4 years ago
Gulf Insider’s Charlie Cooksey spends a weekend at the breathtaking Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel in Nice, France. It’s easy to claim that a hotel is synonymous with luxury, yet visiting a 5-star hotel in person and being shown a luxury accommodation is quite another. The Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat does not disappoint; from its palatial-like exterior and interior to the staff that recalls everyone by name, this hotel has earned its five stars. The Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat is about 20 minutes by car from the city center of Nice, and the hotel is rich in history. It was initially built in 1908 and continually added to until World War I. It became a temporary war hospital. In the early 1930s, it once again shifted to a glamorous hotel. After changing hands for a few years starting in the 60s, it eventually became a Four Seasons Hotel in 2015. This landmark hotel residing in the French Rivera boasts incredible views of the Mediterranean Sea and proximity to Paloma Beach and various high-end outlet shops. The glamour and sophistication of the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat have brought various celebrities and famous icons into its rooms, from Charlie Chaplin to Winston Churchill […]
4 years ago
By Charlie Cooksey, Gulf Insider Reviewing this car involved me flying to Nice, on the stunning French Rivera, and staying at a beautiful 5-star hotel right on the seafront. Yes, I have a tough job. Looking out from my suite to the sea is breath-taking. The water is a beautiful azure blue and almost surreal. Interestingly, the colour of the sea is the same as the blue ring on the BMW badge affixed to every car in their EV (Electric Vehicle) range. Is this clever marketing from BMW, or coincidence? Anyway, before I talk about the car itself, let me say a few words on EVs. I’ve been test driving various EVs from several manufacturers for a couple of years now. But, until now I had only driven EVs for fairly short journeys on the roads of Bahrain and Dubai. Driving on the French highways enabled me to do some long-distance driving and I really got a feel for EVs and learnt how capable they are – in this case, the BMW i4. Two versions of this car are available: the eDrive40 and the M50. The entry-level eDrive40 is a rear-wheel drive with one electric motor which produces 340bhp, accelerating from […]