TRAVEL NOTES July 18, 2010 The ultimate wellness holiday service to launch Desperate to recharge your batteries but tired of the usual yoga holidays? Enter Electric Bloom, a new, much buzzed-about wellness travel company launching in August. Traditional wellness activities – such as yoga, trekking and Pilates – are combined with fabulous locations and “uplifting” experiences such as opera outings, supper [...]
OTHER CORNWALL GEMS July 18, 2010 THE NARE This hidden gem of a hotel, in a quintessentially English country house, boasts spectacular views over Carne Beach, near Truro. It’s an independent, family-owned slice of boutique luxury with cosy-chic rooms, a gorgeous outdoor pool, a beautiful spa and its own croquet pitch. The hotel also has its own yacht that guests can [...]
FOCUS ON: BASILDON, ESSEX July 15, 2010 COBURG LANE, Price: £152,500 This smart two-bedroom maisonette would be ideal for first-time buyers. It comes with off-street parking and access to communal gardens. There’s no onward chain. Contact: Balgores on 01268 271110, www.balgoresproperty.co.uk SAMUEL ROAD Price: £280,000 A spacious four-bedroom house with plenty of storage and a well-sized back garden. It is within walking [...]
PROPERTY NEWS July 15, 2010 BISHOPS AVE SITE SOLD FOR £30M One of London’s best development opportunities in Hampstead’s Bishops Avenue has sold for more than £30m. The 2.47 acre site has two planning consents in place – either for a house of 33,000 sq ft or for a block of 16 luxury apartments. This indicates the competition and rising [...]
LETTING July 15, 2010 CEO OF ONLINE LETTINGS AGENT UPAD.CO.UK Q.I have three properties which I let to tenants on Local Housing Allowance. How do I find out if the new rates of housing benefit will cover their rent? If they don’t, what do I do? A.The new rates announced by the chancellor in the Budget won’t come into [...]
The ascent of prime London’s new hotspot July 15, 2010 FITZROVIA, the area around the BT Tower, bordered by Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Great Portland Street and Euston Road, should be Londoners’ idea of property heaven. The West End is on your doorstep, as is Regent’s Park. The ever-more exciting restaurant and bar scene of Goodge and Charlotte Streets, and the more established prettiness [...]
Don’t let your prime real estate abroad stand idle while you slave away at work July 15, 2010 WITH global growth likely to be sluggish in the coming years, it might seem like a poor time to invest in a holiday home. But with a clear strategy for renting out the place when you’re not in residence, it is easily possible to make back the cost of maintenance and to generate a little [...]
FOCUS ON: RENTING OUT YOUR HOLIDAY HOME July 15, 2010 SUNSET VILLA, MYKONOS, GREECE Price: €2.2m This clean, white villa in the town of Mykonos has five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a wide terrace overlooking its large swimming pool. It is available fully-furnished and boasts a beautiful sunset view over the Aegean sea. The popular town of Mykonos is easily accessible with its active nightlife. [...]
GOING FULL-TIME July 15, 2010 FOR most Brits with second homes abroad, renting out the place will only generate supplementary income while you slave away in the office. But for Tim Forster, a former navy officer, holiday tenants became his main source of income when he and his wife moved permanently to the village of Uzes in Provence in 2001 [...]
What to wear in the sea July 15, 2010 If you’re heading for the beach this summer, it doesn’t mean you have to look like a beach bum when you’re there. Those vast, baggy board shorts in garish patterns might be fine for a teenager but look perfectly ridiculous on grown men. If you’ve got the body for them, square-cut trunks are the way [...]