travel

L.A.’s only dedicated cinnamon roll shop was born during the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders prevented Lindsay Sears-McDonald from going to her family’s favorite bakery to satisfy her craving for sticky sweet buns.

Instead, she attempted the dessert at home. When her first try yielded delicious results, she set out to perfect the recipe. Soon, she and her husband Lawrence were popping up at events across Los Angeles, and in 2023 they nabbed a vendor spot at Smorgasburg L.A.

They named their outfit All About the Cinnamon, a play on the hit song “All About the Benjamins” that features Lil’ Kim and Notorious B.I.G. The menu follows a similar theme, with plush cinnamon rolls named after the rap and R&B artists that Lindsay and Lawrence grew up listening to, such as the Em dotted with milk-chocolate M&M’s or the Busta topped with warm Nutella. Last summer the couple opened a small storefront in Sherman Oaks, complete with a mural of hip-hop greats.

In pastry cases across the city, you’ll see a diverse range of sweet buns inspired by the comforting flavors of childhood. That translates to vegan cinnamon rolls with ube halaya and pandan at a Filipino bake shop in Long Beach and miso-honey milkbread buns sprinkled with sesame seeds at a Korean-inspired bakery in Highland Park. Here are 11 of our favorite cinnamon rolls in L.A.

WETHERSPOONS has confirmed that more pubs are opening in Spain, after the success of their first in mainland Europe.

Last month, the famous pub chain opened its first pub outside of the UK at Alicante Airport.

Following this, two more pubs will now open at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in the capital city.

The first one will be at Terminal 1, set to open by September 2026.

This will be followed by a second at Terminal 2 by January 2027.

Passengers will have to go through security to drink at them as they are both airside rather than landside.

Read more on Wetherspoons

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Little else is known about the pubs, including what they will be called, but they will have space for almost 600 passengers.

You can get an early drink too – they’ll be open every day from 5am to 11pm, including real ale.

The menu is likely to be similar to the Alicante menu, which is mainly the British classics with a few Spanish dishes as well.

Drink prices haven’t been confirmed, although the also similar to the Spanish pub, beers are around £3.50.

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin said: ” We are delighted to have secured two fantastic sites at Barcelona airport.

“In the short time since opening our pub at Alicante airport has proven popular with travellers and we are confident we can replicate that at our two new pubs in Barcelona.”

He added that they aim to open more pubs in mainland Europe in the next few years, particularly at airports.

The Sun’s Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski was one of the first to try the new Wetherspoons in Alicante, called Castell de Santa Barbara.

She explained: “The pub has pitched close to the gates for UK flights to draw in the near 650,000 Brits that pass through this airport monthly.

“Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the small space with light, while candy floss, glossy tiles give it a warm atmosphere.

“There’s a tea and coffee station in the corner, while behind the bar there’s not a whiff of scampi fries or Walkers in sight but instead European holiday favourite, Lays.

“This one boasts something that all other airport Wetherspoons do not, however – an outdoor terrace, where you can catch those last glimpses of Spanish sunshine before jetting off home to drizzly England.”

In the mean time, Spain is home to a dupe pub called Weatherspains, as well as 100 Montaditos which is dubbed the Spanish Wetherspoons.

Staying in the UK? Wetherspoons is also rolling out more pubs at a number of Haven holiday parks across the country.

Imagine cutting the cost of accommodation on your next holiday to about £5 a day. You can have a whole house, rather than just a bedroom. And you can go almost anywhere in the world and stay as long as you like, within reason. Welcome to house swapping.

You’re sceptical, I know. I was, too. Our terrace house was too small. Too overflowing with stuff. The 1980s kitchen was too old (and battered). We aren’t in a nice enough neighbourhood. Who would want to stay here? Lots of people, it turned out.

