Are you looking for a second home away from the expat hot spots?

There’s no law which says that when you’re buying an overseas property it has to be in Provence or Tuscany. With European boundaries blurring, and growing numbers of countries relaxing rules on foreign ownership, the world is increasingly one’s oyster when it comes to choosing where to live.Which is why we’ve spread our net wide this week to bring you this selection of unpolished pearls. Some are in reasonably well-charted locations, while others...

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New Marbella Ferrari and Maserati dealership

AROUND 200 guests attended the opening of Ferrari and Maserati dealer C de Salamanca’s new dealership in Marbella. Guests included Marbella Mayor Angeles Muñoz, C. De Salamanca president Cristina Toda and Formula one Ferrari test driver Marc Gene.&nb...

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half of the UK's millionaires have fled or are thinking of fleeing the country's economic "storm clouds

", according to a new study.Taxation, perceived better living standards abroad and the weather mean that only 44% are certain of remaining here.But the survey of more than 500 UK-based millionaires, carried out for investment firm Skandia, found that only 2% were thinking of moving to a tax haven such as Switzerland or the Cayman Islands.Preferred destinations were France,...

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Over €30m for Smurfit's casa in Marbella

THE businessman Dr Michael Smurfit is still looking for a buyer for his 3,716sq m (40,000sq ft) villa in Marbella in Spain about seven years after it was first offered for sale.UK estate agents Fine Country are quoting “well in excess of €30 million” for Casa de Loriana which was built in 2002 along The Golden Mile, where it has its own elevated beachfront. It is within easy...

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Nicola McLean has been showing off a healthier figure in Marbella after having put on around a stone in recent months.

Seven months after sporting dangerously thin limbs, Nicola McLean has been showing off a healthier figure in Marbella after having put on around a stone in recent months.A friend tells Now: ‘Nic's had a tough time but she's back in amazing shape and we're all very proud of her.'Nicola, 27, admitted starving herself after giving birth to son Striker in March 2010.She lost 6st...

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Tom Jones exclusive show on August 18 at Hotel Puente Romano, Marbella.

Welsh singing legend and 60s sex symbol Tom Jones, 71, will be heating up the summer with an exclusive show on August 18 at Hotel Puente Romano, Marbella.Jones will perform classics such as ‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘Kiss’, ‘Delilah’ and ‘Sex Bomb’ as well as tracks from his critically acclaimed album ‘Praise & Blame’.&nb...

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Spain's most expensive residence stays in British hands

Spain’s most expensive residence, and one of the most exclusive in the world has just changed hands, but remains British owned.Sa Fortalessa de Pollença consists of an 87,000 square metre estate with a castle, seven residencies, private beaches and a forest. It’s found in the Pollença bay on Mallorca, and is protected by Cape Formentor and a military base, offering complete security which has been enjoyed over the years by many heads of state and...

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Eva Longoria and her boyfriend, Eduardo Cruz, have arrived in London with the heat of their romance.

The lovebirds, Eva Longoria and Eduardo Cruz, appeared warmer and closer than ever, while they spent the night out in London. The 36-year-old beauty was spotted clutching onto her handsome beau's hand as they left The Cuckoo Club in Mayfair on Thursday night.Throughout the evening, the couple looked at each other romantically, laughing and smiling at one another. Eva Longoria was looking stunning as always, flaunting her super-toned physique in a...

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This week, after turning up at the Marbella Club Hotel with a young lady in tow, staff asked Princess Diana’s former love to leave.

Although he insists on a smart dress code for customers at his own restaurant in Marbella, former Life Guards officer James Hewitt has let his own sartorial standards slip.‘He looked like he had just come straight off the beach,’ says one paying guest, who was celebrating her 18th birthday at the swanky hotel’s bar.‘He came in at about 8.30 pm on Monday with a young woman,’...

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Real Housewives of New York star Sonja Morgan could lose her $6m mansion in her bitter divorce battle.

Bankrupt reality TV star Morgan, 47, is currently battling in court over a $3m settlement with millionaire 80-year-old John Adams Morgan, the New York Post reports.'I'm sure the world thinks, "Sonja doesn't have to worry, she's got that husband there for her." But I'm on my own,' Morgan, 47, told the Post.In court papers Morgan claims that while her ex-husband lives on a $19m private island off Connecticut, she is banned from visiting homes they...

