Marbella shopfronts must be painted white or terracotta | Olive Press Newspaper | News Spain

Marbella shopfronts must be painted white or terracotta Olive Press Newspaper News Spain: "MARBELLA is finally cleaning up its act.
The town hall has given business owners in the old town three years to paint their shopfronts white or terracotta.
The move aims to put an end to the spread of fuchsia and pistachio-coloured shops and bars in the historic quarter.
“We have chosen these two colours to maintain a typical image of an Andalucian village,” said councillor Santos Pedrazuela."

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Spain's cultural heritage under threat amid economic crisis | World news | The Guardian

Spain's cultural heritage under threat amid economic crisis World news The Guardian: "solid, 16th-century Basque farmhouse known as Caserío Zabalaga sits among green fields and ancient oaks on farmland between the towns of Hernani and Lasarte, a tranquil refuge from the busy industrial fringe of Spain's northern Guipuzcoa province.
Chillida-Leku, as the farm is now called, houses the museum of one of Spain's most famous and beloved 20th-century artists – the sculptor Eduardo Chillida, a man whose place in art resembles that of Britain's Henry Moore.
Next month, however, it will close, proof that the economic crisis sweeping southern Europe is taking with it not just the cultural riches of antiquity but also some contemporary jewels. On 1 January the Chillida-Leku museum near San Sebastian will send its 23 employees home. It has run out of money.
The Chillida family promises to conserve the 50 huge outdoor sculptures, many made in Chillida's tell-tale materials of iron and granite, and the smaller works displayed in the main building, but they need public funds to maintain his legacy in the form that the artist had planned.
'We are mostly self-funding, but we need some support. Otherwise this is unsustainable,' his son Luis Chillida said yesterday."

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Diamond Jeweler Tiffany & Co. Opens in Barcelona, Spain | www.DiamondNe.ws

Diamond Jeweler Tiffany & Co. Opens in Barcelona, Spain www.DiamondNe.ws: "Tiffany & Co. today announced the opening of a 360-square-meter (3,900-square-foot) store in Barcelona’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located at Paseo de Gracia 38-40, in the city’s premier shopping area.
The new store represents Tiffany’s second in Spain, and follows the fall 2008 opening of a store in Madrid. “Tiffany is achieving strong growth throughout Europe, and there is substantial long-term expansion potential,” said Melvyn Kirtley, group vice president, Tiffany & Co. Europe. “We are very optimistic about our prospects in Barcelona. Opening in this prominent location provides us with the ideal environment for introducing everyone in this elegant and cosmopolitan city to Tiffany’s heritage of design, craftsmanship and outstanding service.”
Constructed on multiple levels that overlook the hotel’s gracious courtyard, the store features custom furnishings, leather panels and cerused oak in various shades of blue. Other details include brushed stainless steel showcases and vitrines and glass and mirrors carved with an Art Deco-inspired fluting motif, an architectural detail borrowed from Tiffany’s New York flagship store."

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WHO BUYS IN TANGIERS luxury homes prices have fallen 10 to 20 percent.

The financial crisis has had a relatively minor effect on Tangier’s property market; the lower end has in fact remained robust, said Robert Shaw, marketing director of Elite Moroccan Properties, based in England. He attributed this to Morocco’s growing middle class and the government’s efforts to improve infrastructure within the city.

As for luxury homes, he said, prices have fallen 10 to 20 percent.

In addition, there are fewer foreign buyers today than a few years ago, said Reinald Beck,director of the New Real Estate agency in Tangier. Over all, housing prices vary widely according to location and condition, Mr. Beck said. Within the medina, prices range from $60 to $70 a square foot, for homes in need of renovation, to $95 to $112 a square foot for restored homes. This house has an asking price of around $167 a square foot, above average because of its central location. But price negotiation is a common practice here, Mr. Beck said.

In newer parts of town, apartments designed for Westerners cost anywhere from $109 to $218 a square foot. Newly built luxury apartments and villas — a small portion of the market — sell for $185 to $205 a square foot, down from $240 a square foot before the financial downturn.

Traditionally, the majority of foreign buyers in Tangier are from France and Spain, Mr. Beck said; there are also buyers from Asia, Britain, Europe and America.

Foreign buyers in Tangier tend to be “more adventurous” than those who seek properties in Marrakesh, which has more development, Mr. Shaw said. “A buyer has to see beyond the city as it is at the moment,” he said. “It’s actively being transformed from a poorer, less visually stimulating city into a city that will be a serious reference point on the entrance to the Mediterranean in 10 years’ time.”

