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DISNEYLAND is a place where everyone can enjoy a bit of magic, but hidden behind its world famous rides and queues of exhausted families is a top secret club that most guests have no idea exists.

Club 33 originally opened in Disneyland California, although can also be found in Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland now too.

But don’t get too excited – the club is incredibly exclusive and the only way to join is if you receive an invite.

It’s even suggested that there is a waiting list of up to 10 years, which was reportedly closed in 2007 after it became so long, before reopening in 2012.

So it’s no wonder why the sought-after club is loved by celebs like Tom Hanks, Michael Jackson and Elton John.

Found on 33 Orleans Street, the speakeasy style club can be found behind a blue door with a discreet 33 address plate at the entrance, for those in the know.

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The members-only club was founded by Walt Disney, who based the club on his travel adventures with his wife Lillian, although he died a year before the club opened in 1967.

Inside is just as lush as you’d expect, with wood-panelled private dining lounges, swanky baroque wallpaper and various Victorian curios that Walt personally collected from antique shops.

In fact, the restaurant is one of the only places visitors can bag some booze in the park.

And for film fanatics, props from classics like Mary Poppins  are inside, including original drawings on the wall.

But all of this will cost you.

Initiation fees are believed to range between $25,000 (£19,200) and $50,000 (£38,000).

Then there is the annual fee, which can be as much as $30,000 (£23,000).

The membership, however, gets you some extra perks such as day passes for guests, private VIP tours, exclusive merchandise and free hotel room upgrades.

You also can’t go to more than one of the Club 33s around the world, as each membership is exclusive to each club.

There is one place in the club you can visit without your own membership, although you do need to know someone who does have one to take you.

The Salon Nouveau Lounge is known for it’s posh caviar appetizers as well as burgers and champagne, so if you know someone lucky enough to have access the club 33, you could try it out.

Meanwhile, for members only, there is Le Grande Salon which has set menu costing upwards of £100, but can reportedly include options such as scallops and steak tartare.

And for those wanting to spend the night, there’s the Disneyland Dream Suite, which sits above the next-door Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Walt had his own apartment on Main Street in the park, but it was decided there needed to be a bigger spot to host Disney’s VIP guests, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds.

The more specific details of the elusive club are scarce, mostly because members are told not to ever share the club’s secrets.

Florida-based Disney travel experts Simon and Susan Veness previously told the Telegraph: “The level of secrecy around Club 33 is quite startling, but it has been there since the club’s earliest days, and it continues to be a Disney parks anomaly today.

“For somewhere that is never slow to promote its rides and attractions, this ultra-expensive ‘insiders’ club’ is distinctly incongruous and out of step with the general pixie dust nature of the theme parks.”

However, some guests have shared a sneak peak inside the club.

This week former Playboy star Holly Madison took to Instagram to post some snaps from the balcony of the club.

“Club 33 Alice in Wonderland tea was divine,” she captioned the alluring snaps which showed her sat a linen-covered table with Mad Hatter plates, Alice in Wonderland-themed snacks and over huge floral displays.

Bragging about having club 33 membership comes with it’s risks though as one couple even ended up taking Disney to court after losing their membership.

The couple, from the US, said they had paid as much as $124,000 (£94,000) a year to visit the theme parks, sometimes visiting as much as 80 times a year.

However, they were taken off the membership list after the park claimed they had both behaved badly, being both intoxicated and swearing – something they both refute.

Back in 2015 Joseph Cosgrove allegedly lost his membership when he allowed a friend to auction off his passes.

According to Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown, Joseph had “repeatedly transferred and sold their membership privileges,” which meant the park was “left with no other choice in order to preserve the integrity of membership.”

Celebrities aren’t immune to having their membership revoked either; a Pitch Perfect actress claimed she was suspended from the club for taking a secret picture in the club’s bathroom, she revealed on The Daily Show in 2023.

But all the mystery around the club has only made it more intriguing for Disney fans over the years, with thousands of social media posts on the topic of the secret spot popping up every week.

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg, giving you the latest on city and county government.

