In the summer Switzerland’s mountains burst into life April 11, 2010 I’VE been skiing just once, when I was 11. My chief memories are of floundering in a snowdrift as my Austrian instructor sped off cursing my inability to stay upright, and the fact that by the end of the week I still hadn’t even mastered the snowplough. It really wasn’t for me. Since then, the [...]
TRAVEL NOTES April 11, 2010 Get a perfect beach body in St Lucia The plush resort of Cotton Bay Village on the Caribbean island of St Lucia has launched a series of “diva boot camps” for ladies to get in shape in beautiful surroundings. The week long courses aimed at solo travellers or small groups of friends include tailored nutritional [...]
Live in a Cold War bunker – the ideal home for a nuclear family with style April 8, 2010 JUST imagine the dinner party possibilities of living in an unusual house. No matter what other people tell you about their wonderful new stables or their eco-conversion, revealing that you live in a converted Cold War military base is sure to stop people in their tracks. Two of the most desirable properties currently on the [...]
Park Lane’s latest rentals show the recession is over April 8, 2010 NICKY Haslam is probably best known for attending pretty much every party to be held in London since about 1964. However, when he’s not sipping bubbly and exchanging bon mots with the global jet set, his day job is designing their homes. When it comes to living in sumptuous style, Haslam really did write the book [...]
FOCUS ON: BLACKHEATH, SE3 April 8, 2010 ST JOHNS PARK, SE3 Price: £550,000 This two-bedroom flat is on the raised ground floor of this Victorian residence close to the open areas of Blackheath. It has a large reception room with a bay window and space for a dining table. Both bedrooms are doubles. The property has shared use of the back garden [...]
SELLING April 8, 2010 Russell Hunt MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PROPERTY HUNT Q. Dear Russell, with the general election having been called, should I wait to buy a property? A. The election will certainly affect the property market and everybody is currently sitting on the fence awaiting the outcome on 6 May. The impact on the housing market will depend [...]
Inoffensive Infidel misses the mark April 8, 2010 Film THE INFIDEL Cert: 15 IN this David Baddiel-scripted film Brit comedian and sometime Hollywood actor Omid Djalili plays Mahmud, a slobbish dad and barely-practising Muslim who finds out that he was adopted – and that his birth parents were orthodox Jews. His birth father is dying, but an officious rabbi (Matt Lucas) won’t let [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND April 8, 2010 FILM I AM LOVE Tilda Swinton stars in this beguiling romantic drama. SHELTER Preposterous thriller about multiple personality disorders, with Julianne Moore. NO GREATER LOVE Absorbing documentary about a Carmelite monastery in West London. DVD 30 ROCK SEASON 3 Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin return in the comic look at US TV. UNIVERSAL SOLDIER REGENERATION [...]
April showers mean that it’s time to belt up April 8, 2010 EARLY spring can introduce a bit of a style conundrum for men. It’s too warm for a bulky overcoat, but if you revert to your suit jacket and a brolly you’ll feel the pinch on a windy day or in the evenings. An extra layer is still needed, but one that’s adaptable, lightweight and able [...]
JEANS ARE FIT FOR THE RITZ SO SPLASH OUT April 8, 2010 JEANS are cool – just ask the Ritz, which recently relaxed its dress code to allow denim into its dining room. But buying jeans is a minefield. There are so many choices – boyfriend, skinny, tapered or bootleg, distress factor, stretch, price. What happened to plain Levi’s 501s? One of my best pairs of jeans [...]