Take a walk on the wild side of the Maldives January 15, 2012 The Maldives: a honeymoon paradise where people take sunset strolls and spell out proposals of marriage in shells on powdery white beaches; where time slows down and life swims at the pace of the giant green turtles trawling the reefs. But there is another side to paradise – a side where the world’s top surfers [...]
TRAVEL NOTES January 15, 2012 Sundance Film Festival gears up The Sundance Film Festival starts on Thursday lin Park City, Utah. Sundance Film Festival started out in 1978 as an event designed to attract more filmmakers to Utah while staying away from the overpowering Hollywood scene. www.sundance.org/festival TAM invites passengers to get tipsy Brazil’s biggest carrier TAM Airlines is offering [...]
The Gresham, an art deco palace on the Danube, is Budapest’s finest hotel January 15, 2012 Budapest is sometimes compared to Paris. While very pleasant indeed – especially if you go in the summer and lounge by the vast 19th century public baths in the scorching sun – the city doesn’t really compete with Paris in terms of beauty, architecture or cultural riches. With its history of hardship and decimation, how [...]
Barratt sees first half profits rising January 12, 2012 HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Developments yesterday reported a surge in first-half operating profit and a rise in sales. A focus on margins is helping UK housebuilders recover their footing after several difficult years, supported by new and cheaper land and a shift from apartments towards houses, which is lifting average selling prices. Barratt, one of the larger [...]
Multi-million pound properties on the up as London prices soar January 12, 2012 PROPERTY prices in the capital are booming, and show no sign of slowing as a side effect of economic gloom, two separate studies released this morning have shown. According to LSL Property Services, London house prices are 3.1 per cent higher than last year, bucking the overall downward trend that saw property prices slump 0.5 [...]
FOCUS ON: CHORLEYWOOD, HERTS January 12, 2012 THE COURT HOUSE, CHENIES Price: £2.15m Constructed in 1897, the house retains many of the original period features, including attractive fireplaces, parquet flooring to the principal rooms and sash windows to the drawing room and dining room. Contact Knight Frank on 01494 675368 WOODSIDE HOUSE Price: £1.35m Dating back to the mid 1800s, this house [...]
SELL January 12, 2012 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF KAY & CO, CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY Q. Should I buy a one bedroom flat in a better location, or go for a larger flat in a less sought after location? Is square footage or location king for investment? A. Statistically, in the long run, properties in more sought after locations will [...]
PROPERTY NEWS January 12, 2012 NEW KINLEIGH FOLKARD & HAYWARD OFFICE Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward has opened a new branch in Borough. Borough as an area has been identified within Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward’s strategic five year branch expansion plan. With over 50 branches across London, 11 of which are located in the South East region, the new branch will [...]
NEED TO KNOW | AREA INSIGHT January 12, 2012 COMMUTING: Chorleywood station is in Zone 7 on the Metropolitan line, situated between Chalfont and Latimer and Rickmansworth. The majority of trains passing through Chorleywood are operated by London Underground, but the station is also a stop for Chiltern Railways, running between Marylebone and Aylesbury stations. EDUCATION: There are a great selection of local schools, [...]
THE LONDON BAROMETER January 12, 2012 Despite the economic and political turmoil December was a surprisingly busy month for sales at D&G and remarkably one of the best of the year. Looking back at 2011, pundits predicted modest falls worrying about the wider economy. The first half included The Royal Wedding and started slowly, but overall the year surprised everyone with [...]