No more pain: how health farms became spas, and we got a bit soft October 19, 2009 WITHOUT FAIL, my grandmother and her mother used to go to a “health farm” for a week. It sounded like my idea of hell: a week of deprivation, nothing fun to do or eat. The end results spoke for themselves, though – they’d lose six kilos in a week and come home with wonderfully tapered [...]
THE MODERN HEALTH FARMS October 19, 2009 NUBEGINNINGS Devonwww.nubeginnings.co.ukPain potential: 9/10 Fun factor: 6/10 The idea: This sleek retreat is among the UK’s more hardcore – it calls itself a “weight loss boot camp”. Guests stay at least a week and lose up to 4 kilos. It also tackles the psychological side to wellbeing with a variety of therapies. Food: Locally sourced [...]
OUT OF OFFICE October 19, 2009 LAPLAND VIA THE LANGHAM HOTELIf you’re planning a bit of wining and dining over the festive season – and let’s face it, who isn’t? – you could end up in Lapland courtesy of the Langham Hotel. Diners who make reservations for four or more people at the hotel’s restaurant, The Landau, or its private dining [...]
Big is beautiful October 18, 2009 Westbourne Tote, Radley, £250Character in a bag.www.radley.co.uk Leather Studded Tote, Miu Miu, £920Bang on trend with the studs, but understated.www.netaporter.com Eton Bag, Aspinal £475Croc-skin classic in a colour to die for.www.aspinaloflondon.com Fippy Suede Bag, Comptoir des Cotonniers, £146Equally useful – and attractive – for work or play. www.comptoirdescotonniers.com Faithful Houndstooth Bag, Alexander McQueen, £995Edgy yet [...]
OUT OF OFFICE October 18, 2009 ED RUSCHA AT THE HAYWARDEd Ruscha is one of the most influential artists of the past half-century. This exhibition, which spans his career, is the first retrospective to focus exclusively on his paintings. The show looks at how American pop culture inspired him, from his paintings of shop fronts and sign boards, to logos, including [...]
Snow train to the Alps October 18, 2009 AMID a crowd of 10, 11 – no 12 – small heads, it was difficult to see which movie they were watching on our portable DVD player. To be fair, there wasn’t a lot to keep kids amused at France’s Chambery airport. And, yet again, we were delayed there for a few hours because of [...]
Ledger takes his final bow in a surreal flight of fancy October 15, 2009 FilmTHE IMAGINARIUM OF DR PARNASSUSCert: 12a IF YOU are looking for a role that can stand as a testament to the talent of Heath Ledger, who died during the filming of this movie, then you would do far better to remember his turn as the Joker in last year’s Batman film, The Dark Knight, than [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS October 15, 2009 FILMCOUPLES RETREAT Old swingers Vince Vaughan and Jon Favreau reunite in this comedy.ONG-BAK: THE BEGINNING Sequel to Thailand’s martial arts blockbuster.TRIANGLE British horror thriller set aboard a haunted boat. DVDX-MEN ORIGINS: WOLEVERINE Hugh Jackman stars in this duff X-Men prequel.24: COMPLETE SEASON 7 Jack Bauer goes up against his old colleague, Tony Almeida.DIRTY HARRY COLLECTION [...]
Art comes in from the cold, but cautiously October 15, 2009 ROMAN Abramovitch, Gwyneth Paltrow and US hedge fund giant David Ganek were among the rich and famous at the opening of Frieze art fair yesterday. For if there’s one event that even Abramovich can’t miss, it’s this: a chance to browse and buy the world’s hottest contemporary art during its five-day residence in a marquee [...]
Live in style in one of the great Victorian buildings but hurry October 15, 2009 IT’S not that often that you get a chance to live in one of London’s great Victorian buildings. Those who fancy a spot of Grade 1-listed Gothic should get their skates on, because there are now just two apartments remaining in the revamped St Pancras Chambers Apartments. With bonuses back, if you fancy living in [...]