Los Angeles voters have finally gotten some closure on the outstanding contests in the June 2 primary election, with City Councilmember Nithya Raman qualifying for the runoff against Mayor Karen Bass, and Measure ER, the countywide sales tax hike, prevailing after a week of ballot counting.

With nearly all the votes counted, Angelenos are now getting a more granular understanding of the strongholds built up by each of the top three mayoral candidates.

Districts that went big for Bass, Raman and Pratt

Early on in the vote-counting process, it looked like Raman might not win her Hollywood Hills-based district, which stretches from Silver Lake to Reseda. In the end, she pulled out a first-place finish, securing nearly 34% of the vote compared to Bass’ 31%, according to Paul Mitchell, vice president of the voter data firm Political Data Inc, who aggregated county precinct data into council districts. Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV personality, trailed at 27%.

Still, Raman’s strongest support came from three districts on the eastern end of the city.

Mitchell’s analysis showed Raman with 45% of the vote in Council District 13, which includes all or parts of Echo Park, Hollywood and Atwater Village. She got nearly 40% in Council District 1, which takes in parts of Highland Park, Mt. Washington and Angeleno Heights. And she scored nearly 38% of the vote in Council District 14, which includes downtown, Boyle Heights and El Sereno.

Those districts are represented by Hugo Soto–Martínez, Eunisses Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado, respectively — all members of Democratic Socialists of America, who all endorsed Bass instead of Raman, a DSA member herself. Raman placed first in all three.

Bass found her greatest strength in the three districts that cover South L.A., coming in first in all three. Her best performance was in District 8, represented by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, where she led with nearly 62% of the vote.

The mayor received 45% of the vote in Council District 10, which stretches from Koreatown to the Crenshaw Corridor, and 42% in Council District 9, which stretches from the southern edge of downtown south to 95th Street.

Pratt performed the strongest in the west San Fernando Valley. He was the top vote-getter in District 12, which is represented by Councilmember John Lee and includes Chatsworth, Granada Hills and Porter Ranch. In that district, he received 39% of the vote, Mitchell’s assessment showed.

Pratt got nearly 37% of the vote in District 3, which is represented by Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and includes Woodland Hills, Warner Center and Canoga Park.

Pratt also led the pack in the 5th District, which takes up much of the Westside and is represented by Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky. He had 30.7% of the vote, compared to Raman’s 30.6%, according to Mitchell’s analysis.

Nithya Raman attacks the L.A. ‘political machine’

It was one of tougher attacks of the mayoral primary: Raman accused Bass of engaging in “pay to play” — making decisions that benefited certain interest groups, who then spent big on her reeelection.

At her first post-election press conference Wednesday, Raman revisited that line of attack, criticizing Bass over her push to upgrade the city’s Convention Center. That $2.6 billion project was approved in the middle of the city’s financial crisis, when the council was contemplating major job cuts, Raman said.

“Downtown business groups then spent over a million dollars supporting her in her reelection. Meanwhile, the city went back to voters asking them to pay more to fix their streetlights. That is the political machine at work,” she said.

Pay to play was a potent issue in the 2005 election, when Mayor James Hahn was defeated by Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa. At the time, federal agencies had opened corruption investigations into decisions at the city’s harbor and airports, as well as the Department of Water and Power. That year, the phrase “pay to play” was synonymous with criminal wrongdoing.

In a video acknowledging his primary defeat, Pratt said he got into the mayor’s race to “expose this corrupt machine.”

Raman stopped short of such a framing.

“It’s not corruption,” Raman told reporters at Vista Hermosa Park. “But it is evidence that the system, and how it works, particularly the influence of money in politics, has led to some very broken priorities here in the city.”

Last year, policy analysts warned the Convention Center project would be a financial drag from the moment it opens, consuming more than $100 million per year throughout the 2030s. Business groups and labor organizations pushed back, saying the project would help revitalize downtown while creating much needed construction jobs.

The Central City Assn., a downtown-based business group that supported the Convention Center upgrade, spent about $1.6 million on efforts to reelect Bass.

