The City Magazine August 2011

the city magazine A U G U S T 2011

the city m a g a z i n e

business • current affairs • fashion • health & fitness • finance • food & drink • motoring • uk & international property

the sporting

T R AV E L L E R

trips worth booking now

IRRESISTIBLE INDULGENCE Thailand’s Soneva Kiri: heaven on earth

The Great Escape n

46

Travel far and wide to the best places in the world for luxury, adventure, sport and art

finance fashion motoring interiors property AUGUST 2011 i ssu e 4 6

Welcome Welcome toto a new a new chapter chapter inin Bentley Bentley history. history.

The The new new Continental Continental GT GT – a– remarkable a remarkable fusion fusion ofofbreathtaking breathtakingperformance, performance,sensuous sensuousluxury luxury and and modern modern technology. technology.

This This stunningly stunningly sculpted sculpted coupe’s coupe’s sharp sharp features features areare indicative indicative ofof Bentley’s Bentley’s DNA. DNA. It It harnesses harnesses anan incredibly incredibly powerful powerful 567bhp 567bhp(575PS, (575PS,423kW) 423kW)FlexFuel FlexFuelW12 W12engine enginesporting sportinginnovative innovative

capa capa bilities bilities forfor everyday everyday driving. driving.

This This is is matched matched with with anan exquisitely exquisitely handcrafted, handcrafted,contemporary contemporaryinterior interiortotoensure ensureyou youarearetransported transportedbyby all-wheel all-wheel drive drive across across countries countries and and continents continents inin superior superior comfort comfort and and elegance. elegance.Supreme Suprememotoring motoringthat thatis isunmistakably unmistakablyBentley.

Bentley.Welcome Welcome toto the the new new Continental Continental GT GT

† † oror visit visit www.bentleymotors.com www.bentleymotors.com For For more more information information call call 01270 01270 535032 535032

TheThe name name ‘Bentley’ ‘Bentley’ andand thethe ‘B’ in ‘B’wings in wings device device areare registered registered trademarks. trademarks. © 2011 © 2011 Bentley Bentley Motors Motors Limited.

Limited.

Model Model shown: shown: Bentley Bentley Continental Continental GT,GT, mrrp mrrp £135,760. £135,760.

Price Price correct correct at time at time of going of going to press to press andand includes includes VAT VAT at 20%. at 20%.

Price Price excludes excludes road road fund fund licence, licence, registration registration andand delivery delivery charges. charges. †Calls †Calls willwill be be recorded recorded for for training training purposes. purposes.

Fuel Fuel economy economy figures figures forfor the the Continental Continental GT GT inin mpg mpg (l/100km): (l/100km): Urban Urban 11.1 11.1 (25.4); (25.4); Extra Extra Urban Urban 24.9 24.9 (11.4); (11.4); Combined Combined 17.1 17.1 (16.5).

(16.5).

CO CO Emissions Emissions (g/km): (g/km): 384.

384.

2 2

contents

interview

feature

feature 10 Life’s Little Luxuries Annabel Harrison speaks to Paul Kerr, CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM, about the brand’s 20th anniversary

12 Master of the Waves Naval architect Ed Dubois discusses the rise of the super yacht

LIFE’S LITTLE

luxuries

Annabel Harrison speaks to Paul Kerr, CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM, about the brand’s 20th anniversary; why, for him, travel is all about the luxury of choice; and why London is the best city in the world

T

he Goring Hotel, London? A Small Luxury Hotel. Coco Palm, the Maldives? An SLH. Le Grand Hotel, Cannes? Another SLH. You might not know it but, scattered far and wide over the globe in capital cities and urban hotspots, idyllic islands and remote retreats, there are more than 520 boutique hotels deemed of a high enough calibre to be branded with the distinctive gold letters. Each offering is different – opt for private sanctuary, total relaxation, challenging adventure, culture immersion or gourmet discovery – but there are two factors that remain constant, whether you’re in India or Italy, China or Croatia, Bali or Barbados. Every single SLH hotel is guaranteed to be (a) small and (b) luxurious and therefore, as CEO Paul Kerr rightly points out, the company offers “exactly what it says on the tin”. In fact, taking into account his conviction that luxury is choice, the phrase ‘spoilt for choice’ never rang truer. How could you possibly choose?

An insight into this difficulty is apparent when I arrive early at the SLH offices in London. The walls are adorned with sequences of tantalising images: postcard-perfect white sandy beaches; craggy, snow-capped mountain ranges mirrored in inky lakes; camels’ shadows silhouetted against sand dunes at sunset. I tell Paul that these dream holiday shots are part of the best ‘Don’t you wish you were here?’ travel collection I have seen. He smiles and agrees modestly.

“We’re a very photogenic company”.

The fact that SLH has a wealth of stunning locations to shoot is in no small part aided by a strict selection process, as aesthetically minded as a series of Next Top Model and as business-minded as Dragon’s Den. Applications numbering 1,200 a year are whittled down to just 50 or 60 suitably small and luxurious establishments, and Paul confirms that “only those truly worthy of joining are accepted”. Europe, the “Disney of the world”, is a particularly strong continent (boasting almost 60 per cent of the portfolio) for SLH, followed by footholds in Asia and North America. Top new SLH locations are tipped to be South America, China and India; “we have applications flooding in from those areas”.

On Paul’s personal wish list, though, is the Amazon: “I believe part of luxury is juxtaposition and a hotel contrasted with the jungle would show this. That’s why ski lodges and safari lodges do so well, contrasting harsh and hostile environments with safe and luxurious interiors of hotels”.

I find out that Paul has visited approximately 264 of the company’s hotels. Research, of course, but it is this kind of on-the-ground, globe-trotting research, and persistent, far-flung attention to detail, that has propelled SLH to where it is today, setting the precedent for luxury hotels with its definitive ‘small is beautiful’ ethos. The industry has started to shun ‘bigger is better’ in favour of ‘less is more’ and so now SLH’s competitors are not just leading hotels but also chains trying to get into the boutique space, because “that is

naturally where the high-end customers want to go”. Despite this shift, SLH is still differentiated from others in the market because it has stuck to its buzz words of ‘luxury’ and ‘small’; Paul points out that the average number of rooms per hotel has only varied between 49 and 52 rooms in 20 years.

With decades of experience in this industry under his belt, Paul has worked through its biggest changes and the boutique trend was driven largely by the desires of the customer. Out: complicated, opulent luxury – thick carpets, intricate decoration, and gourmet food (“although this is great if that’s what you want”). In: a massive trend for spas and, increasingly, “more understated luxury”. This is where SLH comes in; by metamorphosing slowly, it has been able to adapt to various trends, taking its customers with it.

Paul, an avid sailor and habitual traveller, chooses an apt simile to describe both the trends SLH has weathered in its two decades and his own role; the ever-shifting, constantly adapting force of nature that is the sea with Paul as the surfer. The most significant waves are technology-related: first the GDS wave (Global Distribution System), heralding the boom of electronic reservations; then the “brilliant” Internet wave, “ridden very successfully” and allowing customers to explore the vast portfolio online (now securing SLH’s website 2.5 million hits a month); and the “next wave that we think is coming is social media”. SLH is ready and waiting – just tweet @SLHLuxuryHotels.

Can Paul choose a favourite hotel? As I expect, the answer is a vehement “No, I couldn’t possibly!” As we swerve through a round up of his favourite hotels and experiences, many of these revolve around sailing, in and around Thailand and Portugal, although India is praised as

“a superb destination” (“I picked the coffee beans fresh from the plant itself, and then saw the beans go to be dried and processed”) and Italy, as “an amazing, beautiful country with so many places to go and things to see”.

However, there’s no place quite like home, and “completely biased” Englishman Paul waxes as lyrically about London as places abroad: “the city is absolutely superb and utterly cosmopolitan, with various ethnicities living alongside each other. There are fantastic restaurants and amazing buildings, such as the Houses of Parliament and, despite what people think, it doesn’t rain too much – it has less rainfall than Sydney”.

Finally Paul considers the percentage of repeat customers.“That is an interesting question because it varies from hotel to hotel... Overall, it’s around 8–12 per cent”. I’m sure this is set to rise. Once you’ve experienced the understated luxury of a perfectly sized hotel, you’ll be planning your next trip before you’ve even returned home. n

Main image: Therasia Resort Sea & Spa Volcano Porto, Italy Above: Petasos Beach Resort & Spa Mykonos, Greece Images courtesy of Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM

www.slh.com

13

interview

collection

collection

20 Turning Back Time Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, discusses the history of the iconic Reverso and its 80th birthday celebrations

Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, tells Annabel Harrison about the 80th anniversary of the iconic Reverso, the company’s plans for its celebrations and JaegerLeCoultre’s outstanding track record in watchmaking calibres and patents

A

comment 42 Fitness First, Property Second

Richard Brown meets Fitness First founder Mike Balfour to talk business, investment and plan B

turning back

tiME

calibre

Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 OR

lthough Jaeger-LeCoultre is just two years away from reaching an impressive 180 years in the watchmaking business, 2011 is all about celebrating the 80th anniversary of its most iconic watch – the Reverso. Despite its Swiss manufacture, British colonial army officers have an integral part to play in the history of this watch; it was created in 1931 as a response to officers based in India who faced a unique problem, wanting a watch which they could wear to play polo but which would be elegant both on and off the pitch. Because of this dual requirement, the watch had to bridge the worlds of fashion and sport, hence the innovative reversible face which to this day is synonymous with the Reverso. The other key selling point is, however, not immediately obvious: the steel or gold back that appears upon reversing the watch face provides a “blank canvas for personalization”, as CEO Jérôme Lambert explains, offering the owner “a window to engrave, enamel or gem-set with personal memories or a story.”

This aspect of the Reverso plays no small part in the anniversary – the idea of creating a window into someone’s life, on freeze-frame. On 28 June this year, Jerome welcomed 800 guests to a glamorous event at L’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris where the theme was “Capturing your magic moment”. This provided guests, such as actors Catherine Deneuve, Diane Kruger and Clive Owen, the opportunity to tell their own story with Reverso. Owen, with a longstanding passion for watchmaking, deemed the Reverso’s mechanisms and the history behind it “fascinating.

It’s hard to believe that the Reverso is 80 years old. In its time, it was a real innovation and it remains an iconic watch.”

Over the decades, thousands of Reversos have been hand engraved according to the very disparate wishes of their owners, from the simplest to the most sophisticated; many choose initials or crests, some opt for a number, picture or portrait and on occasion even the charmingly discreet ‘Will you marry me?’ has been concealed beneath the watch face. Those who favour more striking options, such as gems or enamel miniature painting, fuel the Jaeger-LeCoultre engravers’ innate love of detail; the preference for hand tools over machines adds a charmingly human element to the watches’ personal touches.

Clare Milford Haven, polo player and journalist, favours the Reverso Squadra Lady: “For me, the Reverso is the perfect watch – classic yet innovative, sporty yet feminine – a timeless piece with connections to polo that go way back.

I cannot imagine ever wearing another watch that contains all the features that are such a part of my everyday life.”

Hundreds of others feel the same, demonstrated by the Reverso Virtual Exhibition, which launched the celebrations at the start of this year. Marrying the tradition of the watch’s past with the pioneering, unique stamp of each, owners are invited to upload images of their Reverso and the story behind it, as guests also did at the Paris event.

The Master Historian has, to date, verified 314 of the Reverso watches, testimony to the emotional connection owners have with the message conveyed by their Reverso.

Is there a typical Reverso owner? One imagines that initially polo players led the charge of requests for these pioneering watches but that the appeal has broadened significantly in eight decades. Jérôme highlights why, deeming the Reverso as “a signature of refined elegance, for someone who appreciates the complexity of style”. However, as befits its name, the swivel case also “plays to the humour of its owner; you can choose to show or hide an intimate secret.” The Reverso’s ties with polo still live on though, testimony to its practicality for the sport; to 21st century polo player Eduardo Novillo Astrada, as to his 20th century counterparts, the Reverso is, quite simply, “the watch that means polo… I also share values with Jaeger-LeCoultre: teamwork, passion, elegance and, for me the most important, a family atmosphere.”

This atmosphere, as observed here by an outsider, is also valued within the company, right from the top. Jérôme cites teamwork as what he has enjoyed most about his tenure as CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre: “At the Manufacture, we have people of 40 professions working together – it’s a set of all possible personalities, which makes managing the teams an enriching experience and offers intense moments of mutual exchange.” The talents and skills required to make a watch from start to finish at Jaeger-LeCoultre – more than 1,000 people, 40 professions and 20 technologies – is astounding.

23

Jewelled ‘Capri’ cut-out swimsuit, £1,200, Melissa Odabash 48b Ledbury Road W11 and 93 Walton Street SW3 020 7589 2245, www.melissaodabash.com Platinum ‘Tatjana’ stilettos, £690, Lara Bohinc, www.larabohinc.com

54 The Sporting Traveller Lee Brooks picks out the best five countries to visit to blend a love for sport with a relaxing break

LA WomAn

concierge

For your summer holiday, invest in classic black swimwear for a streamlined look or opt for colourful, printed, asymmetric or jewelled if you want to stand out Photography: Neil Marriott Fashion Editor: Lucie Dodds

72 LA Woman Invest in classic black swimwear for a streamlined look or opt for asymmetric or jewelled if you want to stand out

connoisseur 88 Irresistible Indulgence Timothy Barber visits Soneva Kiri, the uber-

regulars

luxurious resort on the idyllic Thai island of Koh Kood

8 editor’s letter

83 health & fitness

17 watches & jewellery

87 travel

53 sport

103 food & drink

71 fashion

109 out & about

79 interiors

111 property

98 Last-Minute Summer Luxury Kate Harrison visits the hills behind the Côte d’Azur and invites her family along too

contributors...

RUNWILD M

E

D

I

A

G

R

O

U

P

Editor-in-Chief Lesley Ellwood

Editorial Director Kate Harrison

Editor

Annabel Harrison

Fashion Editor Lucie Dodds

1. Chelsey Baker is a business advisor and life

coach, she has been featured extensively in the national media as a leading entrepreneur and runs her own consultancy firm Success Media. Chelsey is a freelance journalist and motivational speaker.

2. David Kuo is one of the UK’s leading

commentators on money matters. He is a director at The Motley Fool as well as providing daily insight and financial news for BBC London’s Breakfast Show.

3. Matthew Carter is a London-based freelance

journalist who’s been writing about cars for most of his working life. A former editor of Autocar magazine, he is a serial car owner.

4. Martin Bamford is one of the youngest and most successful financial planners in the UK. He runs his own firm of financial advisers – Informed Choice – and regularly contributes to various financial publications.

5. Carol Cordrey is an art critic and editor

with popular columns in many magazines. Each year she organises sponsored art competitions offering attractive prize money and judged by distiguished artists.

Motoring Editor Matthew Carter

Assistant Editors Richard Brown Gabrielle Lane

Head of Design Hiren Chandarana

Senior Designer Dalton Butler

Designer

Ashley Lewis

Production Manager Fiona Fenwick

Production Daniel Harris

Senior Project Manager Ella Kilgarriff

Head of Finance Elton Hopkins

Managing Director Eren Ellwood

6. Clare Murray is founder and managing partner of specialist law firm, CM Murray LLP. Clare and her colleagues advise a wide range of companies, professional firms and senior individuals on employment, partnership and business immigration law issues.

Beneteau Sense 50' Gilles Martin-Raget, September 2010 See p. 12

16 Heron Quay, Canary Wharf London E14 4JB T: 020 7987 4320 F: 020 7005 0045 www.runwildmedia.com

Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

Subscriptions: A free online subscription service is available for The City. Visit the subscriptions page on our website. www.subscribe.runwildmedia.com

Runwild Media Group Publishers of: Canary Wharf, The City, Vantage & London Homes & Property

from the editor...

20

August

years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour... Explore. Dream.

Discover.” Before The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were published, Mark Twain was writing travel literature. He had a passion for adventure and exploration beyond his small corner of the world, well before the era of air travel made globe-trotting so much easier.

His sentiment is still echoed on every continent, hundreds of years later, by millions sharing the same desire to see more of the world; from Barbados to Barcelona, New York to New Zealand, Africa to Amsterdam, there are more places worth visiting on Earth than a single person could fit into a lifetime (unless perhaps you’re Sir David Attenborough). As I write, the skies are grey and there’s a chill in the air so lose yourself in our Travel Issue: dream of sunshine, blue seas and white sand or choose where else you’d like to visit to experience picture-perfect postcard moments of your own.

When it comes to where to stay, for Paul Kerr, CEO of the uber-photogenic Small Luxury Hotels of the World, luxury is choice (p. 10) and with this in mind, his portfolio of small and luxurious hotels tick all the boxes. Paul offers special praise for Thailand, India, Italy and Portugal but, having visited half of the 520 plus hotels in amazing places all over the globe, London is still “the best city in the world”.

If you’re more interested in luxury on the water, Richard Brown speaks to Ed Dubois, head naval architect of Dubois Yachts (p. 12) about the rise of the super yacht and we look at Beneteau’s beautiful new Sense 50' sailing boat (p. 51).

To experience the very definition of heaven on earth, escape to Soneva Kiri in Thailand (p. 88) – think slides from your bedroom to a private pool, treetop dining for two, movies under the stars and a temple just for chocolate. Closer to home, Longueville Manor in Jersey (p. 100) is ideal for wining, dining, peace and quiet.

While these options do lend themselves to the ultimate holiday dream (utter relaxation and irresistible indulgence) we have plenty of ideas for those wanting adventure, action and culture. Lee Brooks sets out the top five sporting events worth travelling to and why (p. 54), including the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and Le Mans 24 Hours in France, and Carol Cordrey gives us her pick of global art exhibitions from Palma to Paris (p. 106). If jet-setting preys on your conscience, Alex Harrison explores the lean, green and obscene sides of air travel (p. 29) so you can consider extrafrills, no-frills or eco-friendly ways to travel.

I wish you a very happy holiday, wherever and whenever you go. Remember to explore, dream and discover.

Annabel Harrison Editor

THE FUSION COLLECTION 15 NEW BOND STREET, HARRODS AND SELFRIDGES & CO WWW.GEORGJENSEN.COM. ADDITIONAL STOCKISTS: 0207 499 6541

LIFE’S LITTLE

luxuries

Annabel Harrison speaks to Paul Kerr, CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM, about the brand’s 20th anniversary; why, for him, travel is all about the luxury of choice; and why London is the best city in the world

T

he Goring Hotel, London? A Small Luxury Hotel. Coco Palm, the Maldives? An SLH. Le Grand Hotel, Cannes? Another SLH. You might not know it but, scattered far and wide over the globe in capital cities and urban hotspots, idyllic islands and remote retreats, there are more than 520 boutique hotels deemed of a high enough calibre to be branded with the distinctive gold letters. Each offering is different – opt for private sanctuary, total relaxation, challenging adventure, culture immersion or gourmet discovery – but there are two factors that remain constant, whether you’re in India or Italy, China or Croatia, Bali or Barbados. Every single SLH hotel is guaranteed to be (a) small and (b) luxurious and therefore, as CEO Paul Kerr rightly points out, the company offers “exactly what it says on the tin”. In fact, taking into account his conviction that luxury is choice, the phrase ‘spoilt for choice’ never rang truer. How could you possibly choose?

An insight into this difficulty is apparent when I arrive early at the SLH offices in London. The walls are adorned with sequences of tantalising images: postcard-perfect white sandy beaches; craggy, snow-capped mountain ranges mirrored in inky lakes; camels’ shadows silhouetted against sand dunes at sunset. I tell Paul that these dream holiday shots are part of the best ‘Don’t you wish you were here?’ travel collection I have seen. He smiles and agrees modestly.

“We’re a very photogenic company”.

The fact that SLH has a wealth of stunning locations to shoot is in no small part aided by a strict selection process, as aesthetically minded as a series of Next Top Model and as business-minded as Dragon’s Den. Applications numbering 1,200 a year are whittled down to just 50 or 60 suitably small and luxurious establishments, and Paul confirms that “only those truly worthy of joining are accepted”. Europe, the “Disney of the world”, is a particularly strong continent (boasting almost 60 per cent of the portfolio) for SLH, followed by footholds in Asia and North America. Top new SLH locations are tipped to be South America, China and India; “we have applications flooding in from those areas”.

On Paul’s personal wish list, though, is the Amazon: “I believe part of luxury is juxtaposition and a hotel contrasted with the jungle would show this. That’s why ski lodges and safari lodges do so well, contrasting harsh and hostile environments with safe and luxurious interiors of hotels”.

I find out that Paul has visited approximately 264 of the company’s hotels. Research, of course, but it is this kind of on-the-ground, globe-trotting research, and persistent, far-flung attention to detail, that has propelled SLH to where it is today, setting the precedent for luxury hotels with its definitive ‘small is beautiful’ ethos. The industry has started to shun ‘bigger is better’ in favour of ‘less is more’ and so now SLH’s competitors are not just leading hotels but also chains trying to get into the boutique space, because “that is

interview

naturally where the high-end customers want to go”. Despite this shift, SLH is still differentiated from others in the market because it has stuck to its buzz words of ‘luxury’ and ‘small’; Paul points out that the average number of rooms per hotel has only varied between 49 and 52 rooms in 20 years.

With decades of experience in this industry under his belt, Paul has worked through its biggest changes and the boutique trend was driven largely by the desires of the customer. Out: complicated, opulent luxury – thick carpets, intricate decoration, and gourmet food (“although this is great if that’s what you want”). In: a massive trend for spas and, increasingly, “more understated luxury”. This is where SLH comes in; by metamorphosing slowly, it has been able to adapt to various trends, taking its customers with it.

Paul, an avid sailor and habitual traveller, chooses an apt simile to describe both the trends SLH has weathered in its two decades and his own role; the ever-shifting, constantly adapting force of nature that is the sea with Paul as the surfer. The most significant waves are technology-related: first the GDS wave (Global Distribution System), heralding the boom of electronic reservations; then the “brilliant” Internet wave, “ridden very successfully” and allowing customers to explore the vast portfolio online (now securing SLH’s website 2.5 million hits a month); and the “next wave that we think is coming is social media”. SLH is ready and waiting – just tweet @SLHLuxuryHotels.

Can Paul choose a favourite hotel? As I expect, the answer is a vehement “No, I couldn’t possibly!” As we swerve through a round up of his favourite hotels and experiences, many of these revolve around sailing, in and around Thailand and Portugal, although India is praised as

“a superb destination” (“I picked the coffee beans fresh from the plant itself, and then saw the beans go to be dried and processed”) and Italy, as “an amazing, beautiful country with so many places to go and things to see”.

However, there’s no place quite like home, and “completely biased” Englishman Paul waxes as lyrically about London as places abroad: “the city is absolutely superb and utterly cosmopolitan, with various ethnicities living alongside each other. There are fantastic restaurants and amazing buildings, such as the Houses of Parliament and, despite what people think, it doesn’t rain too much – it has less rainfall than Sydney”.

Finally Paul considers the percentage of repeat customers.“That is an interesting question because it varies from hotel to hotel... Overall, it’s around 8–12 per cent”. I’m sure this is set to rise. Once you’ve experienced the understated luxury of a perfectly sized hotel, you’ll be planning your next trip before you’ve even returned home. n

feature

Main image: Therasia Resort Sea & Spa Volcano Porto, Italy Above: Petasos Beach Resort & Spa Mykonos, Greece Images courtesy of Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM

www.slh.com

11

feature interview

Waves

WavesWaves

Master of the

Having spent almost 40 years designing boats that have won races across the world, Ed Dubois is now the go-to guy for any millionaire looking to commission something seafaring and special.

Richard Brown talks to the naval architect about the rise of the super yacht and how his career led him to where he is today

F

ind yourself the fortunate proprietor of a disposable £10,000 and perhaps you’ll consider a new wristwatch. Blessed with a spare £100,000 and maybe you’ll deliberate over a new soft-top. To count a super yacht among your luxury possessions, though, you’ll need considerably more cash than that burning a hole in your back pocket. Of all the material pleasures enjoyed by the world’s wealthiest, nothing says “I’ve made it” quite like a super yacht. And yet, if you were to have navigated the Mediterranean 25 years ago, you would have been hard pushed to find many examples of these types of ‘super’ boat.

The rise of these status symbols is something legendary yacht designer Ed Dubois – head architect at the renowned design house, Dubois Naval Architects – describes as a revolution. “The advent of the super yacht – a phrase generally used to describe boats over 100 feet – arrived in the late 80s,” says the man whose first sailing experience was aboard a rented boat on a pond in Regent’s Park.

“Until then there weren’t many sailing boats, or even motor boats for that matter, over 100 feet long. A few very large yachts were built in the 1930s, but these were the preserve of only a handful of very wealthy industrialists.”

What, then, precipitated the phenomenon that has been the emergence of the super yacht? Ed highlights two things.

“First is the telecommunications revolution that started in the 80s. Advances in technology meant that you could

12

be on a boat anywhere on the globe and still be in contact with your business, your family and the rest of the world.

People could be out at sea and no longer have to worry about losing pace with business and the news. Secondly, the increase in wealth created through the late 80s and early 90s during the economic boom meant that a far larger group of people could afford high-value luxury items.”

He may now find himself at the helm of a company acknowledged as one of the world’s best yacht designers, but Dubois’ rise to notoriety grew from humble beginnings.

What he describes as his first big break came in 1976, two years after he’d graduated from Southampton University with a degree in naval architecture. “I managed to convince a guy I sailed with to let me design him a boat,” Ed explains. “I rented a house in Lymington on the south coast – living upstairs and working downstairs – and managed to have the boat completed by 1 May. “That summer happened to be England’s hottest and the season’s light breezes suited the light boat, which went on to win a number of high-profile races, including the British Trials for the Three Quarter Ton Cup, the RORC Class IV overall prize and the Solent Points Championship.”

