Five tips to help you get your beach body July 30, 2012 If the fact you’re going to be baring all in a couple of weeks has completely slipped your mind, fret not. There’s still time to tackle your 2012 tum. 1) Splash out on a Swiss ball. Whether or not you’ll resemble an Olympian in fourteen days is debatable, but a Swiss ball is the perfect [...]
HOUSE PRICES ON THE SLIDE July 30, 2012 House prices across the country fell for the first time in seven months in July, with even resilient London and the south east of England seeing a slowdown in growth, claims research out today from Hometrack. Rising house prices in London and the south east have been offsetting the decline across the rest of the [...]
Lake Como’s new luxury retreat July 29, 2012 LAKE COMO is not the sort of place you’d imagine having any shortage of luxury. For all that, Casta Diva is supposedly the first luxury hotel to be built there in 100 years. Originally an 18th century villa belonging to the legendary soprano Guiditta Pasta, the hotel has been expanded beyond the singer’s (heavily and [...]
Summer in grand style at Stockholm’s stateliest hotel July 29, 2012 SWEDEN has a wintry reputation: reindeer and igloos; massive cable knit sweaters with dorky prints and, of course, a depressing lack of daylight. But winter’s flipside is, in my view, the more compelling reason to visit. A 2AM sunrise, green fields and summer houses and lakes, sailing, country pursuits of all types, rolling in the [...]
A truly unique home in idyllic surroundings July 26, 2012 This gorgeous Grade II-listed property with Capability Brown gardens is set in an idyllic country setting, with views towards the Exe Estuary and Lyme Bay. In addition to the main house, there is also a boat house, complete with a large open-plan kitchen, two bedrooms and reception room. The main house has four bedroom “suites”, [...]
A luxe Alpine hideaway for next season July 26, 2012 This 400 sq m chalet has all the trimmings and fixings you could require – and at a price you’d be unable to find at Courchevel or Switzerland. Special features include a spa with sauna and hot tub, as well as a massage table should you require some special attention after a hard day of [...]
LONDON BAROMETER July 26, 2012 DIRECTOR OF DOUGLAS & GORDON AS suspected, the extended Jubilee and Bank Holidays combined with the bad weather in June haven’t helped the London property market and although there are still interested buyers, they are not being rushed. Deals are taking longer but they are happening. Pricing correctly is paramount in getting viewings and if [...]
FOCUS ON: NOTTING HILL July 26, 2012 NEED TO KNOW | AREA INSIGHT TRAVEL AND EDUCATION Located in the heart of West London, Notting Hill is among the most desired areas to live in the world. It is served by a wealth of transport links, with the central line from Notting Hill Gate taking just 16 minutes to get into the City. [...]
Q and A July 26, 2012 DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS AND GORDON Q I’ve had my property on since March and, after the Budget, knocked £350,000 off the price to get under the £2m SDLT bracket. I’ve still not sold. What are my options, given I can’t afford to go lower? A No comfort here but many sellers are in the same situation. [...]
No idyll this: Cairo Year One July 26, 2012 All day every day for a year, Nermine Hammam roved around Tahrir Square and Zamalek in Cairo. Armed only with her Nikon camera, she was snapping the Egyptian revolution – the initial 18-day uprising and its grisly aftermath. With 70,000 pictures to choose from by the close of the year, Hammam had to perform an [...]