“Nithya Raman doesn’t think we need more jobs or visitors to our hotels and restaurants that produce the tax revenues downtown generates for the entire city, so it’s hard to support her,” said Central City Assn. President and Chief Executive Officer Nella McOsker in a statement.

Bass spokesperson Alex Stack also pushed back on Raman’s criticism, saying the mayor has been with “every group and industry to deliver results for Angelenos.”

“Nithya Raman can’t get anything done and then attacks the same groups she sought to endorse her campaign,” he said.

Pratt trailed Trump among L.A. voters

As a mayoral candidate, Pratt was dogged by questions about whether he was MAGA — shorthand for the movement that first powered President Trump into office in 2016. The Republican had received fulsome praise from Trump-aligned figures, including podcast host Joe Rogan and Greg Gutfield of Fox News.

Pratt downplayed his GOP ties. Still, there’s one area where he definitely had some similarity with Trump: His performance with L.A. voters.

Trump and Pratt both picked up roughly one out of every four votes in L.A. during their respective campaigns.

Pratt, former star of MTV’s “The Hills,” had 25.5% of the vote in L.A., according to results posted Friday. In November 2024, Trump did a little better, receiving 26.5%, county election results show.

Trump had 369,319 votes in L.A. two years ago, compared to 976,781 for then-Vice President Kamala Harris. By Friday, Pratt had 217,638 votes, compared to 247,242 for Raman and 292,115 for Bass.

It might not be fair to compare Pratt and Trump, given that there were key differences between the elections. Pratt was competing in a primary campaign, while Trump was in a general election. The candidate pool was different as well.

Trump was running in a six-way contest where Harris was his main rival. Pratt, on the other hand, was in a race featuring 13 other candidates.

Although two-thirds of those candidates were complete unknowns, four of Pratt’s rivals ran serious campaigns, amassing endorsements and spending significant amounts of money.

State of play

— TRUMP VS. LAHSA: The Trump Administration moved Thursday to block the embattled Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority from receiving federal funds, saying the agency was badly managed and engaged in fraud. Elected officials across the city denounced the move, while nonprofit groups also voiced alarm. “This is intended to create chaos,” said Jerry Jones, the head of the Greater LA Coalition on Homelessness, which represents groups that serve the region’s unhoused.

— PAYOUT PROBE: Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said Wednesday that he believes four out of every five claims in the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history — one that resulted in a $4 billion payout by Los Angeles County— may be fake. Hochman has asked a judge to pause the sex abuse payments while he continues his criminal investigation into the plaintiffs, lawyers and therapists involved in filing the claims.

— GET READY TO RUMBLE: The showdown between Bass and Raman is going to get ugly, political experts said this week, in part because they agree on a number of big-picture political issues. Both will need to court at least some of the disaffected voters who picked Pratt in the primary.

— A SCATHING SENDOFF: As we mentioned higher up, Pratt released a video Friday that was both an acknowledgment of his primary election defeat and a vitriolic screed against Bass and Raman, his former rivals. Pratt called them “morons,” “commie animals” and “corrupt communists,” and made clear he intends to ramp up his attacks in the coming months. “I don’t have campaign laws hamstringing me now. It’s war,” he said.

— WOOING LATINOS: Bass carried far more Latino-majority neighborhoods than her rivals in last week’s primary, a Times analysis found. She carried 35 Latino-majority neighborhoods, including Boyle Heights, Pacoima and Historic South-Central. That was a 46% increase from 2022, when she won 24 Latino-majority neighborhoods in her primary against Rick Caruso and Kevin de León, the analysis found.

— EKING OUT A WIN: The countywide sales tax hike known as Measure ER prevailed this week, with late-arriving ballots pushing the number of ‘yes’ votes just above 50%. “It’s a lifesaver to carry us through the storm we’re all in,” said County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who led the push among her colleagues to get the measure on the ballot.

— AN EXPENSIVE FEE-FA: Bass was set to attend the U.S. opening game of the World Cup Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood after being invited by FIFA, her office said. Still, Bass wasn’t exempt from the high ticket prices she criticized earlier this year. She paid $2,735 out of pocket for her ticket, a spokesperson said. On a related note, the mayor announced more than 100 “Kick it in the Park” events where Angelenos can watch World Cup games for free.

