London remains the capital of old-world luxury: Mayfair and Belgravia, Claridge’s and the Connaught, Savile Row and Jermyn Street, the auction houses and the galleries. The country offers estates, shooting and the season from Ascot to Cowes.
Stay
- Claridge’s, the Connaught, the Berkeley
- The Lanesborough, Raffles at the OWO
- The Newt in Somerset, Heckfield Place
- Gleneagles, Scotland
Shop
- Bond Street and Mount Street, Mayfair
- Savile Row for tailoring, Jermyn Street for shirts
- Sloane Street, Chelsea
- Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams for auctions
Dine
- The Ledbury, Core by Clare Smyth, Ikoyi
- Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
- The Ritz Restaurant for the room
- Scott’s and Sexy Fish for the scene
Gavalia’s rules
- Stamp duty for non-resident second-home buyers runs to 17 percent at the top rate; factor it in before the offer.
- The end of the non-dom regime has changed the arithmetic for international residents; take advice before moving.
- The season: Chelsea Flower Show in May, Royal Ascot and Wimbledon in June and July, Glyndebourne through the summer, Cowes Week in August.
London
Mayfair is the centre: Claridge’s and the Connaught, Mount Street for the boutiques and Scott’s, Bond Street for the jewelers and the auction houses, Savile Row for the tailors. Belgravia and Knightsbridge for the grand houses, Chelsea and Notting Hill for the family life. The galleries in Mayfair and St James’s, the theatre, the members’ clubs and the restaurants make London a city where luxury is lived rather than displayed.
Property
Prime central London has cooled from its 2014 peak in pound terms and remains among the most expensive in the world. Stamp duty at the top end, the surcharges for non-residents and second homes and the end of the non-dom regime have changed who buys. For those who still do, the best streets in Mayfair, Belgravia and Kensington are as good an address as exists.
The country
The Cotswolds for the honeyed villages and the Soho Farmhouse crowd, Surrey and Berkshire for the estates within an hour of London, Somerset for the Newt and the new country hotels, Scotland for the shooting and the castles. A country house with land is the English luxury; running it is the English burden.
The season
From the Chelsea Flower Show in May through Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley and Glyndebourne to Cowes Week in August, the English summer is a calendar of invitations. Dress codes are real, tickets are scarce and the sun is optional.
The property market
Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge 30,000 to 60,000 pounds per square metre; Notting Hill and Chelsea 20,000 to 35,000; country estates in the Cotswolds and Surrey from 10 million pounds. Stamp duty up to 17 percent for non-resident second homes.
Try it yourself
Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Villa Cost CalculatorPurchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.Questions people ask
How much does a house cost in Mayfair?
From about 30,000 pounds per square metre for a good apartment to 60,000 and beyond for the best houses on Mount Street, Upper Brook Street and Grosvenor Square.
What is stamp duty for foreign buyers in the UK?
Standard rates up to 12 percent, plus a 5 percent surcharge for additional properties and a 2 percent surcharge for non-residents, so up to 19 percent on the top band.
Where do the wealthy live in the English countryside?
The Cotswolds, Surrey (Virginia Water, Cobham), Berkshire and Oxfordshire within an hour of London, and the Scottish Highlands for estates.
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