House sellers knock £20,000 off prices to drum up interest February 7, 2012 OVER a third of properties for sale in the UK have been reduced in price at least once since coming onto the market, research from Zoopla showed yesterday, as owners struggle to sell. The average discount now stands at £19,580, or 7.5 per cent of the asking price, and more than £1,000 higher than the [...]
A feast fit for a king to raise money for our real heroes February 7, 2012 The City’s hottest dinner ticket – the Square Mile Salute – is almost upon us again: and this year the organisers are hoping even to surpass last year’s fantastic evening. The charity event will see a bakers’ dozen of the country’s finest chefs prepare amazing canapés and caviar and an unbeatable six course feast accompanied [...]
PICK OF THE AUCTION LOTS February 7, 2012 Skiing with Franz Klammer Four days skiing next winter in the premier skiing locations in Italian, German and Austrian Alps, hosted and personally guided by Olympic Champion Franz Klammer. Five Nights on Albany in the Bahamas Trip of a lifetime. The resort that is the vision of Tavistock Group and golfing legends Tiger Woods and [...]
Give your face a winter’s break with a super-facial February 6, 2012 BATTLING the cold requires all sorts of snuggly warm vestments. The only bit of skin left literally in the cold is your face. The effect is dryness, redness and lost luminosity. Panic not, though, if a week at a Maldives spa is not on the cards this Februrary. There are two new facials in London [...]
FIT IN THE CITY February 6, 2012 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT SO apparently two-thirds of us have now ditched our new health regimes. One of the main reasons? Bordeom. Here’s my pick of the bunch for how best to mix it up for the rest of the year. For the daredevil: If the novelty’s worn off your bog standard 10K race, think [...]
Sweeten your Valentine’s Day with our gift guide February 6, 2012 Valentine’s day can be a minefield for the unprepared. Come home on the day with a bunch of supermarket flowers and a box of Quality Street and you may as well bed in at the office and prepare for that big meeting the next day. The discerning partner expects far more. Thankfully, we have done [...]
Valentine’s Day Special | To Wear February 6, 2012 LYS MEDITERRANEE BY EDOUARD FLECHER £90, lessenteurs.com Heavenly scent of lilies presents an intensely romantic bouquet. Orange flower, water-lily and musk make this a sensual icon. RED ROSES BY JO MALONE £72, jomalone.co.uk It doesn’t get more romantic than this: a blast of naked rose from every woman’s favourite luxury fragrance brand. To go all [...]
Valentine’s Day | Going Out February 6, 2012 Chocolates and champagne are one thing but memories will last longer. We pick out some places at home and a bit further away where you can while away a romantic evening to remember AWANA, 85 SLOANE AVENUE Malaysian fine-dining restaurant Awana is offering a three course set menu taking diners on a journey through culinary [...]
House prices in slim rise February 6, 2012 House prices rose by 0.6 per cent in January figures from mortgage lender Halifax showed helping to recover some lost ground. House prices fell by 1.8 per cent in the three months to January compared with a year ago, taking the average price of a home to 160,907 pounds. “The continuing very low level of [...]
Hopeful house buyers put off by low supply February 5, 2012 A SHORTAGE of suitable housing is preventing potential first-time buyers from stepping onto the property ladder, according to data released this morning. Asked to name their biggest concern about buying a home, the second most common response among potential buyers was the difficulty of finding a property. “In the final quarter of 2011, the numbers [...]