— MORE OF THE SAME: In a break with recent history, every council member who ran for reelection this year won their race. “People see what we’re doing, and they want us to keep fighting for them,” said Councilmember Tim McOsker, who won nearly three out of every four votes in his San Pedro-to-Watts district.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program to address homelessness went to the area around 54th Street and Western Avenue, in the South L.A. district represented by Harris-Dawson.
• On the docket next week: The City Council meets Wednesday to take up a sprawling package of charter reform proposals, including a move to ranked-choice voting and a larger number of council members. Will the council send those ideas to voters or punt them for another two years? Stay tuned!

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

The Spanish destination has banned all new holiday rental properties — including houses and villas — as local authorities move to protect struggling residents from being pushed out of their own neighbourhoods

A beloved holiday destination popular with British tourists is cracking down on new holiday rental properties, after they were found to be forcing local residents out of their own communities.

Local politicians in Palma de Majorca are poised to bring in the measure to boost housing availability for hard-pressed residents. New licensed apartment holiday lets have already been prohibited there for several years, and now local politicians are moving forward with a ban on houses and villas.

Local councillor Óscar Fidalgo insisted the move was one that simply had to be made. He described it as proportionate and fair, adding that it should have been implemented sooner in order to protect those living on the island from spiking property prices.

He was openly critical of holiday rentals growing ‘like never before’, and warned that they were causing integration issues between tourists and locals.

According to Majorca Daily Bulletin, Fidalgo said: “The expansion of tourist accommodation reduces the available residential supply and makes it harder to access housing. The current model presents problems of legal certainty and complicates inspections, which allows for fraud. More inspection capacity is needed.

“There are also urban sustainability reasons. It affects neighbourhood coexistence. We must protect neighbourhoods and prevent the displacement of residents.”

A town hall technical report concluded that the Spanish holiday hotspot is unsuitable for the opening of new holiday rental properties.

In April this year, more than 8,000 illegal Airbnb listings in Majorca were removed from the website, totaling a withdrawal of more than 40,000 illegal tourist beds.

The move was part of a coordinated effort between Airbnb and the Spanish authorities to reduce the number of active rental properties.

The fines for running an unlicensed holiday let in Palma de Majorca are steep. Landlords face fines of up to €40,000 (£34,700) and the government has employed a group of inspectors to ensure compliance. There is also an online reporting system for the public to report suspected rule-breakers to the authorities.

Nearly a third of tourists visiting Spain opt to stay in short-term rentals. The number of homes listed for holiday rentals in May dropped 6% from the previous summer to 1.43 million, after regulations were tightened to ease the housing crisis, data from the National Statistics Institute showed.

According to campaign group Affordable Majorca, since 2013, rents in Palma have increased by a whopping 40%.

Approximately 2.3 to 3.6 million British tourists visit Mallorca each year. The UK consistently ranks as the second-largest source of international visitors to the island, making up about 20% to 26% of all tourist traffic, trailing just behind Germany, according to Road Genius.

The decision in Palma de Majorca comes as another holiday island has also cracked down on beach regulations, banning nearly 700 loungers. Authorities imposed the ban on Formentera in the Balearics, effective immediately until 2029. A further 339 parasols have also been ordered to be removed from beaches.

This small but charming UK market town punches above its weight with a flourishing food scene of Michelin-starred restaurants and a renowned gingerbread legacy

A picturesque UK town boasts an incredible culinary scene, with Michelin-starred restaurants and the birthplace of a beloved British confection.

When it comes to restaurants celebrated for their culinary excellence by the esteemed Michelin Guide, our thoughts might drift towards those dotted along the streets of Britain’s major cities. However, it seems a foodie paradise lies hidden in plain sight within the unassuming Lancashire market town of Ormskirk.