For the man whose career had been born out of “a love of sailing, a fascination with design and the desire to work for myself” rather than a concrete conviction “to be a yacht designer”, the ball had began to roll; off the back of the success of his first boat, Ed was commissioned to design three more the following year. Two years later, he designed the oddly named Police Car – a yacht that, after claiming victory for Australia in the ill-fated 1979 Admiral’s Cup (the event claimed the lives of 19 people), commanded international attention.

interview

feature

13

Photography by Chris Lewis

feature interview

The years that followed were peppered with Dubois boat victories in a series of distinguished races – most notably in the Fastnet Race, the Southern Cross Cup, and numerous World Championships – but it wasn’t until 1985 that Ed received his first order for a sailing boat that would total more than 100 feet. “It was a very different boat from anything we’d ever seen before and for several reasons.

Firstly, we realised that we would need more than just good sailing performance from the boat. We needed to design a yacht that would be a pleasure to live on. This boat would be sailing all over the world and the people on board weren’t necessarily going to be dedicated sailors; they wanted luxurious holidays and a wonderfully comfortable time.”

Thanks to advances in on-board entertainment, satellite navigation and sail equipment, that was exactly what Ed was able to provide. He, like others in the industry, realised that, whereas 30 years ago a large sailing yacht would require a huge number of crew to man the sails and keep the boat in shape, powered hydraulic systems now enabled a type of ‘push button’ sailing. “You push one button and the sail goes out; you push another and the sail goes in. You no longer need an entire navy to handle a boat that is 150 feet long. At most, you need a small crew to pilot the boat and maintain the equipment – a cook, a stewardess and a deck hand; no more than a large motor yacht would require.”

This being the case – and with sailing deeply embedded in stories of romance and adventure – I ask whether technology has taken away the art of pitting oneself against the ocean’s wrath? Ed thinks not. “All it means is that one man is able to get the sails in and out rather than 30 men heave-hoeing. Personally, I don’t think there is a lot of art in that. Sailing is still a fine sport, one of few that provide you with that wonderful feeling of being the master of your own destiny. Crossing oceans is a pioneering thing; it’s about finding out about yourself, about nature and about independence.”

In Ed’s eyes what makes sailing yachts so appealing is clear. “Check into even the most luxurious of hotels and

you will nevertheless be bound by the rules of that hotel.

Visit the most lavish of resorts and you will, all the same, have to abide by the regulations of that resort. Head out to sea on a yacht, on the other hand, and there are no rules.”

When, 30 years ago, naval architects realised it was possible to have the luxury and opulence of a 40-metre motorboat in a sailing yacht of the same size, the appeal proved enough to hasten the birth of the modern super yacht industry and revolutionise the way people sailed.

“Nowadays,” Ed notes, “most of our clients aren’t sailing experts, but people that see sailing as a more romantic, more desirable and more environmentally friendly alternative to the motor yacht.”

Ed may not like the phrase ‘super yacht’ (describing it as “pretentious” and “a made-up term”), but in an increasingly populated world where people will always seek adventure and where privacy becomes even more of a premium, it is an industry that this naval architect can only see expanding. “Nowadays, there’s even talk of ‘mega yachts’,” Ed chuckles, as if the thought confounds him.

“Sailing yachts that stretch to over 200 feet long!” n

Sailing is still a fine sport, one of few that provide you with that wonderful feeling of being the master of your own destiny

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After his daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of child cancer, aged four, Ed set up the Dubois Children’s Cancer Fund. Created in conjunction with Sparks, every pound donated to the charity goes to supporting research into cures for the disease, which at one point claimed the lives of 90 per cent of its victims.

For further information or to pledge a donation, please visit www.duboiscup.com/charity

ASTB_A4_City_Mag_July11.indd 1

13/6/11 09:34:43

ALT1-C/CR

Born in the air, defined in the cockpit, created in England, realised in Switzerland: Bremont mechanical chronometers are made by professionals to exacting standards... for the rest of us.

www.bremont.com

interview jewellery one to watch

jaeger-lecoultre robert prokop .................................................................. panerai

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. ......................................

From one city to the next

I Vacheron Constantin continues its tradition of providing world firsts with the new addition to its World Time collection

ncluding half and quarter zones, the planet is split into 37 time zones. Surely there isn’t a mechanical self-winding device, especially one less than one centimetre in thickness and fewer than four in diameter, that would simultaneously be able to read the time in each?

As a matter of fact, there is. Not only is Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time the first watch to do just that but it also indicates which cities of the world lie in darkness and which are enjoying sunlight via a unique day/night shading dial on the world map that adorns its face. Set the time of your current

location by placing the city name opposite the black triangle at six o’clock and the time in the other 36 time zones become readable alongside the perimeter of the face. The cities shown in black represent full time zones, while the cities in red indicate half-hour or quarter-hour zones.

In addition to incorporating all the signature characteristics of Vacheron’s world time collection, this £34,980 watch possesses the company’s new patented Calibre 2460WT and is water-resistant up to 30 metres. n www.vacheron-constantin.com

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The moon-phase indication needs to be periodically corrected.

About once every four generations.

The SAXONIA ANNUAL CALENDAR provides five different time indications at a glance: the time of day, outsize date, day of week, month, and moon phase.

The latter, mathematically speaking, only needs to be adjusted by one day every 122 years. This accuracy of 99.998 % is generated by the bidirectional

self-winding movement. All of the 476 individual parts are finished with the utmost care, even the ones you cannot see through the sapphire-crystal caseback. This micromechanical treasure will still gleam with its original perfection when the moon-phase display needs to be corrected for the first time.

For an overview of the exclusive retailers of A. Lange & Sรถhne please visit or contact: www.lange-soehne.com โ ข Tel. +34 91 454 89 81

Final_JT_UK_N_Vantage_SaxAC_PG_210x297_ATMO-052-11.indd 1

26.04.2011 18:01:06 Uhr

watches & jewellery

collection

Three of the Best…

collection

news

DIVING Watches

Sea Dweller Deep Sea Rolex, £7,070 Rolex at One Hyde Park

Silver and jewellery spectacular Any fine jewellery collector on the lookout for bespoke, signature pieces to add to their collection should keep the last week of September and first week of October free. That’s when the City of London’s historic Goldsmiths’ Hall will play host to Goldsmiths’ Fair – one of Europe’s most prestigious annual jewellery and contemporary silver selling exhibitions. Established in 1983, the event showcases more than 180 of the best

independent UK jewellery and silver designermakers, giving guests the chance to purchase bespoke fine jewellery, one-of-a-kind gifts, statement silver pieces and fabulous future heirlooms.

Goldsmiths’ Fair

Sea Master Planet Ocean, Omega, £4,250

26 September - 2 October and 4 October - 9 October

The Wonder Room

Open 11am-7pm Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm

Selfridge’s & Co.

Saturday and Sunday www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk

One to Watch: This month, Lyndon Jarvis, Manager at Watches of Switzerland in The Royal Exchange, selects his favourite watch from the newest models

“Complete with a brushed steel 44mm case, see-through sapphire crystal back and black alligator strap, Panerai’s Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic embodies the handsomely bold look with which the brand has become synonymous” Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic, £4,600 Available at Watches of Switzerland, 22 The Royal Exchange

BR02 Bell and Ross, £2,500 Watches of Switzerland 22 The Royal Exchange

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turning back

TIME

interview

collection

Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, tells Annabel Harrison about the 80th anniversary of the iconic Reverso, the company’s plans for its celebrations and JaegerLeCoultre’s outstanding track record in watchmaking calibres and patents

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Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 OR

lthough Jaeger-LeCoultre is just two years away from reaching an impressive 180 years in the watchmaking business, 2011 is all about celebrating the 80th anniversary of its most iconic watch – the Reverso. Despite its Swiss manufacture, British colonial army officers have an integral part to play in the history of this watch; it was created in 1931 as a response to officers based in India who faced a unique problem, wanting a watch which they could wear to play polo but which would be elegant both on and off the pitch. Because of this dual requirement, the watch had to bridge the worlds of fashion and sport, hence the innovative reversible face which to this day is synonymous with the Reverso. The other key selling point is, however, not immediately obvious: the steel or gold back that appears upon reversing the watch face provides a “blank canvas for personalization”, as CEO Jérôme Lambert explains, offering the owner “a window to engrave, enamel or gem-set with personal memories or a story.”

This aspect of the Reverso plays no small part in the anniversary – the idea of creating a window into someone’s life, on freeze-frame. On 28 June this year, Jerome welcomed 800 guests to a glamorous event at L’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris where the theme was “Capturing your magic moment”. This provided guests, such as actors Catherine Deneuve, Diane Kruger and Clive Owen, the opportunity to tell their own story with Reverso. Owen, with a longstanding passion for watchmaking, deemed the Reverso’s mechanisms and the history behind it “fascinating.

It’s hard to believe that the Reverso is 80 years old. In its time, it was a real innovation and it remains an iconic watch.”

Over the decades, thousands of Reversos have been hand engraved according to the very disparate wishes of their owners, from the simplest to the most sophisticated; many choose initials or crests, some opt for a number, picture or portrait and on occasion even the charmingly discreet ‘Will you marry me?’ has been concealed beneath the watch face. Those who favour more striking options, such as gems or enamel miniature painting, fuel the Jaeger-LeCoultre engravers’ innate love of detail; the preference for hand tools over machines adds a charmingly human element to the watches’ personal touches.

Clare Milford Haven, polo player and journalist, favours the Reverso Squadra Lady: “For me, the Reverso is the perfect watch – classic yet innovative, sporty yet feminine – a timeless piece with connections to polo that go way back.

I cannot imagine ever wearing another watch that contains all the features that are such a part of my everyday life.”

Hundreds of others feel the same, demonstrated by the Reverso Virtual Exhibition, which launched the celebrations at the start of this year. Marrying the tradition of the watch’s past with the pioneering, unique stamp of each, owners are invited to upload images of their Reverso and the story behind it, as guests also did at the Paris event.

The Master Historian has, to date, verified 314 of the Reverso watches, testimony to the emotional connection owners have with the message conveyed by their Reverso.

Is there a typical Reverso owner? One imagines that initially polo players led the charge of requests for these pioneering watches but that the appeal has broadened significantly in eight decades. Jérôme highlights why, deeming the Reverso as “a signature of refined elegance, for someone who appreciates the complexity of style”. However, as befits its name, the swivel case also “plays to the humour of its owner; you can choose to show or hide an intimate secret.” The Reverso’s ties with polo still live on though, testimony to its practicality for the sport; to 21st century polo player Eduardo Novillo Astrada, as to his 20th century counterparts, the Reverso is, quite simply, “the watch that means polo… I also share values with Jaeger-LeCoultre: teamwork, passion, elegance and, for me the most important, a family atmosphere.”

This atmosphere, as observed here by an outsider, is also valued within the company, right from the top. Jérôme cites teamwork as what he has enjoyed most about his tenure as CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre: “At the Manufacture, we have people of 40 professions working together – it’s a set of all possible personalities, which makes managing the teams an enriching experience and offers intense moments of mutual exchange.” The talents and skills required to make a watch from start to finish at Jaeger-LeCoultre – more than 1,000 people, 40 professions and 20 technologies – is astounding.

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collection interview

Right: Atmos MarqueteriePaille Below: Early Reverso advertisement

A tight-knit team working to the same goals and with the same vision is undoubtedly essential today for all established luxury watch brands looking to preserve and capitalize on their company’s tradition as well as leading the pack in terms of innovation. To Jérôme, the biggest challenge faced and shared by all watch brands is “to create products that the end consumer desires. It is to be innovative and push the technical advances of the brand, but not disregard the core essence of its tradition.” An avant-garde innovation presented by the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2004, the Gyrotourbillon I, was the first spherical tourbillon and, composed of two carriages set at 90° angles, this is still the only mechanical device that enables a wristwatch movement to break entirely free from the harmful effects of gravity on the watch’s precision.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre story began with a Manufacture established in the 19th century in the Vallée de Joux and this is where its mission, to be the most inventive manufacturer, has continued apace. The company has been responsible, incredibly, for creating more than 1,250 calibres and 350 patents to date; its repertoire extends from Calibre 101, the world’s smallest mechanical movement, to the most ground-breaking complications. However, Jérôme is acutely aware of maintaining the balance between tradition and innovation. “It’s incredibly important to me. The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931”, the watch in fact which Jérôme wears, “is a perfect example of where we return to tradition in the form of the original 1931 Reverso as the subject but we advance in innovation by recreating it in an ultra thin case, which is technically very difficult to do.”

No doubt it was this dedication to innovation that inspired the world-famous Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos clock.

As the official gift of the Swiss Government, JaegerLeCoultre Atmos clocks have for years been presented to a range of Popes and Presidents, dignitaries and heads of state. Jérôme tells me that “the Manufacture’s engineers have calculated that 60 million Atmoses collectively consume no more energy than a 15-watt light bulb.”

Fittingly, Jérôme’s earliest time-related memories concern the Atmos clock at his grandparents’ home: “I was hypnotized by that way of measuring time – very linear, very consistent, representing an image of stability close to the one I had of my grand-father.”

For the rest of 2011, Reverso’s anniversary celebrations continue, to be followed in 2013 by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s

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180th birthday milestone. The trends Jérôme has observed recently include “a shift towards the East… and a real return to classicism in watch making” but for JaegerLeCoultre, “you will see a steady growth in all markets, although the UK is a very important market for us, and the Reverso in particular, with its roots in polo and which holds a lot of importance for the brand and its development.”

No doubt, thanks to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s blend of technical sophistication and creative inventiveness, as well as the Reverso’s unique history born from a British, sporting origin, there will be thousands more Jaeger-LeCoultre watch owners in the next 80 years also determined to capture their magic moment on the hidden second face. n www.jaeger-lecoultre.com Jaeger-LeCoultre watches are available from Watches of Switzerland, 22 The Royal Exchange

On the Red Carpet with

Angelina Former CEO of Asprey Robert Procop left the British luxury goods house last year, taking top client Angelina Jolie with him and his plan seems to be working. Claire Adler talks to a private jeweller with a passion for business

Photographer Patrick Demarchelier

jewellery

A

merican Robert Procop bought and sold his first diamonds before he was old enough to have his own credit card. In his final year of university, he used his profits to open Diamonds on Rodeo, a jewellery shop on Rodeo Drive in Beverley Hills. With Ronald Reagan as one of his early customers, Procop has since been commissioned by every serving president of the United States. He is a master of discretion but understandably proud of his client list which includes “heads of state, international royalty and Hollywood A-listers”.

Earlier this summer, while Procop exhibited his latest offerings in a fashionably discreet contemporary art gallery in Monaco, Prince Albert of Monaco’s allegedly reluctant queen-in-waiting Princess Charlene was confirmed as one member of the world’s glitterati who came to try on some of the largest pieces in his Style of Jolie collection.

Procop is a man who loves a hot jewellery deal: “The most exciting element of my business is discovering a rare gem at the right price,” he says. After being called in to turn around the fortunes of both Garrard and Asprey, he’s now focussed on his own venture – Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels – though he also continues his own wholesale business buying and selling precious gemstones and jewellery to the trade.

During his time at Asprey, Procop worked with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the Protector collection and more recently his jewellery appeared on Jolie in the film The Tourist.

At a photocall for Kung Fu Panda 2 during the Cannes Film Festival this year, Jolie wore a bracelet of 50 carat emeralds and a nine carat vivid green Colombian emerald cushion ring from the collection she developed with Procop.

Usually to be found jetting between his creative studio in Beverley Hills, the gemstone laboratory in Geneva and offices in New York and Hong Kong, Procop invited guests during the Cannes Film Festival to see the Style of Jolie jewellery collection in Monaco’s SEM-ART contemporary arts gallery, located away from the main tourist thoroughfares. Owned by art collector Safia Al-Rashid, and designed to show diverse art forms, the gallery transformed jewellery into art against a monochrome backdrop, adorning blackened walls with storyboards and drawings of the making of the collection, alongside a presentation of the philanthropic element which sees a donation based on sales

collection

of the jewels directed to Jolie’s charity Children of Conflict.

Having shown the collection in Los Angeles and Monaco, Procop is now searching for his next exhibition venue but says he is also busy fielding calls since interest for the one-off pieces is so strong. This is perhaps unsurprising given that Procop claims to own one of the world’s most important collections of rare coloured diamonds and gemstones. Highlights include a velvet blue sapphire weighing more than 200 carats and a stone he has just cut; the world’s largest Star sapphire, according to gem experts at the Gemological Institute of America.

Most of Procop’s customers interested in the Style of Jolie collection during his show in Monaco were women buying jewels for themselves, comments Procop. “Most clients came alone. For the men, the focus is on acquiring collector gemstones such as the emeralds for investment, whereas the women were intrigued to see Angelina Jolie’s style and inspirations. They wanted to find out more about the pieces and discreetly try them on in the privacy of the gallery”.

While the gallery remained open to public visitors throughout the festival, Procop held private appointments with five to ten clients a day who hailed from 20 countries as well as intimate guestlist only events for clients, details of which he doesn’t divulge: “I have the honour of handling some of the most beautiful jewels in the world, which is a dream come true”. n

Style of Jolie Beverly Hills Exhibition

Five Row Citrine Bracelet in the Tablet Style

12 Carat Emerald Ring in the Style of Jolie

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collection jewellery

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Under the

Sea

Seahorses and starfish, shells and sharks, mermaids and pearls sparkle this summer with treasures from deep under the sea

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Belle Mare Bracelet in sterling silver, £180, Patrick Mavros at Harrods, www.harrods.com 2 Les Dents de la Mer Cuff, £1,375, Stephen Webster, www.stephenwebster.com In Deep Jellyfish Pendant with white diamonds, £6,900, Stephen Webster, as before 4 Elsa Peretti Bottle in 18 carat gold (medium), £2,800, Tiffany & Co., The Courtyard, Royal Exchange Sea Horse Earrings in sterling silver, £375, Patrick Mavros, as before 6 Galatée Clip in white gold, diamonds and sapphires with one rose-cut diamond and one button-shaped natural pearl (8.34 carats), £POA, Van Cleef & Arpels, www.vancleef-arpels.com 7 Starfish Grey Pearl Hook Drop Earrings in 18 carat gold vermeil, £120, Alexis Dove, www.alexisdove.com 8 Europe Ring, one baroque cultured pearl (50.91 carats), white gold and diamonds, £POA, Van Cleef & Arpels, as before 9 Top Kat Pendant in white gold with diamonds, £6,850, Stephen Webster, as before 10 Cowrie Shell Pendant in gold, £295 (large), £178 (small), Cassandra Goad, www.cassandragoad.com

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men’s luxury

collection

1 2

The Jet Set

Gentleman 9

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Wherever your travels take you, aim for the refined look with a selection of accessories inspired by the quintessential English gentleman

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All from Hackett, available at Hackett, 19 Eastcheap, City of London 2 Panama Wide Trim Hat, £115, Aquascutum, Harrods, www.harrods.com 3 A Gentleman Abroad: A Concise Guide to Travelling by John Bridges and Bryan Curtis, £35, Brooks Brothers, www.mrporter.com 4 Swarovski Optik CL Companion Binoculars, available in 8x (£790) or 10x (£820) magnification, www.swarovskioptik.com 5 Riviera Overnight Bag in cotton canvas with leather trim, £375, Hackett, as before 6 Monochrome Nylon Golfing Umbrella, £99, Swaine Adeney Brigg, www.mrporter.com 7 Compass Cufflinks, £60, Hackett, as before 8 Smaller Clipper Holder in oak natural leather, £1,050, Mulberry, www.mulberry.com 9 Breitling for Bentley 6.75 POA, Breitling, Watches of Switzerland, 22 The Royal Exchange

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current affairs

feature

Flights of FANCY In an age where sometimes it’s quicker and cheaper to fly than to drive or take a train in the UK, and when airlines are offering nofrills and extra-frills to keep up with their competition, Alex Harrison explores the lean, green and obscene sides of air travel

L

ong haul or short haul, business or pleasure, the purpose of air travel is to get yourself and a smattering of belongings from A to B. This is obvious. Nobody flies for the sake of flying - it is simply the unavoidable means to an end. However, after the main priority of transportation, passengers of the sky have varying secondary concerns and the airline industry is responding.

For the majority of flyers this concern is cost. Every extra pound spent on travel is a pound lost on beachside margaritas, après-ski dining and surfing lessons. It was the recognition of this thought process that led to the birth of no frills flights in the late 1970s. The cost saving techniques pioneered by Sir Freddie Laker and Laker Airways, such as reduced thrust take-offs and faster climbs to higher altitudes, greatly reduced fuel consumption and enabled unprecedentedly cheap air travel. More than 30 years later and the penny-pinching innovations are still being developed, but now aimed squarely at the passengers as opposed to the engines.

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feature current affairs

Spirit Air, the self-proclaimed first ultra-low-cost airline in the United States, has a similar operating style to other low-cost airlines such as Ryanair but has taken the ‘a la carte’ pricing option one step further: $5 to print your boarding pass at the check-in desk, $3 for a soft drink or water and between $20 and $45 for carry-on luggage placed in the overhead compartment. While ‘hidden-cost’ may be a fairer description than ‘low-cost’, if you are willing to plan well in advance and forego a few luxuries then air travel can be astoundingly cheap.

However, with soaring oil prices, new environmental taxes and Europe on the brink of a sovereign debt crisis, some no frills airlines are seeking to reposition themselves in the middle of the market, with companies such as Easyjet choosing to avoid using phrases such as ‘budget’ and ‘low-cost’.

However, as the growth of budget airlines appears to be winding down, one aspect or air travel that has been gaining interest is the environmentally friendly side. With the aviation industry accounting for between 2 per cent and 4 per cent of global carbon emissions, there is definite room for improvement when it comes to pleasing the carbon-conscious flyer. On 28 July Thomson launched a weekly flight to Palma, abandoning conventional jet-fuel for a mixture of old cooking oil and paraffin. This form of biofuel could not only reduces CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent but it also requires no engine alterations and has been deemed completely safe by the Civil Aviation Authority.

As small numbers of such flights are scheduled for the next few years to test the financial viability of sustainable biofuels, there has been some controversy over the plans of airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM to move away from fossil fuels towards plant-based biofuels, as announced at the Paris Air Show in June. This trend will doubtlessly help airlines achieve the targets set by

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the EU for 10 per cent of transport fuels to come from renewable sources by 2020 but some groups have expressed concerns over the social and environmental dangers. Firstly, aviation’s heightened demand for palm oil and jatropha plants (key ingredients to biofuels) may increase pressure on food prices and lead to major deforestation in countries such as Cameroon and Indonesia. Secondly, a report by the charity ActionAid found that the development of jatropha plantations could produce up to six times more greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels.

So it seems that those looking for bargain flights must negotiate a minefield of hidden fees and those who don’t want to fly with the moral baggage of damaging the environment will have to wait a few more years before the research and development of biofuels catch up with green ideals.

However, besides the thrifty and the eco-friendly, there is another sector of travellers for whom there is a healthy pulse of innovation: those with the money and inclination to fly in luxury. Following on from the recent flurry of Michelin-starred oases of fine-dining popping up at international airports, personal tastes are now being catered for in-flight to an unprecedented degree. Air New Zealand recently became the first commercial airline with induction ovens in every cabin, allowing first class flyers to enjoy fresh pizza, burgers and steaks (cooked, of course, as desired), and it has been over a year since Japan’s All Nippon Airways installed custom-made kegs in their aircrafts, offering their passengers the first in-flight draft beer. The ample dimensions of the enormous Airbus A380 also mean that those willing to pay top dollar will be able to freshen up mid-flight in the first class ‘Shower Spa’ of Emirates, while those who previously felt cramped (or lonesome) in the single beds offered by some airlines will have to suffer no more as Virgin Atlantic introduces double beds for Upper Class Suite passengers.

And so with the low-cost sector coming into land and the biofuel initiative getting ready for takeoff, it’s comforting to know that the market for luxury air travel is still soaring. n

When furniture looks this good you may not want to go out

Harrods Heal’s

3rd Floor Knightsbridge | www.hulsta-harrods.co.uk

1st Floor Tottenham Court Road | www.hulsta-heals.co.uk

HĂźlsta-Rolf Benz

Hulsta_CanaryW-City_Jul11.indd 1

23-25 Baker Street | www.hulsta-westend.co.uk

23/06/2011 08:58

BROADGaTE events July saw the phenomenally popular Naked Juice Urban Surf Championship taking over Broadgate Circle from 4 to 8 July and with August comes a diverse musical and aerial theatre programme from the City of London Festival and much, much more

NAKED JUICE CREATES WAVES IN THE CITY Naked Juice received overwhelming interest in its Urban Surf activity, which took place from 4-8 July in Broadgate Circle.

The experience, opened to the public on the Monday, was so immediately popular that all sessions were fully booked

by Tuesday morning, with the climax of Naked’s Urban Surf Championship being the winning performance by Team Motive from UBS. Team Motive pulled off an impressive selection of stunts which means UBS will be enjoying free Naked Juice for its office, courtesy of its four champion surfers.

The event, led by Initials Experience, centred on the installation of London’s first ever giant surf simulator and encouraged consumers of all ages and abilities to try it out.

By the end of the week, 500 Londoners had tackled its waves and the event received coverage from ITV’s Daybreak and London News, along with a great deal of online exposure.

Chris Wareham, Head of Initials Experience, commented: ‘Our initial brief was to create something unique and engaging within

the City environment. Whilst there have been some significant logistical challenges on this project, a surf machine with a City backdrop has certainly drawn in the crowds. We are delighted the campaign has been such a success, both outdoors and online. Naked has gone back to its surfing roots to encourage the public to engage with the brand - with fantastic results.’

George Eapen, Group Marketing Manager at PepsiCo, points to the success of the event, commenting that ‘this is the first time Naked Juice has engaged with consumers in this way and we have been overwhelmed by the response. We hope we have given the public a taste of what makes Naked Juice so unique and exciting.’

