THE REVIEW

THE CILLIAN MURPHY EDITION

LATEST FEATURES

Style

The BLT: Power dressing

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It is befitting, if you’ll pardon the pun, that I scribe this ode to power dressing from the uber-hip Hoxton Hotel, where I am surrounded by the stylish, the powerful, and the movers and shakers of my hometown. You see, when it was suggested to me that power dressing might be a good theme for this issue of The Review, I ironically thought it a dreadful idea, ostensibly because it conjures images of the gauche businessman of the 1980s in ill-fitting, chalk-striped suits – certainly for the majority of my peers anyway. But it conjures, for me, images of the greatest power-dresser of all time: Gordon Gekko, one of my…

Travel

San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge

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For over 25 years, Georgia and Stefano Barbini typified the world of fashion and haute couture design. Both owners of their respective fashion houses, they embarked upon an ambitious project to lovingly restore a sixteenth century farmhouse they found in the now Italian, but former Austrian, region of South Tyrol. The exact name is San Lorenzo di Sebato. When Stefano and Georgia came upon the 42 acres of pristine woods and meadows that was to become San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge, there was little ‘lodge’ to speak of. The property had been formally owned by the local clergy and was used as a battue hunting lodge. Stefano tells us that the…

Travel

Nizuc Hotel & Spa

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Let’s set the tone for our first day in Cancun. The Nizuc Resort & Spa was originally designed as a Cancun hideaway for Mexico’s president, so there are two elements that are guaranteed: style and privacy. Basically, the Mexican equivalent of Chequers – minus the rain and Buckinghamshire countryside. The resort is located on Punta Nizuc, a short 15-minute drive from the airport, but still a decent distance away from Cancun City, which I affectionately refer to as the battle zone. The hotel sits on 29 acres between a lagoon and has a protective mangrove forest And of course, a beautifully kept private beach. When we arrived somewhat jetlagged on…

Finance

Investing In IPOs

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Last year, 222 US companies went public, helping to raise $55 billion in what was the best year for the US IPO market since 2000. This enthusiasm for IPOs has continued into 2014, where we have already seen the strongest start for US IPO listings since 2000. In the UK, it also looks like IPO fever is back, with a number of well-known names already having listed this year including the likes of Poundland, AO and Boohoo, with plenty more on the way. So, how do you go about assessing whether investing in an IPO is right for you? Brenda Kelly, Chief Market Strategist at IG, gives her top six…

Culture

Waxing Biblical

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With Noah about to hit the big screen, Alan Diment looks at the religiously-thematic aspects of director Darren Aronofsky’s oeuvre. 2014 will see a raft of films inspired by Biblical tales. Among them will be Son of God, a retelling of the Christ story, and Ridley Scott’s Exodus, with Christian Bale donning his Moses sandals. First, we have Noah, directed by Darren Aronofsky, a lavish version of the Genesis story, dealing with water levels that make the recent floods look like a leaky tap.  Russell Crowe, as Noah, will lead a menagerie of survivors onto his purpose-built ark, including his wife and adopted daughter, played by Jennifer Connelly and Emma…

Style

InstaGlam

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As the photo-sharing app cements its status as fashion’s darling, Theresa Harold helps you sort the wheat from the chaff. Something strange has happened to my Instagram feed. Where before there was a stream of carefully-curated and beautifully shot images, there is now a deluge of blurry snaps. Composition seems to have gone out the window, and every shot is either too bright or too dark. I am, of course, writing this mid-Fashion Week – New York’s to be precise. Soon, Paris, London and Milan will follow, and it will be a solid month before my Instagram goes back to its restrained and tasteful norm. It’s easy to see why this happens….

Uncategorized

The Nadler, Soho

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The Nadler’s facade is one of my favourites. It’s probably meant to look quite divine and heavenly – after all, it’s a statue of an angel – but it’s actually quite demonic: black with pins protruding from the face and body. Still, there’s a certain beauty about it, one that exudes class and otherness; something out of the ordinary. This understated hotel is located just off Soho Square and strikes the perfect balance between form and function. There’s nothing superfluous here, just tasteful, clean design, a blend of business and pleasure. The colours are warm and elegant, which is exactly what you want from a hotel. Check-in was one of…

Beauty, Travel

Bedford Lodge Spa & Hotel

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Riding the jam-packed Jubilee Line on a Monday morning with passengers grimacing at each other in silent solidarity, I decided I needed a break. Not just a break from work, but a break from the city. A mid-morning trawl of the internet brought up the Bedford Lodge Spa and Hotel, an eighteenth-century hunting lodge that had been converted into a hotel in the 1940s. The Hotel is in Newmarket, about an hour and a half from London. Far enough away to feel like you’re out of the city, but not so far that you spend the majority of your weekend in a car. Bedford Lodge is set in 3 acres…

Food & Drink

Healthy Spirits

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So now, did you see it? Huh? Did you? I hope you threw yourself underneath it, limbs outstretched. I did. I was cautious at first. I mean, it’s been a while, you know. This weekend, however, my pasty flesh remembered what’s like to feel it. When delicious and delicate butterfly kisses of warmth flickered over my skin for the first time in months, my brainbox became awash with thoughts of beer gardens. Many a summer afternoon is whiled away slumped on wicker furniture, pint in hand. The scent of charred meat wafts across a courtyard of punters, tickles my nostrils and, before I know it, I’m wolfing down a burger….