Nestled in the heart of West Lancashire, under an hour from Liverpool and two hours from Birmingham, sits a destination defined by medieval buildings, walkable streets, and the famous Clock Tower standing proudly at its centre. Once a Viking settlement, it’s celebrated for the Charter Market, among the oldest and most authentic outdoor markets in the UK, yet it’s the dining scene that truly warrants recognition.

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Michelin-starred restaurants

Ormskirk plays host to not one, but three Michelin-starred establishments. Among them is Moor Hall, helmed by chef patron Mark Birchall, who delivers classic British cuisine alongside his brigade of culinary experts. The restaurant, located in the village of Aughton in Ormskirk, remarkably boasts three Michelin Stars, a Michelin Green Star and five AA Rosettes.

As Mark Birchall himself puts it: “We want to bring together the very best – beautiful surroundings, with an unrivalled dining experience that pushes boundaries.”

But there’s more. Moor Hall’s sister restaurant, The Barn, has also scooped a Michelin star for its “varied menu created with the best seasonal ingredients”. Diners can look forward to indulging in “60-day aged grass-fed ex-dairy Jersey beef tartare, Jerusalem artichoke, and nasturtium; Cornish Cod, smoked onion, charred leek, bacon crumb, or Stem ginger panna cotta, blood orange, granola”.

Another establishment adding to the town’s buzzing food scene is sō-lō, delivering an “exceptional” fine-dining experience under the helm of Tim Allen. Also holding a Michelin star, its website reads: “Highlighting modern British cuisine, Tim incorporates culinary influences from around the world. Marrying incredible flavours and textures, he ingeniously crafts dishes of the finest seasonal ingredients, which are both truly memorable and emotive.”

‘Gingerbread Town’

Beyond its celebrated restaurants, Ormskirk boasts a rich history of its own and is fondly dubbed the ‘Gingerbread Town.’ The beloved bake cemented its legacy in the town after three trailblazing women first sold gingerbread to passers-by in the 1770s.

The delectable biscuits soared in popularity and are said to have captured the attention of Edward VII and The Princess Royal. Today, that proud tradition endures, with the town even hosting an annual Gingerbread Festival in its honour, and the cherished sweet treat is sold throughout the town, including at its local market and bakeries.

Historic outdoor market

The renowned Ormskirk Charter Market, which has been running since 1286, fills the town centre around the Clock Tower every Thursday and Saturday, with roughly 100 stalls offering everything from fresh fish, meat, and vegetables to artisan breads, creamy cheeses, and homemade pies. Friendly traders also sell plants, flowers, cards, stationery, clothing, homeware gifts, and pet supplies.

The market truly has something for everyone and is undeniably a cornerstone of the town, consistently bringing the local community together with a warm, village-like feel. On occasion, residents can soak up live music and entertainment while picking up their locally sourced produce, browsing the town’s selection of independent boutiques, or catching up with friends over a coffee at one of the fashionable cafés such as Bloom and Brew and Two Brothers Coffee.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

The long-forgotten adventure park was once ‘always busy’ and loved by thousands and Brits are recalling childhood memories from time spent there — now it’s completely unrecognisable.

Some places are built to spark immeasurable joy and excitement within humans and it’s safe to say theme parks rank fairly high on that list. Many theme parks around the world have given individuals core memories they hold on to dearly, even decades later, with cherished visits to funfairs forming the building blocks of countless childhoods.

One such theme park existed in the UK, specifically in Cornwall, and people who visited the funfair in its heyday recall having some of the best moments of their lives there. It’s a pity then, that this beloved theme park now lies forgotten, completely unrecognisable in its current form, a mere shell of its former glory.

Dobwalls Adventure Park in Cornwall’s Liskeard was a family-run theme park established in the 1970s which brought incalculable joy to thousands.

Founded by John Southern, the funfair commenced operations in 1970 and held the title of being Cornwall’s top visitor attraction for years.

The theme park’s highlights were its two miniature railway locomotive networks, which were complemented by recreational grounds and large play areas, both indoors and outdoors, as well as an art gallery and stunning woodland walks.

John established himself as a pioneer in tourism after he transformed his modest pig farm into one of the South West’s most loved (and earliest established) attractions.