Born on the beaches of Santa Monica, home of some of the world’s best surf, Naked is dedicated to creating boosting juice smoothies made from the highest quality fruit – with no added sugar and absolutely no preservatives.

Check out www.nakedjuice.co.uk for more details

BROADGATEpromotion CITY OF LONDON FESTIVAL 2011 Monday 1 August, 12-2pm - Exchange Square, EC2

Thursday 4 August, 5.45-7.30pm - Exchange Square, EC2

London-based singer-pianist Anthony Strong presents jazz,

Grupo Lokito: an exuberant mix of Congolese and Latin music with

blues and soul, winning over audiences every time he plays his

a frontline of singers who love to perform large, especially when the

infectious, feel-good music.

groove steps up a notch in the Salsa and Sebene sections.

Friday 5 August, 12-2pm - BROADGATE CIRCLE, EC2

Tuesday 2 August, 12-2pm - BROADGATE CIRCLE, EC2 Symposia has established a reputation throughout Europe for performing with sophistication and sparkle. It presents a music programme inspired by birdsong for this year’s Festival.

Andrea Quintarelli Quartet: violin and bass accompany Quintarelli’s guitar in a repertoire of music from Arabia to India, with Balkan energy and Latin rhythms.

Monday 8 - Friday 12 August, 12.30-2pm & 5.30-7pm daily -

Wednesday 3 August, 12-2pm - Exchange Square, EC2

Broadgate Circle, EC2

Enjoy a lunchtime of enchanting choral works presented by three

Time for the audience to get involved: bungee-assisted 45-minute

diverse, innovative London organisations, including the New London

taster sessions are led by the company at 12.30pm and 5.30pm each

Children’s Choir, Woven Gold and Music in Offices.

day. Places are limited and should be reserved in person from 12pm.

Wired Aerial Theatre: a weeklong residency full of adventure with the

Thursday 4 August, 12-2pm - BROADGATE CIRCLE, EC2

UK’s top bungee-assisted dance-theatre company, with a breathtaking

The foremost young British acappella group, acclaimed for

programme including Rosa’s Bar and Straw Dogs. Performances take

a singing style that spans a range of vocal colour, performs

place at 1.30pm and 6.30pm each day.

Renaissance polyphony and unique jazz and pop arrangements.

For more information go to www.colf.org

SLEEP EASY WITH DELTA AIRLINES Fancy a trip to the USA this Autumn? Visit Delta at Finsbury Avenue Square between 5-7 September for your chance to win BusinessElite® flights to the USA. Experience Delta’s new 180° flat-bed seat, offering 1-2-1 seat configuration with direct aisle access for all passengers flying from London Heathrow to New York JFK, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Minneapolis or Detroit.

For more information on Delta flights visit us at www.delta.com/LHR

EVENTS IN AUGUST • Balfour Tri Screen On Broadgate all month (7am-7pm) • Farmers Market Finsbury Avenue Square, 11 and 26 August (8am-2pm) • ESPN Finsbury Avenue Square, 12 August (11am-2pm) • Ping in the City Continuing on Exchange Square through August

EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER • Delta Airlines Finsbury Avenue Square, 5-7 September (7am-7pm) • LG Broadgate Circle 5-11 September (7am-7pm) • Farmers Market Finsbury Avenue Square, 8 and 22 September (8am2pm) • Ping in the City Continuing on Exchange Square throughout September Visit www.broadgateinfo.net for more information about any of these events

CENTREPOINT’S SLEEP OUT Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox will be joining 650 people sleeping out in Broadgate’s Exchange Square this November to raise £250,000 for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.

Jon Milward, partner at Drivers Jonas Deloitte, joined the charity’s ambassador under a duvet to launch the event, which takes place on Thursday 10 November from 7pm-7am and will help Centrepoint support 1,300 homeless young people a year.

The night will be crammed full of entertainment, including a bedtime story from Christopher Biggins.

Sara Cox said: ‘By giving up our beds for the night we want to raise awareness and funds for Centrepoint, which does a fantastic job helping homeless young people turn their lives around.’ Jon Milward added: ‘Sleep Out is a fantastic way for corporate firms to support an important cause. Swapping your warm, comfortable bed for the cold streets of London doesn’t come close to what so many young people have to face, but it will make a huge difference to homeless young people’s lives.’

Can you take up the Sleep Out challenge and raise £1,000 for Centrepoint?

Find out more at www.centrepoint.org.uk/sleepout

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SHOPPING More Than a Tambourine Man: Bob Dylan’s evocative new collection of paintings The power of Bob Dylan’s stirring and haunting music has resonated through our culture for decades and now the importance of his work as a visual artist is set to be re-affirmed. Released on 23 July, to mark Dylan’s 70th birthday, Artisan Fine Art - Canary Wharf unveiled The Drawn Blank 2011 Series to great acclaim. This set of images, created while Dylan was on the road between 1989 and 1992, with a contemplative colour palette and delicate brushstrokes, capture the artist’s chance encounters and transitory existence, and uniquely combines the everyday and the extraordinary with intimate, personal moments in his life. Now celebrated in exclusive new hardback book edition by Washington Green, the prints themselves can be viewed this month at Artisan Fine Art.

Artisan Fine Art Canada Place (turn left at Waitrose Food & Home) Canary Wharf 020 3229 0172

Three Chairs, by Bob Dylan, exclusively published by Washington Green Fine Art Publishing 2011

Mexico, by Bob Dylan, exclusively published by Washington Green Fine Art Publishing 2011

Perfect Sunglasses: made by Oakley, designed by you

Mark Cavendish

Luxury sunglasses brand Oakley has expanded its hugely successful Oakley Custom Program across Europe. Oakley has chosen Canary Wharf opticians David Clulow in Cabot Place as one of the exclusive brands to spearhead the initiative that allows customers to design their own sunglasses, working with the variables of frame colours and finishes, lens tints and more.

Events like the Tour de France brought enormous media exposure to the program

as race fans pleaded for customised designs like those worn by pro-cyclists Andy Schleck and Mark Cavendish. With a myriad of preferences and requirements demanded by customers, Oakley’s unique approach tailors the products to the individual specifications of each person. The customisation service is available in the David Clulow store in Cabot Place and on Monday 8 August Oakley’s O-Lab will be visiting Canary Wharf’s Montgomery Square to take customers

through the step-by-step process of designing the perfect sunglasses.

Oakley puts it simply: “If you want perfect sunglasses, make them yourself”.

Oakley O-Lab, Montgomery Square Canary Wharf. Monday 8 August Oakley's customisation service is available at David Clulow Opticians in Cabot Place 020 7345 9181

arts&events This month Canary Wharf is offering a veritable extravaganza of entertainment, from West End musicals and live concerts to its own Canary Wharf Jazz Festival and outdoor film screenings

Canary Wharf Jazz Festival Canary Wharf Jazz Festival presents a stunning line up, delving into every corner of the jazz genre.

Don’t miss this free music celebration featuring top jazz musicians in the beautiful outdoor setting of Canada Square Park.

Friday 12 August 7-8pm 8.30-10pm

Femi Temowo Ska Cubano

Saturday 13 August 1.30-2.45pm

3.15-4.30pm 5-6.15pm 6.45-8pm 8.30-10pm

Cousin Alice and the Boisdale Blue Rhythm Band Aquarium Gwyneth Herbert Cuban Combination The Herbaliser

Sunday 14 August 1.30-2.45pm 3.15-4.30pm 5-6.15pm 6.45-8.15pm

Kit Downes Sextet Grupo X Sarah Gillespie Jay Phelps Big Band with Clare Teal

Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf FREE

Gwyneth Herbert Photography: James Pfaff

THE MAGIC OF MUSICALS The West End comes to the East End as Canary Wharf presents excerpts and highlights from some of London’s current top West End shows including Chicago, Mamma Mia!, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Million Dollar Quartet and more.

Monday 1 August 6.30pm Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf FREE

ON SCREEN

This year our on screen programme brings a packed schedule including a fantastic series of Japanese animation with Barbican Anime, silent movie classics with live piano accompaniment from Neil Brand in the Barbican Silent Cinema series and, as a special addition to our Jazz festival this year, Rich Mix presents Jazz on the Screen, a selection of jazz documentaries to complement the festival.

All screenings take place in Canada Square Park and are entirely FREE to attend.

Barbican Anime at Canary Wharf: Tuesday 2 August, 6.30pm

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (12) 2008: Dir. Mamoru Hosada, 98 minutes

In addition to the myriad film screenings Canary Wharf Arts & Events are delighted to bring a FREE programme from this year’s Proms. More details can be found on canarywharf.com Friday 5 August - 7.30pm Thursday 11 August - 12pm Prom 11: Human Planet Prom Friday 19 August - 7pm Prom 47: Brahms – Symphony No 3 / Piano Concerto No 1

Friday 26 August - 7.30pm Tuesday 30 August – 1pm Prom 39: Spaghetti Western Orchestra

Sculpture in the workplace

Wednesday 3 August, 6.30pm

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (PG) 2010: Dir. Masakazu Hashimoto, 94 minutes

Thursday 4 August, 6.30pm

Summer Wars (12)

2009: Dir. Mamoru Hosada, 114 minutes

Barbican Silent Cinema at Canary Wharf: Monday 8 August, 6.30pm

Buster Keaton in The General (U)

1926: Dir Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 89 minutes

Monday 15 August, 6.30pm

Harold Lloyd in Safety Last! (U)

1923: Dir Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 73 minutes

Monday 22 August, 6.30pm

Buster Keaton in The Navigator (U)

1923: Dir Buster Keaton & Donald Crisp, 60 minutes

Five Symbolic Images: Bronze and Plaster Sculptures by Christopher Le Brun Until 2 September Lobby, One Canada Square The current exhibition by Royal Academician Christopher Le Brun is the latest addition to Canary Wharf’s award winning art programme and features a series of impressive bronze and plaster sculptures. Widely acclaimed as a painter, Le Brun began to include sculpture in his art during the 1990s, working largely in bronze. The exhibition includes a number of new works in plaster, some of which were made especially for the Canary Wharf show.

Le Brun’s use of symbolism centres on five images - the wing, the horse, the planet or disc, the tower and the figure - which he uses not so much for their allegorical meaning as found in romantic poetry or classical mythology, but for the power of their imagery. By grouping them in various ways, Le Brun creates feeling and mood in his compositions.

A large work in bronze by Le Brun, ‘Union (Horse with two Discs)’, can be seen at the entrance to the Museum of London at Barbican.

christopherlebrun.co.uk

Jazz on the Screen presented by Rich Mix: Friday 12 August, 1pm

Monk (PG)

1968: Dir Michael and Christian Blackwood, 58 minutes

Saturday 15 August, 10am

Jazz on a Summer Day (PG)

1959: Dir Aram Avakian & Bert Stern, 122 minutes

Sunday 14 August, 11am

Monk in Europe (PG)

1968: Dir Michael and Christian Blackwood, 58 minutes

Visit canarywharf.com for regular event updates, pick up a brochure available throughout the Canary Wharf malls or email arts&events@canarywharf. com to be added to our mailing list. Remember, space at outdoor events is unreserved and sometimes limited and portable furniture, glass bottles or glasses are not permitted on the grass. Details correct at time of print.

For more information visit canarywharf.com

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internet anarchy

A series of website hackings over the last few months have illustrated how a new generation of web users are utilising the internet to get their voices heard

I

n case anyone was left in doubt, the last ten months have proved to everyone the true might of the internet, and, even more so, the power yielded by those who know how to manipulate it. At the start of the year, whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks released thousands of classified US State Department cables originally obtained from army soldier Bradley Manning. Angered by the ensuing arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the hacking group Anonymous demonstrated their web-based muscle by disrupting the websites of Visa and MasterCard after the credit card companies stopped

processing donations to Assange and his website.

In July, as the British media became enveloped in allegations of widespread phone hacking, fellow online group LulzSec showed what they were capable of by accessing The Sun newspaper’s online version and publishing an article pronouncing the death of Rupert Murdoch. Confirming that such activity is not confined to overseas, 19 year old Ryan Cleary was arrested in June while last month saw the arrest of a 16 year old south London schoolboy, both suspected of aiding Anonymous and subsequent splinter cells. n

41

Fitness First,

Property Next

When Mike Balfour OBE bought and renovated a dilapidated squash club in Bournemouth, despite having witnessed the revolution that transformed America’s fitness industry, he had no idea it would grow to be the first of the largest chain of health clubs in the world.

Richard Brown met the self-made man to talk business, investment and plan B

interview

F

our years after Mike Balfour OBE opened the doors to the first Fitness First, the company floated on the London Stock Exchange.

Five years saw the health club expand into continental Europe before establishing operations in both Asia and Australia that today account for 60 per cent of the company’s profits. After 17 years, Mike left the board of Fitness First – after the business was bought by private equity firm BC Partners for £835 million in 2005 – to pursue other interests. He is now founder and chairman of The Hideaways Club, a global property company specialising in the equity ownership and management of luxury property funds. He may now be recognised as one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs but thoughts of retirement couldn’t be further from the business magnate’s mind.

What was behind your decision to set up Fitness First?

Back in the early 90s there were very few health clubs in the UK and the ones that were around were quite upmarket and expensive to join. Having seen what happened to the fitness industry in the United States, I was very keen to establish an affordable fitness opportunity that the majority of the population could enjoy. So I bought and converted the squash club in Bournemouth, and within just a few years we had floated on the Stock Exchange.

Did you anticipate that the clubs would do so well?

If you’re asking whether when I bought the first club in Bournemouth I planned to build the biggest chain of health clubs in the world, then the answer is no. Back then, I thought if we managed to establish ten health clubs that would be pretty good. But through good timing, hard work and a few strategic decisions, we built a health club operator that is now in 25 countries across the globe.

What are the most essential qualities in being successful in business?

Being extremely customer focused. There are too many businesses that are internally focused rather than externally focused. Understand what your customer wants, design exactly what it is they need, work out your costs and price the product accordingly. From there, you can’t go wrong. Customer focus is the key behind almost all successful businesses.

When people retire they take up a hobby.

I’ve already got a hobby so I don’t need to retire. I’ll carry on building businesses What’s the biggest risk you have ever taken in business?

People think entrepreneurs take risks; I don’t think they do. I think they have plan Bs; they say, ‘If this doesn’t work, I already know what I’m going to do about it.’ Have I had any failures? No, but I have had a lot of changes to plan B! You’re chairman of The Hideaways Club. Tell us about it.

It revolves around the second home ownership concept.

comment

Most people desire to own a second home, but the reality is that they are very expensive. There is a lot of money tied up in capital, a lot of expense goes into maintaining them, and you have the obligation of going to the same place every year.

What we did was turn the timeshare concept on its head.

We thought, why not create a club where members can make use of a number of properties, while simultaneously owning a share of those properties? Members would own the real estate and we would simply be the operators of that collection of residences.

How else does a person benefit from becoming a member?

Join Hideaways and not only do you get to use the properties without the hassle of managing them – each property also comes with its very own concierge service that is available to prearrange restaurant bookings, car hire, tourist trips, and so on – but you also benefit from the club as a financial investment. Like a unit trust, it’s a safer way of investing in property. Instead of having all your capital tied up in one country, you own a share of portfolio of properties across the world, benefitting as the value of those properties rise.

How much did the recession affect the business?

We set up just before the crash and I think history will prove that it was actually exceptionally good timing.

Virtually all our properties have been bought since the crash, so we are not carrying any financial baggage from before it; we managed to acquire a lot of our properties at 30 to 40 per cent of their previous price.

The Hideaways Club has properties all over the world.

Where’s the best place you’ve visited?

I love Asia and I love South Africa. Those are my two favourite places. Thailand, Bali, Indonesia – any of those places are just superb. My favourite city, though, would have to be Cape Town. It’s fantastic.

Away from the world of business, what inspires you?

‘Away from the world of business’ – where is that?

Business has become a hobby. When people retire they take up a hobby. I’ve already got a hobby so I don’t need to retire. I’ll carry on building businesses.

What does the future hold for The Hideaways Club?

The vision is that we will have lots of different funds.

We’ve just launched the new City Collection fund, which is based on the same concept as The Classic [villa] fund, but concentrates on luxurious two bedroom / two bathroom apartments in cities across the world. In the future, people will be able to buy a range of shares in a range of different types of properties. We are already seeing people buying a half share in The Classic fund and a half share in The City fund, giving them access to both stunning villas and spectacular apartments across the world. In financial terms, I believe that Hideaways has the potential to be just as big as Fitness First. n www.thehideawaysclub.com

43

comment personal finance

Invest Like a Girl...

Dr David Kuo from The Motley Fool explains why we could do well to follow Warren Buffet’s lead when investing To tell anyone, especially a man, that he is doing something like a girl is not really advisable. Just think about it for a minute. You don’t go round telling a guy that he kicks a football like a girl, nor do you tell him he throws a cricket ball like a girl. You just don’t do it unless you want to end up friendless. But it seems that when it comes to investing, being told that you handle money like a girl can be worn as a badge of honour, according to LouAnn Lofton. Her book, Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl… And Why You Should, Too, has even won the nod of approval from the legendary investor himself - high praise indeed.

So what is it that makes Warren Buffett so good at investing? Those of us who are au fait with Buffett’s reputation know that he is not just good in short bursts, like some investors can be, but he is consistently good over the long term. So, is it that he can correctly predict the direction of the market? Does he have some special insight into the next big thing? Or does he constantly trade to take advantage of small discrepancies in the market and leverage up to the hilt to capitalise on minor misprices?

In other words, is he darting in and out of the market in a testosterone-charged frenzy?

We can say many things about Warren Buffett, but describing him as being frenzied is definitely not one of them. If anything, he is the exact opposite. He is patient, he carries out research into each investment meticulously and he always avoids taking excessive risk. In fact, his objective is never to sell the companies he invests in. He has a natural aversion to doing something for the sake of doing something.

In the words of LouAnn Lofton, he invests like a girl.

So how have these feminine investing traits turned Warren Buffett into the third richest man in the world? What is it that makes Buffett tower over other investors? In the main, women tend to spend more time researching their investment choices. They want to know what they are investing in and consequently avoid one of the most common investing mistakes, namely investing in something you do not know anything about. This prevents chasing the latest fad, which is the downfall of most men’s portfolios.

Women are also more likely to ask probing and difficult questions that challenge their assumptions, rather than hoping that what they read and hear will confirm what they already thought.

On a purely biological level, women have an advantage over men because they have less testosterone and these lower levels of testosterone in women are a decided asset.

Beside the fact they do not have to stand in front of a mirror and shave bristles from their face every morning, more importantly, it helps them resist behaving in a herdlike manner in the financial markets. The upshot is they take less risk when investing.

Another downfall of male investors is that they tend to be overconfident. This has been attributed to why men trade 45 per cent more often than women do. By buying and selling shares more often, men reduce their net returns. We need to bear in mind that when we trade, we are incurring unnecessary costs such as paying stamp duties and commissions. These costs will inevitably eat into returns. By trading less, women produce better returns simply by sitting on their hands and doing nothing.

Men cannot help being men – that is the way they are made – but knowing your limitations and knowing how you can be a better investor never hurts. So, if being a better investor means getting in touch with your feminine side and investing like a girl, then give it try. It’s not going to make you walk funny, but it could make you walk tall when you portfolio starts booming. Warren Buffett Invests Like A Girl… And Why You Should, Too is out now and a must read, whether your chromosomes are XX or XY. n

Dr David Kuo, Director at the popular financial website The Motley Fool www.Fool.co.uk

44

personal finance

comment

People Want To Steal Your Money Martin Bamford explores the recently uncovered mechanics of dangerous investment schemes such as ‘land banking’ There are a lot of crooks out there. When you are investing your money, plenty of individuals and firms are in business with the sole intention of relieving you of your hard-earned cash.

In the past few days, the mechanics of a couple of dangerous investment schemes have been brought to our attention.

The first involves ‘land banking’. This term means buying a plot of land and holding onto it until it can be resold for a much higher price, usually because it has received planning consent for residential development. The notion of land banking is fine in theory. Unfortunately, this type of investment scheme has been hijacked and various promoters of land banking are now putting investors at risk.

The dangers associated with land banking were highlighted again recently when the FSA secured a summary judgment in the High Court against a person behind an illegal land banking scheme. His victims had invested more than£11 million and he was ordered to make an interim payment of £920,000, via the FSA, towards compensation for these investors.

Land banking is an illegal activity when it becomes a collective investment scheme. If parcels of land are sold to a group of individuals with the promise of support to obtain planning permission, then only those firms regulated under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 can promote it as an investment. It is worth noting that there have been no recorded successful planning permission applications to date for plots of land sold under land banking schemes in the UK. There have been numerous examples of considerable investor losses.

If you do end up buying land through one of the smooth operators who typically sell land banking schemes,

the chances of a good outcome are slim. Your investment is not covered under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and you cannot complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if things go wrong. In fact, buying an investment from anyone who is not regulated by the FSA is a bad idea, as it places you outside of the protection afforded by the UK financial services regulatory system. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be tricky to work out if you are dealing with a regulated firm or individual.

Another recent consumer warning highlighted the use of legitimate trading names by bogus overseas fraudsters. In this case, a firm was using the established Invesco Perpetual name to target UK investors. It was promoting a fund called Invesco Perpetual (Invesco Asian Metals Fund) without the relevant permissions to carry out regulated activities in the UK. By using the name of an established financial services brand, scammers like this hope to convince UK investors they are, in fact, legitimate. In the past, we have seen our own brand name used to set up a fake website, probably to convince ‘boiler room’ victims to part with their money.

Checking the FSA Register (on their website at www.fsa. gov.uk/pages/register) is a vital first step before investing money. When using this tool, make sure the firm or individual details you are looking at match up with the actual firm or individual that is trying to get you to invest.

A good rule of thumb is never to invest money with someone who has called you out of the blue. Scam artists get hold of lists of existing investors who are more likely to be comfortable with investing more money. The really audacious ones target people who have already fallen victim to investment fraud, convincing them to part with even more money to recover the original investment.

By meeting face-to-face with a firm of Independent Financial Advisers or Chartered Financial Planners, checking them out carefully on the FSA Register and getting recommendations in writing before you invest any money, you can keep clear of the people who want to steal your money and get advice from properly qualified, experienced and regulated advisers. n

Martin Bamford is a chartered financial planner at Informed Choice (www.icl-ifa.co.uk) and author of several best-selling personal finance books.

45

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comment human resources

Dress Codes for Working Environments Clare Murray raises the issue of whether employers can dictate their employees’ appearance at work The sensitive issues surrounding dress codes were brought to the fore again last month when a sales assistant alleged that she had been driven out of her job for refusing to wear makeup. The woman has complained that she found the company’s dress code for women to be insulting and degrading.

It may come as a surprise to some that case law overwhelmingly supports the right of employers to impose dress codes on staff to ensure conventional standards of appearance at work. Indeed, dress codes are generally commonplace in UK workplaces and are often to be found in a company’s staff handbook.

Numerous past cases have shown it to be difficult for employees to establish the right not to adhere to an employer’s dress code. By way of example, cases have been brought by male employees refusing to cut their long hair and a female employee’s attempt to bring a claim for being prevented from wearing trousers. In respect of both of those examples, the tribunal found in favour of the employer.

In order, however, to impose any requirement relating to an employee’s appearance, an employer must be able to show a good reason for doing so. Where, for example, certain detailed rules relate to one sex rather than the other (such as wearing make-up), that difference in itself may amount to sex

discrimination unless the overall effect of the dress code is broadly the same on both sexes, and provided it is applied even-handedly. So, for example, it will generally not be discriminatory on grounds of sex for employers to ask their male employees to wear a shirt and tie notwithstanding that female employees are not asked to do so, provided that female employees are required to dress to a similar standard of smartness.

In addition to potential issues of sex discrimination, employers also need to be sensitive to potential issues of religious and racial discrimination regarding dress codes. For example, the legitimacy of dress codes that clearly conflict with customs and appearance related with certain religious groups – such as requiring a Sikh man not to wear a turban, or a Muslim woman not to wear a veil – must be carefully considered and questioned as to whether they are justifiable.

Relevant to the case at hand, perhaps, is also the potential infringement of protected philosophical beliefs, which fall under the Equality Act’s protected ground of religion and belief. Feminism could, arguably, be covered as a philosophical belief and thus enforcing feminists to wear make-up in the workplace may in the future lead to tribunal claims on the grounds that make-up is seen as a symbol of female oppression. Whilst the success of such a claim would remain to be seen, one thing that is certain is that it is unlikely that we have heard the last on the issue of dress codes. n

Clare Murray is Managing Partner at specialist employment and partnership law firm CM Murray LLP. She can be contacted at clare.murray@cm-murray.com or 020 7718 0090.

The contents of this column are for general purposes only.

Specialist legal advice should be taken regarding specific circumstances.

48

human resources

comment

Stress

Relief Chelsey Baker, business advisor and life coach, looks at how you can put the balance back into your life by managing your stress levels Despite obvious differences in hardship, housing and health, it really does seem that, compared to 100 years ago, we have more sustained levels of stress with which to contend. This is despite the fact that we are financially better off, have more leisure time and holidays, and live longer.

Stress is invariably found at the root of many different maladies. The physiological "fight-or-flight" response was essential in the environment inhabited by our ancestors but, outside of life and death situations, it is positively unhealthy in highly complex modern day living. Stress, tension and reactive behaviour patterns have been associated with heart disease, hypertension, suppression of the immune system and many other serious illnesses. In evolutionary terms, it was only a short while ago that our ancestors lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers; in that environment our physiological make-up developed and now remains set for all time.

The simple fact is that we are not built for our modern metropolitan city lifestyles.

