Two spectacular Mexican resorts, two special locations June 5, 2011 ONE is The Tides, Riviera Maya, a five star resort on Mexico’s east coast in the upmarket district of Riviera Maya, south of Cancun and surrounded by lush, tropical rainforests. The other is Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Cabo San Lucas, an equally lavish resort on Mexico’s west coast, on the Pacific side of the desert [...]
The Wolfpack goes mad in Bangkok May 26, 2011 Film THE HANGOVER II Cert: 15 BRUISED, bloodied, blacked-out and stood high above a sweltering Bangkok, it’s the morning after the night before. Again. Following their 2009 antics in Vegas, the dysfunctional “Wolfpack” – Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis – is back. Three manboys, their sensible mate, and one wedding in Thailand. What [...]
Pole position maintained by Bank’s doves May 18, 2011 TWO THIRDS of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee continued to oppose any normalisation of interest rates this month. As the committee’s uber-hawk Andrew Sentance bowed out, after a term of over four and a half years, the meeting’s minutes revealed little appetite for a rise in the Bank rate. Sentance, who has called [...]
The glamorous way to drink May 11, 2011 IF you want the finest cocktails served by the most talented bar staff in the most spectacular setting – and let’s face it, who doesn’t – London’s swish hotels are right now the place to find them. Thanks to a slew of upgrades and openings, the ever-burgeoning popularity of sophisticated cocktails and the continuing cultural [...]
China may be larger than US by 2016 April 25, 2011 IF the International Monetary Fund is right, whoever is elected President of the United States next year will be the last American to preside over the world’s largest economy. By 2016, the IMF believes, China will have overtaken the US as the biggest economy – the first time it actually pins a year on this [...]
Live it up in Melbourne, Australia’s city of plenty April 3, 2011 EARLY morning Melbourne, the sun is rising, and we are drifting over this modern metropolis and its spectacular skyline of skyscrapers and spires in a hot air balloon. Rising high above the city, we gaze down on icons such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Formula One racetrack, Government House, Melbourne Park, and the [...]
Changing times: moving on from Mayfair March 17, 2011 PRICES of the Monopoly board favourite Mayfair, as well as other prime favourites, have rocketed to near 2007 levels (see graph below), leading to the emergence of alternative investment hotspots. Marylebone is being hailed as the new Mayfair, with residential favourites Pimlico, Hampstead and Fulham hot on its heels. Mayfair prices have been drastically pushed [...]
A truly relaaxing way to ski in snowy Switzerland March 6, 2011 WHEN you work in the City, free time is as rare as a penniless hedge fund manager, so you want to ensure that you choose the skiing trip that maximises your slope time and minimises your tedious travel time. Switzerland’s Laax resort, located 150km south of Zurich airport, promises to do exactly that – whisking [...]
Hollywood Hotspots: How to do LA like a star in 24 hours February 20, 2011 AS celebrities flock to Los Angeles for the Oscars, we found the hotspots that they’ll be eating, drinking, and (not) sleeping in before the big night. We first checked into the Hollywood Roosevelt, which oozes old school glamour. Live like Marilyn Monroe in suite 229 where she resided for two years, or head to the [...]
Ballmer questions Twitter valuation February 13, 2011 MICROSOFT chief executive Steve Ballmer has questioned the rumoured $10bn (£6.2bn) valuation of Twitter, and suggested that the price will be difficult for a potential buyer to sustain if the site were to go public. “Nobody has paid $10bn yet for Twitter,” he is reported as saying. “We have a great relationship with them, but [...]