BUYING BASICS

There are no restrictions on foreign buyers of residential properties in Morocco, said Loic Raboteau, the joint head of the French and North Africa Law Department at the International Property Law Center in Britain. But foreigners are prohibited from buying agricultural land.

Purchase-side costs are 7 to 8 percent. This includes notary fees, which run 0.5 to 1 percent; a 1 percent land registry tax; a 3 percent stamp duty; and a 0.5 percent transfer tax. Real estate agent fees are 6 percent and are typically split between buyer and seller, though this fee is often negotiated, Mr. Beck said.

The use of a lawyer is recommended; fees are approximately 1 percent of the purchase price, Mr. Raboteau said.

Most buyers pay in cash, Mr. Beck said, though financing of up to 50 percent is available to foreigners. Interest rates are about 5.2 percent.

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PremiAir, one of the UK's leading private aviation charter companies, is making its debut at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes

PremiAir, one of the UK's leading private aviation charter companies, is making its debut at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes during 7-10 December. Reinforcing its presence, PremiAir Group Managing Director, David McRobert will participate as a panelist in the prestigious annual travel industry leaders' forum which takes place on 6 December, the first day of the event.

Moderated by Graham Boynton, Ultra Travel's editor, this year's forum is entitled "Global Trends in Luxury Travel." David will take the opportunity to highlight his views on future executive charter trends, and discuss how the luxury travel business can find and retain high value customers, speaking from a business jet and executive helicopter operator's perspective. PremiAir also manages London's only CAA-licensed heliport, the newly redeveloped London Heliport in Battersea, set to be a popular destination for 2012 Olympics visitors and a likely discussion point for visitors at this year's event. PremiAir is sharing a stand with sister company, luxury hotel group von Essen (Stand No 0171).

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Westminster hotels offer an array of luxury hotel in London,

Westminster hotels offer an array of luxury hotel in London, which will be a great choice with the tourists looking for a leisurely vacation in London.

Westminster is a hub of luxury accommodations, with a number of five star and four star London hotels available in this part of the city. Tourists get to choose from its amazing collection of hotels capable of bringing a class of leisure and comfort. It is not only the opulence of the place that attracts the travellers in great numbers, it is also the richness of the accommodation that can get it the most amazing number of travelling tourists here. You can pick up one of its spectacular possessions that can be a thrill for your vacation.

There are miraculous options that can be availed with the choicest of hotels serving you. Your search will bring you the five star Grange St Pauls hotel, The Goring and Grange Holborn and some amazing four star London lodgings like the Clarendon, Grange Rochester and Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square. There is a whole assortment of these luxury Westminster hotels serving different standards of luxuries. There are so many and amazing choices that tourists will need to pick something after going through the leisure they are being offered.

While you will get world class pleasures in this area, you will find yourself soothed back to the most stress free life once again through its features. Find an entirely new way of life by spending time at one of these plush luxury hotels.

About Westminster London Hotels:

The Westminster London Hotels is a very perfect place to find a suitable luxury hotel in Westminster for your stay. There are so many and amazing choices with accommodation in London, that your booking a hotel shall come as an indiscreet jump to into a vacation till you browse through its options. Go through the Westminster accommodations while planning for a vacation in London, which will help your decide for your accommodation destination in the city. There are several hotels near Westminster Underground promising you a stay in all opulence. Find them out.

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allows guests to easily control lighting, room temperature, TVs, music, drapes and concierge services with a single remote.

Control4, a leader in affordable IP-based home control system, has signed 45 Park Lane to its customer roster, providing guests with the ultimate experience of luxury and comfort. Luxury hotel brand, Dorchester Collection, is set to open 45 Park Lane, in the heart of London's Mayfair in Summer 2011.

45 Park Lane will use Control4® Suite Systems' automation technology, a complete door-to-drapes operating system and platform for the modern hotel room that allows guests to easily control lighting, room temperature, TVs, music, drapes and concierge services with a single remote.

With a large penthouse and 45 luxurious rooms and suites, all with sweeping views of Hyde Park, 45 Park Lane will be the ninth hotel in Dorchester Collection's portfolio of iconic hotels. Only yards away from its sister hotel, The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane will be more contemporary in style with world-renowned architect and designer, Thierry Despont, creating a luxurious modern interior with an intimate club-like feel. The exterior will be equally stylish with a revamped facade incorporating specialist eco-friendly ‘fins' made from aluminium to utilize solar power within the hotel's heating and cooling processes.

