OFF PISTE AND PARTY February 7, 2010 There’s no doubt package holidays are easier to arrange – book it and it’s all organised for you. But for flexibility on dates and sometimes (though not always) price, it makes sense to head off the groomed path – off piste you might say – and put your holiday together yourself. If you’re looking for [...]
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT February 7, 2010 For the real high flyers, a day (or two) heliskiing offers the ultimate adrenaline rush. And of course there’s no problem finding virginal top-of-the-mountain snow for the very best of late season skiing. Danielle Stynes, of SwisSKIsafari (0041 273982194; www.swisskisafari.com) has the enviable job of putting together tailor-made helicopter and back-bowl skiing trips with idyllic [...]
ALL IN THE FAMILY February 7, 2010 Unless you have pre-school aged children (or an accommodating school) you’re bound to go skiing the weeks of half term (February 13 departures) or Easter (roughly the first two weeks of April). Luckily it’s still possible to book a last-minute deal for half-term, and it’s even easier to arrange if your children are old enough [...]
SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND February 7, 2010 Too many hours in the office… not enough time on the slopes. Luckily Ski Weekends has the answer for time-poor City workers. If you’re looking to cram as much ski and après-ski as possible into three or four days, Chamonix is the answer. The party town is just an hour-and-a-half drive from Geneva and has [...]
TRAVEL NOTES February 7, 2010 Top Diver at Amanyara Turks and Caicos’s sexiest resort will be adding sessions with the world’s best diver, Tanya Streeter, to its attractions. Streeter holds several world records and is considered the “perfect athlete.” She will be hosting free-diving sessions at the resort and -charmingly if slightly incongruously – giving talks about humpback whales during [...]
Grey suits dominate the City – but not grey hair February 7, 2010 WHEN Kate Moss appeared with grey locks last week, all hell – rather predictably – broke loose in fashion circles. Is the eternally gamine Moss ageing at last? But no, wily old Kate, who is approaching 40 (heaven forfend) had gone grey on purpose. And pundits observed that it exemplified with the icy look that [...]
It doesn’t get more prestigious than living on a square February 4, 2010 IF you really want prestige London living – and let’s face it, who doesn’t? – you simply can’t beat living on a historic town square. There are over 600 squares in London, from the famous, grand open spaces of Knightsbridge and Belgravia like Lowndes Square and Eaton Square, to the smaller, cosier cobbled versions hidden [...]
Q&A: BUYING February 4, 2010 Q.Dear Camilla, I am thinking about selling my home this year. But is it the right time given that there is both economic and political uncertainty at the moment? A.There has been a lot of positive press about property prices in recent weeks, which should support the UK housing market. For example, mortgage lender Nationwide [...]
FOCUS ON: BETHNAL GREEN, E2 February 4, 2010 HAGUE STREET, E2 6HN Price: £550,000 For its location – just one stop by Tube or 30 minutes walk to Liverpool Street – this three double-bedroom house offers good value for money. It is both spacious and airy and the living room benefits from windows to the front and back. The kitchen has room for [...]
Mandela blitzed by Hollywood hokum February 4, 2010 FILM Invictus Cert: 12A *** MORGAN Freeman has played the President of the United States, God and now at last he has graduated to Nelson Mandela. He is by far the best thing in this film, and plays South Africa’s first post-apartheid president as a sprightly father of the nation (“I have 42m children”), who [...]