Cars

Maserati GranTurismo

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I don’t think I have ever looked so good stepping out of something. Walking out of business class from LHR to JFK is a close second, but even then you know you’re heading into passport control with the great unwashed. The Maserati Gran Turismo Sport lives in the rarefied atmosphere of the layer cake. My first real super car experience was a jaunt across nonchalant France in a California a few years ago. Paris, Bordeaux and Le Mans were all taken in over the space of a week and it really forged my appreciation for the marque. We would only have two real days with the Maserati and so like…

Travel

Hotel Rosa Alpina

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Having skied most of Europe over the past five years, some places twice, it was time that the team headed to pastures pinker. The Hotel Rosa Alpina resides in San Cassiano in the Dolomites, the epitome of Italian charm. If Peter Sarstedt’s ‘Jet Set’ needs a new bolt hole, San Moritz is out, San Cassiano is in. The small town of San Cassiano is located at the foot of Mount Lavarela. With a population of under 1000 people, it is a welcome change from the hedonistic attitude and footfall of its more meretricious cousins. We shan’t name names. San Casiano is more of a sybaritic escape for the great, the…

Finance, Property

Property Crowdfunding

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People coming together to invest in property is nothing new. Join forces, share the risk, share the returns. That is how it has always worked. But now a new real estate investment model has emerged, prompted by changes in legislation which mean that, for the first time, funds could be raised online from sophisticated investors and retail clients alike. Crowdfunding – financing a venture by raising investment from a large number of people via the internet – has already been used to help launch an array of innovative products and services. Sites like Indiegogo and RocketHub have caught the imagination of millions of web users and given creative ventures a…

Travel

The Viceroy Riviera Maya

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Having landed in Mexico on our journey back from Belize, the expectation level for our last night was fairly restrained. The Viceroy Riviera Maya was our least-researched resort. I couldn’t tell the team what the accommodation would be like or what to expect in terms of scenery. This is not down to a David Brent-sized lack of professionalism, but more a case of wanting the last night of our trip to have an air of surprise to it. Usually these trips are confirmed, agreed, signed in triplicate, embossed, sent for the royal seal, buried in soft peat for three months, unearthed and filed away somewhere. This trip was no different;…

Style, Uncategorized

Upper Street

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Let’s face it, we are all self-confessed fashion gurus in our own right. We all know a pair of shoes to match every outfit is a necessity, in order to really stand out at any occasion. Imagine being given the opportunity to design your own unique pair of shoes. Gone are the days of frustration, trailing from shop to shop to find the exact desired shoe. Not the correct shade or colour; not the right heel height; ‘these would be lovely, if only they were completed to an entirely different specification’; not flowers but stripes. The list is endless. However, going home empty-handed and feeling deflated because the current fashion…

Travel

Decadence in Dubrovnik

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Croatia’s fairytale city, Dubrovnik is every bit as enchanting as Paris or Venice. Indeed, the city has slowly become a go-to destination for the au courant, as well as the rich and famous.  Our editor, Laith Al-Kaisy, took a seven-day tour of the city to see how the post-war mindset and investment has helped cultivate some of the most indulgent experiences in Europe Dubrovnik Palace Straight ahead, beyond the French doors and over the balcony, the edge of Dubrovnik gently falls into the Adriatic Ocean. It’s too dark to actually see, but it’s there. You can hear the water playfully slap the brusque, arid rocks that peg the land’s end….

THE REVIEW

THE ALICIA AGNESON EDITION

TRAVEL

Into the Wild: Alladale Wilderness Retreat

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“This isn’t an estate. I despise the word ‘estate’. This is a wilderness reserve”.  Paul Lister, the rather eccentric and very present custodian of Alladale Wilderness Reserve – a vast stretch of flawless heathery glen in the Scottish Highlands – defines much of Alladale and his place in it through what it and he is not. It isn’t a traditional Highlands retreat, as there is no deer stalking, grouse shooting, salmon fishing or hunting of any kind. He most certainly is not an entrepreneur, as he often tells me, but rather a passionate conservationist and ‘something of a tree hugger’. The reserve doesn’t feel the need to set strict –…

Langdale Chase Hotel

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Steeped in amazing untold stories, the house was designed by J.L Ball, JT Lee and Pattinson of Manchester and built as a private house in the late 19th century for Edna Howarth

Marbella’s Gastronomic Sweetspots, Old and New

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Nestled on the sun-drenched shores of the Costa del Sol, Marbella is an irresistible blend of natural beauty, cultural richness, and unparalleled luxury. Renowned for its breath-taking beaches and glamorous lifestyle, it is also a culinary haven that tantalises even the most discerning visitor.

