The spa has been hailed “unbelievable” with indoor and outdoor bars, water slides, saunas and more. You can also bag cheap return flights depending on what time you travel

Advertisement

Skip the expensive spa getaways in the UK and jet off to this must-visit European destination instead. Those seeking a tranquil weekend escape are in for a pleasant surprise.

A spa weekend can do wonders, benefiting both mental health and physical health through deep relaxation, stress reduction and better sleep. Holidaymakers are now raving about a particular European hotspot featuring an “unbelievable” spa with both indoor and outdoor bars, plus water slides.

The location is Bucharest in Romania. A widely-shared TikTok video from a well-known travel account urged viewers to experience Therme Bucharest – and with compelling reasons.

In the TikTok footage posted to its 27,200 followers, the clip began with: “A cheap underrated European city break you need to visit.”

The TikTok video went on: “No joke, I genuinely believe that a trip to this European spa can be cheaper than going to one in the UK nowadays.

“Therme Bucharest is located in Romania and honestly is one of the most underrated city breaks.

“The city itself is absolutely gorgeous and the spa is unbelievable. They have indoor bars, outdoor bars, the most gorgeous botanical interior, face mask that you can use, temples, aqua aerobics, saunas, water slides, it’s honestly massive.”

What facilities does the spa provide?

Therme Bucharest presents three distinct experiences to “suit your desires”.

Galaxy: Ideal for families seeking fun, with 1.7km of thrilling water slides, a wave pool and engaging activities suitable for all ages. This is the only zone permitting children aged 3-14.

The Palm: An exclusively adult pool complete with a retractable roof, mineral pools, hydromassage beds, a poolside bar, and both indoor and outdoor areas for unwinding.

Elysium: Seeking something special? This tranquil sanctuary offers themed saunas, an extensive selection of wellness treatments, tailored spa services and upscale dining options.

Planning your trip? Remember to pack your swimming costume, flip-flops and a towel. Essential items can be purchased from the on-site shop.

Entry prices range from £20-£50 per adult, approximately 100-250 RON. Costs depend on your visit duration – 3 hours, 4 hours or all day – and which zones you access (Galaxy, Palm or Elysium).

Spa passes generally begin at around £22-£24 for standard entry, with additional charges for sauna packages or full-day tickets.

Return flights can typically cost under £100, but this can vary as a result of the ongoing travel chaos. It’s worth noting last-minute bookings can cost more, or if you’re flying premium.

Oxford Economics chief UK economist Andrew Goodwin said: “We expect the MPC to keep bank rate unchanged at 3.75%, with most committee members seemingly keen to hold policy at its current restrictive level as they gather more information about how the energy shock is feeding through to the economy.

Nigel Farage’s party has been urged to take action over comments made by Linda McFarlane, a Reform candidate in Gateshead’s Chopwell and Rowlands Gill ward.

It comes after Reform expelled another Gateshead candidate, David Prior, when it emerged this week that he was formerly a member of the British National Party (BNP).

In a Facebook post seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Ms McFarlane expressed support for far right activist Tommy Robinson.

Ahead of his release from prison last year, having been jailed for contempt of court in relation to repeating false claims he made against a Syrian refugee, she said that he “should never have been locked up”.

Last August she also reposted a video suggesting that King Charles III had converted to Islam and wrote that the late Queen Elizabeth II would “never allow Ramadan if she’d still be Queen”. 

In September 2025, she posted an image of Enoch Powell which contained the caption “it’s not hate to put your own people first” and wrote “Well said Enoch” and “your words are coming true”.

Mr Powell, the anti-immigration former Conservative MP, is known for the infamous 1968 ‘rivers of blood’ speech.

The anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate reported that an X account in the name of Ms McFarlane’s Lasting Enhancements cosmetic clinic, which had her photo as its profile image, posted “you should all be shot” at the accounts of Sir Keir Starmer and justice secretary David Lammy.

Screenshots of the account also include comments calling for only white English people to be allowed to become MPs and saying “let them all drown” in response to a post about migrants crossing the channel.

A Reform UK Spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday that the party is “thoroughly looking into the allegations and posts”. 

Liz Twist, the Labour MP for Blaydon and Consett, said it was “appalling that someone who has these views was selected as a candidate to represent the Chopwell and Rowlands Gill ward”.

She added that the area was “renowned for being a supportive community, one where people of all backgrounds and faiths can live side by side in support of each other”.

The Labour MP said: “There should be an urgent need from Reform to clarify if any further candidates have similar views within their vetting process.”

Hope Not Hate also questioned whether Mike Porritt, Reform UK’s candidate for Whickham South and Sunniside, was a “suitable” person to hold public office.

Mr Porritt was well known as the entrepreneur behind the CarShock chain of car dealerships, which collapsed in 2007.

