Valentine’s Day Special | To Wear February 6, 2012 LYS MEDITERRANEE BY EDOUARD FLECHER £90, lessenteurs.com Heavenly scent of lilies presents an intensely romantic bouquet. Orange flower, water-lily and musk make this a sensual icon. RED ROSES BY JO MALONE £72, jomalone.co.uk It doesn’t get more romantic than this: a blast of naked rose from every woman’s favourite luxury fragrance brand. To go all [...]
Valentine’s Day | Going Out February 6, 2012 Chocolates and champagne are one thing but memories will last longer. We pick out some places at home and a bit further away where you can while away a romantic evening to remember AWANA, 85 SLOANE AVENUE Malaysian fine-dining restaurant Awana is offering a three course set menu taking diners on a journey through culinary [...]
House prices in slim rise February 6, 2012 House prices rose by 0.6 per cent in January figures from mortgage lender Halifax showed helping to recover some lost ground. House prices fell by 1.8 per cent in the three months to January compared with a year ago, taking the average price of a home to 160,907 pounds. “The continuing very low level of [...]
Hopeful house buyers put off by low supply February 5, 2012 A SHORTAGE of suitable housing is preventing potential first-time buyers from stepping onto the property ladder, according to data released this morning. Asked to name their biggest concern about buying a home, the second most common response among potential buyers was the difficulty of finding a property. “In the final quarter of 2011, the numbers [...]
Rich pickings in poor man’s Verbier February 5, 2012 IT’S unlikely you’ll have heard of La Tzoumaz. With just 300 permanent residents, few hotels and no town centre (or après ski) to speak of, it’s not the sort of place you’d expect to find a ten-minute ski from Verbier, Switzerland’s sexiest resort. No: La Tzoumaz (rhymes with satsuma) is quite definitely Verbier’s shy, unfashionable, [...]
Ski like an amateur, race like a professional February 5, 2012 THREE, two, one, the race countdown began, as my heart knocked treble-time. With my ski racing bib on, adrenalin pumping, I was staring down a steep, crisply-groomed slope, preparing to race it in my first ever downhill speed run. Then the horn sounded and I was off. I skated a few steps to pick up [...]
TRAVEL NOTES February 5, 2012 Literary London V-Day dinner at Brown’s This romantic package is perfect for those who find exquisite poetry and great food. A tour of the beautiful, private London library is followed by a three course dinner and fizz at the hotel’s Albemarle restaurant by Mark Hix. £160, 14 Feb. To book, call 0207 518 4060 Cupid’s [...]
FOCUS ON: TUNBRIDGE WELLS February 2, 2012 DOWN HOUSE Price: £1.1m A five bedroom Georgian house, situated in the edge of a village setting, with off-road parking, garden and extensive grounds. Contact Knight Frank on 020 7629 8171 or knightfrank.co.uk FERNCLYFFE Price: £3.6m Gigantic home featuring entrance hall, four reception rooms, conservatory, kitchen, games room, utility room, eight bedrooms, dressing room, and [...]
Oh I do long to be beside the (British) seaside February 2, 2012 IT’S not the South of France or the Amalfi Coast. But Britain’s seaside has plenty of charm of its own – and not just of the quaint and slightly run-down variety, but of a beautiful, unique and in some cases, highly exclusive type. For instance, Knight Frank recently sold a mansion in south Cornwall to [...]
PROPERTY NEWS February 2, 2012 NEW DEVELOPMENT TO LAUNCH IN LEWISHAM Contributing to the major regeneration of Lewisham, housing provider, Family Mosaic is delighted to announce the launch of its impressive new development, Central Park, this April. The high specification one, two and three bedroom apartments are in close proximity to neighbouring Blackheath and Greenwich and perfectly placed in one [...]