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville

The Greatest Outdoors

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In honesty, “freshly back from the French Alps for a YogiSki festival”, is a phrase quite enjoyable to leave hanging in the air.  Set between Les Menuires and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, my recent foray to the mountains offered plentiful serene moments of reflection and emotional expansion, with ample time to enjoy the last of the white stuff as the ‘23-’24 ski season came to a close. The opportunity to enjoy a plethora of outdoor pursuits means rather scopious packing, and with that, I share my edited picks for a trip of multiple purposes. For the workout Offering elevated workout wear that is just as in place at a leisurely brunch as it…

The Penthouse by 3SA Estate. Limitless Luxury in Super Chic Marbella

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I am revisiting Marbella after decades to take a fresh look, as I’ve heard more than a few murmurings that this locale is experiencing a new era of redefined luxury. Indeed, Marbella is said to be undergoing a renaissance created by attracting an entirely new highly sophisticated and professional global jet-set, one that is thriving on a new limitless lifestyle whilst honouring its pedigree and provenance.

Sensational Saint Lucia

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The mango-shaped island, only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide, was born from volcanic origin and is fringed with soft sandy beaches, golden in the north and dark silver in the southwest.

THE ALPINE EDITION

22-23 Season

BEAUTY

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville

The Greatest Outdoors

By

In honesty, “freshly back from the French Alps for a YogiSki festival”, is a phrase quite enjoyable to leave hanging in the air.  Set between Les Menuires and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, my recent foray to the mountains offered plentiful serene moments of reflection and emotional expansion, with ample time to enjoy the last of the white stuff as the ‘23-’24 ski season came to a close. The opportunity to enjoy a plethora of outdoor pursuits means rather scopious packing, and with that, I share my edited picks for a trip of multiple purposes. For the workout Offering elevated workout wear that is just as in place at a leisurely brunch as it…

Bentley Beyond, The Collection. For the journey.

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An invitation to Bentley’s newest fragrance launch was a joy that ran deeper than expected. Driving a car you love is so much more than the ‘a’ to ‘b’. It’s the feel of the steering wheel moving from under your palm, the resistance of the accelerator beneath your sole or the slick movement of the gearbox. Sometimes it’s the thrill you get when the mechanic tells you that against all odds, your pernickety classic car flew through its MOT. It’s the bond you feel and the memories you create together over the miles. It’s the smell of crisp winter air streaming through the window as you drive through the open…

Where the Hot Springs Flow: Diving into The Well, Oslo

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It is perhaps one of the great tragedies of my life that I don’t spend every weekend in a beautifully crafted replica of a Kyoto bathhouse, surrounded on all sides by thirty or more totally naked Norwegians, each glistening with perspiration and a curated array of essential oils. However, my trip to the spectacular Oslo wellness resort The Well ensured – within an hour of arrival, in fact – that my existence would no longer be completely lacking this experience.  If the beginning of this wellness resort review sounds like the stuff of teenage fantasy crossed with a Nordic fever dream, I could only apologise. Except, as you probably expect,…

THE REVIEW

THE BEN WILLIAMS EDITION

FILM

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae - Roger Chan - The Review Magazine

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae LP780-4

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I slip my slightly clammy hand gingerly into the slot, ease some pressure and pull gently skyward. That scissor-door entry is nothing less than muted pornography. So effortless in its execution, it’s part of the recipe that makes the Aventador just that little bit more special.

Casio PX-S7000 Stephen Sims

Aesthetic Harmonics – The Casio PX-S7000

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Quality, innovation and – by god, in this case – style. Casio’s reputation precedes it when it comes to its product development and, crucially, its product refinement. Their first electronic keyboard, The Casiotone CT-201, was birthed by Toshio Kashio and his team in January 1980.

Ferrari F8 Spider

Ferrari F8 Spider

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Fresh from four days in Scotland driving the simply astonishing Ferrari F8 Spider, there are times in one’s life where you have to sit back, take some time, and genuinely let an experience wash over you. You need to take it in. Revel in it. The smells, the sights, the sheer visceral nature of it.

Alpina - Startimer Pilot Chronograph

Alpina – Startimer Pilot Chronograph

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Like many Swiss watchmaking dynasties, Alpina can trace its founding back to the turn of the nineteenth century – 1883 to be precise – by Gottlieb Hauser, a watchmaker in Winterthur, who also established the Swiss Watchmakers Corporation (Union Horlogère Suisse).

Stacia Suttles

Stacia Suttles

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It wasn’t until Stacia Suttles turned 19 and stepped into a boxing ring for the first time, that the amateur fighter realised she was exceptionally gifted in the combat sport.

Twisted 21

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I scanned the horizon of the Finnish race circuit but Charlie was possibly doing a few laps in the 500hp V8 110. “Let me see if I can find him Tony”. “Cool man”. This was the first of a handful of semi awkward exchanges I would have with Tony Hawk that week as we crossed from Finland into Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Austria and Monaco.