Al Bustan Rotana 5* June 13, 2011 Taste the kind of luxury Dubai is renowned for at the sumptuous Al Bustan Rotana. The impressive lobby sets the scene here with its striking Gazebo café, before giving way to a hotel full of deluxe delights. There are five restaurants to sample, from Lebanese to Thai, along with a poolside snack bar for when [...]
Serenity and decadence at Dubai’s hottest new hotel June 12, 2011 DUBAI seems an unlikely place for a relaxing holiday at first. Even 2,700 feet up, at the top of the Burj Khalifa tower, the whirr of cranes and speeding Jeeps in every direction makes the sea view throb with activity. My guide points past the hollow half-built skyscrapers jutting across the city skyline to the [...]
THINK ROOMS… with LateRooms.com June 12, 2011 AL BUSTAN ROTANA 5* Casablanca Road | Al Garhoud | Dubai | 30880 Taste the kind of luxury Dubai is renowned for at the sumptuous Al Bustan Rotana. The impressive lobby sets the scene here with its striking Gazebo café, before giving way to a hotel full of deluxe delights. There are five restaurants to [...]
TRAVEL NOTES June 12, 2011 READING ROOM AT W HOTEL Talk about intellectual stimulation. This month W London – Leicester Square is introducing The (W)riters’ Library (right) an oasis of literary calm for guests with books curated by journalist and playwright Damian Barr. Barr has tapped ten of his favourite authors including Bret Easton Ellis, David Nicholls, Geoff Dyer, Naomi [...]
Cars, horses, glamour: a glorious summer awaits at Goodwood June 12, 2011 IN his famous song the Stately Homes of England, Noel Coward noted of the nation’s country piles that “the fact that they have to be rebuilt / And frequently mortgaged to the hilt… certainly damps the fun / Of the eldest son…” Try telling that to Charles Gordon-Lennox, eldest son of the 10th Duke of [...]
Savvy investors will soon be taking to water June 9, 2011 FORGET yachts, successful City boys and girls will be cruising to work on boats in the years to come. Marinas are springing up alongside London’s Thameside developments. Chelsea’s flashy 1,000-apartment Imperial Wharf has just opened a marina, while Vauxhall’s St. George Wharf is building a river taxi pontoon on its doorstep that will open in [...]
Architects cast an expert interior eye June 9, 2011 FREELANCE writer Elisa Wickham and her partner were faced with a debate two years ago when they began renovating the interior of their promising, but outdated shabby three-bed property in N7: Pay an architect to advise or go direct to a builder? “Neither us have any building abilities and we don’t have massive incomes so [...]
BRAINTREE, ESSEX June 9, 2011 GRESHAM HOUSE, BRADFORD STREET Price: £749,95 This listed property runs across four floors and retains a number of period features. The house has six bedrooms, two bathrooms, three reception rooms including an orangery. There is a small playroom, kitchen, living room, laundry, utility room, office and cloakroom. There is a gym in the basement. Contact: [...]
SELL June 9, 2011 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY, KAY & CO Q.I have £500,000 in cash to invest in a buy-to-let flat in central London. What should I buy? A.One-bedroom apartments are always in demand in central London which fits in well with your budget. I would recommend that you look for a property with a low [...]
Architectural landmark and family home June 9, 2011 WHOEVER ends up buying the White Cottage, on a quiet road at the south west corner of Wandsworth Common, will not only become owner of a supremely elegant family home, but custodian of a highly unusual piece of architectural history. The house, built in 1903 and on the market for £5m, is the work of [...]