The company owed £4.4m to creditors and 53 staff lost their jobs, while he was later declared bankrupt in 2009 having given  personal guarantees for £8m of finance from the Santander banking group.

On a Reform election leaflet, Mr Porritt promises to “use his years of business experience and social care to do everything he can to defend and improve the character of our community”. 

Mr Porritt also made headlines over his 2004 appearance in the Channel 4 show ‘Boss Swap’. He was placed at an estate agent’s office for the show and sacked its owner’s wife.

The LDRS has contacted both Ms McFarlane and Mr Porritt for a response.

Hull City are still in the mix of securing a play-off spot as they travel to face a Charlton Athletic whose survival is all but confirmed

Charlton Athletic welcome Hull City to The Valley on Saturday still looking to seal Championship safety, knowing a point would guarantee survival.

The Addicks’ winless run stretched to seven matches in midweek as they lost 2-1 at promotion-chasing Ipswich, despite taking the lead inside a minute through Greg Docherty. Nathan Jones’s side remain six points clear of the bottom three with two games left and, even if they were to lose both, Oxford would likely need maximum points and a sizeable swing in goal difference to drag Charlton into danger.

Still, Charlton will be frustrated that the job is not already done, not least because they have struggled to protect leads. They have scored first in each of their last four games — against Watford, Preston, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich — but failed to win any of them.

Hull arrive with their own concerns. A five-game winless streak has stalled their play-off bid, leaving them seventh and level on points with Wrexham with two matches to go. Sergej Jakirovic’s side had climbed into the top six after beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1, but a run of four draws and a defeat has since pushed them out of the play-off places.

Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Leicester summed up their recent struggles: Hull went ahead, conceded twice early in the second half, then needed an Oli McBurnie goal to salvage a point. Like Charlton, they have repeatedly failed to turn leads into wins, going in front in four of their last five matches without winning any.

The sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season, and Charlton would gladly take a repeat as they look to finally confirm their place in the Championship for next year.

Charlton vs Hull Prediction

• West Ham to win and both teams to score – 24/5 ( BetGoodwin )
• Jarrod Bowen to score anytime – 21/10 ( BetGoodwin )

18+ | Gamble responsibly | gambleaware.org | Odds subject to change

Charlton vs Hull Team News

Charlton look set to change things up after Tyreece Campbell and Amari’i Bell were forced off in midweek. Lyndon Dykes is expected to start, while Luke Chambers or Matty Godden could deputise for Bell. Campbell and Bell join Josh Edwards (ankle) and Kayne Ramsay (hamstring) on the injury list.

Thomas Kaminski should keep his place in goal after returning as first choice ahead of William Mannion.

The visitors could name an unchanged XI, though Jakirovic may tweak things to arrest their form. Cody Drameh, David Akintola and Toby Collyer are out, while Regan Slater and Ryan Giles could start after returning to the squad.

Football Betting Offers

If you are on the lookout for the latest free bet offers, then look no further. Here, not only do we bring you numerous free bet offers, but all from the very best betting sites in the industry. Each bookie we recommend is fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, so you know you are always betting on a safe and trustworthy site.

Check out the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers here.

Full terms and conditions apply | gambleaware.org | Gamble responsibly | 18+ | UK only

READ MORE: Free Bets & Bookmaker Sign Up Offers

Gamble responsibly

Reach plc is committed to promoting safer gambling. All of our content and recommended bets are advised to those aged 18 or over. Odds are subject to change too.

We strongly encourage our readers to only ever bet what they can afford to lose. For more information, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit gambleaware.org.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has apologised to Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher

Bruno Fernandes has issued an apology to Jamie Carragher after referencing his penalty miss for England against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup. During an interview with Wayne Rooney, Fernandes recalled celebrating as a youngster the moment Carragher’s spot kick was saved by Ricardo, who also thwarted Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the quarter-final shootout.

The Liverpool legend initially converted his penalty but was required to retake it after failing to wait for the referee’s whistle. On the second attempt, Ricardo came out on top and Portugal secured their place in the semi-finals, eventually losing to France.

Rooney had been dismissed earlier in the match for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho, with Cristiano Ronaldo notoriously winking at his Manchester United teammate as he departed the pitch in Germany.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Fernandes said: “Obviously 2006, everyone remembers because of Cristiano and Wayne’s little bit of fire.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page

“(It) ends up with Jamie Carragher missing the penalty. I had to say this – sorry, Jamie,” the United captain admitted before turning to the camera.

“I had to get a little bit off you, you get on me all the time. I can get on you with that penalty.

“When I miss a penalty, don’t say anything about it, please.”

Advertisement

In 2021, Carragher spoke candidly about his anguish in response to Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford receiving appalling racist abuse for missing penalties in the final of Euro 2020.