We react to extreme threats by secreting hormones that assist the mobilisation of energy sources and prepare the body for combat or retreat (fight or flight). Many situations, whether in work or day-to-day, life can be perceived as physical or psychological threats to the body.

Unfortunately, our bodies cannot differentiate between such physical or mental threats and it reacts similarly to both.

The causes of stress are many and varied: time pressure, excessive workload, lack of control, too much responsibility, too little responsibility, relationship woes, unemployment, ill health, debt, loneliness, peer pressure, poor self image… the list goes on. As a result we’re apt to put ourselves under extreme pressure in attempting to be perfect, only to feel inadequate when we fail to live up to such unobtainable and high expectations.

We are overstimulated with 24 hour television, internet, emails and texts, beaming into our lives seven days a week, 365 days a year; even our social lives

have become intrusive, with many of us living near nocturnal lifestyles and struggling to survive on insufficient sleep.

Everyone experiences stress differently, with the most common symptoms being lack of concentration, feeling overwhelmed, an increase in negative thoughts, anxiety, depression, mood swings and an inability to relax.

So what can be done to alleviate stress? First and foremost, you need to find some way of taking control of your situation so go back to basics. Try and follow a more natural lifestyle; work in the daytime, sleep at night, eat little and often, take regular exercise and adequate rest. Cut back on caffeine as this can cause an increase in anxiety as well as interfering with your sleep patterns. Reduce your sugar intake as sugar causes blood sugar levels to surge and plummet, leaving you feeling tired and drained of energy. Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day to boost your energy levels and release endorphins; the brain’s feel-good chemicals. Aerobic exercise will relieve any tension and really is the best natural treatment for stress.

Prioritising also plays an essential part in easing stress. If you find yourself in a situation in which you have insufficient time to achieve everything on your list, you must decide what is a priority and only deal with tasks that fall into this category. If you cannot meet a deadline, explain why and attempt to buy yourself more time.

Next: breathe. Stress increases your heart rate, making you breathe faster and your muscles tense up, whereas when you are relaxed your heart rate slows, your muscles relax and your blood pressure evens out. There are many breathing and meditation techniques to relax your mind and body so try to set aside a minimum of ten minutes for some peaceful down time.

Managing stress means we have to manage our emotions too and take charge of our thoughts. Change your outlook on life; optimists tend to experience less stress than pessimists and the benefits of positive thoughts are enormous. By simply controlling your thoughts you can learn to change negative thoughts into positive ones.

Modern day life has turned against us, with ever-increasing deadlines and the must-haves and must-do tasks ruling our lives. But with better planning, prioritising and goal-setting, we can complete tasks and still remain stress free. n

49

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09/05/2011 10:05

motoring sports interview

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Bénéteau, Les Embiez, Marcu 2011

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Peerless Precision

B Designed to be as much a high-performance sail boat as a spectacular space to stay, Beneteau’s new 50 footer has made the market its own

eneteau’s groundbreaking Sense 50' has been making waves ever since it was unveiled at the Cannes Boat Show last year. Having been described as a complete gamechanger by industry experts, the boat was voted the ‘Best production sailing yacht under 51 feet’ at this year’s Asia Boating Awards.

Leading the field in stylish living and home comforts, from bow to stern the Sense 50' has been engineered to provide for luxurious, extended periods of time on board. Internal spaces have been studied in terms of shape, function and

navigation to ensure that living quarters are airy and well thought out, while externally, a chined, 14.98 metre hull and twin rudders make for superlative performance out on the waves.

Revolutionary not just in its layout, the Sense 50' is available with Beneteau’s new Dock and Go docking system. The system, which synchronises a pivoting saildrive base and bowthruster via a joystick, makes berthing the boat in a restricted space effortless, even allowing you to pivot the boat in place whilst driving it sideways. n www.beneteau.com

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Revival 2011 210x297 ABSOLUTE BRIGHTON:Layout 1

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GOODWOOD REVIVAL p back in time” e t s l a c i g “A ma

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Badminton’s Best Held at a purpose-built venue within Wembley Indoor Arena Stadium, the World Badminton Championship sees the top 400 badminton players descend upon the capital. Always a display of athleticism, this year’s event promises to be even more astounding thanks to its location – the arena holds a crowd of 12,500 people, ensuring an electrifying atmosphere. The championship includes five events: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Those lucky enough to beat the rest will be bestowed with the title ‘World Badminton Champion.’

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8 -14 August 2011 Wembley Indoor Arena Stadium www.bwfbadminton.org

Champions League Draw

Challenge Cup Final Though it remains uncertain which two Rugby League sides will battle it out for the prestigious Challenge Cup trophy, the final is sure to be a close affair with a host of world class teams still in line for the cup. Warrington Wolves will be looking to defend the trophy, which, with the

current version taking more than 800 manhours to produce, is one of British sport’s most impressive. Prepare for an epic finale to what has been an enthralling season.

27 August 2011, Wembley Stadium For tickets visit www.eticketing.co.uk/rle

The Final Test The summer cricket campaign against the visiting Indian national team comes to its conclusion in the worldrenowned Oval this month. With Vauxhall tube station just half a mile away and Oval station even closer, lack of transport is no excuse to miss the fourth and final test of the series.

Sparks are bound to fly as both teams seek to rectify the records following 2007’s deadlock, which coincidentally occurred at the same ground.

18-22 August 2011, The Kia Oval For tickets visit www.eticketing.co.uk/surreytickets

With both Arsenal and Chelsea finishing amongst the Premier League’s top four clubs last season, the Champions League draw will be a crucial date for London’s football followers. While Chelsea’s new boss Andre Villas-Boas will be well aware of his club owner’s desire to bag the biggest prize in football, Arsenal will be seeking to silence the critics who highlight their lack of recent silverware. The draw takes place on 25 August so put a note in your diary now.

25 August 2011 www.uefa.com/ uefachampionsleague

Say what?

As a manager, you always have a gun to your head. It’s a question of whether there is a bullet in the barrel.

Kevin Keegan, speaking in 1995

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The Lee Brooks picks out the best five countries to visit in the next 12 months if you’re keen on blending a love for international sport with relaxing breaks from everyday life

Traveller

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spectacular Otago Peninsula before finding your way inland for a tour of the region’s famous vineyards. Then, if England makes it through to the knockout stages, which will take place in either Wellington or Auckland, take a detour to Akaroa Harbour near Christchurch to swim with the world’s smallest dolphins. And of course, no trip to New Zealand would be complete without a tour of the hallowed turf at Eden Park in Auckland, the country’s largest stadium, where you can learn how to perform the Haka, the Maori dance made famous by the iconic All Blacks rugby team.

Details: The 45-day tournament begins on 9 September, with host team New Zealand taking on Tonga in Auckland, and ends on the final in Auckland on 23 October. Flights to Auckland and Christchurch run daily from London Heathrow with both airports just 20 minutes by taxi to the city centre. World Cup tickets range from £21 for group games to £665 for the final. www.rugbyworldcup.com Argentina – Argentine Open Polo Championship 2011

New Zealand – Rugby World Cup 2011 In September, New Zealand will welcome thousands of fans to the country for the third biggest sporting event in the world: the Rugby World Cup. A feast of fixtures will take place across the country, otherwise known as the land of Lord of the Rings, giving you the opportunity to watch worldclass rugby while sampling some of the country’s breathtaking attractions.

Base yourself in Dunedin, as England will play all three of the group matches at the city’s Otago Stadium, but make time to see the

Every November, teams from all over the polo-playing world head for Campo de Polo in Argentina’s bustling capital city of Buenos Aires for the most revered international tournament in the world – the Argentine Open Polo Championship.

Held in Palermo since 1893, the star-studded event has been ruled by Argentina for the past century and attracts a crowd of more than 15,000 locals and international celebrities.

With 24 professional football teams – the highest concentration in any city across the world – football is a way of life in Buenos Aires. Typically, a match between Boca Junior and River Plate would be a once-in-a-lifetime event, should you get the opportunity to watch it. However, River Plate’s relegation from the first division for the first time in their 110-year history earlier this summer means you may have to wait a while to see the renewal of that epic rivalry. While you’re out there, you should head to the Cabana

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Las Lilas for an incredible steak, for which Argentina is famous, before hunting around for an invitation to one of the exclusive Polo Finals parties in the city.

Details: The event takes place between 5 November and 31 December in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tickets can be purchased on the gate for around £18 per person while travel packages cost from £2,299 through travel company Black Tomato. Flights to Buenos Aires fly daily from London Heathrow. www.aapolo.com www.blacktomato.co.uk Australia – Boxing Day Test at MCG With the excitement and exhaustion of Christmas Day, all most of us want to do on Boxing Day is warm ourselves by the fire, watching bad TV and gorging on leftovers. But for those in Melbourne, Australia, 26 December usually heralds a fine summer’s day and an excuse to chill out with friends, so it’s no surprise that they head out in droves to watch the Boxing Day Test at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Former England cricketer Bob Willis described the spectacle as “one of the biggest occasions in the sporting world.” Capable of holding more than 90,000 people in high-banked grandstands, the MCG plays host to a vibrant mix of cricket-loving locals and tourists. This year, India is heading over to take on the mighty Australians with tickets due to go on sale in September. If you’re prepared to wait a little longer, England will be returning to the scene of their epic 2010 Ashes triumph in 2013.

Named the world’s best sports city in 2009, Melbourne hosts a plethora of sporting events throughout the year. In January, the city kicks off the tennis season in earnest with the first grand slam of the year – the Australian Open – at Melbourne Park and in March, it transforms Albert Park into a temporary grand prix circuit to host Formula 1. In September, the MCG hosts the Australian Football (AFL) Grand Final, then two months later it welcomes the world’s best golfers to the Australian Masters.

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Details: The five-day Test kicks off on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Yarra Park. The stadium is easily accessible by bus, tram or train from anywhere in the city with one-day tickets starting from £13 either in advance or on the day, if available. Flights to Melbourne fly daily from London Heathrow. www.mcg.org.au United States – NFL Super Bowl XLVI It may be known as the motor racing capital of the world, courtesy of the Indy 500, but Indianapolis is fast becoming one of the sporting hubs of America and next year, Indiana’s capital will host the biggest sporting event of them all - the Super Bowl - an event which, watched by 111 million viewers earlier this year, is one of the most-watched TV events in history.

The Super Bowl is a professional football championship game which is played out between the champions of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Locals will be hoping their home team, the Indianapolis Colts, will make it to the final, especially as the game will be

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held at their home ground – the Lucas Oil Stadium.

Aside from the Indy 500, which sees the world’s best IndyCar drivers battle it out in a 500-mile race, Indianapolis plays host to an annual round of MotoGP and Nascar. There’s also the Indiana Pacers, who play in the Eastern Conference of the NBA, as well as a clutch of amateur sports which are hugely popular in America.

Details: Super Bowl XLVI will be played on 5 February 2012 at 6.30pm Eastern Time. Flights to Indianapolis fly daily from London Heathrow via Washington or New York. Tickets to the game range from £650 to £5,000. www.indianapolissuperbowl.com France – Le Mans 24 Hours “Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” Those famous words uttered by Steve McQueen in the legendary Le Mans film apply perfectly to the greatest race of them all – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Steeped in history and excitement, the world’s oldest endurance race has made the tiny town of Le Mans

famous the world over. The race kicks off at 4pm on Saturday afternoon and ends the same time the following day.

During that time, the likes of Audi, Peugeot, Aston Martin and Corvette battle it out on track, stopping only to repair damage or swap drivers, so they can take a short break and recharge their batteries before doing it all over again.

It’s not just motor sport which runs deep in the veins of the town.

Birthplace to tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Le Mans is home to a hightech karting circuit, a racecourse, an equestrian centre, and the Le Mans FC football team. What’s more, it frequently hosts a stage of the prestigious Tour de France cycle race.

Plenty, then, to keep you occupied.

Details: The next race takes place 9-10 June 2012 in Le Mans, France.

The most comfortable way to get there is by train, so hop on the Eurostar from Kings Cross St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. Take the underground to Montparnasse and catch the French high-speed train – the TGV – to Le Mans in less than an hour. Grandstand ticket prices start at £75. www.lemansrace.com n

Gold Medal Fitness

FITNESS

for Busy People There aren’t many of us who can win an Olympic Gold Medal aged 20, and return to the same sport aged 40 aiming to win another in 2012. But that’s exactly what Greg Searle is attempting.

So how did he regain his fitness whilst juggling a full time job and a young family? He used what little spare time he had wisely… on a Concept2 Indoor Rower. The Concept2 is recognised worldwide as providing one of the best all body workouts available – whether you’re an elite athlete or a complete beginner.

Not everyone has to have the same level of commitment that Greg has (he snuck away from the celebrations on Christmas Day 2009 to do a 5000m test in the spare bedroom!).

For us mere mortals, just 20 minutes three times a week promises

improved energy, better fitness, and probably a trimmer waistline. For those willing to put in a little more effort…the opportunities are limitless… as Greg is hoping!

To find out more about the Concept2 Indoor Rower and how it would improve your health & fitness visit our website at www.concept2.co.uk where you can download the Free training guide, or create your own interactive training programme.

If you would like to talk to one of our knowledgeable staff please call 0115 945 5522 today or you could check out what Greg Searle is up to on www.concept2.co.uk/greg

ROWING Concept2 Limited Vermont House Nottingham NG11 7HQ | 0115 945 5522 | info@concept2.co.uk | www.concept2.co.uk

NOT ALL

PLAIN SAILING Dee Caffari gives us her guide to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, as well as allowing Beverley Byrne an insight into her sailing career, including the remarkable feat of being the first woman to sail solo, nonstop, around the world in 2006

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warded an MBE in recognition of this achievement, Dee has since consolidated her position as one of Britain’s most inspirational female yachtswomen by sailing single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions. She also successfully completed the gruelling Vendée Globe Race in 2009, crossing the finish line in 6th place, out of an original fleet of 30 competitors. In June of the same year, Dee and an all-female crew went on to smash the mono-hull speed record around Britain and Ireland.

Now, having completed her third non-stop circumnavigation in the Barcelona World Race, Dee is looking to the future, which includes historic Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (from 6 August) - the oldest and largest annual sailing regatta in the world - and further success.

Why is Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week so special?

Cowes Week is a unique venue where you see sailors of all levels and experiences sailing together in races on the

same patch of water. The Solent allows close racing no matter what the weather, and its complex tides and coastal effects make it technically one of the more difficult places to race. Visitors can get a great view of the racing from a number of locations and the entertainment laid on during the day and evenings mean everyone has a great time, regardless of whether they sail or not.

How long have you been coming to Cowes?

My first Cowes Week was in 2000. I had just qualified from the UKSA and had recently started working for Mike Golding Yacht Racing. I was crew on a corporate charter yacht sailing nearly every day, taking guests out on the water for them to get a perfect view of all the exciting racing that takes place during Cowes Week. We went ashore one evening and I was asked to sail the next day on a race yacht, which was really exciting. Since then I have pretty much been at Cowes Week every year and, although not always racing, I’m nearly always on the water in some form.

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Above: Spirit of Diana, Spirit of Minerva, Ondeck/ Clipper Right: Spinnaker fleet © Rick Tomlinson at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2009

Which events are you particularly looking forward to?

Boats of all shapes and sizes are racing in this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. Some have a crew of just two, while others have in excess of ten people onboard. Small day sailing yachts are racing on courses that cross paths with yachts that have been racing around the world; that’s how diverse the sport is during Cowes Week.

I’m particularly looking forward to taking part in the Artemis Challenge. This is a race specific for IMOCA 60s, the yacht that’s sailed single-handed around the world in the Vendee Globe. It attracts an international line-up and the winner gets to present his or her prize money to the charity of their choice, which combines great sailing with a great cause. The Extreme Sailing Series base themselves at Egypt Point during Cowes Week and their racing is fast, furious and within spitting distance of the beach, which allows spectators to see the whites of the crew’s eyes as they race these amazing machines just inches from each other.

The Tuesday of Cowes Week is Ladies Day, which celebrates the increased number of women on the water each year. In fact, age and gender are not an issue with sailing and it’s one of the few sports where girls can compete on a level playing field with the guys, so there really are no excuses to get out there and on the water!

Although you are a yachtswoman, do you find events such as the Power Boat Festival (26-28 August) or the historic yachts events exciting?

I think it’s fabulous to be able to bring all events to our home waters of the Solent. We should be able to celebrate the fact that there are so many ways to enjoy the water. All events regarding watercraft have a positive effect on our economy, and it also exposes more people to the pleasures of the sport – that can only be a good thing.

You are an Ambassador for Toe In The Water. Tell us about the charity.

Toe in the Water is a tri service charity that uses competitive sailing as part of the rehabilitation for injured servicemen and women. This year they are the Cowes Week chosen charity. It’s exciting for them to receive the recognition they deserve, as I have experienced first-hand just how much of a difference this charity makes to these guys by re-inspiring them, re-integrating them into a team again and re-engaging them positively after what has been an often traumatic injury. They are not only racing during the week but they will also host a fundraising Gala Dinner on the first Sunday of Cowes Week.

What’s your advice for people visiting Cowes for the first time shore side or on the water?

The website is a great place to find out about all Cowes Week activities and how to get around. Races start at the Royal Yacht Squadron Line and you should aim to be there as the cannons go off to get a great view of the start lines. A little further round, you can not only see all the boats on the water, but also some of the world-class fleet of the Extreme Sailing Series. The official website will also let you know what weather to expect each day so you can plan your wardrobe to match the day’s activities, and it will also give you all the results as they happen. The

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chances are you’ll see some famous faces, so keep your eyes peeled and check the website on who is around, as word is that there could be a royal visit during the week this year!

After Cowes, what’s your next challenge?

This year I’ll be racing in the Rolex Fastnet race that starts the Sunday after Cowes Week, and beyond that I’m trying to secure funds to keep me sailing. My aim is to race in the Vendee Globe 2012 and I’m looking for sponsorship to allow me to get to the start line and race towards what I hope will be a podium position. Cowes Week will always be in my calendar as there is no other sailing event bigger and it is on our home waters, which is something to be very proud of. n To find out more about Dee, visit www.deecaffari.co.uk Cowes is on the Isle of Wight and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week takes place there from 6 to 13 August. For more information consult www.cowes.co.uk or www.aamcowesweek.co.uk

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Fun at

FULL THROTTLE Two readers run wild in the Caribbean at the Barbados Sol Rally 2011 and Matthew Carter goes along for the ride

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ith the revs bouncing off the limiter, the green and white Escort rally car slews into view. With a left/right flick around a duck pond ahead, the car is completely sideways as it enters the first part of the bend. But at that precise moment a duck decides to make a bid for freedom. It leaves the safety of the water and starts to waddle into the path of the oncoming Ford.

The huge crowd holds its collective breath and waits for the inevitable… but it never comes. Driver Andrew Jones spots the problem at the last moment, straightens the car up and just misses the errant bird. And then, just as calmly, he flings the car in the other direction to make the second part of the corner. The huge cheer that goes up frightens the duck more than the close shave.

Welcome to rallying, Barbados-style, a mix of topnotch motorsport, sun, rum and fun. Competitors from 14 nations are taking part in the Sol Rally Barbados – an annual event that takes over the beautiful Caribbean island for a week in early June. They are being watched by

thousands of enthusiastic and knowledgeable locals and a couple of lucky readers.

Earlier this year, The City magazine ran a competition for readers with a remarkable prize: ten days in the sunshine as VIP guests of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) to witness the 2011 running of the country’s top motorsport event. It was such a valuable prize that when winner Tom Hall was contacted by the BRC – he was on the train, heading home from a day at work at Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf – he was initially convinced it was a wind-up.

“At first, I couldn’t believe it… I never win anything,” said Tom. The fact that he says those words with a bottle of Banks, the local Barbadian brew, in one hand and is using the other to shelter his eyes from the blazing sun proves that the call was far from a joke. Tom and his best mate, fitness instructor Alex Wilmott, are here ready for an action-filled week packed with welcome parties, hog roasts, sun and sea, boat trips, site-seeing, late nights, early starts and plenty of top class motor sport. Some 90 teams are taking part in rally week, with local competitors taking on

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top flight drivers from overseas, the latter attracted as much by the sun as anything else. Well, given the choice between a three-day rally in a wet Welsh forest and a week-long party in Barbados, which would you go for?

As well as the Sol Rally itself, held over two days and 24 special stages, there’s a shakedown hill climb – the Shell V-Power King of the Hill – so that all the competitors can make sure their cars, especially those which have spent the preceding few weeks on the high seas making their way over from Europe, are fit and well.

And what a diversity of machinery. At the front are a clutch of turbo-charged four-wheel drive World Rally Cars, fast and fearsome Subarus and Fords that rip through the Barbados countryside at manic speeds. There are four-wheel drive Group N machines, slightly less powerful but just as exciting as the WRC cars, and a whole host of two-wheel drive cars ranging from the latest purpose-designed rally cars to crowd-pleasing classics, like the duck-missing Mk II Escort of Barbadian Andrew Jones.

Perhaps knowing that winning the event outright is out of the question, Jones and some of the other drivers of older machinery make it their responsibility to play to the crowds. During daylight hours, Jones drives everywhere sideways while for the night stages, he decks his car with flashing Christmas lights. Every time visiting Scotsman Allan Mackay powers his awesome Ford Anglia WRC (this time standing for Well Run Car, rather than World Rally Car) towards a road junction, instead of simply turning left or right as required, he slams the car into a series of wild doughnuts first. Just Google ‘Sol Rally Anglia’ for a YouTube example of what I mean.

At the front, though, things are deadly serious. Local hero Roger Skeete – incredibly, an 11-time winner of the event – is mastering the tricky conditions in his Subaru Impreza WRC, ahead of Briton Paul Bird in his Ford Focus WRC and the rest of the field. It’s late in the Barbados season and while the temperature stays resolutely at around 30 degrees, every day is punctuated by a short, sharp rainstorm, usually at 3.14pm and lasting all of 17 minutes.

Despite the predictability of the afternoon rain shower, the conditions still catch out a few competitors. Grip is at a premium on the island’s pretty ratty roads at the best of times, but add a little water and the surface becomes treacherous, catching out more than one competitor.

Skeete, though, conquers all to notch up his 12th win to the delight of the spectators, for whom the entire event is one big excuse to party. Arriving early in the morning, they set up camp on the edges of the cane fields to line every inch of the stages. Armed with cooler boxes full of food and drink they settle in for a day of high-octane thrills. The

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atmosphere is warm and friendly despite (or thanks to) the quantities of Banks beer and Mount Gay rum consumed.

Friendly just like the island, in fact. It’s Tom’s first visit to the Caribbean, but it won’t be the last. It’s not all motor sport for our winners; the pair managing to find some time to lie on the beach, to enjoy some of the best seafood anywhere in the world and to take their hire car (all part of the prize) to the further flung corners of the island.

Barbados isn’t just about golden beaches and the deep blue sea. The island might only be 21 miles from tip to toe, but it has a long and fascinating history and there’s plenty to see and do. Under British Colonial rule from around 1600 until independence in 1966, many of the place names have a familiar ring: Hastings, Worthing, Christ Church. English is the national language and they drive on the left, though these days the Barbadian Dollar is linked to the American Dollar and worth two to one.

The country’s two principle sources of income are tourism and sugarcane production – little wonder there’s so much rum in the place. Indeed, Mount Gay is said to be the oldest rum producer in the world, and rum production has recently been re-introduced to St Nicholas Abbey, a Jacobean mansion in the north east of the island surrounded by sugarcane fields.

It’s an island of contrasts, too. For example, the difference between the gentle West coast, where the rich and famous have their seaside homes, and the tough East coast, regularly battered by an angry Atlantic, is remarkable. “I’ve had a really great time,” says Tom. “Before I came here I was more of a Formula 1 fan, but the Sol Rally has made me think again - the speeds some of those cars reach on these tiny, bumpy roads is breathtaking.

“It’s been a really full-on week, but we only scratched the surface of the island. I’m definitely coming back. City magazine, I can’t thank you enough…” n Visit www.rallybarbados.bb for more information

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THE REAL THING

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All Images Courtesy of © GM Corp

ed up with all this talk of saving fuel? Bored with emissions? Reckon eco cars should be kicked into touch? If so, this has got to be the car for you: a full-fat Chevrolet Camaro, complete with 6.2-litres of V8 muscle under the hood Chevrolet is one of the fastest growing brands on the UK market but the iconic Chevy badge sits on the front of a series of tin boxes that comes from Korea rather than North America. Until now. The Camaro is the real thing, even though it was engineered in Australia by Holden and is built in Canada.

Although a brand new machine, it evokes a great car from Chevrolet’s past and, like the original Camaro from the late 60s, the latest to bear the name is a fire-breathing monster. That V8 sends a healthy 432hp to the rear wheels which means neck-snapping acceleration, though even if you drive gently you’ll soon be on first name terms with your local petrol station staff.

Camaro will be available either as a coupe or a convertible when sales start early next year, with prices starting at a remarkably reasonable £35,000 for the coupe and £40,000 for the soft top. A six-speed stick-shift transmission (or manual if you prefer) is standard though an automatic option is available at £1,500. Cars will be left-hand drive only, but will have a full complement of equipment with 20-inch alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, full leather trim, a nine-speaker stereo and suspension tuned for European roads. Now, where’s the nearest levee? n

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www.vgnewtrend.it

ph. Andrea Pancino C

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www.idesign-int.com info@inspirationsoftickhill.co.uk Tel: 01302 760040

- EXpress The addition of an ‘S’ to the badge on the boot of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage signifies enough changes to raise what was already a pretty fine car to something special, says Matthew Carter

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n creating its new V8 Vantage S, Aston Martin has blessed its two-seat coupé with a whole host of improvements.

There’s new suspension, bigger brakes, wheels and tyres and a new gearbox, while the engine has been breathed upon: Aston’s 4.7-litre V8 has more power – up to 430 bhp. It’s lighter, quicker and looks more aggressive.