Our first swap was with a pair of retired Australian judges who had lived in the UK decades before. They came to our house first and, over a cup of tea and cake in our living room, we talked about where to find a good pint and the best fish and chips locally, as well as mastering the idiosyncrasies of how to run our dishwasher. They told us about their favourite local parks (warned us about snakes) and when to put out the bins, before we headed for our month-long stay at their house in Perth. It’s these conversations and connections that really make house swapping special.

Yes, we have stayed in some truly extraordinary homes. There was a house in Florida where we watched rocket launches while lounging in the pool; a clapboard cottage with a hot tub in the Stockholm suburbs; and a swanky five-bedroom villa in the south of France that we shared with friends. We couldn’t have afforded any of these if it were not for house swapping. In fact, the swaps themselves are free, but I pay $235 (£177) a year to use Home Exchange, a house swap booking platform, which works out at about £5 a night for the 35 or so nights I used it last year.

The greatest pleasure, however, is in the genuine relationships forged. Through the messages exchanged before and during the swap, friendships are created. You become, however briefly, part of each other’s lives. We have swapped pets and cars, and watered plants along the way. For a week, we became passionately involved in helping pick a summer school for our Basque guests’ kids. Warm welcomes are universal. We’ve had olive oil from the garden grove of a house in Greece and marmalade from Seville. In return, guests at our house can expect to find sparkling wine from Kent, Essex jam and a pile of Cadbury chocolate bars to try – French guests are big fans of the Crunchie.

Even in challenging moments we found friendship, such as when our shower sprang a leak and rained all over the dining table. We had to arrange an emergency repair via video call with our Spanish guests, an Albanian plumber and a UK insurer, all while frantically looking for a reliable phone signal in the countryside. The babel of languages resulted in a tube of silicone being applied and both parties leaving five-star reviews.

I won’t go back to hotels. I have saved tens of thousands of pounds over the past five years, but what has really hooked me is the interactions with hosts and guests that make my holidays more fulfilling. It’s like having a friend everywhere you go.

Q&A – Everything you need to know

Will I be comfortable house swapping?
If you’re precious about the things in your home or anxious about someone sleeping in your bed, a swap is not for you. Likewise, if spending the last day of your holiday cleaning is a deal-breaker.

How do I house swap?
For some sites, you pay a flat annual membership fee (£100-£200) to use a booking platform with thousands of homes. I use Home Exchange because it verifies member identities and offers some guarantees such as damage, theft and cancellation protection. Kindred is a smaller and generally more expensive rival, focused on upmarket homes. Instead of locking you into membership, it charges variable service and cleaning fees.

How does it work?
Classic swaps are simultaneous; you exchange houses on the same dates. But non-direct swaps are also allowed via a points system: you are awarded credits for stays at your house, which you can then spend to stay somewhere else.

What about scams and safety?
Everyone on Home Exchange is a host and a guest, so there is a high degree of trust. Most swaps don’t involve money, so scams are rare. The only exception is a cleaning fee, payable when the stay is at an end. If you’re asked for money in advance, it’s a scam.

How do I pick my accommodation?
This is time-consuming. The website looks similar to Airbnb, where you filter by availability, destination and the type of property you want, but you need to match with a host, too. Hosts and guests both have ratings from previous stays, but some people still like to phone or video call before agreeing to an exchange. Then once the exchange is agreed, there are messages to organise the swap and answer questions such as how to use the cooker or where the bedding is. Many hosts prepare a house manual. Cancellations are rare but do happen, usually due to illness in our experience. The one time it happened to us, Home Exchange helped us find a new host in the same city, and it will pay for a hotel in a true last-minute emergency.

Do I need to own a luxury house?
No. If you have a pool, hot tub or luxurious mansion, you will certainly get more offers, but flats and smaller houses near popular UK destinations (whether that’s Edinburgh, or the Dorset coast) do just as well. Most houses, like ours, are completely ordinary.

Do I need to put my stuff in storage?
Clear a few drawers, perhaps a wardrobe, for guests, and that’s it. Most of the houses on Home Exchange are family homes.

