of locals because you want to blend in as quickly as possible.

After observing what works and what doesn’t, I have the suggestions below for a respectful, easier journey for you and those around you.

The London Underground- The World’s Your Oyster

Want to know a guaranteed ticket to making friends on the London Underground?

Have your day pass or Oyster card out before you approach the turnstiles.

Yep. You can be 100% sure that you won’t get anywhere without paying your dues. So, make sure that card or piece of paper is in your hands about 20 feet before you spin through.

Oh, and make sure it’s ‘topped up.’ There’s nothing more annoying than standing behind some wanker who can’t find his card and thinks it’s funny.

Get. Out. Of. The. Way.

The London Underground- You’re Not a Superhero

Every time someone takes a flying leap in a single bound to jump on to a train as the doors are closing, the hearts of everyone on the train drop.

Secretly, we do cheer when you make it.

However, when the doors slam on you (or your backpack) and everyone has to wait or assist in prying the doors open for you, we’re all thinking, ‘Jack Arse.’

When you hear the beeping noise of doors closing, don’t take it as your clue to rip off your glasses and prove you can probably leap small buildings in a single bound there, Clark Kent.

The London Underground- Move Over

One of the biggest expressions of poor manners on the Tube involves the most basic request from the Transport for London guidelines: Stand on the Right, Walk on the Left.

Let me explain. It’s not as simple as just being on the right. Nearly every traveller gets that part right. What you need to be mindful of is the space you take on the right.

Just because you are on the stationary side doesn’t mean you can take up 90% of the stair horizontally. It isn’t fair to the walkers or often ‘runners’ moving on the left to have to dodge around a protruding bag or suitcase.

Often when I am charging up the escalator, I take my full half of the left side, so if I ~~smash into~~ brush against a person, it’s not an accident. That person needs to move over.

The London Underground- Remove Your Backpack

Peak travel times are weekdays until 9:30am and between 4-7pm. If that’s when you are taking your journey, be advised it’s rude and hideous to leave your bag strapped to your back.

When people are facing a long day at work or have had a long day, they don’t feel like having your backpack shoved in their face. Further, it takes up desperately needed space.

You should remove the back and put it near or on the top of your feet.

Seriously.

The London Underground- You’re Not Priority

I never sit in the Priority Seat. Those are the seats nearest to door and are marked with a sign above them.

They’re reserved for elderly, the less able and women who are pregnant. Don’t sit in a priority seat ever.

If you’re going to play games, write notes, read, or text people while you’re riding, you may miss seeing someone get on the train who truly needs the priority seat.

You might feel the cold stare of everyone on the train hoping to ‘evil eye’ you out of your seat when someone else needs it. (Most British people are far too polite to actually ask you to move). Save yourself the embarrassment of being asked, or having someone smash your foot with their walking stick, by just avoiding these seats.

The London Underground: Keep Calm and Move On

Further, be mindful of space around you in the carriage. If it’s crowded and you’re at the end of the carriage, check to make sure there isn’t empty space where you can stand in the middle.

I agree that it requires a bit more balance than leaning against the wall, but for the love of mankind, think of the people smashed together at the end of the carriage! Do you think they enjoy smelling each other’s beer breath and armpits?

The London Underground: Pick Your Seat, Not Your Nose

There probably isn’t too much I need to write here as an explanation. That heading was not a joke or cute, catchy title.

We don’t care if you put on makeup as you ride, as long as you don’t get it on us and stay within your space perimeters in a seat. In fact, if you can put on lipstick, eye liner and mascara on a moving train, you have mystified all of us.

However, keep your fingers out of your nose, girls and boys. And, please, please, please, take a bath or shower before you travel!

Stay safe and polite as you ride, Sunny friends. And always whenever you are anywhere near an Underground, Overground or National Rail Station.

Final Thoughts:

I hope you found this advice valuable. If it’s too much to remember, just say ‘Sorry’ for every mistake you or other people make during your trip. Your fault, their fault, just keep saying ‘Sorry.’ It’s what they do in London.

Sorry.

There’s more London Underground advice on the blog, as well as a Guide to Transportation in London and resource for Americans Visiting London.

What are your tips, London friends?

Visitors, are there are additional questions I can answer for you?

Did you know as part of an online order with London Pass you can also receive an OysterCard too before you arrive or with your passes? There’s plenty of blog reviews too for attractions offered as part of this discount pass service also.

For more tips for the Tube, take two minutes to watch this too…

November 8, 2013 by: Sunny London

Arundel and a Castle in the Sky

As a city girl, I don’t like to step too far away from London. However, for an opportunity to see a castle in the sky, I make an exception.

This is exactly what I experienced on a beautiful long-weekend getaway to West Sussex.

We started with a drive in our convertible to Arundel, and as we entered the market town we could see the restored medieval castle floating in the sky.

Well, maybe it wasn’t “floating,” but the image was breath taking. We certainly don’t have views like this in Florida!

We checked in to The Swan Hotel, which is located in the heart of Arundel.

Our first journey was a walk to one of the local pubs. It provided great “refreshments” after a two-hour drive from North London.

Once refueled, we began our unprepared exploration through the streets and wandered in to the Cathedral.

For Day 2, we drove through nearby towns Littlehampton and Bognor Regis and had a delicious fish and chips dinner back at The Swan. We saved the castle tour for the morning of Day 3 because the weather forecast was spectacular. Purchasing the Gold Access tickets provides access to everything. If you’re making the trip from London to Arundel, it makes sense to spend few extra pounds for the best tour. When you make the extra 10% charity contribution, you receive double the amount in a voucher that you can use in the coffee shop, restaurant or gift shop.

However, you could skip the £1 admission to enter the small zoo in the castle gardens. Since my husband/photographer/driver/tour guide has spent countless hours walking up and down King’s Road with me on shopping expeditions, I figured I could appease his excitement to see meerkats for 10 minutes and went through it with him.

Next, we entered the Fitzalan Chapel. The gentleman stationed inside eagerly assisted people with their questions and approached us to inquire if there was anything that made us curious. He was a rich vessel of historic knowledge and English pride.

Once inside the castle, which was officially established on Christmas Day in 1067, we were unable to take pictures. Actually seeing the suits of armor and ferocious medieval weapons is mind-blowing. A picture really wouldn’t capture how unsettling it is to stand before a battle axe or cleaving weapon. I was much more at ease viewing the remodeling that the Duke of Norfolk did for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s visit in December of 1846. This included seeing her bed, the guest book which displays her signature, and her toilet. (Wahoo!)

Finally, we made our way up hundreds of stairs to the Keep. (Girls, skip the heels and break out the flats for this adventure! There are several super tiny spiral staircases.)

After feeling like we had made it to the top of Mt Olympus, we collected pictures of the gorgeous English countryside from every outlook.

Finally, we descended and made our way back to the car to begin our journey to Midhurst.

I would recommend visiting Arundel to Londoners and all those interested in English history and exquisite scenery. The castle has been in the Duke of Norfolk family for 400 years. Since it still serves as their residence, make sure it’s open to the public before planning a special trip to Arundel.

Also, I’d love to answer questions you have about visiting the area and would appreciate feedback from those who have also visited. If you have any suggestions of similar trips, please share them too!