Fun Things To Do In London – With or Without Kids

Hello everyone!

Many of you are based outside London and often ask me what to do when visiting this beautiful City with your children. 

At the time of writing, the Christmas holidays are approaching, so I have put together a list of fun things to do in London around the festivities, with or without kids!

This could be useful to you whether you live in London or not! 

– West End Musicals. The best for kids I feel, is Mathilda, not to be missed if you have not been. Gangsta Granny is great too. I took my boys and they loved it. We went to see Hamilton – my 10-year-old loved it, but my 8-year-old was a little young for it. 

– Visit the Natural History Museum, followed by a pizza in the museum restaurant and/or a crepe at The Kensington Crêperie across the road

– London zoo! I am not a fan of zoos, but this one supports conservation in Africa, and the animals there would not survive in the wild, given their past. So go there guilt-free and enjoy it! It is set in Regent’s park, one of London’s beautiful parks. 

– The Science Museum is really fun and children can learn a lot about cars, planes, astronauts, etc. It is around the corner from the Natural History Museum (and again, I would suggest going for a nice crepe at the Kensington crêperie afterward). I like to always give a nice treat to my kids after going to a museum so they associate the experience with positive memories! 

– I take my children for a pizza at Harrods on the second floor, followed by ice cream at the ice cream parlor next to it when they achieve something great at school. It is a real treat.

– When there is a good show at the Royal Academy, I take my boys, get them the audio guides, and when they have had enough, I take them for a hot chocolate and a macaroon at Ladurée in Burlington Arcade next to it. Again, a treat post-museum! 

– Wander around China Town (my kids love it!) and then go to Leicester square to the movies (and maybe drop in at the M&Ms shop for a treat!)

– Not to be missed, Kidzania in Westfield Shopping Centre. It’s a world for kids where they can get jobs, be paid, and buy things. My kids are crazy about it. There is a Five Guys burger place in that shopping mall, which your little ones might enjoy too. 

– Go Ape in Battersea Park is amazing for a fun outdoor activity. The park is gorgeous and worth seeing, in any case. 

– Pedalo on the serpentine and tea or hot chocolate at the restaurant on the serpentine in Hyde Park. 

– Afternoon tea at the Dorchester / Claridges / Lanesborough / Brown’s hotel / Mandarin oriental hotel or Berkeley Hotel for a full English tea and scones experience. It needs to be booked well in advance. It is a full meal FYI! You get served finger sandwiches, scones, and beautiful cakes and pastries. It’s like a never-ending merry go around of deliciousness. 

– A cupcake at the Hummingbird bakery on Portobello Road and wandering around Notting Hill.

– The adventure playground in Holland Park is great for kids aged 4 and above.

– The Diana Memorial Playground in Hyde Park is also fantastic. There’s a huge pirate ship; my kids have played there for hours.

– If you are in London in December, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is a real fun and joyful experience (with or without kids). My kids never tire of the rides and toffee apples.

– The London Eye, which all kids love, and The Shard are an amazing way to have a beautiful view of the City from above. It’s a little touristy, yet my kids still love going! 

I hope you visit and have an amazing time in London. It is my favorite City in the world (a completely unbiased statement), full of understated beauty and marvels.

Enjoy!

Cold sores and mouth ulcers are a real pain… They always happen at the most inappropriate time and it feels so unfair that some people just never get them!

They are caused by the HSV-1 ( type 1 herpes virus), which the majority of people carry.

You can get over the counter medicine which I do not find effective, prescription medicine (more effective) and I thought I would share a few tips to minimize their recurrence.

1- SLEEP. Just make sure to get those 8 hours. 7 hours has been proven scientifically to not be enough for brain function, cell regeneration, mood, nervous function, etc. If you sleep enough, not only you will be physiological more performant but you will be able to deal with the next point better, namely, stress.

2- STRESS. It’s easy to say that we should stress less but it’s not as easy to put it in practice. I try to have more positive thoughts than negative thoughts daily. It is a simple trick that has been shown to make people happy (who needs a pay rise?!). I will do a full post on this but sticking to a maximum of 2 cups of coffee a day helps to not kick in anxiety, and breathing deeply is crucial for lower cortisol levels. When you feel you are doing shallow breathing, make a conscious effort to breathe normally again, maybe by taking a couple of deep breaths.

3- REDUCE ARGININE rich foods and supplements. L-Arginine is an amino acid that has been shown to activate HSV-1. Sadly, some healthy foods like spinach, nuts, pumpkin seeds contain L-Arginine. Cola, beer, chocolate, and gelatin (candy) contain it too.

4- EAT HEALTHY to support your immune system. You need a variety of nutrients for your body and immune system to function well. Following a low inflammation and healthy diet supports that.

5- SUPPLEMENTS. Vitamin C, zinc, and L-Lysine (an amino acid) can help reduce the recurrence of cold sores. Liposomal vitamin C is easier absorbed too. If you take zinc, I would recommend zinc picolinate as it is better absorbed. And as with everything I recommend, please make sure to check with your doctor before taking it 🙂

How to Prepare Your Skin for Sun Protection

Hello Everyone! In this post, I am sharing my skincare routine from when I am on holiday in the sun. I am a big skincare and beauty products fan, as you know – although the first time I did a full face of makeup, I was 28 years old! But that is a story for another day…

I have always invested in products for my face, and I continue to do so. As a student, I spent less on alcohol and saved to buy my favorite moisturizer from Lancôme.  Interestingly, the most expensive ones are not always the best, but more on this topic soon!

When I am in the sun, I always protect my skin. First, I wear SPF, and second, I always wear a hat.

As we all know, the sun damages the skin and gives you wrinkles and pigmentation. My skin is on the dry side, and I am genetically prone to pigmentation, so I always try and test products.

Here are my tips for ultimate protection from the sun:

• A week before going in the sun, I give my skin a good exfoliation and a hydrating or brightening mask [ you can check out my video where I show you my favorite face masks on YouTube].   Like L’Oreal face mist as I know I will be putting my body in the sun but not my face.
• Do not scrub your face a few days before going away and during your stay. Indeed, scrubbing the face makes the top layer of your skin thinner, hence more prone to sun damage.
• In the morning, apply a moisturizer with SPF in it. I like using Zelens daily defense cream, which has an SPF 30.
• Let the moisturizer sink in for a couple of minutes (or more), and then apply a generous layer of mineral sunscreen. Mineral sunscreens are a total barrier against the sun. The ones which aren’t mineral are activated when the sun hits your face and are chemical-based. I find them less effective. Mineral sunscreens protect you better, I find.  At the moment, I am using Coola’s mineral face SPF.
• I like applying a tinted moisturizer on top, which has SPF, too (one can never overdo the sun protection!) so I don’t look “white.” It gives you a nice glow, as mineral SPFs tend to make you look a little whitish. Currently, I like using La Mer because it has reparative properties.
• Finally, when I return from holidays, I make sure to do a nice facial at home or a salon, as sunscreen tends to clog up the pores. It is important to exfoliate to remove all excess product from your pores and get your skin bright and glowing!

I hope this was helpful to you!

You may also be interested in the following:

My Wake Up Make Up Routine

The Benefits of Sun Exposure

Have a super day!