What about cleaning?
You do need to scrub that oven and clean that grout. Cleanliness expectations are high (and should be agreed upfront). We usually spend much of the last day of our holiday cleaning, and return to find our own house absolutely sparkling. Some hosts give you the option of paying a cleaner.

And DIY?
One of the fringe benefits of house swapping is that it has made us look after our house a little better. Sticky door handles and dripping taps need to be dealt with.

What if I break something?
We have broken small things, as have our guests; usually this is simply forgiven. Put more precious items away. For more expensive items, such as a TV or screen door, house swap platforms usually offer a level of cover, but you should make sure you have home insurance.

Will my home insurance cover my house swap?
Ask. Some insurers offer no cover, others offer it for a certain number of exchanges, or you may need to buy a bolt-on. House swapping is still relatively unusual, so persevere to get a clear answer. Insurers that cover holiday lets, such as Pikl, are also useful.

Are there legal restrictions?
Because no money is exchanged, house swapping is not restricted in the same way as Airbnb and similar services – except in Amsterdam, where only reciprocal swaps are allowed (so no paying with points). You do need to check visa rules if looking after someone’s pet – some countries (such as the US) may view this as providing a service and in breach of a visitor visa.

Other house swap sites
Keybento, Kindred, HomeLink

Rory Boland is the editor of Which? Travel

The cost of a family summer staycation can vary significantly

With the UK experiencing some milder weather this week, and with April just around the corner, many parents are likely thinking ahead to the summer holidays. As children are off school for, usually, around six weeks, the summer is an ideal time to take a family trip.

However, as anyone who has looked at going abroad over the summer will know, prices jump up significantly while the schools are closed. Going on a break in the UK, then, can be a more affordable option. But how much it will cost you depends on where you go – and prices can differ hugely.

We have compared the price of a week-long break at some of the UK’s best loved holiday parks. Prices are based on the cheapest accommodation available for seven nights, from August 7, for a family of four.

Starting with Center Parcs, a week’s stay in a Woodland Lodge at the Whinfell Forest resort will set you back from £2138. The lodge has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and an extra toilet, and comes with a dishwasher, brick-built barbecue stand, furnished private patio, safe, a cot and a highchair, a fully-equipped kitchen, a 40″ flat screen TV, and more.

Over at Butlin’s in Skegness, a family of four can book a Comfort Room for the same dates from £962. There are two bedrooms – one with a double bed, the other with two single beds – as well as a bathroom. However there is no kitchen, and no other facilities are mentioned on the booking site – and towels and housekeeping are not included.

And at Haven’s Marton Mere site, a family of four can book a break from £639 – although this jumps to £809 if you want access to swimming pools, activities, and entertainment venues. The cheapest accommodation is the Saver Caravan which is described online as having two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen.

Other facilities mentioned on the Haven website include a heater or gas fire in the lounge, a 32″ TV, an under-counter fridge, and beds being made up ahead of your arrival.

All of the above prices were correct at the time of publication. Across all three holiday parks there are a range of accommodation available, with these varying in price. The types of accommodation mentioned in this article were the cheapest available at the time of publication.

WASHINGTON — President Trump will travel to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, the White House announced on Wednesday.

Trump had been scheduled to travel to China later this month but previously announced he was delaying the trip so he could be in Washington to help steward the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The Republican president had announced a rescheduled trip even though the war in Iran continues and the U.S. is pressing Tehran to accept a ceasefire proposal.

The president and First Lady Melania Trump also plan to host Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a White House visit later this year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Leavitt, when asked if the new dates for Trump’s trip could suggest he believes the Iran war could end soon, offered an optimistic tone that the conflict could reach an endgame before he travels.

“We’ve always estimated four to six weeks,” Leavitt responded. “So you could do the math on that.”

The United States and Israel launched the attacks against Iran on Feb. 28.

The China trip had been planned for months but began to unravel as Trump pressured Beijing and other world powers to use their military might to protect the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the flow of oil. The strait has been effectively closed as Iran targets energy infrastructure and traffic through it.

