CRAZY HORSES beneath the bonnet September 8, 2009 BENEATH a considerable amount of wing, skirt and angular metal lies a car, the chavmobile that is the FQ 400. I clamber on board the Mitsubishi gunship, turn the ignition key and on comes Radio 3. What? The delivery driver, an ex-policeman, had been driving the mother of all on-road anarchy magnets whilst listening to [...]
A 500 jamboree of wrinkle-busting in Paris September 7, 2009 LIKE most Londoners, I spend a good deal of time rushing to and fro between fume-filled streets, the skin-shrivellingly dry Underground and an air-conditioned office. My face is a receptacle of urban wear and tear – clogged pores, bouts of dryness, sudden patches of oiliness. Any chance to cleanse, exfoliate, pamper and smooth my visage [...]
Just the place to take a world wine tour and most of it by the glass September 7, 2009 Kensington Wine Rooms27-129 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LPTel: 020 7727 8142Cost per person without wine: £35 IF YOU think chocolate shops are fun, try this. The Kensington Wine Rooms is the latest venue to make a go of enomatic, or wine-dispensing, machines. The Sampler on Upper Street has long mastered this format, with more depth [...]
THREE OTHER WINE BAR RESTAURANTS September 7, 2009 TERROIRSThis relative newcomer has swiftly become a big favourite with critics and punters alike – with small but perfectly formed French plates, you can expect the likes of snails and pork and pistachio terrine, to be eaten with something off the 200-bin wine list. It’s buzzing with people who want in on the gastronomic wine [...]
Greece is Europe’s top spot to soak up the September sun September 6, 2009 THE beauty of Greece is so extreme that even hordes of tourists can’t ruin it – in a lesser country, the likes of Mykonos, Corfu, Crete and Santorini would have become touristic hellholes by now. Though they remain gems, there’s no doubt that the Greek islands are crowded. For anyone seeking that rare thing, a [...]
OTHER TOP AUTUMN DESTINATIONS September 6, 2009 JordanMid-September is the start of the peak season in Jordan, as the weather starts to cool off. Voyage Jules Verne have a package that includes return flights from Gatwick, three nights at the Petra Palace, four nights in Aqaba and a tour of the Dead Sea. For an extra £65, they will also give you [...]
TRAVEL NOTES September 6, 2009 Ultimate Alpine luxury for the ski seasonIf you really want to do it in style this winter, look no further than VIP Chalets and its all-new Platinum Collection of super-chalets. Want your personal chef to agree bespoke menus before you go? Done. Personal Alpine chauffeur? No problem. Private cinema to go with your hot tub [...]
FOCUS ON: ROCHESTER, KENT September 3, 2009 HIGH STREET, WOULDHAMPrice: £330,000Workers looking to escape the hubbub of the City for the pleasant and quiet Kentish countryside need look no further than this three-bedroom cottage in the heart of Wouldham, near Rochester – 50 minutes from Victoria by train. Originally the village forge, the house has exposed beams throughout and flagstone tiles in [...]
In an ecclesiastical home, heaven is a place on earth September 3, 2009 OKAY, so it might involve sleeping where an altar once was. Or perhaps a belltower, nave or vestry. It sounds ever so slightly scandalous, but ecclesiastic properties are recession-busting favourites, with architectural features that can’t be rivalled. In London, there’s a range of options – many of which are considered hip as well as high-end, [...]
Shared ownership getting young professional boost September 3, 2009 IT’S A COMMON refrain that for young professionals in London, getting a foot on the housing ladder can be nigh-on impossible. Increasingly, ambitious young workers are looking to shared ownership schemes. Originally set up by the government as a way to provide affordable homes in housing association developments to key workers like police and nurses, [...]