Such have been the improvements to quality and refinement that the interior is incredibly well insulated from the outside world; in fact, the only way to get the full sensation from the car’s soundtrack – the glorious deep bass growl from the V8 – is to drive with the window wide open, which is somewhat draughty. But you will. Such is the aural treat from the retuned V8 that you’ll be driving the new Vantage S with the window open come rain or shine. Whenever you take the V8 over and above 3,500 rpm, the howl from the exhaust is like having Robert Plant in full voice riding shotgun on every journey. Glorious.

The sound encapsulates what Aston has done to the baby of the fleet to turn it into the S. It’s sharper, louder, more aggressive and more fun. As well as changes to the engine and its soundtrack – the latter helped by a new exhaust bypass valve map and revised silencer (which thankfully does little in the way of silencing) – the Vantage S has a new seven-speed automated manual transmission that Aston calls Sportshift II. Thanks to the extra gear – the previous transmission was a six speeder – the ratios are closer together for seamless and very rapid acceleration while the shifts themselves are 20 per cent quicker: a couple of flicks of the steering wheelmounted paddles is all it needs to get from zero to “bloodyhell-how-quick-am-I-going?” in a matter of moments. Or to put that more formally, it takes just 4.5 seconds to get to 62 mph from rest. This extra performance is matched by revisions to the chassis and running gear. The steering rack is quicker, the front discs are larger and there are new springs and dampers. The rear tyres – bespoke Bridgestones – are wider than before and there’s a new dynamic stability control system specifically tuned for the Vantage S. There are visual changes, too. Although all modern Aston Martins, frankly, look a little too similar, the V8 Vantage is perhaps the best looking of the lot. It’s aggressively handsome, punchy rather than svelte and perfectly proportioned. The S has been given a new aerodynamic splitter at the front beneath a larger air intake to feed the engine and the front brakes. There’s also a new rear bumper and wider side sills.

Dynamically, says Aston, the Vantage S has been influenced by the Vantage GT4 racer. That might be stretching things a little, but there’s no denying the car is feels constrained and uncomfortable in the city, preferring the wide open roads of the countryside. Indeed, driving away from dealer Stratstone into the maelstrom of Park Lane, neither car nor driver was happy. Initially I elected to

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use the transmission’s automatic setting so changing gear was one less thing to worry about as I familiarised myself with the car and negotiated the morning rush hour traffic.

The ride in town is nothing to write home about, with some of the road imperfections jarring the cabin and, though I’ve not got huge feet, I found the large brake pedal a bit too close to the throttle. So in town, then, the Vantage S felt awkward but as we edged out towards the country via a stretch of threelane highway, things got better. A whole lot better.

The first thing was to forget the automatic transmission setting and rely on the paddle shifts to change gear. The second was to punch the Sport setting which instantly sharpened things up. Sport speeds up gearshifts still further and gives a more aggressive throttle response. It also opens the exhaust to give more of that V8 howl, more of the time. All that’s missing is for the driver’s window to open automatically when Sport is engaged.

After a few miles on a favourite stretch of empty B road, those first impressions were largely forgotten. The suspension changes make the Vantage S feel sharper than ever and yet also make the ride more compliant. This is one of those cars that feels more comfortable, more together, the faster it goes.

The engine – which, let’s face it, is no slouch in the ordinary Vantage – is more potent still and the steering just superb. But perhaps the icing on the Vantage cake is the new gearbox, with a shift quality that’s second to none. After using the paddle shifters for the first time, the automatic setting was consigned to history.

As a driver’s car, then, the Vantage S hits the spot. And it’s not bad for the passenger too. The interior is beautifully hand crafted with, in the test car, a rich piano-black finish to the woodwork. Even the steering wheel is a work of art, chunky and covered in grippy Alcantara suede, just like a racing car. The only negative comment concerns the satellite navigation, which is a couple of generations older than the best systems on the market today. Far from intuitive to use, it’s not worthy of a IN BRIEF car costing more than £100,000.

Talking of money, that price tag Car: pitches the Aston against some Aston Martin V8 Vantage S formidable opposition, including the Price: Porsche 911 Turbo. But nothing looks £102,500 as good as the Aston, engages like the Engine: Aston or has the Aston’s exclusivity.

4735cc V8-cylinder petrol Most importantly, nothing sounds like Power: the Aston either. n 430 hp For all enquiries, or to arrange a test drive, please contact Stratstone of Mayfair (call 0207 2358888 or email emma.watson@stratstone.com, quoting The City Magazine)

Drive: Rear-wheel drive Performance: 189mph max 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds

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Not just another day at the office WELCOME TO TOWN HALL HOTEL & APARTMENTS

Not just another day at the office WELCOME TO TOWN HALL HOTEL & APARTMENTS

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fashion interiors trend

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Centre Stage

S The English National Ballet recently presented top fashion designers with the challenge of reworking the classic tutu, to stunning effect

haring core ideals of delicate aestheticism, dramatic design and powerful stagecraft, the worlds of fashion and ballet seem destined to work well together. At its stunning summer garden party, The English National Ballet unveiled its latest collaboration with some of fashion’s leading designers, with dancers pirouetting down the catwalk and modelling exclusive tiaras, tutus and shoes.

Given the challenge to rework the classic tutu, internationally acclaimed fashion powerhouses, including Julien Macdonald, Erdem and Beatrix

Ong (as pictured above), created beautiful, striking monochrome pieces, bedecked with sparkling detail and imbued with drama. Beatrix Ong and Christian Louboutin’s ballet pumps were gorgeously crafted, if a little difficult to wear while dancing, and truly whimsical interpretations of the prettiest type of ballerina footwear. Held in the gardens of Kensington Palace, the VIP event allowed guests to bid on the exclusive designs, with the proceeds of the night going to supporting the dance company in its future endeavours. n

www.ballet.org.uk

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Hats Off To You Hats are having a fashion moment – be they big or small, straw or felt, retro beauties or modern masterpieces, hats are the hottest accessories around and Laird & Co. Hatters have a great selection of chic headwear in a range of shapes, sizes and materials. Wherever you’re heading on your travels, whether it’s a tropical island, city break or country escape, hats are perfect for sun protection and are a complete style essential. Laird & Co.’s straw panama hat will add elegance and sophistication to your holiday wardrobe.

Star Gazing

Throughout history, travellers have followed the stars. Theo Fennell’s Zodiac Charms take inspiration from the cosmos.

Each delicate charm is named after a star sign and features the corresponding constellation of the sign beautifully depicted in diamonds. Made from 18 carat yellow gold and diamond, the charms are easy to wear and add glamour and personality to your holiday wardrobe.

Straw Panama Hat, £165 6 Royal Exchange 020 7626 3636

18 Carat Yellow Gold and Diamond Zodiac Charms, £1,200 4 The Courtyard Royal Exchange 020 7623 4380

Style

Travel in

Ensure you’re the chicest person on the beach, on the boat or at the bar with a visit to The Royal Exchange to replenish your summer wardrobe by investing in true jet-set style

Travel Light

Travel Companion

Staying stylish when you travel begins with clever packing. Searle & Co.’s silver travel cufflinks are not only chic but also incredibly handy for travelling as they fold flat, perfect for slipping into a wash bag or dinner jacket pocket and taking up the minimal amount of space in your case. Their no-fuss style also means they go with everything, especially handy for the discerning traveller’s capsule wardrobe. These timeless cufflinks demonstrate Searle & Co.’s excellent quality and expertise in contemporary and vintage jewellery and silverware.

Montblanc’s toffee-coloured deerskin hold-all bag is a stylish but practical solution to your travel needs. This roomy bag has a large mega-compartment with two small front pockets, but is still suitable for use as hand luggage. The luxurious leather from New Zealand is naturally grained and has a characteristic smooth feel, tanned with chrome and semi-anilin-dyed through. Subtle detailing, such as the brown jacquard lining and satin finish stainless steel fittings, make the bag a chic choice, but comfort is still high on the agenda, with leather grip handles and an adjustable shoulder strap.

Silver Travel Cufflinks, £150

Soft Leather Range Hold-All Bag, £1,445

1 Royal Exchange 020 7626 2456

10–11 The Royal Exchange 020 7929 4200

Stay Fresh Kiehl’s Men’s Festival Tool Kit is the ultimate solution to keeping fresh during the festival season, as well as on your travels.

Re-energise on the go with Kiehl’s travel-size kit, which includes all the grooming essentials you could possibly need. This mini collection of Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash, Ultimate Man Body Scrub Soap, Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment for Men, Amino Acid Shampoo and Lip Balm #1 will ensure you stay looking your best as you travel from A to B. Kiehl’s Men’s Festival Tool Kit, £31.50 14-15 Royal Exchange 020 7283 6661

Traveller Chic

Bohemian style has emerged as a big trend in accessories this summer, and the fashion forward jewellery look this season is a mish-mash of colourful bracelets, charms and bangles piled high, hippy style.

Tateossian’s new Worry Bead bracelets are made from semi-precious stones with symbolic rhodium-plated sterling silver ID tag and Talismanic evil eyes to ward off bad luck. These are perfect for stacking with other bracelets for the ultimate in laid-back, stylish holiday chic.

Tateossian Worry Bead Bracelet, £110 1/4 Royal Exchange 020 7283 3434

Home From Home

Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom individual travel candle is the perfect way to create a homely atmosphere on your travels. An ideal size for transit – not too big, not too small – Jo Malone’s travel candles infuse any room with delightful aromas and soft light, creating a welcoming ambience. Inspired by the scent of flowers drifting through the window of a Beverly Hills hotel, Orange Blossom is a refreshing and sophisticated scent. Top notes of orangey, bitter-sweet Clementine flower are balanced by the sweetly decadent white lilac heart notes and deep and woody orriswood base notes.

Jo Malone Orange Blossom Travel Candle, £22 24 Royal Exchange 0870 192 5131

Time Flies Keep time in style with Tiffany & Co.’s Atlas Travel Alarm Clock. You can certainly count on the fine jewellery house for precision; the chic timepiece is powered by pedigree Swiss mechanics and has a quartz resonator in rhodium. Clever design makes the clock stylish and practical, with a red leather cover which slides across to protect the clock face and enables the alarm clock to be stored easily in its miniature form. At just 1.5 inches high, it’s the perfect petite travel companion.

Tiffany & Co. Atlas Travel Alarm Clock, £310 9 The Courtyard Royal Exchange 020 7409 2790

Agent Provocateur || Artisan Fine Art || Bachet || Boodles || Bulgari || Church’s || Crockett & Jones || De Beers Gucci || HeRMes || Jo Malone || Kiehls || Laird & Co Hatters || L’Occitane || Loro Piana || Lulu Guinness || Milleperle Molton Brown || Montblanc || Omega || Paul A. Young Fine Chocolates || Paul Smith || Penhaligon’s Pretty Ballerinas || Royal Exchange Jewellers || Searle & Co || Smoker’s Paradise || Smythson || Tateossian Theo Fennell || Tiffany & Co || Vilebrequin || Watches of Switzerland

Royal Exchange, Bank, City of London, EC3V 3LR

www.theroyalexchange.co.uk

fashion

concierge

fashion

news A Name to Know Angelo Galasso believes that the finishing touches are what help a man to achieve elegance. Whether such detail be in the fine-fitting of his bespoke suits, the butter-soft leather of made-to-measure accessories pieces or a pervasive burst of carefully chosen colour, Galasso’s work exudes class and has led him to be declared one of this generation’s most inventive designers.

Clients are invited to visit his striking new Knightsbridge boutique for a consultation and there they are able to enjoy refreshment at the in-house bar as well as access to a VIP dressing room.

8-10 Hans Road, knightsbridge, SW3 1RX

Quote of the month: Summer Kind of Wonderful In keeping with travel of the chicest kind comes the stunning current collection from Diane Von Furstenberg. The label’s gorgeous signature prints have been given a seasonal twist by combining them with splashes of

colour and flowing separates. The effect remains sophisticated yet is effortlessly cool, lending each look perfectly to summer holidays, whether taken in St. Tropez, Ibiza or the Seychelles. www.dvf.com

hange is the C healthiest way to survive Karl Lagerfield

Website:

TREND:

Ahilya Scarf

Under the eye of former Vogue fashion editor Nick Cox and in association with a dazzling range of contributors comes a website offering comprehensive advice on male grooming services and products. If you’re seeking an exclusive spa, style advice or information about the most groomed of men, this is your essential bookmark.

Glitter

Coveted by Claudia Schiffer and sustainably sourced, the scarves of luxury label Ahilya are worthy of every girl’s wish list. Each season’s collection is produced in collaboration with a leading artist and the current range sees the intricate Indian ink work of Claire Fanjul silk screen printed onto the finest cashmere. Prices start at £250. www.ahilya.com

www.thegroomingguide.com

MUST-HAVE ITEM:

A perennial party look, embellishment has been featured even more heavily on the runway this season. From the baroque dresses of Alexander McQueen to jewel-encrusted Marchesa bags, the collections sparkled under the flashbulbs at Fashion Week. This clutch is super stylish.

Valorie Gold Glitter Clutch Bag, £250 Anya Hindmarch, www.gift-libarary.com

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Jewelled ‘Capri’ cut-out swimsuit, £1,200, Melissa Odabash 48b Ledbury Road W11 and 93 Walton Street SW3 020 7589 2245, www.melissaodabash.com Platinum ‘Tatjana’ stilettos, £690, Lara Bohinc, www.larabohinc.com

LA Woman For your summer holiday, invest in classic black swimwear for a streamlined look or opt for colourful, printed, asymmetric or jewelled if you want to stand out Photography: Neil Marriott Fashion Editor: Lucie Dodds

Black cut-out ‘Lysanndra’ swimsuit, £245, Agent Provocateur www.agentprovocateur.com Black sunglasses, £270, Tom Ford, as before

Black tie shoulder and waist ‘Caruso’ swimsuit, £145, Violet Lake www.violet-lake.com

Black plunge halterneck ‘Amber’ swimsuit, £135 Elizabeth Hurley Beach, www.elizabethhurley.com

Leopard print bandeau swimsuit, £285 Liza Bruce, as before Gilt ‘Metropolis’ necklace, £610 and ring, £410 Lara Bohinc, www.larabohinc.com Purple metallic leopard stilettos, £385 Rupert Sanderson, 19 Bruton Place W1 020 7491 2220, www.rupertsanderson.com

Tan cut-out halterneck ‘Tatiana’ swimsuit, £189, Pistol Panties, 75 Westbourne Park Road W2 020 7229 5286, www.pistolpanties.com Charcoal bone cuff, £305, Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. 0800 2000 1122, www.tiffany.co.uk

Shot at Cowley Manor - the contemporary country house hotel and spa Cowley, near Cheltenham Gloucestershire, GL53 9NL +44 (0) 1242 870 900 www.cowleymanor.com

Hair & Make-Up: Paula Mann at Models1 Creative, using Paul Mitchell (www.paul-mitchell.co.uk) and Illamasqua Flare Lipstick & Gamma Nail Varnish (www.illamasqua.com)

concierge fashion

Angel

Entrepreneur

Chelsey Baker speaks to Samata Angel, the inspiring young designer who is fast becoming a shining light in the fields of fashion marketing and business enterprise

B

ritish fashion entrepreneur, author and designer Samata Angel is already an inspiration to young design students and women in business, through her educational books and work as a fashion journalist. The Cambridge-born designer moved to London in 2001 to study economics, finance and management, despite having such a creative flair. After working in various roles within the fashion industry, ranging from head of PR for a Kings Road boutique to Fashion Editor of Talent magazine, she decided to set up her own brand, Samata’s Muse.

Inspired to dress women in pieces that enhance their curves and femininity, her brand went on to dress the likes of Jennifer Lopez and the young designer showcased her first collection in 2007. The self-taught fashion designer initially came into the public eye when she made history to become the first British female to show during the Nolcha Fashion Week in New York. Samata has since gone on to receive many industry awards and nominations, and was even invited to 10 Downing Street in acknowledgment of her work within the fashion industry and education.

Samata is an ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship Week and actively supports the campaign by sharing her story and journey through the fashion industry, and mentoring students and young people. She is also an ambassador for the Transatlantic Network 2020, a sustainable, multilateral network that engages with future leaders from North America, the UK and the rest of Europe to address global issues collaboratively. This bright young fashionista was also recently announced as the winner of Suzy Amis Cameron’s Red Carpet Green Dress competition 2011, an international competition to create a dress made of sustainable materials. Samata was flown to Los Angeles to have her own model walk the “red” (green) carpet at the Global Green pre-Oscar party in Hollywood.

With experience in and around the industry, including creativity, design and the business side of it, Samata has developed a real understanding of the entrepreneurial challenges and needs faced by emerging designers. She believes fashion designers now have to be more than just designers; they have to be entrepreneurs and must understand PR, marketing, networking and other key business disciplines. Working in such a competitive industry inspired Samata to start writing her own guidebooks for struggling designers; after carrying out years of research within the fashion industry, she launched a much-needed business guide aimed at fashion design graduates. Fashioning your Life – A Clothing Designer’s Guide provides advice

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in the fields of marketing, promoting, manufacturing, setting up, money management, design copyright and other important areas. Volume 1 and Volume 2 feature exclusive quotes from the likes of Nigel Barker and Nick Ede. Samata explains, “I adore fashion, particularly communicating through different media platforms – from TV to tweeting, inspiring creativity and providing and promoting educational products for creatives. Fashion design was my initial love and remains my first love”. Through her work she aims to connect with creative entrepreneurs of all ages and find out about the issues they face. Samata is currently working on a revised version of her guidebook, which will be a combination of educational resources and a lifestyle book for fashion entrepreneurs. She knows and understands the difficulties faced by fashion creatives when trying to get backing for their ventures all too well, and is an avid supporter of doing what you can when you can to inspire others. In her case, this means lecturing students on being entrepreneurial and showing them innovative ways to work their way into a notoriously competitive industry.

In addition to lecturing work, she works as an ambassador for Enterprise Insight chaired by Peter Jones, where she engages with young students and discusses some of the current issues struggling entrepreneurs face. As I am writing this article, an excited Samata telephones me to share her latest news: “I have just been made the global Campaign Director for the Red Carpet Green Dress!” It seems she certainly made an impression on Suzy Cameron (wife of film producer James Cameron) in LA following her recent competition win. Samata is set to work on this global sustainable dress project for the Oscars in 2012.

“I am so excited to use all my experience, from event management and PR and marketing to working with emerging designers to bring something very fresh, exciting and beautiful to the campaign.”

At such a young age, this serial entrepreneur is a true inspiration to fashion design students, aspiring designers, women in business and talented creatives. Samata seems to have truly paved the way for others to follow in her footsteps and fulfil their dreams of ‘fashioning their life’. n www.samataangel.com

interiors

concierge

interiors

news Green with Envy Graham and Green have added to its cute and quirky furniture and homeware range with a selection of bold prints from Hello Geronimo. All of the pictures are handmade and embellished with textiles and beads. However, of particular note are the colourful designs which feature single buttons arranged into a variety of scenes on white backgrounds. The effect is striking and interesting and this ‘LOVE’ print is in keeping with the interiors trend for ornamental letters and word art. £240, www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

Know Mumo

Designer Spot Leading designer and architect Louise Bradley has expanded her signature furniture collection to include many more breathtaking pieces. Louise takes inspiration from travel, fashion, literature and art and her own designs reflect the grand and contemporary style of her interior design.

Art Deco armchairs, hand-made glass pendant lights and edgy floor-length mirrors are amongst her most recent creations, with throws, cushions and other luxurious soft furnishings on the way. www.louisebradley.co.uk

Stay in Style

The debut collection from ethical brand Mumo is now available.

The company strives to be socially and environmentally conscious in all aspects of its business and sources its fabrics responsibly from less developed parts of the world.

Textiles products are also created using rare artisan techniques with the aim of opening the market to smaller producers, while all fabric dyes used are bio-degradable.

The range includes cushion covers created from the discarded fish skins of restaurants in Asia. www.amara.co.uk

The Lanesborough has long been considered one of London’s most elegant and beautiful hotels and this reputation has been cemented with the impressive redesign of its signature suite. The eponymous room is set over 4,000 square feet and includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a stunning dining room.

World-renowned designer Alberto Pinto was the man entrusted with the decor of the suite and has created an opulent space bedecked in silk drapes, rich colours and handsome antique furniture. It is available for £14,000 per night. www.lanesborough.com

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the trend Embrace the spirit of the sea and the luxury of beachside living. Create a stylish and airy retreat using coastal colours, natural textures and nautical accessories

Soleil Mirror, £2,127 Christopher Guy www.christopherguy.co.uk

Tall Buffet Hurricane £575, Amara www.amara.co.uk

Slatted bed Slatted Day Bedday with Cream Cushion £1,495, £1,495, Lombok,Lombok www.lombok.co.uk www.lombok.co.uk

interiors

concierge

Great Wave wallpaper in Blue, £POA, Cole & Son www.cole-and-son.com

Parlene Globe on a Stand £100, John Lewis www.johnlewis.com

Sea Tweed Blanket, £130 The Atlantic Blanket Company www.atlanticblankets.com

Royal Albert 1930 Polka Rose Two Tier Cake Stand, £32.50 Liberty, www.liberty.co.uk

Victorian Binoculars with Tripod £122, Authentic Models www.authenticmodels.com

Ormond Vase £19.99, Zara Home www.zarahome.com

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RBK Summer11 A2:Layout 1

23/6/11

10:08

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30

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health & fitness

concierge

health & fitness

news

Putting Perfection It doesn’t matter how few shots it takes you to get to the golfing green, if you can’t handle a putter once you’re there, your handicap is never likely to improve. In fact, more than 40 per cent of shots in a round of golf are taken with one club: the putter.

Now you can better your putting performance with the aid of ‘Got the Vibe’ – a device which improves putting accuracy by reducing the vibrations in the putter head and dramatically increasing the sweet spot on the putter face. Taking less than five minutes to fit, the device is positioned in the shaft of the putter close to the balance point, improving rhythm and distance control. www.davehicksputting.com

CONCEPT2 Concept2 have been selling rowing machines in the UK since 1983 and the company’s goal is to promote and encourage the growth of indoor rowing as a healthy lifelong leisure pursuit. Here, Terry O’Neill, Olympic Rowing Coach and Training Guru, answers your fitness questions.

Q: “I am overweight and not sure what to do” A: “Over the years I’ve worked with many people who are trying to lose weight, from International Lightweight athletes who want to lower their body fat to a few per cent to people who are clinically obese. The answer I give all

these people is to combine good eating habits with whole body exercise like rowing. Watching what you eat is absolutely crucial as you can only lose the fat by burning fat during exercise or expending more energy than you are taking in – so the body then burns its fat stores. Visit the website, where I explain the process, and download a booklet with all the information you need to get started. There is also a weight loss training program that you can follow online too.

If you have any questions, just drop me an email [training@concept2.co.uk].” www.concept2.co.uk/weightloss

Getting Fit with the Forces

Slim Jims, One Finsbury Avenue, Broadgate, EC2M 2PF

While the summer is still here, get fit by getting outdoors with British Military Fitness. The largest and longest running provider of outdoor fitness classes in the UK, BMF runs more than 400 classes a week in 120 parks across the country, including at locations within the City of London.

All BMF instructors are either currently serving or have served in the UK or Commonwealth Armed Forces and have relevant military or personal fitness training qualifications. For an invigorating outdoor workout, sign up for a free introductory session.

www.slim-jims.co.uk

www.britmilfit.com

Keeping the City In Shape Slim jims has been exercising the heart of the city of london since it was first established in 1970. Now located on the broadgate estate, and having benefitted back in 2006 from an extensive refurbishment, the gym boasts two squash courts, a large aerobics studio, a separate spinning studio and a range of treatment rooms. Next month,

amanda hart, slim jims’ general manager, will attempt to climb mont blanc, having already taken part in the 3 peaks challenge, to raise money for breast cancer care. Visit www.Justgiving.Com/ ajhslimjimshealthclub to donate.

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feature travel food & drink

art abroad thailand .................................................... boundary

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WHEN IN ROME...

R Editor Annabel Harrison tells you why you must visit Rome – the 11th most visited city in the world and her favourite

ome has a much deserved reputation as one of the most romantic cities in the world, along with Paris, Venice and Florence – what some have nicknamed the Disney cities of Europe – because of its fairytalelike architecture and magical atmosphere, especially at night. The capital city of Italy, home to more than 2.7 million people, is one of the most successful city ‘brands’ in the world and millions visit every year to visit the Vatican, propose to girlfriends in front of the Trevi Fountain and eat pasta like only the Italians can.

However, for me, the real beauty of Rome lies in the way in which the whole city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be explored on foot for days at a time without the need to plan; every wrong turn throws up unexpected treasures. Visit the world-famous Colosseum but make sure you take in the incredible Arch of Constantine right next to it, created from centuries of spoils, and admire the 190 metres of frieze winding round the Column of Trajan.

Must-sees also include the Pantheon, for its curved dome, and the exquisite Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace), housed in a bespoke museum. n

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Captivate Your Senses The first internationally-acclaimed Chuan Spa in Europe is now open at The Langham, London.

Rediscover your source with luxurious treatments inspired by the philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The Langham, London 1c Port land Place, Regent Street, London W1B 1JA T 44 (0) 20 7973 7550

tllon.info@chuanspa.com

www.chuanspa.co.uk

AUCKLAND • BOSTON • HONG KONG • LONDON • LOS ANGELES • MELBOURNE • SHANGHAI

ChuanSpa ExclusiveMag.indd 1

15/3/11 13:35:46

travel

connoisseur

travel

news

Business Class Those with business matters north of the border will be delighted to hear that Glasgow now has its very own five star hotel in the form of the contemporary yet comfortable, Blythswood Square. The property boasts 100 luxury bedrooms and six spacious suites, including a dramatic penthouse with its own terrace.

