The Cornwall haven that’s just for grown-ups July 18, 2010 THE Scarlet. Where to begin? The 37-bedroom eco-hotel in Mawgan Porth, northern Cornwall, is a nexus of cutting-edge green technology and style; of character and sleekness. It’s cosy yet minimalist; an architectural statement yet completely at one with its environment. Of all the above, the latter is the most impressive. The boundary between inside and [...]
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 [...]
The rising stars of London’s wine scene July 14, 2010 REMEMBER the old days, when you’d sit down in a posh restaurant and a scary-looking French man with a handlebar moustache would sidle over to you with a book the size of the bible? Well, times have changed, and a gaggle of young studs and studettes have taken over London’s best wine lists. Well under [...]
High potential is still at the heart of Africa July 13, 2010 WITH so much uncertainty about the world economy, it is a good time to diversify your portfolio by investing in Africa-facing funds. The recent launch of two such funds adds to a widening range of options: Sanlam Investment Management has started up an ex-South Africa fund, while Silver Street Capital has just set up an [...]
CITY LOSES TO OCTOPUS IN FOOTY FORECASTS July 12, 2010 OH, HOW they chortled in the City yesterday at comparisons between the world’s most famous cephalopod and those investment banks who dared to put out predictions on the outcome of the World Cup. Paul the psychic octopus, they sniggered, had managed to get EVERY SINGLE ONE of his predictions correct, beating statistical odds of 1/256. [...]
Treats in store at Lisbon’s glam Ritz July 11, 2010 IF you are going to visit Lisbon, you should stay at the Ritz Four Seasons, an enchanting, marble-clad property from one of the world’s best hotel operators. Its location and positioning is ideal; the hotel offers vistas of Eduardo VII Park, St. George’s Moorish castle, the Old Town and the Tagus River from atop one [...]
Spreading success, little by little July 11, 2010 WILSON Moleni is on his first trip to the UK. And what a first visit it is: he is dining with royalty, meeting dignitaries and briefing journalists. Not bad for a man who grew up among Malawi’s poorest, and who (most of the time) had just enough food to continue to go to school. Moleni, [...]
Bringing panache to lunchtime July 8, 2010 THE eureka moment for a new business idea can strike at any time. For Mark Lilley it was while he was eating fresh sushi with his wife in downtown Sydney in the middle of a round-the-world trip in 2002. The result was a ticket home and opening Abokado, a cross between a sushi bar and [...]
Six ways to spice up your kitchen July 7, 2010 LIKE your fellow time-pressed City denizens, you know you should be eating healthy home-made bread and organic frozen yoghurt instead of endless ready meals, but during that rare evening off who really has time to drop everything for hours of authentic home-cooking? Luckily, thanks to the wonders of human progress and the innovative genius of [...]
Tequila’s birthplace gives the drink a whole new spin… July 4, 2010 I’M drinking Tequila for the first time in years, as fingers of blazing Mexican sun poke down between the swaying branches of a shady tree. I can’t quite believe that I’m sipping firewater on the lawn outside a picture postcard 150 year-old hacienda – a Mexican manor house – as I eat a splendid lunch [...]