TRAVEL – Page 7

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

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!

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…

June 10, 2016 by: Sunny London

What Makes MacDonald Windsor Hotel Magical?

Where can you escape from London’s hustle and bustle and feel like a princess? The Macdonald Windsor Hotel on 23 High Street, SL4 1LH.

The End.

Ok, it really wouldn’t be a very good hotel review if that’s all I said. So, let’s cut right to the story, and that begins with the view. When Mr. Sunny and I arrived at the Windsor-Eton Central Station, we really just wanted to get our staycation going. You have no idea how relieved we were to find that the Macdonald Windsor Hotel just around the corner from the station.

After a very fast check-in, we found room 406. Like a little kid on her first trip to Disney World, I squealed when I saw the view from our balcony…

Growing up in Florida, I visited Disney’s Magical Kingdom countless times. Seeing Cinderella’s castle always makes you feel elated and youthful. However, looking out your window to see a real castle that a real Queen lives in is truly a magical moment. Realising that you are in a royal town that is the home of the longest reigning Queen of England takes the phenomenon another notch higher.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to absorb the view as long as I had wished because we had two fully booked days of a press trip and a wedding in the evening.

We left the hotel to take in some of the city’s experiences. Soon, you’ll be able to read about our fantastic gin-tasting experience at a newly renovated pub around the corner, our tour of Windsor castle, a walking tour with one of the town’s best guides, a Sunday lunch at one of Windsor’s best restaurants and more.

We barely had time to relax during our whirlwind adventure. However, what made all of our activities super easy, was the location of the hotel.

Below is Windsor Guildhall, which was where Prince Charles married Camilla and Sir Elton John married David Furnish. You can see the Windsor Macdonald Hotel just off to the left.

If you travel a lot, you know that it’s a real pain in the morning to try to make sure you have everything in your handbag that you need for a full day of touring town. Even more annoying is dragging around tons of stuff all day, ‘just in case.’ Items like an umbrella, sunscreen, a digital camera, a GoPro, extra batteries, charge cords, water bottles, etc truly weigh you down. Aside from the sleek decor of the hotel, it’s location literally in the centre of everything there is to do in Windsor made our stay magic.

These are some shots from the inside reception and bar area….

It was tough on the very sunny Sunday that we were in Windsor to get Mr. Sunny to leave the sofas that you see above. It was crispy cool with comfortable air-conditioning in the lobby, and the chairs were covered in soft, melt around your body pillows. Had our only plans been to sip cocktails in the bar area the entire weekend, you wouldn’t have heard us complaining.

For as much running around town as we did, our Windsor weekend also included two meals at Caley’s, the hotel’s Scottish steakhouse.

For dinner on Saturday evening we enjoyed Salmon and Babyback Ribs as starters, with our standard glass of red wine and beer.

We both ordered our favourite cut of steak, because in a Scottish steakhouse, well… it would just be rude not to. 😉

That was Mr. Sunny’s sirloin and my perfectly cooked fillet. The dinner was fantastic and left us no room for dessert. The next morning, we made sure to return to Caley’s to enjoy our English breakfast. If I can give you a tip about staying in the hotel, it’s to get to breakfast early. Because the hotel was so quiet, we had no idea that it was very crowded, until we arrived for breakfast.

There was a bit of a queue to be seated at a table, and we waited for about 10 minutes. The staff was hustling as fast as possible, but I think all the guests showed up at once. Our experience was nice, but it was definitely busy.

You would think with the numerous times we went to our room and left again to explore that we would’ve felt that the hotel was full, but we truly had no idea. Another reason I’ve dubbed this hotel as ‘magical’ is because it was indeed quiet. If you’re worried that you’re room will be overlooking the town high street and could be noisy, get that thought out of your head. We slept with the balcony door slightly open and were never once bothered by background sounds. We slept like a King and a Queen, albeit the bed size would’ve been better suited for the smaller people centuries ago.

And, just in case you think I might have forgotten, these are the pictures of our room, 406.

It was spotless, modern and comfortable. I regret that we weren’t able to stay longer and just chill in the quiet room. But, when you’re not an actual princess, the sad reality is that the luxury life can only be tasted in small doses.

While I didn’t get to see Cinderella, the Queen, or Kate Middleton, I did have the chance to see a real life version of a Windsor hero.

I couldn’t help myself on the Windsor Walking tour when we passed a street party in front of one of the town’s oldest pubs. You got to hand it to this lady for totally and completely rockin’ the Union Jack. I had to have a picture of this fun, flirty dress.

Our stay at the Macdonald Windsor Hotel was complimentary for the purpose of a review. This has no effect on my opinion. I truly can’t wait to treat my mother to a weekend in Windsor when she is finally able to visit me in London and will absolutely plan to stay at this hotel again. We had excellent service and were mesmerized by the magical view and location. For more about the hotel’s excellent reputation, you can also read their reviews on TripAdvisor. If you’re looking for more ideas of things to do when you visit Windsor, don’t miss my YouTube video sharing our weekend in Windsor.