Trump said last week while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office that he would be going to China in five or six weeks’ time instead of at the end of the month. He said he would be “resetting” his visit with Xi.

“We’re working with China — they were fine with it,” Trump said then. “I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think.”

Trump’s visit to China is seen as an opportunity to build on a fragile trade truce between the two superpowers, but it has become tangled in his effort to find an endgame to the war in Iran. Soon after pressing China and other nations to send warships to secure access to Middle Eastern oil, Trump indicated last week that his travel plans depended on Beijing’s response, though he added then that the U.S. didn’t need help from the allies that rebuffed his request.

Madhani writes for the Associated Press.

FORMER glamour model Katie Price has sparked mystery as her new travel business venture has been shut down just two weeks after its launch amid backlash.

The 47-year-old had created a “Katie Price Travels” Instagram page, trying to recruit agents for InteleTravel under the brand Travel Smarter Group.

She set up the part-time venture alongside her pal TV personality Danielle Lloyd.

Travel Smarter Group “co-founded” by Danielle, promises travel perks, training and financial protection but does not include clear details of its host agency.

One advert on her feed encouraged people to: “Join Katie Price and Danielle Lloyd.

“Hear how you can earn more from travel around your other commitments. Work flexibly. Travel more. Earn extra income.”

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The podcast host received a slew of backlash from the travel industry, who branded the venture a “gimmick” and a “slap in the face.”

Katie was most notably called out by Inspire Europe chief executive Lisa Henning.

She criticised the star’s move and accused her of bringing down the industry name amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Lisa wrote, as reported by Travel Weekly: “I very rarely comment publicly on things like this. But seeing this today is a step too far.

“For the past 12 days I have worked non-stop, 24/7, supporting our clients and our agents through the disruption affecting Dubai and other destinations.

“I’ve seen agents in tears because they care so much about their clients and are genuinely worried about what’s happening.

“To see promotions suggesting that you can simply ‘earn money from travel’ with a glossy campaign featuring Katie Price and Danielle Lloyd — positioning the role of a travel agent as something you do casually around other commitments — honestly feels like a huge mockery of our industry.

“This isn’t a side hustle. This isn’t a gimmick. And it certainly isn’t ‘easy money while you travel’.”

Lisa continued: ” Seeing this kind of messaging feels like a real slap in the face to the thousands of dedicated agents who work tirelessly behind the scenes every single day.

“Well done and thank you to all of those who continue to give our industry a good name by doing this job ‘properly’. Always book with a ‘real travel agent’.”

Following the negative response, the model appears to have now deleted her travel page on Instagram.

Katie’s PA has responded to the remarks, according to Travel Gossip.

“Katie has never stated that she personally books travel. She is simply sharing this platform with others to help people become independent travel agents and create an additional income – whether that be part-time or full-time.

“All agents within the community receive full training and are committed to supporting their clients.”

She added: “Katie was simply advertising an opportunity call.”

MANY hotels claim to be big on wellness, but the recently-opened Cotswolds escape Hyll has mastered it.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Where is Hyll?

Buried deep in the Cotswolds countryside, near Chipping Campden and fancy members clubs like Soho Farmhouse, Hyll is undoubtedly as stylish as its plush neighbours – only you won’t need to sell out for an extortionate members fee.

Named after the old English word hill, meaning elevated piece of ground, rural views are pretty spectacular from this retreat’s high perch.

There’s a car park on site or the hotel can arrange transfers from the train station.

What’s it like?

Not just a hotel, Hyll is more of a sanctuary where guests are gently encouraged to switch off – whether that’s with a board game in front of a freshly-stoked fire or with a scenic stroll around the 60 acres of manicured grounds.

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Views are just as gorgeous from within the Grade-II listed 14th century manor house thanks to its original stone frame, timber beams and framed artwork that wouldn’t look out of place in a French farmhouse.

What are the rooms like?

The 26 unique bedrooms (some in the main house and some in the courtyard) feel homely yet luxurious with plump feathered cushions, freestanding bathtubs and chic coffee table books.

