Rejuvenation and wine in Lombardy April 25, 2010 PLINY the Younger wrote his Tragedia and Comedia in a villa on Lake Como and the lake has continued to attract the best and the richest of society, from Madonna and George Clooney to Gianni Versace, Ronaldinho and Sylvester Stallone. Indeed, the lakes of the northern Italian region of Lombardy – the most famous being [...]
TRAVEL NOTES April 25, 2010 Gecko Beach Club reopens After a six-month renovation, this boutique hotel on the island of Formentera (the sophisticated person’s Mallorca), has reopened. It’s the epitome of understated luxury, with clean lines and expanses of pale wood. Its proximity to the turquoise waters of Migjorn Beach in the Hamptons-esque area of Ca-Mari, its sexy bar terraces [...]
Carell and Fey hit the funny bone April 22, 2010 Film DATE NIGHT Cert: 15 Tina Fey and Steve Carell are such comic dynamite that their pairing up for Date Night promised explosions of mirth, especially when directed by Shawn Levy, of Night At the Museum fame. Saturday Night Live afficianados (where Fey and Carell made their names) – and those who regard Carell’s work [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND April 22, 2010 FILM IT’S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE Gurinder Chadha’s latest comedy. CENTURION Amusingly awful Romans vs Picts action flick. AGORA More from ancient Rome, this time with Rachel Weisz. DVD THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS Zany satire with George Clooney. THE THICK OF IS SERIES 3 The latest season of the great political comedy. THE BOX [...]
WHY YELLOW AIN’T GREAT FOR WHITE April 22, 2010 Sara Hollamby Style Counsel BLAME his party’s colour, but Nick Clegg has demonstrated a fondness for yellow ties in recent months, the result being that he tends to look rather washed out. Yellow is an extremely difficult colour for anyone to wear who is starved of sun and over the age of 30. Yellow looks [...]
Know your Derbys from your Oxfords April 22, 2010 WHILE it’s tempting for a chap to slink to work each day in the same tatty lace-ups he’s owned for years, a pair of fine, handmade English shoes is a worthwhile investment for any City gent worth his salt. In fact he should have several, ensuring that each lasts longer and that he can vary [...]
Pick up a slice of European history April 22, 2010 ANYONE buying a Continental holiday home has a choice to make – do you like cutting-edge design and built-to-spec polish, or do you like something steeped in history? A minimalist mansion on an Ibizan hillside is one thing (a very nice thing), but a rambling old farmhouse or converted medieval church comes with a romance [...]
FOCUS ON: EAST GRINSTEAD April 22, 2010 LINDENS, HOLTYE ROAD, RH19 Price: £750,000 Sadly, £750,000 won’t buy you the whole of this Grade II-listed country house built for the Cunard family at the start of the 20th century, but it will buy you the south-west wing. The interior needs updating but it has four bedrooms and there is potential to enlarge the [...]
RENTING April 22, 2010 JAMES DAVIS CEO OF ONLINE LETTINGS AGENT UPAD.co.uk Q. Is it better to let a flat furnished or unfurnished? If I let unfurnished, does the tenant have extra rights? A. Since 1988 there has been no legal difference between the two but there are financial implications: you aren’t liable for council tax on an unfurnished [...]
A labour of love with rich rewards April 22, 2010 THE idea of buying a romantic, unmodernised property can be immensely appealing, offering both historical charm and the chance to do a place up with your own stamp on it. There’s also the promise of earning yourself a tidy profit when it comes to selling down the road. Simon Barnes, a property consultant, says: “Renovating [...]