More and more travellers are eschewing hotels and inns for the comfort of easy-to-book stays at private residences throughout the world. Here’s why.
A home from home: the Airbnb phenomenon
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Category Archives: property
A good time to buy in Europe
A combination of factors, including a weakening Euro, mark out an opportune moment to invest in continental Eurozone property.
Post election boost for Downton Abbey mansion
As Dame Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess of Grantham might have said, “Isn’t it splendid to see that nice Mr Cameron back in Downing Street.” Surprise UK election result poised to buoy the housing market.
Stunning golf properties in New Zealand
For anyone thinking of retiring to a home on a world-class golf course, in an English-speaking country with British traditions and legal system, a stable economy, low crime rate, and temperate weather, New Zealand ticks all the boxes.
2015 global property trends
Global wealth has never been so portable, real estate as an asset class so desirable or the choice of destination so wide. An appraisal of the where, what, why, who and how of 2015.
Private islands
The search for solitude has a simple solution – a private island sanctuary. Peter Swain examines the exclusive marketplace and assesses the options
Citizenship by investment
Global passports for global citizens are not yet available, but several Caribbean countries are currently offering the next best thing
Home bound
Futuristic technological innovation is encouraging architects and designers to utilise residential interior space ever more imaginatively. Peter Swain looks at some of the more ambitious concepts.
Avoid the Inheritance Tax trap
Of all the taxes to consider when buying abroad, inheritance tax is one of the most fiendishly complex and can be surprisingly costly, discovers Peter Swain
Back in the swing
Old-school golf developments are receiving modern makeovers, while new resorts are springing up in unlikely places. Peter Swain hits the fairways to find holiday homes that are up to par.
Sunningdale and Sicily
Italian exuberance qualified by English reserve is the perfect recipe for a great day out, discovers Peter Swain, as he talks to Sir Rocco Forte about his new project, Verdura.
Techno home
The smart home technology that sci-fi writers predicted would change our lives a generation ago is now materialising.
Get with the Caribbean vibe
With winter looming, thoughts turn to tropical golfing climes. Peter Swain has found one destination that won’t break the bank: St Kitts and Nevis.
Transpontine transformation
With its taut, angular Thames-side architecture, louche gastro-pubs and 80-hectare park, Battersea is becoming one of London’s hottest “villages” in which to work, live and party.
Why Beefy is bowled over by St Kitts
After a summer commentating on England’s triumphant Ashes campaign for Sky TV, Sir Ian Botham is looking forward to his next big innings in the West Indies.
Spain vs. Florida
Between them, Spain and Florida have many of our favourite golf course developments, but in a head-to-head, which one comes out on top?
No place like home
For those wanting to combine the intimacy and familiarity of home, with the amenities and service of a leading hostelry, Private Hotel Residences are the answer.
Brand value – Sotogrande
What’s in a name? Everything when it come to the value of your investment.
Kiwi Magic
Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island calls itself the ‘adventure capital of the world’, but can you combine a new home there with a great round of golf?
Retire to a resort in the Caribbean
The traditional playground of the rich and infamous has a host of ritzy golf destinations. Barbados leads the field, but other islands like St Kitts and Nevis have plenty to offer.
Cyprus will bounce back as a golfing mecca
Cyprus’s financial crisis hasn’t dulled Aphrodite’s Isle from being a popular British golfing destination for a decade. Peter Swain discovers several new developments around Paphos and a weak Euro are now making this eastern Mediterranean island a favourite for golfing retirees.
Spain still number one choice for golfers
Spain is still the favourite golf destination for British seniors but has suffered more than most in the recession reports PETER SWAIN. Ironically, though, substantial price falls mean there’s never been a better time to buy.
Portugal’s sunny fairways prove a year round winner
When it comes to multi-golf course developments with upscale amenities and a variety of property at different price points, the Algarve in southern Portugal takes some beating reports PETER SWAIN. Not surprising it is the retirement choice for so many golf-loving Brits.
Florida – a great value golfing heaven
With over 1,400 courses, warm weather all year round, hundreds of miles of beaches, and natives who speak English – well, sort of – it’s easy to see why so many golfing seniors find the Sunshine State the answer to their dreams.
Make it a Canadian club
With Canada’s Atlantic seaboard only a five-hour flight away, Peter Swain looks at the courses and property scene in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Home and a hole in one
Golfers are the ultimate lifestyle buyers – much more interested in their handicaps and long-term investment than making a fast buck.
A Florida hole in one
Fairway-side homes have taken their share of the pain during the property market downturn – but with 2012 prices edging up, is now the time to search out a golf holiday home in the Sunshine State.
10 best golf resorts for non-golfers
You like the scenery, security and club-ability of a home on a golf development, but don’t actually play the game. So which resorts might work best for you?
The world’s best golf resorts
Once there were just a handful of golf resorts to buy property on, but today there are hundreds spread across the globe. But which ones do we think are the best?
Monégasque metamorphosis
Embodying the remarkable mélange of dynamic style and discreet sophistication that defines Monaco in the 21st century, Groupe Pastor is presenting two new projects in the Principality in 2012: Villa Roccabella and Le Simona.