A Moroccan palace fit for a king – and actually built by one April 10, 2011 AS we loped across the tarmac, stooping from the weight of hand-luggage only (one in the eye for EasyJet), we shifted our misshapen bags on our shoulders in preparation for the passport queue. We needn’t have bothered. Waiting for us on the tarmac were two emissaries of the Royal Mansour, our home for the weekend. [...]
Getting Olympic rental prices for your home April 7, 2011 JUST 476 days until the Olympics, reads the countdown clock in Trafalgar Square. It heralds the flood of millions of people into the city to watch the games. Preparations are already underway: the Tube is being renovating stadiums are being built and hotels are hiking their prices. If you’re looking at all this and wondering [...]
BLACKHEATH, LONDON April 7, 2011 ST JOHNS PARK Price: £3,500,000 This restored Victorian double fronted house is close to Blackheath village and the Heath. It has seven bedrooms, a 20m heated swimming pool under the garden with a viewing gallery and a large back garden and terrace. The driveway is paved with york stone and there is a separate annex [...]
PROPERTY NEWS April 7, 2011 NEW DEVELOPMENT BOASTS ARTY STAIRCASE Artesian, the property development company, are launching a new development called Crabtree place just off Charlotte Street, close to Goodge Street. The development includes seven townhouses and a penthouse apartment. Once a disused power station on Whitfield Street, the development has a number of prominent architectural features. The new townhouses, [...]
BUYING April 7, 2011 MANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK, BUYING AGENT Q. The Budget suggested that it is going to become easier to get planning consent. What will be the impact on house prices? A. The Budget announced measures to streamline planning applications, including a 12-month guarantee for processing all applications and appeals, a fast track for major infrastructure [...]
Italy’s green heart lures clever buyers April 7, 2011 LIKE Nice, Cannes or St Tropez, it’s hard to find a slice of Tuscany that’s escaped the money and appetites of the international set. So for those craving a home in a still-authentic slice of Italy, with budgets below those of the global elite, Umbria is the smart choice. Paul Belcher, director of Ultissimo, a [...]
Feathery fun for the family April 7, 2011 FILM REVIEWS RIO Cert: U BEARING in mind the panoply of animals to have starred in digitally animated films, from kung fu pandas to mobster sharks, it’s surprising it’s taken until now to have a movie all about a parrot. The one we now have is no classic of the genre, but that won’t bother [...]
The smarter way to travel April 7, 2011 ANYONE who thinks a small trolley case is suitable hand luggage for a weekend away or a business trip is suffering a failure of imagination. The only thing in an airport less stylish than a Ryanair boarding queue is a businessman wheeling around a tiny overnight case – at least pick it up, you weed. [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND: April 7, 2011 FILM. MARS NEEDS MOMS Disney animation in which world’s mothers have been abducted by Martians. Bit of a disappointment. THE ROOMMATE Really rather rotten psycho-slasher flick about two college flatmates, one of whom is a loopy obsessive who shouldn’t be left alone with a pair of scissors. DVD THE KILLING For those who missed it [...]
Gadgets for globetrotters April 6, 2011 APPLE IPAD 2 Thinner, lighter, faster and cooler still than its predecessor (and this time with a camera too), the new generation iPad is already inspiring tech-envy in airport executive lounges everywhere. Keep that seat-back telly switched off on a long-haul flight, and sit back with this instead. From £399. www.apple.com/uk NOKIA BOOKLET 3G Light [...]