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/10/11/b652364/control4-provides-hotel-guests-with-personalized-luxury-at-dorchester-c#ixzz16rEfqBFT

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Prince Andrew attacks fraud inquiry ‘idiocy’

FT.com / UK / Business - Prince Andrew attacks fraud inquiry ‘idiocy’: "Prince Andrew, a UK government special trade representative, has lambasted the “idiocy” of British anti-corruption investigators and ridiculed the levels of bribery in France in an “astonishingly candid” meeting noted by a US diplomat.
In an alleged outburst that will raise a question mark over his future in the role, the Duke of York railed against journalists and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office in a discussion that “at times verged on the rude”.
Towards the end of a two-hour brunch with businesspeople in a Bishkek hotel, Prince Andrew criticised the investigation into BAE Systems over the al-Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia."

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luxury residential and retail development claims to include Britain's most expensive flat, at £140m, and has attracted the interest of wealthy overseas tenants

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank is to pay a record rent for the final retail unit at One Hyde Park, the luxury Knightsbridge development managed by the Candy brothers in London.

The luxury residential and retail development claims to include Britain's most expensive flat, at £140m, and has attracted the interest of wealthy overseas tenants, particularly from the Gulf and Russia. It is thought that the Abu Dhabi group outbid other Middle Eastern banks as well as upmarket fashion retailers to bag the final 3,000sqft unit at street level – paying more than the area's current record of £550 per square foot.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, which was advised by agent CB Richard Ellis, joins luxury watch maker Rolex and McLaren's car showroom in the retail units, for which Nash Bond and Cushman & Wakefield are the leasing agents.

The Middle East has also invested heavily in upmarket Brompton Road, also in Knightsbridge, with a raft of top retailers and designer brands set to move in. It is thought that the US sports brand Nike is eyeing a shop currently occupied by fashion chain Monsoon, with bidders lining up to pay "key money" of around half a million pounds.

In the summer, Top Shop moved into the less-smart northern end of Brompton Road, and has acted as a magnet there for other fashion retailers, such as US-based Guess.

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"street fashion" has revolutionized the fashion industry with bold designs, colors and patterns.

Very often people come across the term "street fashion" and many fashion writers, artists and photographers have tried to explore the concept in its entirety.

Considered to have emerged, not from the studios but from the grass-root levels, street fashion has almost always been associated with youth culture.

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A model wears a creation by Taiwanese-born designer Maria Chen on the catwalk at London's Astoria Nightclub as part of London Fashion Week. Miss Chen's latest designs, owed much to the popular rock culture of the 70s and 80s.

 During different eras, "street fashion" has revolutionized the fashion industry with bold designs, colors and patterns. In fact, it is often said that some of the best trends in the industry have their roots in street culture.

Some of the major youth sub-cultures like Punk Fashion, Hip-Hop Fashion, Gothic Fashion and Hippes have been associated with street fashion.

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Bustling souks, boutique riads around every corner and a medina full of storytellers and snake charmers,

"Morocco is famous in tourist circles -- primarily for Marrakech, and rightly so. With bustling souks, boutique riads around every corner and a medina full of storytellers and snake charmers, Marrakech is a true East-meets-West city. It has a buzzing sense of otherworldliness and style that is hard not to like. Yet having landed in the impressive new Marrakech Airport, we ignored the call of the shopping in the souks (which, trust me is no hardship...) and headed straight for the High Atlas Mountains and Toubkal National Park, just an hour or two South of the City and home to North Africa's second highest Mountain.
Just a short drive past several curiously out-of-place golf courses (golf courses in deserts, why?), we were unceremoniously dumped with our backpacks at the side of the road leading up the Imlil Valley. Waiting for us was our guide, cook and mule (that being three separate entities not one multi-functional donkey/horse hybrid). Mules are used frequently in these parts to transport trekkers gear and food supplies and served to fully demoralise us throughout our trek by capably lugging 100kg of gear on tortuous paths that left us wheezing for breath."

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A Travel Fantasy at the Royal Mansour Marrakech

A Travel Fantasy at the Royal Mansour Marrakech: "Morocco is the land of A Thousand and One Nights, a realm touched by magic, where fact and fantasy blend together effortlessly. Sometimes people like to say that there's nothing new in the kingdom that's sprinkled with magic dust.

But how wrong they are.

Two months ago the pink city of Marrakech, itself lost in the sprawling expanse of the southern desert, gave birth to a hotel so grand and yet so understated that it almost defies description. Conceived and bankrolled by His Majesty the King of Morocco, The Royal Mansour gives new meaning to the word 'opulent'.

Located down a private road, reached through an arched gate set in the ancient honey-yellow city wall, the hotel's grounds cover eight acres, walking distance from Jma al Fna, Marrakech's main square."