Guests can dine in the relaxed and fun environment of the main restaurant and cocktail bar and try out traditional Scottish beauty treatments in a beautiful spa. www.blythswoodsquare.com

Iconic Design

Built into the impressive landscape of the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve in South Africa, the Earth Lodge has long been renowned as the most environmentally friendly development of its kind and this is set to continue with a stunning refurbishment.

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the interior of the Lodge has been redesigned with the raw

beauty of the surrounding nature in mind. The 12 opulent suites are now bedecked in tones of gold, copper and silver and feature natural artworks including twig chandeliers and gilded branches.

Amenities at the lodge include an indulgent Armani spa, swim-up day bar with spectacular views across Kruger National Park and a cosy library. www.sabisabi.com

Ultimate Escapism The slender coral island of Vamizi, just off the north coast of Mozambique is perfect for those desiring ultimate seclusion but an abundance of activities.

The island provides easy access to Neptune’s Arm, which has been named one of the best diving sites in the world and offers canyons teeming with reef sharks, tropical fish, snappers and potato bass. Yoga, kayaking, castaway picnics and whale watching activities are also available. www.toescapeto.com

www.designhotels.com

Travel Fact According to recent tourism figures, Paris is the most visited city in the world.

Website of the month:

www.gridskipper.com

Go Wild

One of Zurich’s most recognisable landmarks has undergone a sensitive restoration programme. Hotel Sweizerhof operates within a Grade I listed building and while its elegant façade and original features remain, antique furnishings sit alongside discreet state-of-the-art technology to provide modern luxury for guests.

Well-suited for enduring city slickers, this website offers news and reviews for popular worldwide destinations including New York, Berlin and Sydney. The online guide captures a distinctly local insight with its list of great independent boutiques in Los Angeles, picnic spots in Brussels and Madrid sights visited by Ernest Hemmingway.

Brought to you in association with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, an unsurpassable collection of over 500 hotels spanning 70 countries, which offer an infinite variety of experiences.

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irresistible

Indulgence Timothy Barber visits Soneva Kiri, the resort on the Thai island of Koh Kood that is to luxury retreats what the Abramovich superyacht is to parochial sailing boats

travel

O

f all the irresistible things you’d hope to experience on an idyllic island – gorgeous beaches, exotic food, kaleidoscopic sea life, picture-perfect sunsets – you’d be forgiven for leaving gourmet chocolate off the list.

Yet, at the heart of Soneva Kiri sits a walk-in temple to that most irresistible of foodie vices. In a refrigerated glass room with views over bamboo walkways and the quiet bay beyond, where discrete villas fringe the water and a long jetty reaches out over the pristine surf, you find tray after tray of chocolate delicacies: macaroons, mousses, truffles, chocolate slabs, fondants, fondues, pralines, chilled chocolate drinks – all created by the resident Italian chocolatier and all to be gorged on, for free, as and when you please.

It’s worth picking up on this, because Soneva Kiri is run by Six Senses, an ultra-luxe brand best known for its spa retreats – and, indeed, the spa at Soneva Kiri, with its isolated treatment huts, raised walkways and atmosphere of a serene Chinese garden, is world class. But the fact that Soneva Kiri is as much the perfect holiday destination for the Augustus Gloops of this world as it is for those who like their chi balanced is testament to the level of absurdly enjoyable indulgence on offer here. This isn’t just about pampering – you can spoil yourself any way you choose.

The first grand indulgence is the manner of your arrival. Koh Kood is a tiny, jungle-covered island lying just off the Cambodian border in the Gulf of Thailand – which is to say, it’s a world away from the tourist-centric islands clustered around Phuket on the country’s western peninsula. To reach it, board a one-engine aircraft from Bangkok airport for a picturesque 45-minute flight to an islet just big enough to host an airstrip; from there, you’re whipped across the waves in a fantastically stylish speedboat to Soneva Kiri’s jetty.

At which point two interesting things happen. A sign introduces you to the resort’s ethos – “no shoes, no news” – and you’re asked to turn your watch back an hour. Soneva

connoisseur

Kiri, you see, keeps to its own time zone. Ostensibly, it’s to take advantage of the daylight hours but the sensation of switching off real life and jumping into a sealed, otherworldly Eden – one where all the fruit is there to be picked liberally and at will – could hardly be greater.

Elsewhere on the island, there’s the odd backpackerfriendly hotel but don’t expect to encounter any scruffy gap year students looking for the next Full Moon party. It is an enclosed community, with its own network of roads (joy of joys, you’re given your own golf buggy to get around the place) which link its villas, restaurants, beach, spa and other areas. As you rattle down its lanes, the staff – who considerably outnumber the guests – stop, smile and bow as a matter of course, hands pressed together in the traditional Thai manner.

There are three “Soneva” resorts – the other two are in the Maldives. The word comes from a melding of Six Senses founder Sonu Shivdasani’s name and that of his wife Eva, and it represents the top tier of the company’s offering. This means more space, larger accommodation, fewer fellow guests and service of the absolutely-no-request-is-too-difficult variety.

Want to head out fishing in a traditional Thai boat? Done.

Zip off in a speedboat for some snorkelling and diving? No problem. Go for a private picnic on a distant beach decorated with coral? Very well. Take a plane over Cambodia to see the legendary temples of Angkor Wat? Even that can be arranged, courtesy of the Soneva Kiri private plane.

And the villas are, indeed, massive, and very beautiful. My one-bedroom accommodation included its own courtyard with outdoor bath, plus a separate dressing room, bathroom and two showers (one outdoor) – and that’s just on the top level. A spiral staircase led down to a sizeable private pool surrounded by a large deck area with loungers and sofas; follow more stairs back up and you arrive at the open-air ‘living room’. I counted nine different sofa areas in which to sit and admire the views out over the bay. Sleeping with the blinds open, I’d wake up bathed in golden light as the sun rose at the end of the bed (which is vast, naturally).

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connoisseur travel

The larger, family-sized villas can sleep several, for those who want to bring nannies, butlers, boxing coaches (this has happened, apparently), grandparents and children. Your little darlings might even end up with a waterslide leading straight from their room to the pool below and if that doesn’t keep them occupied, the remarkable kids’ club – an avant-garde bamboo den resembling a giant, twisted wicker basket – provides all manner of supervised activities.

This means adults can get on with the not so onerous activity of pure, unbridled escapism. Soneva Kiri beach is a humdinger – it’s not huge but it’s perfectly formed, a gentle sandy strip, overhung with palms, and shallow, turquoise waters. With the resort’s low numbers of guests – there are presently just 38 villas – you’re unlikely to find yourself struggling for access to a sun-lounger. The beach is the most remote area of the resort, and you take your buggy along a road that winds through the jungle to reach it, passing the cinema along the way. Cinema? Why, yes – overlooking a lake, for romantic, outdoor screenings every Wednesday night.

Fabulous food is everywhere at Soneva Kiri – don’t even think about trying to lose weight here. There’s luminously beautiful sushi down at the beach, and a gourmet restaurant called The View occupies the resort’s highest point, with a rather fine cocktail bar. At the resort’s main hub, by the jetty where you arrive, a large structure of winding wooden walkways includes the main restaurant – put in your own requests for grilled fish and meats, while the buffets of every

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kind of Asian delicacy are things of wonder. There’s another bar with its own swimming pool, star-watching observatory and shops and you can even take a meal in the treetops, winched up in a bamboo pod, to which staff will swing down zip lines to bring you each course.

However, the best dining to be had is off the resort. Take a boat round a headland, up a jungle river and into a mangrove swamp and you arrive at Soneva Kiri’s true jewel; Khun Benz restaurant, named after its female chef. In a traditional wooden building at the water’s edge, Khun Benz – who formerly worked at the Maldives Soneva resort, Soneva Fushi – creates Thai dishes of electrifying loveliness. Tuck in while tree frogs chirrup around you and fireflies dance over the water. No, this isn’t real life; it’s fantasy living of the most decadent kind and, like all the most decadent things, fine chocolate included, it’s irresistible. n

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Bailey Robinson (www.baileyrobinson.com or 01488 689700) offers seven nights at Soneva Kiri by Six Senses, Thailand, from £2,800 per person based on two adults sharing a Hill Villa Suite, including full board, international flights and transfers. Valid for travel 16 August - 31 October 2011.

Add a day trip to Angkor Wat from £1,200 per person, based on two adults, including a return private plane transfer, full day tour, visa and immigration fees.

exceeding your expectations

Luxury

Car Hire

Whether it’s for business, a special occasion, test drive or just for fun, VIP Car Hire can cater. We provide car hire from three days to 12 months and our fleet includes Ferrari 458 & F430, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Bentley GTC, Range Rovers and many more all the way down to the Mini Cooper S. We also offer a nationwide delivery service with any of our cars.

contact@vipservices.co.uk www.vipservices.co.uk

Tel: 020 7407 2121

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www.justerinis.com 0207 493 6174

CITYpromotion

a tradition of luxury The exclusive and exquisite Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM celebrates its 20th anniversary of offering boutique elegance across the globe

Since its origins 20 years ago, Small Luxury Hotels of the World have been providing discerning travellers with access to personalised luxury in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring locations.

Having begun with just 70 properties in 12 countries, the collection now encompasses over 520 international boutique hotels, each carefully selected for their style, elegance and sophistication. 17th century mansions, idyllic country retreats and city centre sanctuaries with cutting-edge design are amongst the options which have been unearthed by the brand’s global ambassadors, who source members according to strict criteria. Consistent excellence is demanded in all areas and to guarantee that this high quality is maintained, each hotel is rigorously inspected at regular intervals.

The brand’s level of experience in the high-end travel industry undoubtedly gives such choices a resounding authority and ensures customers can be confident that a recommended hotel will possess great service and attention to detail.

However, customers cannot only expect glamorous accommodation in exotic destinations. For the past two

decades, SLH have also been offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences, which give guests the opportunity to punctuate their dream holiday with adventures and activities.

Speaking as the company approaches its landmark anniversary, CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Paul Kerr, explained that he wanted all visitors to have a memorable experience, not just a holiday.

“Discerning travellers have a choice of so many wonderfully secluded and idyllic hotels around the world,” he said. “We wanted to stand out from the crowd and to highlight why guests will ‘Experience Another World’ with SLH. We have only included the very best experiences in our portfolio which we believe will offer our clients a lifetime of memories.

We recognise that a holiday is about so much more than where you stay, it’s about choice. It is a chance to learn about the environment and culture that surrounds you and to experience the magnificent landscapes and communities in which our properties are situated,” he continued.

Read on for our pick of 20 of the most amazing experiences to enjoy with SLH and visit the website at www.slh.com

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Be inspired From pearl-farming in Phuket to learning calligraphy in China, Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM offers guests the chance to enjoy incredible experiences whilst staying at one of their hand-picked, opulent properties. The brand’s 20-year history ensures that there is an inspiring activity for everyone, wherever one’s enthusiasms or intentions lie. Be sure to visit www.slh.com for full details

Wilderness Experience: Crocodile Spotting, Queensland, Australia Whilst staying at a unique rainforest lodge guests are able to learn about the eco-system before taking a river cruise to see crocodiles in their natural habitat and visiting a local aboriginal population.

Stay: Bloomfield Lodge Hotel, Queensland, Australia Take to your own elegant timber cabin and enjoy the views of the natural landscape. This exclusive lodge is reached only by four-wheel drive, giving it an air of mystery and serenity.

Other favourites: Reef Checking and a stay at Baros Maldives in the Maldives; Elephant riding and a stay at the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa in Thailand; Snorkelling, scuba diving and

touring boiling lakes and stalactites with a stay at the Misibis Bay Resort, Phillipines; Observe Japanese Wild Monkeys and stay at Hoshinoya Karuizawa, Japan.

Gourmet Experience: Truffle Hunting, Burgundy, France This relaxing expedition gives guests the opportunity to embrace life outdoors, with a specially planned search for truffles. Led by a trained dog, treasures are unearthed before a tasting session accompanied by fine wine.

Stay: Château de Gilly, Burgundy, France A former home of medieval monks, the château is a grand residence boasting impressive architecture and beautiful parkland grounds. It overlooks the River Vogue providing breath-taking views and an overwhelming sense of tranquillity.

CITYpromotion

Other favourites Deep Sea Fishing in the Cook Islands and a stay at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki; A Guided Tour of Coffee and Spice Plantations and a stay at the Orange County Coorg in India; An In-Suite Cooking Class and a stay at Hotel Bergs in Latvia; A Vineyard Tour and stay at the Hotel Viura in Spain.

Culture Experience: The Pearls of Asia, Phuket, Thailand Take a fascinating trip to a pearl farm by speedboat and gain an insight into the cultivation, protection and values of one of the ocean’s most precious treasures. This experience also gives guests the opportunity to source their own pearls as a lovely reminder.

Stay: Aleenta Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand This resort makes the most of its coastal setting with a light and airy design which maximises the opportunity for outdoor living. Suites have retractable glass walls, loft rooms offer incredible views and villas have outside seating areas.

Other favourites A Photography Trail and stay at the El Rodat Hotel, Costa Blanca; Learn the Basics of Hunting with a Hawk and stay at

the Lainston House Hotel in Hampshire; A Traditional Glassblowing Class and stay at the TomTom Suites in Turkey; An Algarve Cruise and stay at the Monte do Casal, Portugal

spa & well-being Experience: Make your own Beauty Product, Mcely, Czech Republic This experience enables guests the opportunity to learn about the cosmetic properties of natural ingredients, guided by the experienced owner of the hotel. Each visitor can then apply their knowledge by creating a gorgeous, personal blend to keep.

Stay: Chateau Mcely, Mcely, Czech Republic With its rooftop observatory, rejuvenating spa and collection of 17th century scientific instruments, this is an interesting and delightful place to stay.

Other favourites Soak up the style of Royal Ascot with a Backstage Tour and stay at the Pennyhill Park Hotel and The Spa, Surrey; Luxury facilities and a stay at The Fortress, Sri Lanka; Championship Tennis at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, Arizona; Holistic Renewal at The BalĂŠ, Indonesia.

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connoisseur travel

Destination...

Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s world-famous canals have lead to the city being dubbed ‘The Venice of the North.’

Out of the water, the Dutch capital is a wealth of history and culture, both during the day and at night What to see::

The Royal Palace and The Botanical Garden

To get to grips with the history of the famous city, a visit to the Royal Palace is a must. Originally built as the city hall in the 17th century, the Palace has been at the disposal of the Dutch Royal House ever since King Louis Napoleon moved in, in 1806. To discover Amsterdam’s natural beauty, head for Hortus Botanicus. This botanical garden contains more than 6,000 species of plants, including a 2,000-year-old cactus agave specimen. www.en.dehortus.nl www.paleisamsterdam.nl

Where to stay:

The Grand Hotel Amrâth

There’s no doubt that the five star Grand Hotel Amrâth is one of Amsterdam’s finest hotels. Situated in the historic heart of the city, overlooking the river Ij and some of Amsterdam’s most beautiful canals, the Amrâth comes complete with a spa that boasts numerous saunas, a swimming pool, Turkish baths, a whirlpool and a team of expert therapists. Make your visit extra special by staying in the hotel’s Oriental Suite; the 60 square metres include a dining room and exclusive rooftop terrace.

Prins Hendrikkade 108, 1011 AK, Amsterdam +31 (0) 20 5520 000 www.amrathamsterdam.com

Where to play::

Rembrandtplein Square There’s no getting away from the fact that Amsterdam is a city notorious for its liberality and extravagance. To escape the seediness and experience the authentic, explore Rembrandtplein Square. What used to be a butter market now forms the centre of some of the best nightlife in the Netherlands. Head to high-end restaurant-come-nightclub Rain to see live performances and a wide variety of music that accelerates as the night goes on.

Rembrandtplein 44, 1017 CV, Amsterdam +31 (0)20 6267 078 www.rain-amsterdam.com

CityJet flights are available from London City Airport to Amsterdam six days a week with weekend return flights starting from just £99, all inclusive

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For more information, schedules and to book your flight visit www.cityjet.com or www.londoncityairport.com

Where to eat:

Ciel Bleu

At two Michelin-starred Ciel Bleu, everything revolves around you. Head chefs Onno Kokmeijer and Arjan Speelman make it a personal mission to ensure your visit is as individual as it can be. In addition to the pair’s top culinary creations and the impeccable service on offer, the restaurant’s unique atmosphere and luxurious interiors result in an experience you won’t forget – enhanced by impressive panoramic views offered by Ciel Bleu’s 23rd floor location.

Ferdinand Bolstraat 333 1072 LH, Amsterdam +31 (0)20 6787 450 www.cielbleu.nl

Don’’t miss:

The Windmills

There are eight windmills located in Amsterdam. As well as clogs, tulips and canals, the Netherlands is, of course, synonymous with windmills, and you don’t even have to leave Amsterdam to see some of the finest examples of these Dutch masterpieces. Perhaps the most famous is Sloten Windmill, open to the public; the mill is still used to keep the surrounding polder land dry. If you’re thinking of tying the knot while you’re away, the windmill also doubles up as a beautiful wedding venue. www.molenvansloten.nl

Last-Minute Summer Luxury,

En Famille

Kate Harrison kicks around in the warmth of the hills behind the Côte d’Azur and invites her family along too

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he south of France as a geographical entity needs little superfluous entrée, for it sits regally on Mediterranean shores in quiet confidence.

We know all too well that its pastel landscapes, healthy cuisine and old charm, as well as its class, temperate climes, wafts of lavender and overall ambience of ease, have long been a pull for the British holidaymaker with taste. Indeed it also attracts the odd errant British emigrant in search of a life more sublime.

But how does one go about benefitting from the region’s elegance with the family in tow? Well, you might well consider, as I did, a week at Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche, nestled in the hinterland of Tourrettes in the Var department. This modern, chic, child-friendly resort is set in the picturesque hills that are too often overlooked in favour of the more obvious coastal areas below such as Cannes and St. Tropez.

Four Seasons is a Canadian-grown hotel group which began unwittingly, with one sole hotel built by an architect working for his father, but 50 years later it is a clear leader in the field of luxury hotels. The Provence resort is no exception to the general Four Seasons ethos; continual innovation and a single-minded dedication to the highest of standards and to the guest’s personal needs (a particularly welcoming trio of qualities for a child-friendly resort where standards can sometimes spiral out the bedroom window).

But fear not, it is easy to lose your offspring on this site if you do want to, for the property is immense in size. The main hotel building comprises a terraced villa filled with beautiful fresh flowers, contemporary artworks and plenty of fresh air. No sooner do you enter the building than you sense another Four Seasons principle: elegance, yet in the presence of authenticity. You know you’re at the centre of luxury living but never do you forget that you’re also in Provence.

Quality of life is both on offer and yours for the taking at Four Seasons Provence. The rooms, self-contained luxury villas, are contemporary and have separate living and bedroom areas. A large terrace provides your own private spot for watching the sun rising with breakfast or setting over afternoon tea. It becomes hard not to reflect constantly on how the clarity of light made this region a magnet for the likes of Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse and Van Gogh. The bathrooms are luxurious in size and décor with the most inviting of bathtubs (sadly fading in so many resorts).

Heavily pregnant at the time, I was very thankful for the thoughtful inclusion of an orthopedic pillow, an instance of how this hotel chain has made its mark internationally by not forgoing its human touch.

Perhaps it is of no surprise that the food at the resort is award winning. Of the four restaurants on offer, two supply the serious options. Faventia restaurant sports Mediterranean cuisine with a Provençal fleck and is an on-site opportunity to swap the sarong for a glittering evening dress. The great majority of Provençal wines are rosés and Faventia’s wine list seems to supply a large cross-section. If you want to tone it down upon an evening, sidle along to the alternative, Tousco Grill, which offers al fresco dining by the swimming pool and throws in a delicious Provençal buffet à la bouillabaise, aioli or ratatouille. Take good note of the fact that throughout summer, breakfast, lunch and dinner from the children’s buffets are complimentary for children up to 11 years old.

Four Seasons Provence is a particular draw for the golfing enthusiast. Indeed, Terre Blanche Golf Club is one of the world’s top-level golfing destinations, with two 18-hole, year-round, par-72 championship courses (Le Riou and Le Château). Don’t feel intimated if golf is not your cup of tea though; you can just lap up the novelty of customary delivery to your villa by golf buggy after check-in. Alternatively, take a buggy ride to the spa to choose from a treatment list that includes high-end product lines and those using local ingredients like lavender. Post treatment, toss a coin between the outdoor vitality pool in the resort’s garden and the spectacular vaulted indoor pool.

Late summer and autumn are the perfect times for general outdoor pursuits in the region, such as biking, hiking and mountain climbing, and there’s also the sweetener of less chaotic crowds. Provence has two growing seasons, spring and autumn, with roses often blooming until late November, but it’s in September that the wine harvest starts and village markets are on top form. Provence can provide weeks of late summer sun well into what should, in our minds, be autumn.

The area’s down-to-earth atmosphere, with a lick of self-assured luxury, leaves the visitor trooping back to London questioning why life can’t always be as it is whilst frolicking around on the Côte d’Azur. Yet it’s a definite holiday calendar mainstay so booking next summer’s flights to Nice becomes a winter ritual for the savvy.

Simultaneously knowing that Four Seasons Provence will attend to your every whim, year in year out, transforms holiday planning stress for the family into peace of mind. n Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche 3100 Route de Bagnols-en-Forêt, Domaine de Terre Blanche 83440 Tourrettes, Var, France +33 (0) 4 94 39 90 00 www.fourseasons.com/provence

connoisseur

Š 2006 Four Seasons Hotels Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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Prices from â‚Ź895 per night. Different packages are offered, such as a personalized well-being plan (including two face-to-face medical consultations), spa plan (a daily treatment) and golf plan (proof of a maximum handicap of 35 required for either course).

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Sim Smith jets off to explore Jersey in style with a much-anticipated stay at Longueville Manor

to the manor BORN

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o sooner had we taken off and sipped our gin and tonics than our descent was announced.

In the time it would take to edge forward a few hundred yards in London rush hour, we had arrived in Jersey. We picked up our car from the airport and meandered through winding country lanes in search of our hotel. Prior to our trip, I had consulted an old friend, now resident on the island, who assured me that our destination was truly deserving of its outstanding reputation.

Tucked away along a leafy street was Longueville Manor, our residence for the next 48 hours. And what a residence!

An understated approach led the way to this beautiful Norman manor house, its sandstone façade lit against a backdrop of thick green foliage. We were ushered in past an impressive fountain outside, and under an imposing archway to the main reception. On a chilly evening the warmth of the hotel and its staff would be well received. We were instantly made to feel as if we had come home to our own country pile, immediately relaxed; the afternoon’s meetings in London seemed a lifetime away.

Dinner was served in the Oak Room Restaurant, a great example of architectural history that has been preserved in

this 13th century house. The original panelling in this room is said to have been formed from old chests dating back more than 400 years. The restaurant staff proved numerous accolades for service well deserved. With Michelin starred chef Andrew Baird (formerly of the Ritz Hotel, London) at the helm, we delighted in every course. Longueville Manor also boasts an extensive list of Old and New World wines housed in its vast cellars, all of which can be expertly recommended by the in-house master sommelier.

After a rather late evening of utter indulgence, we returned to our rooms through part of the hotels grounds, which had been lit by lanterns to lead the way. There was something very romantic about the setting, the quiet and the flickering lanterns underneath a jet-black sky that could only be rivalled by the exquisite display of stars on show. Back in the room, I enjoyed a long, luxurious soak courtesy of the hotel’s exclusive bath and body range, Jersey Cow, a brand famed for its use of local ingredients including Jersey milk, honey and lavender, which, along with a sip of champagne and the feel of thick Egyptian cotton sheets, lulled me into the deepest of sleeps.

The next morning, as I opened the curtains, I noticed what

travel

had been masked by darkness. Stepping out onto my private patio, robed in a Longueville Manor dressing gown, I saw the hotel’s picturesque grounds for the first time; a 16-acre woodland valley, immaculately kept pool and the lake inhabited by beautiful black swans. Breakfast was taken in the Oak Room Restaurant, and followed by a tour of the hotel by owner, Malcolm Lewis.

Very much a family business, the Manor house was bought

by Malcolm’s grandparents in 1948, and opened as a hotel for the first time with just 12 bedrooms in 1949. After being the first hotel on the island to offer en-suite facilities and a swimming pool, Longueville Manor was awarded its stars by the AA, and soon after joined one of the most prestigious hotel consortiums in the world, Relais and Chateaux. Now boasting 30 bedrooms, each named after a different rose grown on the grounds, Longueville Manor has recently been refurbished with a rare mix of fine antiques and contemporary style, juxtaposing tradition and innovation to perfection. Further accommodation lies in the 16th century farmhouse, lovingly referred to as The Cottage. Malcolm explained the renovation of the building to me, including the importance of restoring many original features like the fireplace and internal Jersey granite walls. The Cottage houses two bedrooms and its own kitchen and living room.

The prefect home away from home, this little retreat is great for families.

We ventured through the grounds to the kitchen garden, surrounded by a high stone wall and an impressive array of roses. Here grows much of the kitchen’s produce, and whatever cannot survive the colder months lives in the Victorian glasshouses. Built in the 1800s, these houses provide perfect conditions for more exotic fruits and vegetables, including chilli peppers, lemons, passion fruits and a newly developed crop of micro herbs. Although not completely self-sufficient, Longueville Manor is definitely doing its bit and the hotel is now part of the environmentally friendly tourism initiative in Jersey.

Perfectly situated close to many of Jersey’s breathtaking beaches and renowned golf courses, a stay at Longueville Manor can cater for everyone, from the explorer to the bookworm. Among our favourites of the various sights and attractions were a walk on St Ouen’s beach, followed by an informal freshly caught lobster dinner at Oyster Box in St Brelade’s Bay. If you’re looking for a little luxury not too far from home, be sure to pay Longueville Manor a visit.