In his column for The Telegraph, the former Liverpool centre-back said: “Sven Goran Eriksson summoned me and gave me one job: to dispatch a spot-kick as convincingly as I had in every practise session.

“I had not missed a penalty in six weeks. ‘You’ll take the fourth’, Eriksson told me. Not a problem. England were 2-1 down by the time I made that 40-yard walk, but I was feeling confident staring at Portugal’s No. 1 Ricardo.”

“Knowing precisely where to place the ball, I struck it sweetly to the right, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way – my first touch of the game. There was a momentary sense of relief.

“Then the referee blew his whistle. The Argentine official, Horacio Marcelo Elizondo, said I had taken it too soon.

“Take two. Now I was engaged in a game of bluff with Ricardo, wrongly presuming he would think I would try to score in exactly the same way. I changed my mind and went left. So did he, pushing away my attempt.”

An application to build 151 houses on land on the corner of Coronation Drive and Warrior Drive, Seaton Carew, was initially submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council by Gleeson Homes in early 2023.

However last year it was confirmed the proposal had been amended to instead seek to deliver just 81 properties.

A decision was due to be made on the application by the council’s planning committee on Wednesday, April 22.

Reports from local authority officers ahead of the meeting recommended the proposals were approved, subject to numerous planning conditions and the completion of a section 106 legal agreement.

However councillors agreed to defer making a decision following a request by the applicant to delay the verdict due to concerns they had around some of the conditions included in the document.

They added they wanted “extra time to work with officers to refine those conditions” which currently “aren’t acceptable” to them.

The scheme proposes a mix of semi-detached and detached houses consisting of 12 two-bedroom houses, 47 three-bed houses and 22 four-bed properties, and feature 11 different property styles.

However objections have been received from 71 properties raising concerns over the housing proposals for the land.

Worries raised include increased traffic and parking problems, the homes not being “in keeping” with the surrounding area and that they would lead to a loss of wildlife, privacy and identity.

A design and access statement on behalf of Gleeson Homes states: “The aim is to build on Gleeson’s previous design work and knowledge of the area.

“A range of new dwellings will be provided which are inclusive, affordable and cater for a variety of family sizes.”

Every day, visitors from around the world make their way to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art — not necessarily for the galleries inside, but for a statue of a fictional boxer from South Philadelphia.

The bronze figure of Rocky Balboa — arms raised in victory, clad in boxing trunks and boots — has become a point of pilgrimage for people around the world.

For decades, the museum kept an uncomfortable distance from this kind of devotion. Now, it is embracing it — and inviting Rocky in.

Opening this weekend, “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” examines how a fictional fighter became a real-world symbol, placing the statue within the sweep of art history and Philadelphia’s identity. The exhibition is the brainchild of guest curator Paul Farber, who spent years exploring the meaning of the statue and public monuments — including through his NPR podcasts — before bringing the conversation into the museum.

The exhibition spans more than 2,000 years of boxing imagery, tracing a thread of human struggle that Louis Marchesano, the museum’s deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, said helps explain Rocky’s enduring pull.

“The common theme that runs throughout 2,000 years of boxing imagery is that people respond to the body under struggle, a conflict in much the same way today as they did 2,500 years ago,” Marchesano said. “It’s not simply about watching two people beat each other up — it’s about endurance, internal fortitude and internal struggle.”

When the bronze statue was left on the steps after filming the “Rocky” movies, the museum fought to have it removed. It was eventually relocated to South Philadelphia before returning to the bottom of the steps in 2006. It was welcomed back, but never fully embraced. The city owns the spot where the statue sits — not the museum.

“The museum has had — and I hate to say this, no pun intended — a rocky relationship with the statue,” Marchesano said.

“It took us decades to come to terms with it,” he added. “But I’m glad that we did.”

According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center, about 4 million people visit the steps each year — rivaling the nearby Liberty Bell in annual foot traffic.

David Muller, a wrestling coach from France who recently brought his students to the steps, said he thinks Balboa’s trials and travails are “good for the next generation.”

“The movie ‘Rocky’ is important for the mind of sport and the mind of life,” Muller said, after running with them up the steps as they raised their hands at the top, smiling and punching the air like boxers.

Kate Tarchalska traveled from Poland with family and made the statue one of their stops.

“He was my hero when I was younger,” she said. “And now I am so glad I could be in the same spot as him.”

Suraj Kumar, visiting his aunt in Philadelphia from St. Louis, made a point to photograph the statue to share with his father, who first introduced him to the films when he was growing up in Bengaluru, India.

“When I got to know this statue is here, I was like, I really have to come down here,” he said.

One gallery places Rocky in the global boxing fever of the 1970s, featuring works by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol — all created during a time when boxing had the world’s attention.

“In the 1970s, we knew minute by minute who the heavyweight champion of the world was,” Marchesano said. “The artists in this gallery are responding to that global frenzy. Sylvester Stallone, in ‘Rocky,’ was doing the same — thinking about internal and external struggle.”

