TRAVEL NOTES June 24, 2012 Grace Santorini’s deluxe new villa Say hello to the Grace Santorini Villa, with two suites opening onto a vast swimming pool terrace, plus an open-plan kitchen, private gym, wine and cigar bar. There is lots of state-of-the-art tech and a concierge happy to arrange almost anything, from helicopter island tours to private cruises. santorinigrace.com Luxe [...]
Mortgage loans rebound from collapse in April June 21, 2012 MORTGAGE lending jumped sharply in May, rebounding from a weak figure in April and showing solid growth on the year, according to industry data published yesterday. However, analysts warned the overall level of lending is still well below that seen in the pre-crisis years, and said banks are facing regulatory pressures holding back the market. [...]
UK property millionaires on the increase June 21, 2012 MORE THAN 245,790 Britons own a property worth in excess of £1m, a new survey shows, up 12 per cent on last year. Despite stagnant house prices across most of the UK, there are more than 6,682 streets with properties valued over £1m. More than a third of these million pound streets are located in [...]
As investors continue to struggle for returns, is purchasing fine art a sensible alternative? June 21, 2012 YES Philip Mould There is a difference between investment and speculation in art. Speculation is about the hunt for the next Damien Hirst. It involves looking into the shop window – meeting dealers and attending sales to find an artist that will, with luck, excel in the next generation, and for which you are now [...]
Family melodrama is a sheer joy June 21, 2012 THEATRE LAST OF THE HAUSSMANS National Theatre ***** The scene is a grotty but desirable house on the Devon coast, decked in Indian blankets, hippy memorabilia and booze bottles. Onto this set appears the rake-thin, sexy Helen McCrory, playing edgy single mother Libby; her newly arrived ex-junkie brother Nick, endearingly played by Rory Kinnear, and [...]
Where to lunch June 21, 2012 For those in the know, it’s now de rigueur to opt for afternoon tea over lunch for business meetings – it’s both less formal and less expensive. Everybody knows establishments like The Wolseley, The Ritz and The Langham but if you want to impress your clients or colleagues with something more off the beaten path, [...]
One Abe struggles to overcome silliness as another battles against grinding cynicism June 21, 2012 FILM DARK HORSE Cert 15 *** Dark Horse takes the indie template dragged into the mainstream by films like Juno and Superbad, removes the Hollywood niceties and replaces them with a bleakly funny desperation. Abe is an overweight man-child who collects ThunderCats dolls and still lives with his parents. He’s the kind of guy nobody [...]
Think Like A Man is a refreshingly original take on a tired formula June 21, 2012 FILM THINK LIKE A MAN Cert 12A **** Another rom-com adaptation of a self-help dating book? Once your eyes return from their deep roll, the chances are you will snort, spit or sneer. But – despite adding to a genre that’s defined by mediocrity (see: He’s Just Not That Into You) – Think Like a [...]
Diving below Microsoft’s Surface June 20, 2012 Microsoft this week unveiled the Surface tablet PC, its biggest hardware project since that launch of the Xbox in 2001. The device will be released to coincide with the release of its completely revamped Windows 8 operating system. These are interesting times indeed for the tech giant. At present, specific details – including, vitally, pricing [...]
THE TABLET RIVALS WHAT IS THE COMPETITION LIKE? June 20, 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab The number one rival to the all conquering iPad is the Galaxy Tab. The 8.9 inch version offers something Apple doesn’t – it will fit into your pocket. It’s a well built machine but the £400 price tag is steep. BlackBerry Playbook Blackberry promised much with the PlayBook, including true multi-tasking between [...]