I look like Danny DeVito, but I used to be tall and blond,” Ali Parsa jokes as he gives a guided tour around his colourful offices in London’s South Kensington. The 51-year-old Iranian-born businessman is the founder of Babylon Healthcare, a start-up that is pioneering the way we access medical care. He’s a former Goldman Sachs banker who left the industry to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. First, as boss of hospital group Circle Health, before founding Babylon in 2013.
“At Circle, I couldn’t persuade the board to do anything beyond what they were doing,
cheap real jordans,” Parsa says. “I had lost control of the business to a bunch of bankers and lawyers, so I thought I would start again. The day the papers announced I was leaving I got five phone calls from people saying,
cheap retro jordans, whatever you do next, we’ll back it.” A few years later,
cheap jordan shoes, Babylon was born.
Parsa is not your typical entrepreneur, however. He fled Iran as a teenager in the 1970s during the revolution,
cheap wholesale jordans, leaving his family and idyllic, middle-class life on the banks of the Caspian Sea behind. “I was supporting the wrong group of people,” he says. He made his way through Europe and sought refuge in Britain, where he was granted asylum at the age of just 16. He came to UK with nothing, but, given support, he buckled down and completed his A-levels in just nine months, despite also having to learn English. “I calculated I wouldn’t get to university until I was in my 20s,” he says. “At that age, it seems like such a long time. I was offered a scholarship to UCL and Cambridge. I chose UCL because I thought it must be better as it is in a big city.”
His journey from refugee to successful businessman is remarkable,http://www.siemprelucenacf.es/index.php/component/user/?option=com_content&view=article&id=115cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, but Parsa brushes aside his achievements. “I came from a professional middle class family. I didn’t have a deprived childhood. What I did can be made to sound amazing,
cheap wholesale jordans,
cheap jordans for sale, but amazing would have been if I came from an uneducated poor family in a village in Afghanistan.
“In a way, and with the benefit of hindsight,
cheap jordans, that difficulty of being pushed out from a comfortable life into something that was highly uncomfortable was perhaps desirable, because it gave me the ability to stand on my own two feet.”
It certainly worked for Parsa – and it appears to be doing the same for Babylon. The company has developed a virtual GP service accessible through an app. Users can book an appointment to see a doctor on screen, often within minutes. The subscription fee is just ?5 a month - so considerably cheaper than seeing a private GP in Harley Street.
Mount Nelson
Cape Town’s oldest, grandest hotel,
cheap real jordans, bought as a house in 1806 and named in honour of the British admiral killed the year before. Not much has changed since 1899, when it opened formally as a hotel to service the Union-Castle ships that brought such passengers as Churchill as guests. High tea is served on silver platters in pastel-coloured living rooms. Grandfather clocks tick in passageways. Roses bloom beside the pool in the nine-acre garden.
![http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02784/cape2_2784394c.jpg](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02784/cape2_2784394c.jpg)
Thankfully, the hotel has embarked on refurbishing its rooms (some of which, particularly at the back of the hotel, are still rather Victorian). The new suites,http://www.sam-clan.com/web/index.php?site=forum_topic&topic=103796cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, in particular those in the Oasis Wing and the eight Garden Cottage Suites, are bright and fresh: antiques replaced with modern-classic furnishings and walls adorned with contemporary paintings from the Michaelis School of Fine Art. Ask the concierge for a walking guide to the area, which takes in galleries and craft shops nearby.
0027 21 483 1000; mountnelson.co.za; from ?156 double b?&?b
The One & Only
There are several advantages to being at the heart of the buzzing Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in one of the city’s largest luxury hotels – one of them being the size of the rooms. The Island rooms – with doors that open on an exotically landscaped island in a lagoon – are extremely spacious, with details in rich African reds, oranges and dark woods, local art on the walls, and huge showers and oval Corian baths.
![http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02784/cape1_2784395a.jpg](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02784/cape1_2784395a.jpg)
The hotel has an efficient concierge,
jordan shoes, a restaurant run by one of South Africa’s best-loved chefs, Reuben Riffel (as well as a Nobu and an Isola) and a cavernous Espa spa. Best of all for art-lovers are full or half-day tours run by the former gallerist, Jo?o Ferreira, meeting creators and exploring galleries; and organised art walks around the city centre, enjoying attractions from the Cape Gallery (
capegallery.co.za) to Streetwires (
streetwires.co.za), which sells bead-and-wire crafts made by formerly unemployed locals.
