Choosing The Perfect Anniversary Present

anniversary giftsIf you have a wedding anniversary coming up and you’re at a loss as to what you could possibly get the special someone in your life to mark the occasion, help is here! There are loads of great ideas for wedding anniversary gifts online, but often they can seem too impersonal and generic. If you’re a bit of a romantic and prefer a personal gift, a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers
can often feel just not good enough for your other half.

A great way to celebrate an anniversary is to look at wedding anniversary gifts by year. Each year of marriage has a theme associated with it, and buying a present to reflect that theme is the ideal way to narrow your options down a bit whilst still ensuring that the present you choose has some special significance for you and your partner.

For couples who have been married for one year, for instance, the theme is paper. This might at first seem like an odd thing to base a present on, but in fact there is plenty of scope for choice and imagination within each theme. So for paper, you could choose to put together an album of pictures from your honeymoon, or frame a particularly good picture of the two of you. If photos don’t float your boat then an alternative paper-themed gift could be some lovely stationery or, thinking outside the box a little bit, how about a year’s subscription to a magazine based on something your other half is really interested in?

Maybe you’ve been together a little bit longer, say fifteen years. In which case, your anniversary theme is crystal. This theme also has lots of scope for imagination and choice. For instance, you could choose crystal champagne glasses, a crystal faced watch or you could really go for it with a weekend skiing break for two!

Digital Detoxes to Celebrity Chefs, Experience Next Year’s Biggest Travel Trends

Digital detoxes, farm-to-fork cuisine and opulent spa treatments are just a few of the travel trends predicted to attract holidaymakers in 2014. With travellers demanding more than ever from their well-earned holidays, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.’s luxury hotels, trains and cruises offer a range of on-trend experiences and packages to cater to the 21st-century traveller’s every whim.

travel trends

Holidays are no longer seen as an excuse to over-indulge, with an increasing number of travellers looking to maintain their exercise regime during a ‘Fitness Fusion’ break. Guests at Napasai on Koh Samui, Thailand can discover the ancient art of Muay Thai in the hotel’s authentic Thai boxing ring; La Residencé Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, Laos has introduced archery lessons in its UNESCO World Heritage garden; and golf enthusiasts can improve their swing during a golf tour on The Royal Scotsman, the UK’s only luxury sleeper train. Athletic types can discover local sites during a jogging tour with a personal trainer at Hotel Caruso in Ravello, Italy or take on even tougher fitness challenges such as the Angkor Wat Half Marathon at La Residencé d’Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia and the Madrid Marathon at Hotel Ritz Madrid in Spain.

Given that many people now sleep next to their mobile phones, it’s unsurprising they crave a ‘Digital Detox’ to escape the demands of modern technology while on holiday. Luxury river cruisers Orcaella and Road to Mandalay in remote Myanmar offer the ultimate switch-off experience, with no Wi-Fi or phone reception to distract guests from the spectacular backdrop of golden temples and remote villages. Limited internet access on board the barges of Afloat in France also encourages quality family time, as children abandon their iPads to help the crew navigate through scenic Burgundy.

The public’s passion for ‘Celebrity Chefs’ shows no signs of waning in 2014 and travellers can now engage with their favourite culinary masterminds on holiday. Next year, some of the UK’s most celebrated chefs including Marcus Wareing, James Martin, Tom Kerridge and Raymond Blanc are set to create pop-up dinners on board luxury UK day train the British Pullman, while Ken Hom will front a new Pan Asian restaurant at the iconic Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Travellers are increasingly eager to broaden their skillset on holiday with ‘Brain-Boosting Experiences’ led by experts. Next November, acclaimed author Alexander McCall Smith will lead an intimate six-day safari through the setting of his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series at Eagle Island Camp, Savute Elephant Camp and Khwai River Lodge in Botswana, Southern Africa. Guests at Jimbaran Puri Bali in Jimbaran Bay, Bali can create their own scent during a perfume making workshop, while drink connoisseurs can meet winemakers during Afloat in France’s week-long Grands Crus Cruise and take a four-night whisky tour on board The Royal Scotsman, partnered with The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Back in the UK, budding chefs can spend a day in the Michelin starred kitchen at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire.