Steeped in history, beauty and first-class service, there is a distinct air of family legacy about the place and after one visit you’ll wish it was your own. n www.longuevillemanor.com

connoisseur

Reader offer Longueville Manor is delighted to offer the chance for one reader and guest to enjoy a special ‘Weekend of Luxury’ at Jersey’s only five AA red star rated hotel. The weekend includes two nights’ accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis and return flights for two passengers from London City Airport to Jersey Airport, courtesy of airline operator Blue Islands.

To enter the draw for this offer, please email competitions@runwildgroup.co.uk with LONGUEVILLE in the subject line.

Terms and Conditions: booking is subject to availability. The prize must be used before 1 December 2011 and cannot be used during a Bank Holiday. There is no cash alternative. Transport to and from airports must be arranged independently. Return flights through Blue Islands from London City Airport to Jersey Airport plus two nights of accommodation at Longueville Manor must be used in conjunction by the same guests and on the same dates. Please see www. runwildmediagroup.com/subscriptions for full terms and conditions.

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for small & large groups from £24.95 • Dining inclusive food & drink packages to • All suit all needs & budgets air conditioned & central location • Fully private hire available for up to • Full 800 people

Phil or Isla: 020 7287 1000 • Call • E: salesuk@planethollywoodintl.com

57-60 HAYMARKET SW1Y 4QX planethollywoodlondon.com Discount on corporate/group bookings when quoting CITYMAG Terms and Conditions apply & all menus are subject to change and availability.

food & drink

connoisseur

food & drink

news

Timeless Elegance It may have only opened this summer but Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is fast becoming one of the City’s mustvisit restaurants and bars. Styled in a sophisticated manner, with handsome wooden panelling and a colour palate of cream, green and gold, the restaurant is reminiscent of a country house drawing room and serves a range of traditional and contemporary dishes morning, noon and night. Fine wines take centre stage at the bar as owners Tom and Ed Martin showcase bottles from their private cellar.

56 Chiswell Street, EC1Y 4SA www.chiswellstreetdining.com

Gourmet Sausages

Wine List in London by The Independent. By night, Tamarai transforms into one of the most popular late night destinations in the capital.

Its Birthday Package includes free entry for ten people, a bottle of Champagne and a reserved table for just £100.

Not all sausages are created equal and the ones served up by The Bratwurst in Broadgate Circle are the best of the best. They are made from a secret recipe developed through the ages and handed down to the company’s award-winning butcher in Thuringia, Germany, the traditional home of the bratwurst sausage. The Bratwurst offers five different types of gourmet bratwurst and mouthwatering currywurst and is also introducing creamy mash potato, German potato salad and mild sauerkraut as side orders.

167 Drury Lane, Covent Garden, WC2B

Broadgate Circle, EC2M 2QS

www.tamarai.co.uk

www.the-bratwurst.com

Tamarai treats

NEWS:

Food lingo: Ultimate Collection

Set forth on a wine odyssey this summer by sampling wines from six of the most famous wine regions, courtesy of Estates & Wines, the Moët Hennessy Wine Division.

The company has just launched an extraordinary collection of bottles that include celebrated names such as Cloudy Bay, Cape Mentelle, Terrazas de los Andes, Cheval des Andes, and Newton Vineyard.

The Ultimate Collection is available from www.estates-and-wines.com

Quote:

Website:

Trinidad Scorpion The Trinidad Scorpion is a chilli pepper native to the Caribbean island from which it takes its name. Scorpion pods – which ripen from green to orange to red – have a pebbly skin surface and possess a slight fruity and citrus flavour. The strain of Trinidad Scorpions known as the Butch T has been measured as the world’s hottest pepper, so strong that those who handle it have to wear protective gloves.

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

20th century American author

www.graze.com

Whether it’s a post-theatre dinner you’re after, a tipple amongst trendy surroundings in town or a celebratory night on the tiles, Convent Garden’s Tamarai metamorphoses to cater for each. Tamarai restaurant is an elegant, 110-seat establishment renowned for its panAsian cuisine while its bar was awarded Best Late Night Bar in the UK in 2008 and Best

It’s a conundrum most of us face every working day: what we should eat for lunch and where to get it. Fortunately, it’s an issue that may not prove problematic for too much longer. Visit www.graze.com and for just £3.49 you can order a box of healthy and delicious snacks to be delivered direct to your office. Nutritionally balanced, the average Graze box contains three portions of your five-a-day.

M. F. K. Fisher

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restaurants American

Dollar Grills and Martinis

2 Exmouth Market, Farringdon, EC1R 020 7278 0077

bars Italian Lena

66 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 020 7739 5714 Refettorio

Hawksmoor

19 New Bridge Street, EC4V 020 7438 8052

British

9 Norwich Street, EC4A 020 7831 1622 or 020 7831 1677

157 Commercial Street, E1 020 7247 7392 Canteen

2 Crispin Place, E1 08456 861 122

Volupté

Oriental

Royal China Club

Beach Blanket Babylon

19-23 Bethnal Green Road, E1 020 7749 3540 GREENS

14 Cornhill, EC3V 020 7220 6300

French Bonds

5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 020 7657 8088 Coq D’Argent

59 West Smithfield, EC1A 020 7796 0600

4 West Smithfield, EC1A 020 7489 7033

Mexican

Duke of Cambridge

30 St Peter’s Street, N1 020 7359 3066 The Peasant

240 St. John Street, EC1V 020 7336 7726

Greek Mezedopolio

14 Hoxton Market, N1 020 7739 8212

Cicada

Green & Red

Middle Eastern

Andaz Hotel, Liverpool Street, EC2M 020 7618 7215

51 Bethnal Green Road, E1 020 7749 9670 Kenza

Magdalen Restaurant

152 Tooley Street, SE1 2TU 020 7403 1342 One Lombard Street

1 Lombard Street, EC3V 020 7929 6611 Rhodes Twenty Four

Tower 42 Old Broad Street, EC2N 020 7877 7703

Smiths of Smithfield

67-77 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 020 7251 7950

Spanish Camino

3 Varnishers Yard, N1 9FD 020 7841 7331 Moro

34-36 Exmouth Street, EC1R 020 7833 8336

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Cellar Gascon

132-136 St John Street, EC1V 020 7608 1550

Modern European

Gastropub

Bonds

Saki

Les Trois Garcons

Sauterelle

The Big Chill Bar

Dray Walk, E1 020 7392 9180

5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 020 7657 8088

10 Devonshire Square, EC2M 020 7929 5533

Royal Exchange, EC3V 020 7618 2483

Bar Pepito

Varnishers Yard Regents Quarter, N1 9FD 020 7841 7331

40-42 Baker Street, W1U 020 7486 3898

No.1 Poultry, EC2R 020 7395 5000 1 Club Row, E1 020 7613 1924

Balls Brothers

5-6 Carey Lane, EC2V 020 7600 2720

CATCH & Champagne Bar

The Gherkin Bar & Restaurant

Levels 39 & 40, 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 020 7071 5009 Grand Café & Bar

The Courtyard, Royal Exchange, EC3V 020 7618 2480 Harry’s Bar

5 Abchurch Yard, EC4N 020 7623 2355 Light Bar

233 Shoreditch High Street, E1 020 7247 8989 Match EC1

45-47 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 020 7250 4002 Ortega

27 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 020 7623 1818 Vertigo 42

Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St, EC2N 020 7877 7842 The Worship

Triton Court, 14 Finsbury Square, EC2A 020 7330 0920

food & drink

connoisseur

Dining that knows no boundaries Richard Brown heads to the fashionable E2 to experience fine dining in the East End

S

ituated behind Shoreditch’s Tea Building on the corner of Redchurch Street, Boundary is located in a postcode perhaps more famous for its fashion than its food. Having visited the converted Victorian warehouse last month, however, I can attest that this shouldn’t necessarily be the case.

After taking our seats in Boundary’s spacious double-height basement dining area – an invitingly intimate space featuring original brickwork, secluded alcoves and contemporary artwork – a quick glance at the restaurant’s French-inspired à la carte menu suggested that my companion and I were in for a treat. In addition to an extensive selection of fruits de mer and traditional classics such as Escargot à la Bourguignonne and Cuisses de Grenouille, on offer were more decadent delicacies such as Foie Gras and Côte de Veau, as well as a range of seasonal game and seafood options.

Even more comprehensive than the food menu, though, was the wine list. Numbering more than 620 bins and incorporating labels from all corners of the globe, from artisan growers to aristocratic estates, it’s a list that’s anything but limited. Sensing the feast-like dinner to come and not wishing to restrict our wine choice to a single bottle, we asked head sommelier Rupert Taylor if he would partner each of our courses with the glass he considered most complementary.

As we opted to start with Boundary’s Charcuterie Board – this, served from a wooden chariot, included a range of cured meats, terrines, pâtés, and rillettes – Rupert advised a 2010 Grüner Veltliner.

It proved a fantastic paring, with the fruity, flavour-laden wine working well with the varied tastes and textures of the meats and terrines. Just as faultless was Rupert’s suggestion that my guest pair her choice of Smoked Wild Salmon with parsley and capers with a 2009 Rami Bianco – a wine with a citrus aroma which bought out the clean, fresh flavour of the fish.

From there, via an exceedingly good, shared dish of Cornish Crab and hollandaise sauce, I progressed on to Pigeon and Petit Pois à la Française with gratin dauphinois while my companion selected a Loin of English Veal with vegetables and potato rosti. To accompany the red meats, Rupert advised we both opt for a 2005 Bordeaux Pavillon

de Poyferre – a celebrated vintage whose deep, full bodied taste again made it a fine choice.

This was the first time I had eaten pigeon but it certainly won’t be the last. Unlike a tougher version of chicken or a meatier version of duck, as I had expected, the pigeon possessed a taste closer to pheasant than anything else. Drizzled over the bird, the petit pois and accompanying sauce completed the gamey taste of the meat while the fluffy dauphinois were a delight. My guest’s veal was mouthwateringly tender and came with a range of vegetables that were cooked to perfection.

Boundary’s dessert menu continued the French theme, complete with soufflés, brûlées and madeleines. Thoroughly full, my guest nonetheless decided on a selection of ice cream and sorbets while I choose to conclude what had already felt like a feast fit for a king with Chilled Champagne and Berry Soup – a dish that looked and tasted just as fabulous as it sounds. Both choices proved a sweet and refreshingly light end to a meal of rich and intense flavours.

Opened less than three years ago, Boundary has already picked up prizes at The National Restaurant Awards, the Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards, and Olive Magazine’s Alternative Restaurant Awards. Aware of this before my visit, I arrived with certain expectations. After an extended evening of fine dining, I left with those expectations thoroughly surpassed. If it’s a quick bite you’re after, then Boundary isn’t the place for you. If you’re looking to spend a few hours sampling the finest in French cuisine, on the other hand, then head to the heart of Shoreditch. n Château Boundary is a wine club at Boundary for connoisseurs, enthusiasts and beginners. Monthly events offer an interesting and diverse programme of wine experiences that vary in price, format and size; from simple and short tastings to exclusive dinners with worldrenowned wines. To find out more, visit www.theboundary.co.uk.

Boundary, 2-4 Boundary Street, Shoreditch, E2 7DD 020 7729 1051

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ARTfor Art’s Sake Carol Cordrey searches far and wide for art exhibitions worth travelling to around the world

O

nly someone from a past century, such as Robert Louis Stevenson, could possibly declare that “to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive”. For those of us living in the 21st century, acutely aware that our overseas holiday or business travel could be dogged by strikes, congestion and security checks, “to arrive” is to find the first opportunity for solace and relaxation. Typically, we do so by searching out a local bar or dipping a toe in the hotel pool, but a much better way to detach our brains from the pace of life at home and in the office is to immerse ourselves in local art.

Whether travelling in the UK or abroad, solo, on a romantic break or en famille, a museum or gallery is usually close at hand, offering a great source of interest, pleasure and even shelter from the burning sun or torrential downpours.

SPAIN Barcelona and Palma Spain and the Balearic Islands provide sunshine for most of the year, so if you find yourself in Barcelona, don’t miss the extraordinarily expressive work of architect Antoni Gaudi, particularly at La Sagrada Familia Cathedral and the Park Guell. This wonderful city is also famed for the Surrealist artist, Joan Miró, who was born and lived the first part of his life there. Strolling through the street, La Rambla, you may find yourself actually walking on the great man’s work, a huge, circular and brightly coloured pavement mosaic; just one of the numerous tiles bears his signature, so searching for that can be great fun for all ages. Miró gifted most of his work to the city, now displayed in the La Fundació Joan Miró.

Together with his wife he moved to Palma, Majorca, in 1956 where, for the last 30 years of his long life, his output continued to be prolific. He established an artist’s colony and built La Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró on the island, where some 5,000 of Miro’s paintings, sculptures, engravings and illustrations for poetry (some of which he wrote himself) are displayed. Interestingly, the evocative logos promoting Spain’s and Majorca’s tourism were both created by him in his quintessential style of flat, expressive, abstracted shapes depicted in vivid colours. www.spain.info www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org www.miro.palmademallorca.es

FRANCE

La Sagrada Familia Basilica Turespaña

Paris Another elegant European city offering endless supplies of wonderful art is Paris, of course. Arguably its most famous is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum, which, I predict, will strike you as a much smaller painting

art

Lightness of Being, 2007

than you had expected. Elsewhere in the Louvre is an exhibition that offers the rare chance to examine completely different masterpieces, though from a roughly similar period: Medieval and Renaissance Illuminations (7 July–10 October 2011) spans historical, literary and liturgical manuscripts, beautifully composed and rich-coloured by masters from Italy, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

If you make your way to the Musée d’Orsay, you may be very surprised to come across a quintessentially British exhibition, Beauty, Morals and Voluptuousness in the England of Oscar Wilde (13 September 2011–15 January 2012). It examines late 19th century Aestheticism, a movement which promulgated, through literature and fine art, the doctrine “art for art’s sake”, that is, art that is self-sufficient and need serve no moral, religious or political purpose. Key works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris, James McNeill Whistler, Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley make this a must-see show. www.louvre.fr www.musee-orsay.fr

By Chris Levine Print on lightbox © Chris Levine. Courtesy of Mr Kevin P. Burke and the Burke Children. Private Collection.

THE UK:

ITALY: Venice Venice almost defines art and it spoils us for choice, but at the Guggenheim you can see a huge range of modern paintings, sculptures and photographs by artists that include Lucio Fontana, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Forming part of Ileana Sonnabend: An Italian Portrait (now until 2 October 2011), they reveal artists’ disparate visions of Italy, as well as the extraordinary breadth of the personal collection built up by this remarkable, Romanian art dealer who died in 2007. www.guggenheim-venice.it

connoisseur

Elizabeth Blackadder

Edinburgh Closer to home and part of this year’s numerous art events at the Edinburgh Festival is The Queen: Art and Image (1–31 August 2011) at Edinburgh’s Scottish National Gallery. Consisting of contemporary official and unofficial painted as well as photographic images of Her Majesty The Queen by legends such as Freud, Richter and Warhol, it marks the start of celebrations of her 2012 Diamond Jubilee, whilst also focusing attention on the changing face of royal portraiture.

At the same venue will be a retrospective of the work of acclaimed Scottish artist, Elizabeth Blackadder (1–31 August 2011). The first woman to be elected both to the Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy, Dame Elizabeth Blackadder is now in her 80th year but continues to paint still life, botanical and landscape pictures with her characteristic light touch and brilliance that often disregard painting conventions or perspective. www.nationalgalleries.org

Iris Oncocyclus Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, © the artist

USA: New York Leap across the pond to New York, to the city that doesn’t sleep and if you’re keen to enjoy even half of its amazing art, you won’t either. A current highlight of MoMA is Cy Twombly: Sculpture (now until 3 October 2011), presenting seven examples of this form of art by the man famed for his random, loose, abstract paintings. The sculptures are inspired by and constructed from a variety of everyday objets trouvés, but their covering of white paint affords them uniformity and an aura of “other-worldliness”.

Within the same museum but later this year will be the unique opportunity to see Diego Rivera: Murals for the Museum of Modern Art (13 November 2011–27 February 2012). Mexican born but internationally renowned, this Social Realist firmly believed that art should serve a social and political purpose. The exhibition will include Rivera’s “portable murals” (originally made for his 1931 MoMA exhibition), which commented on class inequity and unrest in Mexico and New York at the time of the Great Depression.

Equally exciting amongst the exhibits will be Rivera’s drawings and designs for the famous mural in the Rockefeller Center. www.moma.org They say one should not speak ill of the dead, but there’s no denying that the late Mr Stevenson was wrong; arriving and lapping up art is so much better than the effort demanded by today’s travel. n

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KERBSIDE CUISINE COMES TO BROADGATE C

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RESTAURANTS ARE SO LAST YEAR!

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Michelin-trained chef of Pearl Restaurant & Bar Jun Tanaka, and Mark Jankel of The Food Initiative, bring Street Kitchen to Broadgate this summer.

Serving up a daily-changing menu of seasonal and sustainable gourmet grub on the go.

All meals priced between £4.50 and £7.50.

Find Street Kitchen at Broadgate, Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes, between 11.30am and 2.30pm.

Try healthy dishes such as crispy chicken salad with croutons and Caesar dressing; seared mackerel with roasted beetroot, watercress and horseradish; and cherry Eton Mess with whipped cream.

Popping up around Broadgate throughout August and September. Visit the website for exact locations: www.streetkitchen.co.uk Follow us on twitter: @streetkitchen

&

out about

out & about

connoisseur

Slay It With Music In the wake of the critical acclaim the centre received for its productions of A Doll’s House and The Graduate, East London’s The Space has announced it will be hosting the premiere of the new American comedy Slay It with Music. Written by Michael Colby and Paul Katz, the musical tells the saga of Enid Beaucoup, a fading, forgotten Hollywood star of the 1940s who has been approached by a production company to make a film comeback. A gory slasher movie, however, becomes a curious choice of genre for a woman previously acquitted of murder.

19 July-7 August 269 Westferry Road, E14 3RS www.space.org.uk

Calling All Petrol Heads

This August the leading operator of go-kart tracks in the UK is giving you the opportunity of following in the footsteps of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton; prove you’ve got what it takes behind the wheel of a go-kart. Book a race session at either one of TeamSport’s two London tracks (located at Tower Bridge and Edmonton), record your three fastest lap times and if they’re fast enough you’ll be shortlisted for the chance of winning

Beer O’Clock

The fun-filled, stein-fuelled three day celebration of fantastic food and premium quality beer that is the London Bierfest is back for 2011.

Transforming Old Billingsgate Market into a traditional Bavarian Bier Hall, the event will welcome more than 4,000 people through its doors from 5 to 7 October. With 16,000 litres of beer consumed and 15,000 sausages eaten each year, London Bierfest brings a true slice of Munich to a city of beer lovers - the perfect escape from the office.

5-7 October 16 Lower Thames Street City of London, EC3R 6EA www.londonbierfest.com

a place in the 2011 Kart Champs TeamSport Championships. In October, the top 40 TeamSport finalists from each age category will tear off the grid in TeamSport’s final at its incredible Crawley International circuit, where the fastest driver will scoop the coveted TeamSport Kart Champ 2011.

To book qualifying race sessions call 0844 998 0844 or visit www.team-sport.co.uk/book-now

Portrait Pioneer

During a career spanning 60 years, film portraiture pioneer Cornel Lucas has shot everyone from Brigitte Bardot and Joan Collins to Katharine Hepburn and Jean Simmons. To celebrate the work of the first stills photographer ever to receive a BAFTA in honour of his services to the film industry, Chris Beetles Fine Photographs is proud to be hosting a retrospective of some of Lucas’ most famous prints. Pay a visit to witness how Lucas mastered light and shade while capturing life and luminosity in his stunning shots.

Chris Beetles Fine Photographs 3-5 Swallow Street, W1B 4DE 20 July-27 August

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connoisseur out & about Coming to a Big Screen Near You

Film fans of all ages are in for a treat this August as The O2 opens its doors to Empire Presents....

BIG SCREEN. Backed by the world’s biggest studio names, including Paramount, Disney, Sony and Universal, the star-studded movie extravaganza offers visitors a choice of more than 250 incredible things to do, with a chance to meet the stars, see live performances and watch a veritable feast of premieres. Bookended

by Daniel Craig’s Cowboys and Aliens on 12 August and Colin Farrell’s Fright Night on 14 August, the event features everything from animal shows to an exclusive performance by dance group Flawless who will be teaching fans a routine from Street Dance.

Empire Presents....BIG SCREEN at The O2 12-14 August

a magical STEP BACK IN TIME The Goodwood Revival is the world’s most popular historic motor race meeting and the only event of its kind to be staged entirely in the nostalgic time capsule of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Visitors can indulge in the very best vintage fashion and live music from the era and, from the grassy banks and Grandstands around the famous Goodwood Circuit, can also relive the excitement and glamour of motor racing’s heyday. Daring drivers compete wheel to wheel on a stage made famous by legends like Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill. Aside from the entertainment on the track, there is breathtaking action in the skies above this former Battle of Britain airfield, as Spitfires, Hurricanes and Mustangs perform elaborate swoops over the circuit.

16 to 18 September Goodwood Estate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX www.goodwood.co.uk/revival

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WIN Goodwood Revival (16-18 September) tickets how to win Win a pair of Goodwood Revival tickets for you and a guest (there are three pairs available) by emailing your name to competitions@runwildgroup.co.uk Terms and Conditions: each prize is one pair of Goodwood Revival 2011 general adult admission tickets for 18 September and three pairs are available in total. This prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, and closes at 23:59 on 31 August 2011. Entries received thereafter will be discarded. The promoter reserves the right to withdraw or amend this promotion. Employees and directors of Runwild Media Group and their subsidiaries and affiliates, agents, dealers and their immediate family or household members are not eligible to enter. By entering this competition you agree to your details being used by Runwild Media Group and Goodwood for promotional purposes.

Please see www.runwildmediagroup.com/subscriptions for full terms and conditions.

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LONDON Homes&

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august

Welcome note...

W

ith another month passing by, our attention once again turns to the London’s booming prime market and the stunning properties which are capturing international attention. If you’ve not yet found your ideal home in the area, then Stratford’s landmark Aurora development might be for you, offering super contemporary and affordable apartments just a stone’s throw from the Olympics action (p.136).

Getting around the city is likely to get greener according to our Area News on p.114.

Following the success of hydrogen fuelled buses on a route between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway, it is likely that the scheme will be extended across the capital.

The City of London Corporation is also enacting a travel scheme of its own, which will give eager locals the opportunity to visit Epping Forest for just £2 from Loughton Underground station.

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We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

LONDON HOmes&

PROPERTY ShowcaSing the fineSt homeS in your area

c o v e r i n g c a n a ry w h a r f, D o c K L a n D S , wa P P i n g & t h e c i t y

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the latest oN the property market

Luxury Homes p.136

contents 114

134 living local

114 Area News 127 State of the Market

new homes

134 Property Latest 136 Development Focus 138 Mortgage Update

living local

areanews Rising Central London House Prices Good news for residents in central London – according to Knight Frank, the price of property has risen 34 per cent since March 2009 (the time of the post-credit crunch low). In June 2011 alone, the price rose by 0.9 per cent – contributing to annual growth of 8.3 per cent.

This growth is expected to continue, albeit at a slower pace, for the foreseeable future as a combination of factors lead to increasing confidence in the property market, particularly amongst the prestigious post codes that sweep across central London. Both rental and capital values have risen in the city’s prime areas, as both domestic and foreign property investors look to the capital as a safe haven in light of the current uncertainties within the eurozone. Indeed, recent reports have highlighted the importance of foreign buyers in preventing the house price slump that was anticipated in the wake of the credit crisis, a slump that has so far not been visible.

In fact, prices are now at a record high, two per cent higher than their previous peak in March 2008 – rate of recovery that has taken many industry experts by surprise. Furthermore, there seems to

Transport latest…

It is looking increasingly likely that hydrogen fuelled buses will be put in service across London following the initial success of their trial run on the busy RV1 route between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway. Part of Mayor Boris Johnson’s plans for a greener public transport system, these buses emit no CO2. The buses do not compromise safety and have the added bonus of using a quieter electric engine. Londoners are set to benefit from reduced air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and inner-city noise levels.

be little sign of demand dwindling. While the number of exchanges may have fallen year-on-year in June by nine per cent (not unexpected given the surge of market activity that preceded 6 April when the new 5 per cent stamp duty on properties exceeding £1 million kicked in), current demand is holding strong.

As a host of new development projects begin across the capital, fuelling a surge in supply, prices will continue to grow, says Knight Frank, albeit at a slower pace in the second half of 2011. The company has revised its forecast for prime central London price growth for this year from three per cent to nine per cent.

Escape to the country

City residents can now swap the concrete for the countryside thanks to a new trial bus service taking visitors to the heart of Epping Forest. The result of a partnership between the City of London Coorporation and Essex County Council, the service provides convenient and regular access to High Beach – one of the most popular areas of the forest – from Loughton Underground and Chingford railway station. Tickets cost just £2 each way.

Did you know?

The London Underground’s 1,150km of track, 260 stations, and 600 trains serve more than 1 billion passenger journeys each year.

Tower Bridge projections likely to prove contentious Plans to project the logos of Olympic sponsors EDF Energy and GE onto Tower Bridge during the 2012 games were announced last month. As well as suspending giant Olympic rings from the bridge, a new lighting instalment – jointly funded by the City of London Corporation and the two energy companies – will cast the sponsors’ logos onto both the downstream and upstream sides of the lower portions of the two towers.