If the strict colour palette of neutral browns and sandy tones doesn’t soothe you, a guided yoga nidra (a type of specific relaxation yoga) session sure will.

A series of wellness videos have been designed exclusively for hotel guests and are text to your phone ahead of bedtime.

What is there to eat and drink?

Eat in the dining room, living room, outside or wherever you please, thanks to the laid back “mi casa, su casa” ethos.

Dinner relies on local ingredients sourced from nearby farms, mills and distilleries.

Star dishes include Briar Hill Farm hogget served with salsa verde and baklava tart soaked in the hotel’s own honey.

Post dinner, retire to the marshmallow-like sofas next door with a book and signature cocktail – I liked the yuzu and plum sour, both tart and sweet.

Non-drinkers are catered for, too, with a decent selection of no and low cocktails including a sharp No-groni.

Breakfast is a farm-style mix of homemade granola and hot options like full English and scotch woodcock (scrambled eggs on toast, topped with salty anchovies) both on the menu.

Breakfast hampers can also be delivered straight to your bed.

What else is there to do?

Small books labelled ‘Do Nothing’ and ‘Do something’ are left on bedside tables with suggestions on how to fully embrace and unwind in the Cotswolds nature.

In-room massages can be booked on request and dogs are welcome in certain bedrooms and throughout living rooms and restaurants in the main house.

The essence of the place, in general, is to do very little.

I’d recommend just kicking back with a book – each of the three lounge areas are kitted out with bookshelves and artsy side tables covered in fiction and non-fictions reads that you can borrow for the duration of your stay.

Thanks to a partnership with Borzoi Books, these are refreshed on a monthly basis.

You can even arrange to take a book home with you, for a fee.

How much are rooms at Hyll?

Rooms cost from £210 per night including breakfast.

Is Hyll family friendly?

Kids are welcome but it’s not the most child-friendly of places.

Cost and additional child beds are available on request, however.

Is there access for guests with disabilities?

Although, staff are always on hand to help, Hyll is not the ideal place for wheelchair users.

Given the historic property is Grade II listed, a lift cannot be installed and therefore bedrooms are accessed via stairs.

Looking for a place to stay? For more hotel inspiration click here.

YOU can explore a Santorini-like island with whitewashed villages for a fraction of the price of the real deal.

Folegandros is an island in the Cyclades known for both pretty beaches and cheaper hotels than its sister island.

Unlike its neighbours Mykonos and Santorini, Folegandros doesn’t have an airport or huge hotels – the island didn’t even have electricity until 1974.

It’s been dubbed an ‘under-the-radar Greek island’ seeing much fewer visitors.

Santorini gets around 3.4million visitors each year, meanwhile Folegandros gets 50,000.

There’s still lots to see and visitors will find most of the island’s life in the main town of Chora of which is perched on a cliff around 200 metres high.

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It’s where most of the shops, restaurants, cafes and tavernas are found.

Make sure to try Matsata, which is a handmade fresh pasta, which looks similar to tagliatelle, that was founded on Folegandros.

Usually it’s served with cooked meats like rooster, rabbit, or goat in a rich tomato sauce and topped with grated cheese.

For those who want the best island view, take the steep, winding path up to the Church of Panagia.

CNN listed Chora in their top seven most beautiful villages in Europe, writing: “Santorini’s streets sag with admirers.

“But on Folegandros, a nearby island, you’ll find similar architecture—streets paved in slate, whitewashed buildings decorated with colourful flowers, the occasional Greek Orthodox church with a bright blue dome—without the crowds.”

Being a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, Folegandros has plenty of beautiful beaches and has been praised for its “emerald-blue” waters.

Some of the island’s top ones include Katergo Beach which has white sands and blue waters.

Visitors have gone as far as to say it’s the “prettiest beach on Folegandros.”

Another is Livadaki Beach which most visitors access by boat rather than foot.

Its remote location means it is less busy than other beaches on the island and it’s said to be an ideal spot for snorkelling.

