Intelligent luxury under a hot blue sky January 16, 2011 ABU Dhabi sounds like a heady jumble of car, construction and human. In the daytime, the air is thick with noise as it is thick with the pervading haze of dust blown in from the sandlands to the south and thrown up by the never-ending construction. It softens the otherwise relentless sunshine, rendering everything (including [...]
TRAVEL NOTES January 16, 2011 Dukan Diet’s idyll Let us hope the troubles in Tunisia are over soon. The year’s must-do diet has launched a residential programme in Tunisia at the idyllic Residence Tunis. The three-part plan will see you drop pounds through reducing carbohydrate and fat, gorging on 28 different vegetables and eventually, resuming your normal diet. One for [...]
This hornet has a comic sting January 13, 2011 FILM THE GREEN HORNET Cert: 12A SETH Rogen is both writer and star of the latest film to play fast and loose with the superhero genre. He plays Britt Reid, a rich layabout who becomes a masked crime fighter principally because it amuses him – and it amuses us too. Rogen manages to weave the [...]
Ski chic for men with style January 13, 2011 1 Napapijri knit top, £194, www.harrods.com 2 Stetson fur trapper hat, £74.99, www.julesb.co.uk 3 Burgandy shawl collar jumper, Topman, £38, www.topman.com 4 Barts quilted beanie, £16.99, www.johnlewis.com 5 Sorel caribou wool men’s apres ski boots, £135, www.foxsoutdoor.co.uk 6 Napapijri white ski pants, £239, www.napapijri.com 7 Mover gore-tex primaloft sport jacket, £590, www.mover.se 8 Moncler Anderson [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND January 13, 2011 FILM CONVICTION Worthy legal drama with Hilary Swank on another Oscar push as a woman who learned the law to defend her brother. NEDS Scottish actor and director Peter Mullan returns after years away with this tale of delinquent life in 1970s Glasgow. DVD GAINSBOURG Beautifully-made biopic about French songwriter, singer and lascivious hard liver [...]
BASILDON January 13, 2011 BEECHWOOD VILLAGE Price: £234,000 A contemporary four-bedroom home with style and eco-credentials. Its slick interior belies this property’s energy-efficient design which promises reduced carbon emissions and a sizeable dent in your energy bill. Leafy avenues, a cycle lane and an ecological park comprise this house’s idyllic environs. Contact: Swan New Homes on 08000 195005 or [...]
PROPERTY NEWS January 13, 2011 REMEMBER THE RIGHT TO MANAGE Leaseholders should “take control” of their properties and stop getting “ripped off” by managing agents, says block management specialists Urban Owners. Over 70 per cent of lease-holding flat owners are unaware of the Right to Manage – government legislation which gives them the right to take over the management of [...]
BUYING January 13, 2011 MANAGING PARTNER OF BLACK BRICK PROPERTY SOLUTIONS LLP Q.Q: What are your predictions for the 2011 property market? Will there be more stock? When is a good time to buy? A.The prime central London property market has constantly suffered from a shortage of stock, and our advice for potential buyers looking for a home is [...]
A double dose of danger for elite Death Inc January 12, 2011 SHADOW FORCE BY MATT LYNN HEADLINE, £12.99 IT doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a book called Shadow Force – the first in a series that tracks a pack of mercenaries around the world – is not going to have much of a feminine touch. Well, journalist Matt Lynn has gone the [...]
WORLD BOOZE BRIEFING VINEXPO CONFERENCE January 12, 2011 The British taste for bacchanalia is on the rise, according to a massive drink report announced yesterday, conducted by IWSR (International Wine and Spirit Research) in conjunction with Vinexpo, the massive industry fair. The UK remains the number one importer of wine in the world – of which our favourite is Australian – in terms [...]