431 5888; oneandonlyresorts.com; from R5,500/?314 double,http://www.zcyz.com/E_GuestBook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, room only
The Clarendon Bantry Bay
This house-turned-hotel, in the pretty coastal suburb of Bantry Bay, has both the warmth of a private residence and the slick service of a hotel. Set over three floors, its rooms range from pretty doubles overlooking the garden to a mammoth penthouse with a 220sq?m terrace lined with loungers to take in the dazzling Cape sunsets. Cream furnishings are contemporary and clean-lined, staff are extremely friendly, and breakfasts are delicious,
jordans for cheap, from home-made muesli to orange-yolked eggs benedict. The hotel doesn’t serve dinner – but dozens of good restaurants are within a 10-minute drive. Hiring a car is recommended if you want to explore local galleries, from Montebello Design Centre (
montebello.co.za) in Newlands to Kalk Bay Modern (
kalkbaymodern.co.za) in the arty seaside suburb
434 6853,http://users.atw.hu/jhc-clan/index.php?site=forum_topic&topic=18433cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg; clarendon.co.za; from ?114 b?&?b
Cape View Clifton
If you’re not inspired to paint here, then you won’t be inspired anywhere. This ultra-modern b?&?b is built on a cliff edge, with 180-degree views over the trendy Clifton beaches and Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles mountain range (and the often-spectacular sunset).
![http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02784/cape4_2784392c.jpg](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02784/cape4_2784392c.jpg)
Each of the rooms – there are five suites and two apartments – has a view; some also extend on to private balconies that seem to hang over the sea. Décor is contemporary, with a beach-chic look (lots of stone, rattan, plants and natural fibres) and mostly monochrome art adorning white walls, from Ardmore ceramics and oversized black-and-white photography to covetable works from the Everard Read Gallery (one of the leading dealers in the country;
everard-read-capetown.co.za).
There are several exhilarating walking trails from the back door, some leading straight to Table Mountain (about two hours’ walk to the top). The contemporary galleries of Hout Bay are a 10-minute drive away along an impressively windy, and pretty,
cheap jordans free shipping,http://jmxhsz.com/wygkcn_GuestBook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, coastal road
438 8748; capeviewclifton.com,cheap retro jordans; from ?154 double b?&?b
Ellerman House
With its pristine lawns and elegant interiors, the former Bantry Bay home of Sir John and Lady Ellerman is one of the most glamorous boutique retreats in the city.
![http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02786/cape-new_2786661a.jpg](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02786/cape-new_2786661a.jpg)
If it weren’t for its private art collection, most guests might spend their days on loungers in the garden or by the pool, overlooking the sea and Robben Island. But the art collection is one of the finest in the country. Works hang on every hotel wall and range from early 19th-century seascapes to modern pieces by such African luminaries as Vusi Khumalo and Paul du Toit, housed in a new modern-art wing. The concierge can arrange full art tours in the city and wine-tastings (there is a cellar of more than 7,
jordans for cheap,500 bottles and in September the hotel opens the first Dom Pérignon cellar outside France). There is also a glossy book about the art collection,
jordan shoes, with informative biographical information on the country’s leading artists.
430 3200; ellerman.co.za; from ?269 double b?&?b
Mahlatini (028 9073 6050, mahlatini.com),cheap jordans free shipping, the British-based African travel specialist, which usefully includes in its itineraries a compilation of recommended restaurants, reading and shops, offers a six-night holiday to Cape Town, staying at the Mount Nelson, Clarendon and Cape View Clifton, from ?1,790 per person, including a return SAA flight from London and car hire.
Read more
Cape Town city guide
Pippa De Bruyn offers a comprehensive guide to the South African city,
Kicksokok.com, including the best attractions,http://users.atw.hu/jhc-clan/index.php?site=forum_topic&topic=18432cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, restaurants, shops and hotels.
South Africa: sites that defined Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela: a tour of Robben Island
The Karoo by Obie Oberholzer
Eric Lanlard's Cape Town: My Kind of Town
Rovos Rail: Great Train Journeys
South Africa: politica...t offer an insider's view
Follow @TelegraphTravel