People have never been more conscious of what they eat, with an increasing focus on locally produced, ‘Farm to Fork’ cuisine that extends to their holiday. Guests at Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa can experience the trend first hand during an urban foraging experience, collecting culinary treats from the local landscape which are then prepared by the hotel chefs. In another nod to sustainable produce, El Encanto in Santa Barbara, California produces branded cheese using milk from the hotel’s own cow, Ellie, and prepares restaurant dishes using ingredients from an on-site organic garden.

Spas are getting even more creative with their treatments, with a focus on opulent and unusual ‘Treasure Treatments’ in 2014. Charleston Place in South Carolina, USA offers an exclusive 24-carat gold facial, guests at Reid’s Palace on Madeira, Portugal can indulge in a luxurious body treatment using caviar and the spa menu at La Residencia in Deia, Mallorca includes a purifying treatment containing diamond dust.

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences are more popular than ever as travellers strive to make the most of their time away with ‘YOLO’ (‘you only live once’) and ‘FOMO’ (‘fear of missing out’) activities. Guests at La Residencé d’Angkor can capture the ultimate Kodak moment during an open-sided helicopter ride over Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor temple complex. Hotel das Cataratas in Iguassu, Brazil, offers a thrilling flight over the spectacular Iguassu Falls and luxury sleeper train, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, evokes the golden age of travel during an unforgettable journey from Venice to Istanbul, passing through Bulgaria, Bucharest, Budapest and Vienna.

Further details or to book, please call the UK Reservations team on 0845 077 2222 or visit www.orient-express.com.

Last minute ISA Ideas for 2012/13 Tax year

 

·         ISA ideas for different types of investors

·         14% of all HL ISAs opened in the last week of the tax year

·         HL Opening Times

 

Adrian Lowcock, senior investment manager at Hargreaves Lansdown offers his ISA ideas as this year’s deadline approaches:

 

“In the last two tax years 14% of all new ISAs opened on the Hargreaves Lansdown Vantage platform were opened in the last week.  Make sure you take out your ISA as once the tax year ends you have lost that allowance. To take out an ISA all you need is your national insurance number, debit card and cleared funds in the bank.”

 

Income investor

 

Invesco Perpetual Distribution – This fund aims to provide a regular stable income this fund invests in a mix of bonds and income-producing equities. Approximately two-thirds is invested in corporate bonds with the remainder invested in equities. Income is its primary aim and it makes payments to investors monthly.

 

Defensive investor

 

Newton Real Return – This fund is for investors who may need access to some of their capital in the medium term (but still in at least 5 years’ time). It therefore tries to offer some sheltering of capital and aims for more modest growth. The manager invests in a variety of assets and uses sophisticated techniques to try to profit from assets which fall in value.

 

Medium Risk investor

 

Troy Trojan – This fund is defensively managed and provides the potential to achieve a reasonable level of return over the medium term with a little less volatility than the very long-term, more aggressive portfolios.

 

Long-Term investor

 

CF JM Finn Global Opportunities – This suggestion is for investors with a long time horizon.  Therefore the focus is on more risky areas with greater potential to build wealth over the long term.

 

Junior ISA / Investing for Children

 

Lindsell Train Global Equity – The managers invest in global equities and have a long term buy and hold approach. This compliments those investing for children who often have very long-term goals in mind.

 

 

Hargreaves Lansdown end of tax year opening hours

 

Monday 25 – Thursday 28 March                               8am – 7pm

Easter Bank Holiday weekend every day               9am – 6pm

Tuesday 2 April                                                                 8am – 8pm

Wednesday 3 April                                                          8am – 8pm

Thursday 4 April                                                                8am – 8pm

Friday 5 April                                                                      8am – Midnight

 

ISA deadlines

 

Stocks & Shares ISA

 

Online                   Friday 5th April – 23:45                                    www.hl.co.uk/ISA

Telephone          Friday 5th April – 23:55                                    0117 900 9000

Postal                    Friday 5th April

 

Bed & ISA

 

Funds on Vantage                           Wednesday 3rd April – 17:00

Shares on Vantage                          Friday 5th April – 12:00

Funds/ shares certificated           Wednesday 3rd April

ISA Contribution limits

 

                                  2012/13                                2013/14

 

Stocks and Shares ISA                    £11,280                                 £11,520

Junior ISA                                            £3,600                                   £3,720