How would a hotel look if a jeweller designed it? To find the answer, look no further than Milan, where the Bulgari Hotel offers a new interpretation of designer chic.

We are familiar by now with boutique hotels, even design hotels, but among the very pinnacle of these are the hotels that are the creations of the finest designers in the world. In an exercise of opulence and a representation of its particular interpretation of hotel chic, Bulgari has created a singular Milan destination that bears the famous brand’s unmistakable look. (more…)

Nestled amid undulating terrain halfway between Marbella and Sotogrande is Finca Cortesin, a country club where golf and the art of refinement take centre stage.

For those fortunate enough to call it home a country club is not only a good address, but also a privileged environment to live in. Many pretenders have sprung up around the world over the years, but the characteristics of a true country club are space, quality and planning – the latter courtesy of a master plan.

The reason why country clubs are so desirable is that, unencumbered by the normal limitations of city planning, its developers can create an idyllic environment in which security, living and entertainment go hand in hand. For this reason golf is an almost integral part of country club life, not only because a golf club and its clubhouse provide a sporting and social hub for a private community of this kind, but also because the sense of living enveloped within the greenery of beautifully kept fairways adds considerably to one’s quality of life. (more…)

Having earned this nickname because of its famous connection with Roman Abramovitch, Chelsea FC lies in one of the most desirable parts of London – an area that is also home to a small but prominent Russian community.

Before June 2003, Chelsea was known above all for three things: Chelsea Football Club, a privileged address within the British capital and the Chelsea Pensioners. Since then, it has become associated with glamorous football, glamorous lifestyles and glamorous Russians.

Situated on the edge between the boroughs (districts) of Chelsea and Fulham, this is a club that uncharacteristically finds itself not in the middle of a sea of red brick workers’ houses but surrounded by spacious parks and the leafy streets of one of London’s most genteel suburbs. Fine cars parked in front of grand old city homes would not normally go hand in hand with bi-weekly crowds of over 40,000 that pack into Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s historic ground, but here it has become something of a tradition. (more…)

Pearl Restaurant & Bar, in High Holborn, represents high London style and sophistication. A gem in the heart of the city.

Situated at the extension of Oxford Street, Pearl is a perfect oasis of refinement after a day’s intensive shopping. In fact, just the place to sink back into stylishly comfortable seats with your shopping trophies sprawled around you. Designed by renowned London stylists United Designers, the décor is chic and up to date, yet with a hint of 50s retro.

The warm, linear lines of this fine establishment put one in mind of Manhattan and exude a slightly masculine aura that is offset by exquisite curtains of pearls that separate the different seating areas. One million pearls have been used in all, though any sense of decadence is offset by the business-like building itself. You see, this was formerly the banking hall within the famous Pearl Assurance Building. (more…)

Like a landed estate of aristocratic bearing, the Dehesa Montenmedio extends over 500 hectares of coastal forest on Spain’s southern Atlantic coast.

The stretch of coastal road that follows the gentle curves of the Atlantic coast from the surfer’s paradise of Tarifa to the pretty white village of Vejer de la Frontera passes through some of the finest scenery in Spain. Just before Vejer, that little jewel with the heart of a mountain village yet just two kilometres removed from the sea, you will see a discreet sign to Dehesa Montenmedio.

Beyond that there is no hint of what is to follow, for this estate lies ensconced within the verdant embrace of umbrella pine, cork oaks, wild olive trees and centenary pine. Within this parkland with its protected natural status you will also find an 18-hole golf course flanked by growths of pine and by lakes that are much more than mere water features. (more…)