Jeep’s… back July 5, 2011 Us Brits should be forgiven for thinking Land Rover invented the luxury 4×4 with the Range Rover brand. In fact it was Jeep with its Wagoneer that created the segment, and by the mid 1990s, its successor, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, was just about everywhere in the US and ubiquitous in London too. Then sales [...]
CAR TALK July 5, 2011 CHEVY’S ELECTRIC OFFERING Chevrolet’s extended range EV Volt will cost £28,545 (including £5,000 government grant) when it arrives in early 2012. Thanks to its E-REV powertrain, the car has an electric-only range of 50 miles after which an on-board generator kicks in to prevent the battery going flat. This means you could commute using electric [...]
Gyms with added five star luxuries July 4, 2011 GYM bunnies looking for the top-flight places to keep fit should head to the city’s leading hotels. Lavish surroundings, less-crowded gymnasiums and access to magnificent spas make exercise a pleasure, even an indulgence. Here are five of the best. CORINTHIA HOTEL Plush, in a word. The new Corinthia Hotel is a place of dazzling, no-expense-spared [...]
FIT IN THE CITY July 4, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT NO need to quiver in fear at the prospect of sporting a pair of Speedos/a bikini (delete as appropriate) this summer – we’ve sourced the very best ways to whittle that tum into shape in double time for your summer hols. GO TECHNO If state-of-the-art equipment in heavenly surroundings is your [...]
British food that’s on the right track July 4, 2011 The Gilbert Scott St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, NW1 2AR thegilbertscott.co.uk FOOD *** SERVICE *** ATMOSPHERE **** Cost per person without wine: £35 AS locations go, you can’t really beat it. St Pancras Station is of the most iconic buildings of the Victorian industrial age, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1868 with [...]
THE RISE OF ST PANCRAS: WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK July 4, 2011 GILBERT SCOTT BAR London’s rise as a cocktail destination is everywhere apparent: and no more so than in the opening of brilliant restaurant bars that are destinations in themselves. The Gilbert Scott has one of these: it’s airy and antique, with buttery popcorn served in pewter chalices as a free snack, and cocktails from ages [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS July 4, 2011 EXQUISITE CHAMPAGNE FEAST AT THE LANGHAM HOTEL: TONIGHT What are you doing ce soir? If you’ve got a bit of cash burning a hole in your pocket and you consider yourself a foodie (who likes champagne), you should be at the Langham Hotel’s “Evening with Roux” dinner at its fine dining restaurant, the Landau. Michel Roux [...]
Ancient and modern wonders July 3, 2011 THE Eternal City has had a 21st-century makeover. In the last few years, daring new architect-designed buildings have been springing up, while workmen sing along to Tony Bennett: “The glory that was Rome/Is of another day.” The Auditorium Parco della Musica was created by Renzo Piano, and took 12 years to build. The American architect [...]
OUT OF AFRICA July 3, 2011 IT is 5.45am – waking hour on safari. Close to the tent, there are groups of feeding buffalo and wildebeests and slowly loping giraffes. Behind them, there is a spectacular view of the Kent coast and English Channel with France in the distance. This is what it is like to go on safari, English-style. And [...]
TRAVEL NOTES July 3, 2011 …AND THE REAL, AFRICAN VERSION For those fancying a taste of the real safari life on the African plains, Sanctuary Zebra Plains is a new luxury walking safari camp in Zambia’s South Luangwa region. Rather than heading out in a jeep to snap animals from a distance, you set out on foot with Garth Hovell, [...]