olive travels: where to visit in April

Here's where to eat and drink in Porthleven while you're there.

Dutch cities in bloom

The best time to visit the famous Dutch flower fields is spring, as the flowers are in full bloom from March to May. Combine your visit with a city break in Utrecht, one of Netherlands' oldest cities with tree-lined canals, a charming personality and buzzy café culture. Talud9 is a coffee bar by day and wine bar by night, all delivered in a pretty ancient warehouse on the canal. For top-notch seafood, visit the huge atrium dining room in Vis en Meer and order a seafood platter from the lively open kitchen. Dutch colonial history means The Netherlands also has a thriving Indonesian subculture with excellent cooking and BLAUW, serving Indonesian rice tables, is worth a visit. Eye Hotel is a smart boutique hotel in the centre of the city. Housed in an ancient eye hospital (hence the name), rooms have a Scandinavian feel with light and bright decor and a variety of room sizes to choose from (Doubles from £109 per night, check availability at eyehotel.nl, booking.com or expedia.com). Amsterdam is just a 20-minute train ride away, should you want to combine two flower-filled city breaks in one.

Spring forest food trails in Sweden

Celebrate the beginning of spring with a foodie walking trail through the forests of West Sweden. First, hop on the train from Gothenburg to Jonsered, a tiny riverside hamlet home to popular Poppels Bryggeri, where you can taste a range of Swedish beers matched with the likes of torched shrimp, ricotta and chanterelle ravioli, and Swedish roe scooped up with crisps. Round the corner is Brödfabriken, where you can chill out with classic cinnamon bun and coffee fika under a blanket by the river. From here, follow the Gotaleden walking trail, treading through forests blanketed with tiny flowers, winding along rivers and clambering over rocks around Lake Aspen. Continue the riverside trek or take a short train ride to spend the night at Nääs Fabriker, an old cotton factory built in 1890, now home to a stylish hotel with onsite restaurants, shops, bakery and brewery. Wrap up in your robe and pad to the al fresco lakeside spa to sink into the jacuzzi, dip in the lake and warm up in the sauna. Book a table in the plant-adorned conservatory room in the main restaurant for dishes such as grilled scallop with fried chorizo crumble, venison tenderloin with Swedish mushrooms and blackberries, and lingonberry and malt hop sorbet.

April promises signs of spring in Gothenburg, when the city's courtyards and terraces come to life. Try cinnamon buns and coffee at Da Matteo, flash-fried herring at quirky food truck Strommingsluckan and bags of plump prawns by the river outside the charming ‘fish church’ seafood market. Head out on the ferry to the archipelago for a taste of Styrsö’s car-free island life and cinnamon buns at charming Café Obergska before a brisk dip off one of the sandy beaches.

Check out more local favourites in Gothenburg here.

Alfresco dining in Florida

Make the most of the reliably warm yet not too hot spring season in Florida with alfresco eating and outdoorsy adventures. Choose an eclectic city break in Miami, that boasts everything from sandy beaches and swish cocktail bars to an artsy independent craft beer and restaurant scene amongst the colourful murals in Wynwood. Or stay in the heart of Little Havana to soak up the area's Cuban culture with morning cafecitos, El Sanguich's pork-stuffed toasted sandwiches and late-night cocktails at iconic bar Café La Trova.

Down in the Florida Keys, take in ocean views and breathtaking sunsets over seafood suppers on the vast deck of Key West institution, Louie’s Backyard. The town's picture-perfect, porch-fronted clapboard houses host plenty of restaurants with dining decks; tuck into key lime pie and Caribbean dishes in Blue Heaven’s vibrant backyard complete with live music and chickens mooching around.

Celebrate the USA’s National Beer Day on April 7 on a craft beer trail in St. Pete/Clearwater. Cycle along the pedestrianised Pinellas Trail and hop off for tastings in small town breweries and stop in St. Pete to soak up the sun outside iconic spots Green Bench and 3 Daughters Brewing. Finish at Mastry’s Brewing Co before heading for a chill on the beach.

For more recommendations, check out our guide to Florida's foodie neighbourhoods.