Dobwalls Adventure Park’s hallowed grounds saw locomotives chugging along its two-mile tracks for over 35 years, and the funfair quickly established itself as a school-favourite destination for days out.

With one admission ticket, visitors could enjoy the Krazee Kavern play barn, take unlimited rides on the locomotives in the park, step into the Rocky Ridge water and sand play area, have fun with Mr Blobby, wander through the locomotive shed, and take in the wonders of the Steam Back in Time exhibition.

The steam and diesel trains however, remained the funfair’s star attractions through the decades.

There was a choice of two tracks for visitors to indulge — the Rio Grande and the Union Pacific Railroad.

The Rio Grande line became operational in 1970 itself, and famously featured a four per cent or 1:25 gradient, earning it the title of the world’s steepest ascent on any passenger-carrying miniature railway.

Tunnels and steep climbs only added to its undeniable charm, with the line weaving in and out of a forest in a bid to recreate the Colorado railroads.

The Rio Grande’s success spread like wildfire, leading to the addition of the Pacific track in 1979, which closely resembled the Union Pacific Sherman Hill line in Wyoming, USA, and had a ruling gradient of 1.51 per cent (1:66).

Whisking into canyons and over bridges and trestles, the locomotive lines gave visitors the kind of thrill one could only dream of in those days.

The adventure park’s theme itself was modelled on successful American funfairs, complete with ‘cowboys and Indians’.

Unfortunately, the beloved theme park began to see a decline in numbers and popularity, facing stiff competition from newer, bigger and better funfairs that were coming up across the UK.

Older cherished attractions like the Go Kart track also became defunct and added to the park’s decline.

By the end of 2006, the theme park began closing down its railway lines, and by June 2007, it was announced that Dobwalls Adventure Park’s redevelopment projects had been stalled, and the funfair would not be reopening in its original form.

All of the adventure park’s locomotives were put up for sale, and by early 2008, eight of them had been sold to a man in Dorset and were to be run at Dorset’s Plowman’s Railroad near Ferndown.

The locomotives have since been exported all the way over to Australia, with some users on social media claiming to have seen them in the Land Down Under.

The 22-acre site upon which Dobwalls once sat proudly was put up for sale in 2012 with a guide price of £400,000 in a sealed bid auction.

Now, Charteroak runs a popular holiday cottages accommodation, Southern Halt, from the site where the adventure park once functioned.

Abandoned but never forgotten

Scores of Brits still remember their time at Dobwalls Adventure Park, with several social media users taking to Facebook to reminisce over the theme park’s glory days and recall the countless cherished memories they made at the famous South West funfair.

In a post on the public group 7 1/4″ Railways , one Facebook user recalled: “It was always busy when we went. I remember my 1st visit and all the steam locos were in steam.”

While another visitor emotionally shared: “Loved my visit there as a kid in the summer of 1982. Fascinating place to visit. Never had that many holidays in Cornwall.

“Intended to return around ten years later to try and take some photos of the trains in operation, but found that much of the routes had been built over, so never bothered in the end. Just watched the Big Boy depart from outside the fence!”

Another user wrote, “Was a fantastic place when I visited in the mid 1980’s,” while one fondly recalled, “Only managed one visit but enjoyed every minute.”

One visitor who hoped to take their grandkids to the funfair wrote: “We went there many times when holidaying in Devon and Cornwall. Bought the t-shirts and other memorabilia. I had hoped to take my grandchildren there, but sadly that’s now not to be.”

Some even shared seeing the beloved locomotives in Australia, with one individual writing, “Saw one of the big diesels at Diamond Valley Railroad near Melbourne about 10 years ago,” while another shared, “Quite a few of them are in Victoria Australia.”

One user fondly wrote, “This was a fantastic place spent a lot of time in Cornwall and visited a lot,” while another shared, “Went there every year for probably ten years when we were going to vacation to Cornwall.”

BEYONCE and hubby Jay-Z are looking to move to France — after ditching plans for a UK home.