Agios Nikolaos Beach is family-friendly with a small bar and taverna on the shoreline.

Depending on the season, the average price of a hotel in Santorini varies but typically ranges from £143–£251 per night – but luxury stays can be as high as £1,000.

While Folegandros does have some luxe stays, there are some more affordable stays too.

The Beachfront Cycladic House can be booked from £74 per night on Booking.com.

The holiday home has a bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, a balcony and it’s just minutes’ walk away from multiple beaches.

Rooms at the Kallisti Hotel which is built in the style of a small village can be booked from £82 per night.

It has a swimming pool, bar, breakfast room and rooms with balconies with beautiful island views.

The easiest way for Brits to get to Folegandros is by a ferry from Athens which takes around four hours.

Brits can also fly from the UK to Athens in under four hours from as little as £22.

For more beautiful Greek islands, here are four better value islands where locals go on holiday with Santorini-like houses and secluded beaches.

And here are the alternative Greek islands that could save you £1,000 – including two spots everyone thinks are expensive.

Nate McFall has spent the past six years travelling the globe curating tourism content for social media, but he says a cold North East beach town is still one of his favourite places

A globetrotter who has dedicated the last six years to travelling the world claims the finest destination he’s discovered is a “cold little beach town” in the North East of England.

Nate McFall, whose videos focus on highlighting unusual accommodation and travel adventures, posted on Instagram where he admitted there’s nowhere quite like home.

“I spent six years travelling the world, and yet somehow this is still one of my favourite places I have ever been,” he opened in a clip filmed on the shoreline. “I didn’t realise when I left, but this place shaped me in more ways than I can explain.”

While he may have visited Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia recently, Nate maintains this chilly North East coastal spot still “hits different” whenever he returns.

“It was actually here about eight years ago that I tried surfing for the first time,” he went on, displaying a photograph from the moment in 2018.

“It was cold – like properly cold – but something shifted in me that day because if I could surf in the freezing cold North Sea, what else is possible?”

Nate admitted that throughout his journeys he had been “chasing something” he’d already discovered.

“This is Tynemouth,” he revealed. “A small coastal town, but it’s full of life. Wherever you look, people are enjoying this place running along the seafront, swimming in the sea and surfing.”

Nate also pointed out the wealth of coffee shops dotted around the town, noting that at weekends, Tynemouth’s Victorian railway station “turns into a bustling market” of people selling “delicious food, crafts and handmade trinkets.”

The traveller also declared Tynemouth home to the “best chip shop in England”. He made his way back down towards the beach to show the reasons why.

“It’s served out of what is basically a shipping container [called The View],” he explained. “There’s a fresh sea breeze and with fishcake in hand, I top it off by looking at 1,000 year old ruins [Tynemouth Priory and Castle] right next to me.”

Nate concluded by stating he’s utterly convinced the UK possesses beauty that countless people fail to appreciate.

Enjoying a chilli fish empanada from Riley’s Fish Shack, he closed: “It’s proof that you don’t always need palm trees or plane tickets. Some of the most unreal places are right here on our doorstep.”

Writing in response, one Instagram user enthused: “I love this – I’m from Whitley Bay and am a wild swimmer so am always at the beach when I visit home. It’s such a special place.”

A second person declared: “Love Tynemouth and Riley’s fish shack, on a summers night as it gets a little chillier, sitting around one of the fire pits with friends is such a good way to finish a weekend.”

A third commented: “Love this. I am in New Zealand. So many beautiful places in the world. No country has the title of best place. Tynemouth looks cool. I will visit it now when I next visit UK.”

And a fourth person praised: “Thanks Nate. Spent many lovely days at Tynemouth as a child. Haven’t been back in 50 years since my family moved to Florida, USA. But still have fabulous memories. Thanks so much for reminding me.”

TRAVELLING by car over the Easter break can be a challenge.

As Brits across the nation hit the road to enjoy the school holiday, traffic can reach a peak – and so can frustration.