Hot skincare for summer April 4, 2011 CRANBERRY GOMMAGE, ARCONA Cranberry and raspberry enzymes unclog pores, while salicylic acid, volcanic minerals and sucrose clean your skin deep-down. £40, glowgetter.co.uk TURNAROUND, CLINIQUE The mask and concentrate offer something like microdermabrasion but without the discomfort. £30, clinique.co.uk COLLAGENERY, SENSAI Kanebo Sensai Collagenergy Wrinkle Repair (whew) helps boost collagen within the skin and energises skin [...]
Taxidermy and Victoriana at the hottest new hotel in town April 4, 2011 IN a candle-lit, antique-filled dining room, by a grand table decked out in gleaming china, fine glass, antique candelabras and an assembly of strange bronze figurines, stands a kangaroo. An old example of the taxidermist’s art, it stares out glassily at the ancient urns and other objets that cram the room. Round the corner, in [...]
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 [...]
Melbourne and the Yarra Valley: eat, drink, stay, fly April 3, 2011 WHERE TO STAY The Olsen, set in South Yarra, is one of the Art Series Hotel Group (artserieshotels.com.au) along with the Cullen and the Blackman – each of which are named after renowned Australian artists. The Olsen’s 229 five-star suites are adorned with the works of landscape artist Dr John Olsen, while the interior of [...]
TRAVEL NOTES April 3, 2011 BYBLOS’S NEW SEASON PACKAGE To celebrate opening for the 2011 season, Saint Tropez’s most iconic hotel, Byblos, is offering a seductive package to entice early season weekenders. Enticements are indeed numerous, with an Alain Ducasse restaurant, Byni’z for tapas and cocktails by the pool, a luxurious Sisley spa, recently refurbished rooms and suites and the [...]
A unique blend of Swiss refinement April 3, 2011 The well-heeled traveller automatically thinks of the imposing Dolder Grand when staying in Switzerland’s financial centre. He is wrong to do so. Filling nine lovingly restored, historic townhouses in the very heart of Zurich, the Widder Hotel is a deluxe little hotel in a quiet street just off Bahnhoffstrasse, the top class shopping street. The [...]
Desert dreaming: a second home in the sun March 31, 2011 BUSTLING markets, scorching heat, exotic dress and fantastic food. It is hard to believe that the almost otherworldliness of Marrakesh is just three and 35 minutes away from London. Charl Ackerman, a London-based property developer with Aylesford International, uses his home in Marrakesh like many do their country home: “I often fly out on weekends. [...]
SELLING March 31, 2011 Martin Bikhit MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PRIME CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY KAY & CO. Q. I have had three agents value my home. Two were around the same level but one was much higher. What shall I do? A. It is always very tempting to go for the highest valuation. However, it might not be the [...]
PROPERTY NEWS March 31, 2011 PYRENEES SECOND HOMES PRICES SET TO SOAR A new flight path from London City to Pau, France is getting property agents excited. Andrew Hawkins of Chesterton Humberts says: “This will make the already popular area more accessible, making it more attractive for buyers.” Prices there are currently lower than Provence and the Cote D’Azur, so [...]
CAMBRIDGE March 31, 2011 HIGH STREET, WEST WICKHAM Price: £460,000 This grade II listed thatched roof cottage is tucked away from main road and wrapped within beautiful gardens. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Downstairs there is a lobby, sitting room, dining room, farmhouse kitchen and bathroom. Contact: Tucker Gardner on 01223 708269 or go to www.tuckergardner.com [...]