Celebrity hairstylist Geoffrey Flanders and his partner Kevin Austin built their own sacred space in Andalucia

In Spanish La Santera means the guardian of a sanctuary and the maker of religious icons. The name is an obvious choice for the beautiful, tranquil Spanish home of celebrity hair stylist Geoffrey Flanders and his partner Kevin Austin.

The vast seven bedroom finca is built in traditional Andalucian style and oozes a mix of opulence and laidback chic. La Santera stands majestically on a terraced 50 acre hillside, known by locals as the magic mountain due to ley lines that run under the house. They must be doing the trick, as visitors report a feeling of peace and tranquillity in the house. A truly mystical place, the area has been farmed since the 1700’s and traditionally the mother of each generation was a santera, gifted with the power of healing. She also made icons for the local church, hence the name bestowed on the house.

Spain is enthusiastically going green, with regulations for new-build property and developers keen to go above and beyond to give buyers a clean conscience.

It’s only the palest hue at the moment, but there are signs that the Costa Blanca is being tinged with green. Ecological awareness is big news in Britain, of course, and new homes throughout the United Kingdom are packed full of energy-saving and environment-conscious devices.

Santa Claus is only a minor distraction to Spanish children; the real fun starts when the Three Kings arrive in January

The hangover may have faded, but the shock of New Year reality has kicked in: no more Festive Season and nothing to look forward to until an inevitably cold and wet Easter somewhere in the distant future.

That may be the case in Britain, but things are different in Spain, where the big celebration hasn’t even kicked off yet. Yes, the Spanish are increasingly embracing the Christmas festival; yes, they party like mad at New Year. But the focus here is on January 6th. We know it as Epiphany; they have given it the earthier, cheerier and much more party-friendly epithet of Los Reyes – The Three Kings.

You know how it is: you learn a language at school (or at uni, in my case), you rarely visit the country and then one fine day you find yourself in a bar in Seville asking for two toilets (servicios) instead of two beers (cervezas).

Now whilst I enjoy making good-looking young barmen laugh, I actually prefer to have them laughing with me rather than at me. In that moment, I made a mental note to investigate refresher courses in Spanish to avoid further humiliation should I bump into, say, Gael Garcia Bernal. This goal would go on the same list as writing a novel and climbing Macchu Picchu (accompanied by llamas).

Ferries to Bilbao provide a chance for everyone to spot playful porpoises, dolphins and whales, and a vital source of information for scientists studying our best-loved marine mammals

The cinema is due to open at 11:30 but there's a long queue by 11:15. Doors open and two hundred people file in. The show is free and key to understanding the bigger show that nature is putting on in the wide blue spaces of the Bay of Biscay. We are on the P&O ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao. In summer this is routed along the edge of the Bay's continental shelf and the long hours of daylight give an excellent opportunity to see whales and dolphins in their natural environment.

Can we help ski-mad Felicity Marsh find a dream home in the sun that is also close to the slopes of Sierra Nevada?

Dear Property Clinic,

I’m absolutely in love with the skiing in Spain, which for me combines the best of snow with the best culture and people in the world. It’s about time that I stopped wasting money on two or more months’ accommodation rental every year and put down some roots in the country. My preferred location would be near Sierra Nevada, hopefully below the snow line so that I can enjoy warm evenings or days in the sun if I want a break from the slopes. My budget is around €230,000.

Felicity Marsh, Belfast

The thought of emigrating had never seriously crossed Mike and Annemarie Shaw Roberts’ minds, until they saw a Spanish business advertised for sale in The Sunday Times one dull winter morning.

 “We are very impulsive people, we often do things on a whim,” explains Mike, of the Shaw Roberts’ sudden decision to leave the UK. “We had never thought of moving to Spain until we saw an ad for a business in Spain. But it was a very dreary February day and we started thinking what are we doing in this country? Look what we can get for our money over there.”

Spain magazine and Linguaphone are offering three lucky Spain magazine readers the chance to win the very latest audio only course to teach you to spaeak Sapnish.
All you have to do to enter is answer the simple question opposite and send in your entry by January 31st .

With over 100 years experience, Linguaphone is still producing some of the best home study language courses money can buy.