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Woman in Spain says she owns the Sun - Live@Five

woman-in-spain-says-she-owns-the-sun.aspx: "Spanish woman in the Galicia region has registered the Sun as her property at a local notary public, claiming there are no rules against individuals owning celestial objects.
Gee, you think they'd be satisfied with having the Costa del Sol.
Fine, Spain, why don't you you go and explore the Sun.
It would certainly bring new meaning to the phrase 'Quemar los barcos'."

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Costa del Sol tourism could benefit from air taxes

Costa del villas - Costa del Sol tourism could benefit from air taxes: "The recent increase in air passenger tax duty (APD) could have a positive effect on the Costa del Sol rentals market as Brits head into Europe in an attempt to avoid expensive fees attached to long-haul flights.

The new taxes will make longer haul destinations such as the US, Mexico and Australia more expensive. The tax’s band structure means that flights over 6,000 miles will face an increase of over 50% in tax.

The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) believe that the increase will encourage holidaymakers to stay closer to home in destinations such as Spain, France, Portugal and Germany."

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BMI PILES ON STYLE - mirror.co.uk

BMI PILES ON STYLE - mirror.co.uk: "Bmi this week unveiled its new Business Class and Economy cabins for mid-haul routes.
The updated Airbus A321 and A320 aircraft include new leather seating and a revamped lighting system.
Bmi boss Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said: 'We are committed to offering the best service at the best price for our customers.'"

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Spotted in London: Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, Lily Cole and Kelly Brook | ShinyStyle

Spotted in London: Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, Lily Cole and Kelly Brook ShinyStyle: "Kate Moss looked stunning today as she launched her new fragrance 'Vintage Muse', wearing super-tight black jeans and sky-high heels. True Moss style."

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Hawksmoor Seven Dials, 11 Langley Street, London WC2 - Reviews, Food & Drink - The Independent

Sushi for DummiesHawksmoor Seven Dials, 11 Langley Street, London WC2 - Reviews, Food & Drink - The Independent: "As if it wasn't already hard enough to keep up, in today's Fifty-Things-To-Do-Before culture, a new pressure has emerged. Now you don't just need to own this season's must-have bag – you must also have tried the latest must-eat restaurant dish.
A new restaurant opens, and the bloggers are in before the paint is dry, uploading photos of their dinner. The Tweeters follow, and consensus rapidly emerges about the to-die-for dish: 'Ox cheek pappardelle at Obscura East...', 'Banh Mi sushi at The Endangered Panda...'. Before long, there is a feeding frenzy as early-adopters rush in to try the must-eat, and most importantly, to tell their friends they've tried it."

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new route to Gibraltar from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Gibraltar Chronicle - The Independent Daily First Published 1801: "easyJet, the UK's largest airline and which also claims to give best value, is today launching a brand new route to Gibraltar from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

The low-fares airline is now offering a three-times-weekly service from Liverpool to the British-owned island with fares starting from just £27.99 (one-way, including taxes).
Seats are now on sale and the inaugural flight will leave Liverpool on Tuesday 29 March 2011."

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Four More Restaurants in Spain Awarded Second Michelin Star, 17 Get First - Bloomberg

Four More Restaurants in Spain Awarded Second Michelin Star, 17 Get First - Bloomberg: "Four more restaurants in Spain gained a second star and 17 were awarded their first in the Michelin guide to Spain & Portugal.
The new two-star establishments are Azurmendi, in Larrabetzu; Miramar, in Llanca; Ramon Freixa Madrid, in Madrid; and Calima (H.G. Melia Don Pepe), in Marbella. Vila Joya, in Albufeira, Praia de Gale, is Portugal’s only two-star venue.
Seven Spanish restaurants maintain their three-star rating: Arzak, in San Sebastian; Martin Berasategui, in Lasarte-Oria (Guipuzcoa); El Bulli, in Roses (Girona); Can Fabes, in Sant Celoni (Barcelona); Sant Pau, in Sant Pol de Mar (Barcelona); and El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona. There are no new stars for Portugal, which doesn’t have a restaurant with three."

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London Goes In Search of Halston: style file: daily fashion, party, and model news

London Goes In Search of Halston: style file: daily fashion, party, and model news: "There was a conspicuous lack of anyone who could pass for that mythical beast, the Halstonette, in the noticeably young audience for the first U.K. screening of Ultrasuede: In Seach of Halston on Monday night at the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road. Andrea Dellal had fond memories of escorting the legendary designer round Rio, but surely she was a mere child at the time. Co-host of the evening Nicky Haslam also had some personal—though not particularly favorable—memories to share. But Halston’s best buddy Bianca Jagger was out of town—dommage!—and Liza Minnelli, André Leon Talley, and Pat Cleveland, all of whom lend major heft to the film, were hardly likely to cross the pond for such an intimate event."

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