Situated about half an hour’s drive west of Marbella, Sotogrande is an exclusive residential area enveloped by both natural greenery and the broad fairways of internationally renowned golf courses such as Valderrama and the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.

Sotogrande is unique in this region not only for its scale but also for the fact that its development is guided by a single master plan. This rather more American approach of developing one large and spacious resort and residential area is not a coincidence, for Sotogrande is the brainchild of Colonel Joseph McMicking, whose dream it was to create an exclusive resort of international standing here. (more…)

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…)