Treats in store at Lisbon’s glam Ritz July 11, 2010 IF you are going to visit Lisbon, you should stay at the Ritz Four Seasons, an enchanting, marble-clad property from one of the world’s best hotel operators. Its location and positioning is ideal; the hotel offers vistas of Eduardo VII Park, St. George’s Moorish castle, the Old Town and the Tagus River from atop one [...]
Spreading success, little by little July 11, 2010 WILSON Moleni is on his first trip to the UK. And what a first visit it is: he is dining with royalty, meeting dignitaries and briefing journalists. Not bad for a man who grew up among Malawi’s poorest, and who (most of the time) had just enough food to continue to go to school. Moleni, [...]
CASE STUDIES: OPPORTUNITY BANK SUCCESS STORIES July 11, 2010 ANNA, NKHATA BAY DISTRICT Anna’s daughter-in-law died just days after giving birth. The child was just seven days old. Anna collected the baby from the hospital but couldn’t find any money to buy milk. She turned to the Opportunity Bank for help. She took out a loan of MK 5,000 which meant that she could [...]
Go back to school… this time in style July 8, 2010 ESTATE agents love taking on “conversions” – it allows them to market the “authenticity” of a property. But what does a conversion actually offer buyers? One of the advantages, says Anup Pankhania of Jaspar Group, a property conversions business, is that “you’ve got a spectacular spaces you’d never get anywhere else”. He’s referring to features [...]
INTERIORS July 8, 2010 ANDREW DUNNING HEAD DESIGNER, APD INTERIORS Q.Dear Andrew, we have a spare room and I would like to turn it into a home office. Can you give me some advice? A.First, consider how you want to use the room. If you regularly have guests staying and need a study space away from the main bedroom [...]
FOCUS ON: CHISWICK, W4 July 8, 2010 PRIORY ROAD Price: £830,000 This is a four-bedroom house with a kitchen/dining room, reception room, two bathrooms (one en-suite) and a garden. Chiswick Park, South Acton Tube and rail stations are a 10 minute walk. It is just a short distance from Acton Green common. Contact: Savills on 020 8987 5550, www.savills.co.uk DEVONSHIRE GARDENS Price: [...]
A franchise hunted to extinction July 8, 2010 Film PREDATORS Cert: 15 It’s 23 years since Arnold Schwarzenegger first did battle with one very ugly extraterrestial hunter, during which time there’s been a slew of spin-offs ranging from poor to dreadful. On paper the latest attempt to revamp the franchise seems encouraging, produced as it is by action whiz Robert Rodriguez, and with [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT July 8, 2010 FILM LEAVING Kristin Scott Thomas gives a typically powerful performance in this French romantic thriller. LONDON RIVER Moving drama set in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, with Brenda Blethyn. WENT THE DAY WELL Rerelease for the classic wartime propaganda movie. DVD PERCY JACKSON & THE LIGHTING THIEF Fantasy fun a little too much in [...]
Sizzle in your swimwear July 8, 2010 IT was reported last week that women spend more on their swimwear than they do on their holidays. This either means that their holidays are very cheap or that their swimsuits are amazingly expensive, but the upshot is that swimwear is in the fashion spotlight and it just won’t do to, err, skimp. Yet it’s [...]
TREND WATCH: UNDERWEAR AS OUTWEAR July 8, 2010 UNLESS you happen to have the figure of Kate Moss, going bra-free – or even strapless – is not usually an option. Fuller-chested women need proper bras, straps ‘n’ all. Problem is,when it comes strappy top season, it’s hard to get dressed without showing your bra straps – and that look is dubious at best. [...]