OTHER GOLF VENUES September 28, 2009 BROCKET HALLJust 22 miles north of London, Brocket Hall is a spectacular location with two championship courses which are at their most beautiful in autumn. There is also a driving range, a putting green and you can hone your skills at the Faldo Golf Institute. To make the most of the location, you can also [...]
Sri Lanka’s beauty reborn September 27, 2009 Ask British travellers why they return to Sri Lanka again and again and they will enthuse about the friendliness of the people, the stunning scenery, the incredible variety packed into an island roughly the size of Ireland. Even through long years of civil war, the tourists kept coming, lured by cheap beach holidays and whistlestop [...]
A funky mountain spa that’s ideal for soothing skiers’ weary legs September 27, 2009 SPA towns are not generally known for their thrusting modernity. Merano, in the South Tyrol region of northern Italy, is at first sight just another sleepy town whose glory days are behind it. Indeed, in the second half of the nineteenth century – when this area was still in the Austro-Hungarian Empire – it was [...]
TRAVEL NOTES September 27, 2009 Marrakesh’s home of luxury reopensOne of Morocco’s most famous hotels, La Mamounia in Marrakech, will be reopening its doors this week after a three year restoration project. The place has hosted all manner of royalty, celebrities and jet setters over the years, having established a reputation for opulent, colonial-style luxury and glamour. As well as [...]
A savage satire of corporate crime September 24, 2009 TheatreENRONRoyal Court TheatrePOST credit crunch, the Enron collapse might seem like a disaster from another age. But in Lucy Prebble’s scintillating play the scandal is shown as the blueprint for the meltdowns that came after it. “There’s a strange thing goes on inside a bubble,” says one character. “People inside it can’t see outside, don’t [...]
Suiting gets serious in the City as retro styles return September 24, 2009 PINK shorts, fox-fur capes and metallic trousers might be what passes for menswear at London Fashion Week, but in the real world things are very different. In the City at the moment, the fashion watchword is simple: smart. “That casual thing is completely finished in the City,” says Johnny Allen, the manager of Savile Row [...]
Live in a little bit of British history September 24, 2009 ENGLISH Heritage recently expressed shocked dismay at the large numbers of Britain’s 9,300 conservation areas that are sliding into disrepair, and started a campaign to preserve these symbols of British history. English Heritage was more concerned about beauty, but these areas also make a great investment. A recent bulletin from estate agent Savills said that [...]
FOCUS ON: WOOLWICH, SE18 September 24, 2009 Building 47, Marlborough Road, SE18Price: £350,000This smart duplex apartment with views across the river is within walking distance of Woolwich Arsenal DLR station. Part of a warehouse conversion, this two double bedroom apartment comes with a spacious open-plan living area with wooden floors and exposed brick walls. The property also comes with a secure parking [...]
The time is ripe to take the plunge into the Cotswolds September 24, 2009 FOLLOWING a tough year when the market has been in the doldrums, the Cotswolds – the perennial favourite area for City workers’ second homes – are back in the swing of things. The problem for those who yearn to own a property in those picturesque old wool villages is that they just don’t often come [...]
Smartphone app developers are striking gold September 24, 2009 GOLD Rush. It’s not a phrase you hear much these days, but that’s how research firm Yankee described the market for smartphone apps earlier this week. Its analysts estimate that the US market will be worth some $4.2bn (£2.6bn) by the end of 2013 – over 10 times higher than the $343m it is expected [...]