The music power couple, who abandoned househunting in the Cotswolds due to concerns about flooding, are said to be eyeing up a stunning chateau near Bordeaux.

Crazy In Love singer Beyoncé, 44, and Jay-Z, 56, are already huge fans of the famous wine region – with the 99 Problems rapper celebrating his birthday there in 2023.

Sources say the US pair are looking at a 16th century estate boasting 10 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, nestled in a commune.

Locals have told how the area is abuzz with talk of the A-listers joining their community – which is described as the French equivalent to the Cotswolds.

Businesses have reportedly been sworn to secrecy about the couple’s potential arrival.

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One local said: “Everyone is talking about Beyonce and Jay-Z moving to the area.

“It’s all been shrouded in secrecy, with local businesses and tradespeople forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, but theirs are the names on everyone’s lips.”

Residents have reported a recent surge in private planes landing at the closest airport.

One source also told how a job description has gone on a local noticeboard for an experienced property manager working with VIP clients at an historic estate.

One of the requirements for the role is “absolute discretion”.

The superstar couple — worth a combined £1.5billion — were said to be buying a £7.5million 58-acre plot in the Cotswolds, following the footsteps of several celebrities.

Planning permission was secured for the seven-bedroom property.

But insiders said the pair, who have three children together, turned their backs on the area after learning it was prone to flooding.

A source told The Sun: “Beyonce and Jay-Z buying this plot of land was the talk of the Cotswolds, so many locals were excited about them moving in.

“But the plan appears to have fallen through.”

Despite their snub the Cotswolds have attracted a raft of celebrities including Ellie Goulding, James Blunt, Kate Moss, Amanda Holden, Tom Cruise, Liam Gallagher and Lily Allen.

TV host Ellen Degeneres and wife Portia de Rossi also moved to the area and renovated a farmhouse which they are selling for £22.5million.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued an update for a sun-soaked holiday hotspot and warned that there have ‘been fatal accidents’ in the area

The Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for a hugely popular holiday destination that welcomes thousands of Brits every year.

On Wednesday, 15 April, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice for the Maldives. They warned about swimming safety in the Indian Ocean, with the Maldives renowned as a hotspot for snorkelling, swimming and watersports due to its crystal-clear turquoise waters.

While the waters around the Maldives are appealing, the FCDO warned that they “can have strong tidal currents that can drag you away from the shoreline.” They noted that more than eight Brits have drowned in the area since 2021, and urged everyone to be aware of the risks and understand how to minimise them.

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In an updated warning, they said: “You should read the security information provided by your tour operator and make yourself aware of local swimming conditions on arrival at the resort. Keep in regular contact with resort staff to see if these conditions change.

“Only swim in well supervised areas, areas designated as safe for tourists, or where lifeguards are available. Pay attention to warning signs or flags and avoid swimming in areas with strong currents, high waves or dangerous underwater conditions. If something does not feel right, get out of the water at the earliest opportunity.”

They further highlighted: “Being aware of the potential dangers will help you to stay safe. Always take local advice before going into the sea.

“There have been fatal accidents involving boat propellers in the South Ari Marine Protected Area (SAMPA) and nearby whale shark tourism sites. Regulations requiring propeller guards are not yet fully enforced. Take extra care when swimming or snorkelling near boats and follow local safety instructions.

“See water safety on holiday from the Royal Life Saving Society.”

The FCDO doesn’t advise against travel to the Maldives, but it has warned that “escalation in the Middle East has caused widespread travel disruption”. This has resulted in airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights, which could impact “connections to and from the Maldives.”

For anyone planning a trip to the Maldives, the Foreign Office advises the following before travelling:

• “Check travel advice for any countries or territories you are transiting through
• Check for the latest updates from your airline or tour operator before travelling
• Review your travel insurance policy to confirm what is covered
• Monitor local and international media and sign up for FCDO travel advice email alerts”

In further travel advice for safety in the Maldives, the FCDO highlight that terrorist attacks “cannot be ruled out”. They state: “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals. Stay aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities.”

For more information on travel advice to the Maldives, visit the Foreign Office website.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com