Another gallery turns to Philadelphia itself, presenting photographs of the Blue Horizon boxing gym and a section on Joe Frazier, whose real-life story at least partially inspired Rocky.

“Without Joe Frazier, Rocky doesn’t exist,” Marchesano said.

When the exhibition closes in August, the statue inside will move to a permanent home at the top of the museum’s steps — a place it has never officially held. The statue currently outside remains on loan from Stallone.

Rocky’s longtime spot at the bottom of the steps won’t be empty — a statue of Frazier will replace it.

The nursery caters for children between the ages of four months and four years

A Cambridgeshire nursery where children “grow and thrive” has been handed a Strong Standard and Expected Standard Ofsted rating. In a glowing report published on April 20, the staff at Little Seedlings Nursery in Hampton Vale, Peterborough, were described as “excellent role models”.

Ofsted visited the nursery on West Lake Avenue in February this year. The nursery, a “purpose built term-time nursery” for children between the ages of four months and four years said it offers the “highest level of early year’s education” through their child-centred approach.

The report by Ofsted said that “children enjoy close, nurturing interactions with staff during story time”. The report said: “For example, they snuggle in as they turn the pages of the book and lift the flaps to see what is hiding underneath.”

Inspectors found that children “develop a positive sense of belonging” at the nursery where they “grow and thrive” in a “stimulating environment”.

The report said that staff are “excellent role models” who form “secure attachments” with the children. The report said: “They reinforce routines through daily practice, including snack time, group activities and outdoor play. Children listen carefully and follow instructions, for example, they are encouraged to help tidy up and wash their hands before they eat.”

Inspectors praised the nursery for having a “high level of support for children with SEND” which “is what makes this setting unique”.

The report continued: “Children’s individual needs are treated with the utmost importance. Leaders and staff are committed to the early identification of children’s needs.”

Headteacher, Paula Chamberlain said: “Our Little Seedlings Nursery at Hampton Vale Primary Academy, part of The Four C’s Trust, is celebrating a remarkable achievement following it’s recent Ofsted inspection, earning high praise under the newly introduced framework, making it one of the first early years settings in the area to be assessed in this way.

“As Headteacher, I couldn’t be prouder of the outcome for the Nursery, particularly given recent developments within the setting. Our nursery was one of only two settings in Peterborough to secure the government grant to expand and one of these rooms has only been open for 5 months, so this really is a huge achievement.

“To achieve this so soon after expanding, and under a brand-new framework, is an incredible testament to the dedication of our staff and the wonderful children and families we work with.”

The report also highlighted that staff are “respectful, compassionate and kind” and even “sing softly to babies as they rock them to sleep”.

The inspection concluded that all children make secure progress and overall are prepared for the next stage in their learning and transition seamlessly into the next room.

To improve, Ofsted asked leaders to help staff to fully understand the learning intent behind planned activities so that children can engage in more purposeful learning, and strengthen the training, coaching and monitoring of staff to improve the curriculum and quality of the teaching further.

“Our nursery team now looks ahead to continuing its development, building on this success while maintaining the high standards recognised in the inspection”, Ms Chamberlain added.

ENID, Okla. (AP) — Raeann Hunt scrambled to her cellar as a tornado bore down on her Oklahoma community.

“It is headed right for us,” she recalled thinking, as she peeked outside, unable to contain her curiosity.

Huddled inside the dark 8-by-8 foot (2.44-by-2.44 meters) concrete shelter with her husband, brother-in-law and a neighbor, she heard roaring, metal slapping on the door and glass breaking.

Afterward, they emerged unscathed, but found the windows smashed out of the one-story brick home in Enid and the roof badly damaged.

The scene was repeated Thursday night across the city of about 50,000 people about 85 miles north of Oklahoma City as the EF-4 tornado hit. It was on the ground for 9 miles (14.48 kilometers), packing winds of 170 to 175 mph and measuring 500 yards across at its widest, said Rick Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

For those 30 to 40 minutes, at least 40 homes were damaged, some blown off their foundations. But no one was killed and only minor injuries were reported.

“People around here have a plan,” Hunt explained, noting that residents of this tornado-alley state are trained to either take shelter in a room near the center of their home or get underground.

Basements aren’t common in Oklahoma because of the red clay soil and elevated water tables that make it difficult and expensive to install them, but many homes — like Hunt’s — have storm cellars or safe rooms with reinforced concrete walls where people can take cover.

People here also know to flip on the TV and set up weather alerts on their phones — particularly in the springtime, when the risk of violent twisters is highest.

“Especially in Oklahoma, we have great meteorologists,” said Justin Hunt of Enid, who described the storm’s aftermath as a “disaster.”

Storm leaves rubble in its wake