March 10, 2015 by: Sunny London

What You Want from Every Hotel

Have you ever stopped to think about what you want in every hotel?

Chances are it needs to be in a great location, is clean, has excellent service and features exactly the amenities you need. Oh, and if the price reflects all those needs and is low, I bet you’re really happy too. Right?

If this sounds appealing, then I want to introduce you to Every Hotel Piccadilly in London.

As an American expat living in London, I’m frequently contacted about where to stay in London. Because I know what it’s like to learn London from a foreign point of view, plus live here with my London born, British husband (AKA Mr. Sunny), people value the advice we can offer.

That’s why we were contacted to review Every Hotel Piccadilly, the first hotel of Every Hotels in London, which opened less than a month ago. When we learned it was a four-star hotel in the heart of London, Mr. Sunny and I couldn’t pack our staycation suitcase fast enough!

Because the hotel is just steps from Piccadilly Circus, we found it easily. Our check-in process took less than five minutes. The lobby area is small, which makes sense because who comes to London to hang out in a hotel lobby? 😉

In fact, this is the premise that Every Hotels presents to discerning travellers. It is stripped back of all the non-room features that people generally don’t use. Instead, they focus on quality rooms and personal service. So, Sunny friends, let’s check out the room now.

While our room at Every Hotel Piccadilly wasn’t super spacey, it did have an absolutely ginormous bed!

Mr. Sunny and I love this! In fact, the door hadn’t even shut to the Room 407 when we entered and I heard him exclaim, ‘Bloody Hell! There are six pillows!’

He’s stayed in tons and tons of five-star hotels through his travels as a journalist with NBC News, so he knows what matters most to a traveller. And, yes, next he went straight to complimentary mini-bar.

As a girl who lived in New York for ten years, my eyes got wide when I saw the Nespresso machine. Sweet hallelujah!

After tossing down my handbag, I threw the window curtains open to check out our view. Room 407 is directly across from the M&M store in London. Sweet!

I was very happy to find the bathroom was nice and didn’t have one of those odd European showers with half of a glass door for a ‘curtain’.

I am not a big fan of them because I tend to get water everywhere. Instead, there was a rain shower. As a side note, I have to say when I took a shower, it was the first time in my life the bathroom wasn’t engulfed in steam by the end. I take some hot ones, Sunny friends!

While I was setting up all my cosmetics and clothes, Mr. Sunny started playing with the Smart TV. Wow!

I kicked off my boots and was in big bed, social media heaven. This hotel has the fastest ever, free, unlimited Wi-fi. And I made sure to give it a good test to verify it. First, I announced to the Twitterverse that I had arrived and was loving my Every Hotel Piccadilly party.

Even though the room had everything we wanted, we were anxious to get outside on the glorious sunny evening in London. Again, the hotel had counted on that.

The company conducted research over the last two years to find out what people really want in every hotel experience. When asking 4,000 adults globally what matters most when staying in a hotel with the top three rated as:

A Great Night’s Sleep (86%)
No Hidden Extras (81%)
Fast and Efficient Check-in (67%)

Mr. Sunny and I grabbed a quick beer and wine for a little happy hour drinks celebration at one of the many pubs around the corner. We returned to Every Hotel Piccadilly by 7:00pm for the small launch party in the restaurant.

With a few other bloggers, we were treated to drinks, burgers and other snack foods as we learned more about what the hotel offered to guests. The next morning, we also experienced a complimentary breakfast which was basic and gave us the energy we needed for a day in Central London.

The gym includes a few treadmills, a rack of free weights and a medicine ball. It’s really all you need if you’re going to exercise indoors on a holiday or business trip.

Rooms are well equipped with everything you need and they give you the opportunity to choose your room before you arrive.

What I Love about Every Hotel Piccadilly:

– The location is fantastic!
– Beds are super comfortable. Although Mr. Sunny did say that he heard a bit of noise during the night from the street, I slept wonderfully.
– Rooms are exceptionally clean.
– The check-out and check-in process took place in minutes, as indicated.
– It took less than three minutes for Mr. Sunny to retrieve an electrical adapter from the front desk when I realised I forgot one for my American hair straightener. Every Hotel Piccadilly really does cater to international travellers as much as possible.
– Rooms had everything we wanted or needed. (Ironing board, UK hair dryer, numerous plugs for charging devices, comfy bathrobes, etc)

Every Hotels will open three new hotels in London in the next 18 months and aims to add up to a further 50 globally by the end of the decade.

To see for yourself, you can read more about Every Hotels here. Or catch their reviews on TripAdvisor too!

Our room was complimentary for the purpose of a review. I would most definitely recommend this location for those that want an affordable experience in London that has all the amenities busy travellers need.

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!