Originally published in Essential Magazine

Marbella has been through many economic cycles, most recently a pretty intense recession. The question now is, are the encouraging signs we see about us evidence of a new growth cycle or simply a temporary easing?  

When attempting to answer such questions one must always qualify answers with the incantation Ceteris Paribus (all things being equal). In other words, any conclusion reached is naturally subject to us not knowing what might happen next in economic or political terms. Events in the Ukraine indicate as much, and in an increasingly globalised world it needn’t happen on our doorstep to have an effect on us. Read the rest of this entry »

For over a century the name Montblanc has stood for style, elegance and quality, its pens and stationary items among the best that money could buy. Though built on a classical tradition, the brand has continued to remain in vogue and is now being discovered by a whole new generation.

Today Montblanc ranks as one of the top luxury brands in the world, but as is often the case its origins are quite humble. Founded in 1908 by Claus-Johannes Voss, Alfred Nehemias and August Eberstein, the firm then known as the Simplo Filler Pen Company could count on the skills of a stationer, a banker and an engineer respectively. Moreover, this Hamburg-based company is German, not French or Swiss, as one might have deduced from the name. Read the rest of this entry »

Text & photos: Ash Bolton

They are one of Gibraltar’s most iconic and enduring symbols. Yet a number of the Rock’s famous apes will be captured and relocated abroad in the next few months. Government chiefs have been prompted to act as groups of the Barbary Macaques have been up to no good in built up areas such as schools and Main Street. According to scientists based on the British Overseas Territory, many of the monkeys have lost their fear of humans and now regard them as a source of rich food. It’s believed up to 120 of the Rock’s 230 strong monkey colony could now be deported to North Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

It sounds like an adventure story and it is, only this is an epic not experienced by Harry Potter but the backdrop against which our lives are being played out.

I recently attended a conference in Frankfurt that highlighted some of the main economic issues of our times. Surrounded by the gleaming towers of the Deutsche Bank, the Sparkasse and the ECB a lot of things came into perspective during an enlightening session of speeches delivered by leading economists who were not only knowledgeable but also passionate and capable of placing it all within the wider context of society. Read the rest of this entry »

If modern life and its pace, demands and stresses is getting on top of you a Tarifa Escape may be just what you need. Picture this – a comfortable Spanish villa set against a gently sloping hill covered in beautiful umbrella pine trees looking straight out over untouched beaches and across the Atlantic to Cape Spartel in Morocco.

Just around the corner are the cool beach clubs and seaside restaurants of Tarifa, with the trendy little town down the road and Valdevaqueros Beach – Europe’s top kite-surfing spot – a kilometre or two the other way. Here, ensconced within a lush canopy of greenery you are surrounded by two things: nature and views. Read the rest of this entry »