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Prince Harry is enjoying a romance with the former girlfriend of Formula 1 racing driver Jenson Button

After emerging as the most eligible member of the Royal Family following Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton, Prince Harry appears no longer to be a bachelor.The Prince is believed to have spent time in private with Florence, 25, a lingerie and swimwear model.She is a descendant of the seventh Earl of Cardigan, Lieutenant General James Thomas Brudenell, who famously led the Charge of the Light Brigade against Russian forces during the Crimean...

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Amy Winehouse has cancelled her headline appearance at the Bilbao BBK Live festival on July 8.

It comes after the criticisms following the first date of her European tour in Belgrade last weekend, when fans effectively booed her off stage, and after first cancelling only a week of future concerts her manager has now cancelled the entire tour ‘until she recovers from her health problems’.The 27 year old singer’s press representative has said ‘Everyone close to her is trying to do everything possible to help her recover and she will take the...

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IN just one year Casamono has become a part of the Marbella establishment.

Already a favourite for local dignatories and visiting celebrities - including flamenco star Joaquin Cortes – it has managed to capture the imagination of the Marbella dining scene.This is perhaps no surprise, its owner being the very capable Guy Sirre, who came to Marbella, via a career straddling Michelin-starred restaurants in France, London and San Francisco, not to mention a decade working as the Sultan of Brunei’s interior...

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Millionaires invested more in art, luxury goods

Demand for art, watches, rare wines, vintage cars and other offbeat investments that set pulses racing expanded in 2010 as wealth levels of the world's super-rich rebounded from the financial crisis, a report said."The value of many categories of investments of passion rose and HNWIs (high net-worth individuals) made acquisitions for the aesthetic and emotional appeal and their potential to return value," Capgemini and Merrill Lynch said in the World...

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Car crash Kerry Katona's facing the abyss after falling out with the woman who engineered her comeback: CAN Associates über-agent Claire Powell.

CAN signed Kerry, 30, in March 2010 when she was at rock bottom and Claire insisted she give up drugs, ease up on the boozing and stay away from her ex Mark Croft, 40.But Kerry went on a massive alcohol binge while in Marbella recently with Mel B's sister Danielle Brown.‘Her speech was slurred and she was gurning,' says a fellow partygoer.‘I know she has bipolar disorder, but I haven't seen her look this bad for a long time.'The final straw appears...

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Dating website for beautiful people dumps 30,000 members

It was meant to be a dating website exclusively for the use of "beautiful men and women", where members ruthlessly selected and excluded those who did not match their definitions of good looks.But last month when BeautifulPeople.com was attacked by a computer virus, some claim standards slipped and around 30,000 new members gained admittance. Now, in a move which has made those rejected "apoplectic" with rage, they have been unceremoniously booted...

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Hollywood stars, Silicon Valley billionaires and us. OFM joins the ultimate night at the greatest restaurant on the planet – a champagne last supper at El Bulli

I am still not sure why El Bulli made me cry. Or at least how it magicked a hot tear to my eye. It wasn't the intensity of taste, with shifting textures and notes that lasted longer than Pavarotti's C. It wasn't that I felt I had to close my eyes in a crowded room to savour and surf every wave of flavour. It wasn't even that "peas 2011" tasted more like my first peas than in any dish I've eaten since I was seven. Nor was it, honestly, the toasty...

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Former porn star Ginger Lee said at a press conference in New York today that New York Rep. Anthony Weiner sent her sexually suggesting messages

Former porn star Ginger Lee said at a press conference in New York today that New York Rep. Anthony Weiner sent her sexually suggesting messages, then asked her to lie about their communication when his Twitter scandal erupted.Pictures: Anthony Weiner's alleged porn star pen pal Ginger LeeWhile Lee said she did not initiate sexual talk with Weiner, she did say the congressman's messages were often sexually suggestive."I have wardrobe demands too,...

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Frank Lampard and Christine Bleakley have announced their engagement during their holiday in California.

The Chelsea footballer met TV presenter Christine at the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards in October 2009.Love blossomed, and the pair returned to the Awards last year as a couple.Christine told us: "Tonight is particularly special for Frank and I as it's here where it all began for us, this time last year. They hold fantastic memories for us."After that first meeting, Frank and Christine went on a string of dates in the months that followed,...

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Zara owner sees soaring profits on expansion

Spain's Inditex, the world's largest fashion retailer and owner of the Zara brand, Wednesday posted bumper profits for the first quarter as it pursued an ambitious programme of international expansion.Profits for the February-to-April period totalled 332 million euros ($447 million), up 10.3 percent from last year.Sales leapt 11 percent to 2.96 billion euros, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, or EBIDTA, was up...

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