Plans to place advertisements on the scaffolding shrouds that covered the grade one listed building during recent repainting work were abandoned after both Tower Hamlets Council and English Heritage expressed objections. The projection of the Olympic sponsors’ logos is likely to face similar opposition.

115

Knight Frank

New Providence Wharf, London E14

A stunning penthouse offering fabulous river views A three bedroom penthouse situated on the 16th floor of New Providence Wharf.

The apartment offers a wealth of internal space as well as a huge terrace with unrivalled views of the river and city.

Leasehold Guide price: ÂŁ2,000,000

KnightFrank.co.uk cwharf@knightfrank.com 020 7512 9966

Knight Frank

Concordia Wharf, London E14

Ocean Wharf, London E14

Tucked away on a quiet cobbled street lies this magnificently refurbished two double bedroom apartment in Concordia Wharf, offering wonderful river views, superb living space and great access to Canary Wharf.

A light and spacious duplex penthouse which has been refurbished to extremely high specification. Situated within Ocean Wharf the property has four bedrooms, three terraces and stunning views of the river.

Share of Freehold

Leasehold

£535,000

£1,150,000

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Berkeley Tower, London E14

Dunbar Wharf, London E14

A generously proportioned three bedroom, three bathroom apartment. Located on the 14th floor of Berkeley Tower, the apartment offers wonderful far reaching river views from the reception, dining area and master bedroom.

A much sought after two bedroom riverside apartment situated on the second floor of a well maintained portered development.

The predominantly south facing apartment benefits from two private balconies overlooking the river.

Leasehold

Share of Freehold

£1,450,000

£725,000

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank

Discovery Dock, London E14

Landmark West, London E14

This two bedroom apartment is located on the second floor of one of Canary Wharf’s premier developments, within moments of the banking district.

This well proportioned one bedroom apartment is located on the 26th floor of The Landmark. The apartment comes to the market in perfect condition.

Leasehold

Leasehold

£585,000

£380,000

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Seacon Tower, London E14

Berglen Court, London E14

A well proportioned one bedroom apartment situated in Seacon tower within a short walk of Canary Wharf. The apartment is presented in good internal order and offer far reaching river views.

This well proportioned fifth floor apartment offers some of the best views we have ever seen into Limehouse Basin. If you are looking for the wow factor you will need to view this apartment.

Leasehold

Leasehold

£325,000

£575,000

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9966 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank

Dunbar Wharf, Limehouse, London E14

Belgrave Court, Westferry Circus, London E14

We are delighted to offer this two bedroom apartment located on Narrow Street. This apartment includes a fantastic view straight down The River Thames which will be hard to beat in any property. Viewings are highly recommended to avoid any form of disappointment. Also to be found within this development is a gym, 24 hour porter and car parking facilities.

We are very pleased to offer this two bedroom apartment to let in the prestigious development of Canary Riverside. There is a well appointed modern kitchen, two double bedrooms with excellent storage, a modern marble four piece bathroom including walk in shower, and a separate W.C./cloakroom. Other benefits include an underground parking space with 24 hour security.

£495 per week KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9955 cwharf@knightfrank.com

£595 per week

Port East Apartments, Canary Wharf E14

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9955 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Dundee Wharf, Limehouse, London E14

Knight Frank are delighted to offer this two bedroom unfurnished apartment within this Grade I Listed building of Port East. This apartment is full of character, exposed brick, wood beams and solid oak wood flooring all running through this property. The property is south facing and benefits from 24 hour porterage and protected parking.

We are delighted to offer this three bedroom apartment located on Narrow Street. This apartment also offers a balcony off the reception area with fantastic river views.

The property has been recently refurbished offering a modern kitchen and solid oak flooring has been laid in the hallway and lounge. Also to be found within this development is a gym, porter and car parking facilities.

£625 per week

£575 per week

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9955 cwharf@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9955 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank

St Johns Wharf, Wapping E1W

Sugar House, City E1

On the 3rd floor of a listed building, a spacious flat with a marvellous 37’ reception room fronting onto the river with stunning views. Entrance hall, kitchen, en suite bathroom, cloakroom and shower room, balcony, porter, lift 162 sq m (1753 sq ft) Share of Freehold

A fabulous 2 double bedroom, 2 bathroom duplex penthouse apartment atop a grand converted Victorian building built by the Co-operative in 1887 with porter and private parking. 105 sq m (1136 sq ft) Leasehold 143 years

£1,200,000

£1,150,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Prusoms Island, Wapping E1W

Bezier Apartments, City EC1

Lovely light and bright example of a warehouse conversion. The flat has been remodelled and refurbished throughout and offers sleek stylish modern living.

Reception room, open plan kitchen, en suite shower room and bathroom, parking 17 sq m (1267 q ft) Share of Freehold

On the 7th floor of Bezier on the edge of the City a 1 double bedroom flat with a top of the range kitchen and bathroom, porcelain floors, comfort cooling, 150 sq ft balcony, gym and 24 hr concierge. 65 sq m (704 sq ft)

£635,000

£615,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Leasehold 123 years

Knight Frank

Prescot Street, Aldgate, E1

Prusoms Island, Wapping, E1W

Spacious basement flat, close to the City. Accommodating: Master bedroom with built in wardrobe and a separate stunning bathroom. Good sized living/dining area with galley kitchen. Stylish furniture accentuated by hard wooden flooring throughout. A regular cleaner is included in the rental price.Walking distance to Tower Hill and Aldgate tube stations

Two bedroom two bathroom apartment in popular block on Wapping High Street. The property boasts a large open plan reception room with modern fully fitted kitchen and solid wood flooring throughout. There is secure underground parking and porter.

£345 pw

£525 per week

KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Bezier Apartments, London, EC1

New Crane Wharf, Wapping, E1W

Stunning 4th floor 554 sq ft one bedroom apartment located in this outstanding 24 hour portered development.

This beautiful apartment has been finished to a very high standard, boasting a fully fitted kitchen, contemporary bathroom suites, under floor heating, comfort cooling and good storage. The block also benefits from two communal terraces and a gym, sauna and steam room.

Spacious 2nd floor two double bedroom two bathroom apartment located in this popular 24 hour portered development, moments from Wapping underground station. This large furnished flat has a good size reception room, fully fitted semi open plan kitchen, bathrooms with showers, wooden floors and underground parking.

£525 pw

£550 pw

KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank

NEO Bankside, Holland Street, Southbank, SE1 Selection of brand new one, two and three bedroom apartments Stunning selection of contemporary apartments with large living rooms, floor to ceiling windows and private winter gardens. Providing great storage space, comfort cooling, wooden floors and beautiful bathrooms. NEO bankside is complete with a 24 hour concierge service and will have a resident’s gym, day spa and a variety of shops and restaurants. This is the first phase of the new NEO Bankside development designed by the international, award-winning architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Available now

knightfrank.co.uk/lettings wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848

aldwych apartments 2 kean street WC2B 4Aq

Exclusive selection of brand new studio, one, two and three bedroom luxury penthouse apartments to rent. Boasting a communal roof square, fully interior designed, high specification, under floor heating, private terraces, air conditioning, moments from Covent Garden, Holborn and Chancery Lane.

Prices from £500 to £2,500 per week Please contact either Kate Townrow or Gary Hall on: kate.townrow@knightfrank.com or T: 020 7647 6600 gary.hall@knightfrank.com or T: 020 7480 6848

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25/07/2011 16:46

KnightFrank

Clink Wharf, London SE1

Fantastic riverside apartment in the heart of London.

A beautiful two bedroom apartment in Clink Wharf, moments from Borough market, with views of the river Thames. One garage parking space on vibrant Clink street, steeped in history, with easy access to the city and transport links.

Leasehold Price: ÂŁ2,650,000

RVR080132

knightfrank.co.uk/riverside riverside@knightfrank.com 020 7590 2450

KnightFrank

Hamilton House, St George Wharf SW8 Penthouse apartment in St George Wharf

Split over three floors, this fabulous penthouse reaches to the twentieth floor of the centrally located St George Wharf. Stunning river views from all rooms. 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 terraces, lift, 2 secure underground parking spaces.

Approximately 400 sq m (4,306 sq ft) Guide price: ÂŁ4,750,000

(RVR070003)

knightfrank.co.uk/riverside riverside@knightfrank.com 020 7590 2450

London's Finest Properties

LETTINGS

SALES

Indiana Building, Deals Gateway, SE13

Ontario Tower, Canary Wharf, E14

Lanterns Court, E14

£325.00 per week

£325 per week

£1,100,000

Barge Walk, City Peninsula, SE10

Marina Heights, Basin Approach, E14

New Providence Wharf, Canary Wharf, E14

No 1 Pepys Street, E1

£450.00 per week

£460 per week

£409,950

£435,000

New Providence Wharf, Canary Wharf, E14

The Landmark, East Tower E14

New Providence Wharf,E14

• Two Bedroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 13th Floor • Onsite Leisure Facilities • Including Parking • 24hr Concierge Service

• Two Bedroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 27th Floor • On-Site Gymnasium • 24hr Concierge Service • Nr. South Quay DLR

New Providence Wharf, Canary Wharf, E14

• 2 Bedroom / 2 Bathroom Apartment • Highly Prestigious Riverside Development • Excellent Condition Throughout • Valet Parking • 24hr Concierge and Exceptional Leisure Facilities

• Stunning 10th Floor Apartment • Uninterrupted River Views From Front And Rear • Excellent Condition Throughout • Secure Underground Parking • 24hr Concierge And Exceptional Leisure Facilities

£525 per week

£550 per week

£490,000

£555,000

• Two Bedroom/Two Bathroom • Fully Furnished • On-Site Leisure Facilities • Allocated parking • 24hr Concierge Service • Nr. Deptford Bridge DLR

• Studio Apartment • Fully Furnished • 12th Floor • On-Site Gymnasium • 24hr Concierge Service • Nr. Blackwall DLR

• Two Bedroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 15th Floor • Parking Available • Concierge Service • Nr. North Greenwich

• Two Bedroom Apartmen • Fully Furnished • 4th Floor • Allocated Secure Parking • 24hr Concierge Service • Nr. Limehouse DLR

• Unique 13th Floor 3 Bedroom / 3 Bathroom Apartment • 3 Balconies • Secure Underground Parking • High Level Of Specification • 24hr Concierge • Moments From Heart Of Canary Wharf And Transport Links

• 4th Floor • Stunning Riverside Development • 2 Bedroom / 1 Bathroom • Balcony • Valet Parking • Moments from DLR and Jubilee Line

Lowry House, Canary Central, E14

• One Bedroom/ One Bathroom • Exceptional Order Throughout • Fully Furnished • 24hr Concierge • On Site Pool And Leisure Facilities • Moments From South Quay DLR

£275,000

• 4th Floor • Spacious 1 Bedroom / 1 Bathroom • Exceptional Order Throughout • Secure Allocated Parking • Fully Furnished • Porterage

Sales | Lettings | Corporate Services | Property Management www.liferesidential.co.uk

Central London 020 7582 7989

West London 020 8896 9990

Finchley 020 8446 9524

Docklands 020 7476 0125

Deptford & Greenwich 020 8692 2244

living local

State of the market Carl Davenport, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AT CHESTERTON HUMBERTS IN TOWER BRIDGE, COMMENTS ON THE STATE OF THE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MARKET

MAKE YOUR MORTGAGE WORK FOR YOU

H

aving owned my two bedroom flat in South East London for nine years, I recently made the decision to take advantage of the ultra-competitive mortgage rates and upgrade to something a bit bigger in the same area. I found two year fixed rate mortgages from around 2.75 per cent and trackers from under two per cent.

With interest rates at this historic low, and the Bank of England indicating that it will probably be some time before it hikes the base rate up, it’s a great time for savvy buyers who want to make their money and borrowing work for them.

Having been an estate agent for the best part of 20 years, I have seen the majority of house hunters liaising with my office opt for the “maximum leverage” route to buying a home. This means that they buy the best property they can by taking out a hefty mortgage based on high income multiples. They often pay a higher interest rate as a result.

In the sort of market we are currently experiencing, a less risky strategy is to use your deposit or the equity in your current property to secure a low rate repayment mortgage which allows you to reduce the capital owed at a much quicker rate than would be possible in times of higher figures.

Even better, if you are currently on a very low variable rate, many lenders will permit you to transfer your loan across to a new, higher value property, provided you have enough deposit to maintain the loan-to-value ratio.

This means that when interest rates do go up again, you will have a better loan-to-value and therefore be paying less interest on a smaller amount of debt.

By taking advantage of the low rates currently available, you may be surprised to find that upsizing doesn’t necessarily mean a massive increase in monthly repayments – this was definitely the case with me and I am now happily settled into my new four bedroom house. n

Chesterton Humberts, Tower Bridge 020 7357 7999 www.chestertonhumberts.com

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savills.co.uk

West India Quay, E14

Berkeley Tower, E14

Reception room  kitchen  bedroom  bathroom  parking space  concierge

Reception room  kitchen  2 bedrooms  2 bathrooms  parking space  concierge

Guide £475,000 Leasehold Savills Canary Wharf

canarywharf@savills.com

Guide £650,000 Leasehold 020 7531 2500

Savills Canary Wharf

canarywharf@savills.com

Dundee Wharf, e14

West India Quay, e14

Reception room  kitchen  3 bedrooms  2 bathrooms  cloakroom  terrace  river views  gym  2 parking spaces  concierge

Reception room  kitchen  dining area  2 bedrooms (with en suites)  study  guest cloakroom  parking  concierge

Guide £1.3 million Leasehold Savills Canary Wharf

canarywharf@savills.com

020 7531 2500

Guide £1.65 million Leasehold 020 7531 2500

Savills Canary Wharf

canarywharf@savills.com

020 7531 2500

savills.co.uk

Prescot Street, E1

St. John’s Park, SE3

Reception room  kitchen  bedroom  bathroom  parking space  24 hr concierge

4 reception rooms  kitchen  7 bedrooms  5 bathrooms  indoor swimming pool  garage  driveway

Guide Price £395,000 Leasehold

Guide Price £3.5 million Freehold

Savills Docklands

docklands@savills.com

020 7456 6800

Savills Docklands

docklands@savills.com

St. John’s Wharf, e1w

bankside, SE1

Various reception areas  kitchen  4 bedrooms  3 bathrooms  guest cloakroom  utility room  2 balconies  2 terraces  daytime concierge  parking space

4 reception rooms  5 bedrooms  2 bathrooms  guest cloakroom  shared garden  shared garage  conservatory

Guide Price £6.0 million Freehold

Guide Price £3.2 million Share of Freehold Savills Docklands

docklands@savills.com

020 7456 6800

020 7456 6800

Savills Docklands

docklands@savills.com

020 7456 6800

On August 15 2 new brand will b th

Our Purpose?

To improve the experience of moving home and provide those who represent We are a highly experienced team of people who are committed to delivering exceptional results together with excellent customer service and we believe in treating our customers as we would want to be treated ourselves.

Anderson Rose Cardamom Building London SE1 2YR

Anderson Rose experience, please call us

Sales. +44 (0)20 3324 0188 Lettings. +44 (0)20 3324 0190 towerbridge@andersonrose.co.uk

Seeking Perfection

www.andersonrose.co.uk

2011 a l be born

h

T H E U LT I M AT E C O L L E C T I O N The Landmark E14 is proud to launch The Ultimate Collection – the most refined and stunning apartments within the highest point of The Landmark. The collection comprises eight high level premier Apartments and Penthouses on the 43rd and 44th floors, boasting unbeatable and rare views across the river to the City of London and Canary Wharf.

Prices from £975,000 - £1,650,000 * Now available for viewing w w w. T H E L A N d M A r k - E 1 4 . C O M

For more information, please call:

020 7078 7981 *Prices correct at time of going to press

newHOMES

Your essential guide to new local developments. Read up to the minute information about star apartments, good investments, yet to be launched to the market properties, and the best in innovative design, architectural excellence and chic, city style. This dedicated section covers luxury projects throughout Blackheath, Camberwell, Dulwich and other select areas of South East London.

Positive for Property

LONDON’S Booming sales market

Latest Developments gorgeous new homes

newhomes

Property Latest London’s most luxurious A stunning six bedroom penthouse in Knightsbridge, available through Sotheby’s International Reality, has been billed as the most exclusive and expensive rental prospect in the capital’s booming market.

The 10,000 sq ft apartment is available for the sum of £25,000 per week and has been styled by acclaimed designer Paul Davies, who has worked with both Madonna and Elton John.

The beautiful flat overlooks Hyde Park and boasts a range of luxurious features including six bathrooms, a spa treatment area, terrace and obligatory gym and cinema. Furnishing includes Zimbabwean marble floors, ceiling-mounted plasma televisions and ostrich skin headboards, for the billionaire bored of high class hotels.

Seasonal Sales The arrival of warmer weather has had a profound impact on the requirements of the capital’s discerning buyers.

Fuelled with dreams of entertaining family and friends al fresco, roof terraces have become highly sought after, according to property search agents Manse and Garret.

Access to any private outside space in London can often feel like an elusive luxury, but it appears that roof terraces are even more in demand than patio gardens.

This is because the latter are often overlooked by neighbours and are likely to benefit from less natural light than their elevated rivals.

Roof terraces also typically belong to flats which are situated on the upper floors of a building and this location is more popular with security-conscious purchasers.

Manse and Garret estimate that a flat with outside space is worth 10-20 per cent more than a similar property without.

Interior Trends Dramatic open-plan living areas and swanky kitchens have long been the preoccupation of owners seeking to inject the ‘WOW’ factor into their home.

However, this year, designers and interiors publications alike are spotting an increasing focus on beautiful bathrooms. The past few months have seen the launch of a variety of gorgeous suites and accessories, from wooden bath tubs hand made in Scotland and quirky rubber flooring to

glittering mosaic tiles akin to those of a Grecian palace.

Extra bathrooms and en suites have always been viewed as valuable commodities, but the recent trend is for large bathroom spaces which double as a powder room or spastyle area. The effect is created by juxtaposing traditional furniture such as antique taps and cast iron sinks, with grand statements and furnishings including chandeliers and armchairs.

NEWS IN BRIEF MORE MORTGAGES London estate agency LDG are among local companies who have seen a rise in the number of buyers using mortgages to fund their house purchases. The increase, said to be by as much as 40 per cent, is being attributed to the fact that interest rates remain low. On the 7 July it was announced that the 0.5 per cent figure would continue to stand which is proving attractive to those with large cash deposits who are able to benefit.

With the London property market continuing to perform well, buyers are realising that the future capital appreciation of their home is likely to overcome the cost of borrowing.

ONLINE FOR OLYMPICS

OVERSEAS INJECTION Research from Savills has confirmed information from many of London’s prime agents, that overseas investors are continuing to keep the property market buoyant. According to estimates, the last five years have seen investment totalling £16.5bn, with £0.5bn of this sum spent on the construction of brand new homes in the city.

Many of these overseas investors are from the Middle East where political unrest is undermining confidence in the property market.

Several online websites have been created with the purpose of allowing landlords and visitors to discuss rental accommodation options for the London 2012 Olympics. While local residents are fast realising the obvious financial incentive to taking on temporary tenants, visitors are keen to find more space and quietness than that which might be available in a hotel.

For obvious reasons, areas such as Stratford and Greenwich are proving particularly popular. However, it is not only those locations which boast Olympic venues which are set to experience demand. London in general is sure to experience an overall boom in tourism.

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newhomes

DEVELOPMENT FOCUS Live the Legacy THE AURORA APARTMENTS IN STRATFORD ARE NOT JUST SAVVY INVESTMENTS BUT WONDERFULLY STYLISH HOMES, SAYS LANA JORDAN

F

rom a forgotten, semi industrial landscape, to a glamorous new West-End-in-the-EastEnd destination, Stratford’s transformation has been dramatic, thorough, and, in the grand scheme of things, pretty fast.

In reflection of the area’s burgeoning status One Housing Group has just launched Aurora, a new development of apartments with a prime position on a corner of Stratford High Street.

Named after the Goddess of Dawn to embody Stratford’s reinvention, the scheme consists of one, two and three bedroom apartments in a twelve-storey glossy, glassy building that hugs its landmark corner site in a graceful curve.

Inside, the specification of the décor and fittings has been given paramount importance and the style is unapologetically contemporary. Kitchens are fully equipped with high quality integrated appliances, bathrooms are of a hotel standard owing to their gleaming large tiles, gorgeous suites and chrome accessories, living areas have a chic and fashionable minimalist décor and the two and three bedroom properties benefit from an en suite shower room.

In fact, it is the floor to ceiling windows of the apartments which will allow residents to admire the flourishing of the surrounding area, first hand. Views stretch to the Olympic Village and The City with an ever increasing vista seen from higher floors.

Aurora is going to appeal to smart young professionals who value an everything-on-a-plate lifestyle of trendy restaurants and bars, designer shopping, parks, arenasize entertainment. What’s more, convenient public transport links will make this a completely viable location for city slickers.

Stratford’s travel connections are now possibly the best in London. At Stratford International Station, where the building is an attraction in itself, you can connect with London Underground, Overground, and the DLR, all of which make reaching the West End, City, Canary Wharf and Greenwich a matter of well under thirty minutes.

The new high speed trains to Kent and the Eurostar at Ashford can also be boarded at Stratford, giving it true international status.

Such supremacy as a new residential location is set to endure. After the Games are over, Stratford’s residents can reap the “Olympic Legacy” with some truly incredible sports and leisure venues in their midst. The 25,000

Star apartment The Aurora show apartment embodies the development’s forward-thinking conceptualisation and broad appeal. The kitchen and living area is an openplan space which lends itself easily to entertaining and makes it appear bright and welcoming. However, the double bedrooms are simultaneously cosy and calm spaces, ideal for visiting guests.

The attractive décor features a slick colour palette punctuated with black, scarlet and silver and mirrors the edgy nature of the development itself.

From £299,950

capacity Olympic Stadium will be used for major sports, cultural and community events. There’s an amazing Aquatics Centre, a Hockey Centre, a Velopark and four multi-sport arenas. A boulevard links the Olympic Park to Westfield Stratford City and the Olympic Village will be converted to new homes: all of it bringing an incredible boost to Stratford.

Site Sales will be launching the development from the marketing suite and stunning show apartment on the 16th July with a completion date for the development set for the end of 2011. n Prices start at £188,950 for a one bedroom apartment; £247,950 for a two bedroom apartment; and £299,950 for a three bedroom apartment. www.site-sales.co.uk

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newhomes

Business as usual?

RON RADWAY BRINGS US UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE MORTGAGE MARKET

I

’m not sure if it’s the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end, but the worst effects of the credit crunch are starting to recede in the mortgage world.

Lenders are more confident and are driven by sales targets as opposed to perceived risk, underwriting is taking on the appearance of sensibility and pragmatism and after spending the past 18 months giving lip service to 90 per cent mortgages, they are now delivering on their propositions.

Indeed, 95 per cent loan to value functions are now available and, although both funds and distribution are limited, criteria are extremely tight and most applicants fail, at least it’s a start. Competition has returned to the market for the first time in over three years which is ensuring fixed rates are good value. Remortgage deals are also highly attractive, proven by the rise of both applications and acceptances over the past year.

Specialist lenders who have entered the market recently have put pressure on the big boys to deliver, resulting in the relaxation of restrictive and unreasonable practices on credit scoring.

It is even rumoured that mortgage indemnity guarantee insurance will return after being trialled in Scotland. Much despised by applicants a few 138

years ago, it would be widely accepted today and apparently is being considered by our current housing minister. It is a solution also advocated by those at the bottom of the food chain for the past three years, but time will tell if it is implemented.

However, it isn’t all good news. Underwriting is still very much a tick box process causing difficulties for those who do not fit the template. The self-employed, the company director, commission or bonus loaded employee will face ever increasing hurdles and most likely fail. Interest only options are also almost a thing of the past, no matter how compelling or logical the reasoning is for eventual repayment.

To paraphrase Neil Kinnock, don’t be old! For you will find that lenders have scaled their computers, so that it is nearly impossible for you to meet their affordability criteria.

In summary then, it’s definitely getting better, but casualties are still happening. If you fall into that category, seek independent advice. You can find such in your location by visiting www.unbiased.co.uk n Ron Radway is a Mortgage Consultant with OneCall Financial Advice Centre. For further details or clarification, visit www.onecallonline.co.uk, or call 0203 174 0422

LUXURY HOLIDAY LODGES FOR SALE in the Surrey Hills

Haulfryn’s Edgeley Country Park at Farley Green offers a relaxing haven of stunning luxury lodges surrounded by 26 acres of secluded woodland. With fantastic on park leisure facilities and its close proximity to golf courses, horse riding and the popular Surrey Cycleway, Edgeley Country Park is the perfect retreat to escape from everyday life.

At Haulfryn we know how important rest, relaxation and time away from the daily stresses and strains of life is.

With your own luxurious home away from home you can get up and go whenever you want and start enjoying yourself the instant you arrive.

- Luxury lodges from just £67,995 - New development for 2011 - Stunning views of the Surrey Hills - 12 month holiday season - Indoor swimming pool and fitness suite - Fully managed letting service

We cater for most budgets with prices ranging from £67,995 to £264,000.

CALL NOW FOR OUR MANAGERS SPECIALS

To book your VIP park experience or to request a brochure

Call: 08433 092395 Visit: www.edgeley-country.co.uk HAU411_Edgeley_City&CanaryWharfMag_FullPage.indd 1

20/7/11 14:03:58

the city magazine A U G U S T 2011

the city m a g a z i n e

business • current affairs • fashion • health & fitness • finance • food & drink • motoring • uk & international property

the sporting

T R AV E L L E R

trips worth booking now

IRRESISTIBLE INDULGENCE Thailand’s Soneva Kiri: heaven on earth

The Great Escape n

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Travel far and wide to the best places in the world for luxury, adventure, sport and art

finance fashion motoring interiors property AUGUST 2011 i ssu e 4 6