When their business went bust, it didn’t take long for Build a New Life in the Country stars Nick and Lesley Vallance to write down their dreams and make them come true. Article by Bob Morrison.

The ancient town of Velez-Malaga is only three miles inland from the resort of Torre del Mar on the Costa del Sol, yet few holidaymakers step out of that quarter-mile-deep comfort zone of the beach area to discover this bit of authentic Andalucia. With archaeological remains in the area dating back to Phoenician times, and both Roman and Moorish influences still visible in the layout and architecture, Velez is one of those interesting gems that has somehow managed to remain out of sight despite being in full view.

Computer expert Craig Mander didn’t let a little thing like learning the language stop him building a life and coaching football on the Costa del Sol

Craig Mander didn’t plan on building a life in Spain. For one thing, he had everything going for him back home in Britain, and for another, he didn’t speak a word of Spanish and had never visited the country. He was busy building a career in his native Hertfordshire when he was headhunted at 21 years old to set up the information technology systems for an estate agency on the Costa del Sol.

Discovering the heartbreak of flamenco inspired bestselling author Victoria Hislop to weave a tale of love and loss in the Spanish Civil War.

After Victoria Hislop stumbled across a former leper colony while on holiday in Greece, she turned the experience into her debut novel, The Island. It sold over a million copies and led to Victoria being named the Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards last year.

It is a hard act to follow but Victoria has managed it easily with her second novel, The Return. Set against a backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, it tells the tale of a beautiful young dancer, Mercedes, whose passion for flamenco stays with her as the conflict tears her away from her family, her hometown of Granada and the gypsy guitarist who stole her heart. Crossing as many decades as it does international boundaries, The Return weaves together Spain’s past and present and shows how the events of seventy years ago can echo down time and still effect one family’s life today. 

Using a combination of simple, defined shapes, clean neutral colours and lots of hard work, the Kastners have created a dramatically stylish home

Julie Kastner was born in New Zealand, and has travelled the world, although it is the ten years that she spent living in Sydney, Australia that seem to have been the biggest influence on the design and decoration of her home. She now lives on the Spanish island of Mallorca with her Austrian husband Josef, her two daughters Keana and Reese, their dog Jack and cat Meska.

Situated in an exclusive development of mock-Spanish mansions, golf courses and dense pine forests, Julie and Josef’s home, known simply as Number 11, is an oasis of refined and considered taste. Working without an architect, the transformation of the original ‘boxy’ Seventies house they bought into the home as it is today took six years.

Natasha Moon fell in love with Spain’s warm climate, and left Portsmouth with her young family to set up a new home and a new hairdressing business in Torrevieja

Natasha Moon’s parents moved to Spain six and a half years ago and after visiting them in their new sunshine-filled home, she became tempted to join them. It wasn’t until her father died, however, that Natasha seriously considered moving over with her husband and two young children to start a new life and offer more support to her mother. And, in 2005, they did just that.

Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca and the Roca brothers that built it may be a long way gastronomicallyfrom their parents café, but the ideology of good, Spanish cooking is the same

THE gulf between traditional Spanish cooking and the avant-garde creations dreamed up by the nation’s “modernista” chefs may appear vast. But in the north-eastern city of Girona, it can be measured by a distance of just a few hundred metres. That’s what separates the Roca brothers’ gleaming new eatery in the quiet residential suburb of Taialà from the popular café-restaurant run by their parents, Montserrat and Angelete.

The trio of Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca have gained an international reputation for being at the vanguard of some of today’s most exciting and technically challenging cuisine. This in turn has earned their El Celler de Can Roca two Michelin stars and lavish praise from the food critics. Now firmly established on the foodies’ map – last year it was voted the 11th best restaurant in the world by the prestigious gourmets’ bible, Restaurant magazine - it can take up to two months to get a weekend reservation.

Interior designer Jonty Richard Lewis fell in love with the Spanish way of life, so when it was time to start his own business, he chose the exclusive village of Guadalmina to create his own perfect home

The powder blue Andalucían-style townhouse stands in an exclusive, small, gated community in Guadalmina, a short drive from the bustling coastal resort of San Pedro de Alcantara. I am greeted at the solid, studded wooden front door by the owner, Jonty Richard Lewis and his miniature schnauzer Freddie.

Spain magazine has teamed up with the Casanova Hotel, Barcelona to offer one lucky reader the opportunity to win a fabulous break for two. The two-night stay includes bed and breakfast accommodation and a complimentary spa treatment for each guest, courtesy of the Casanova Hotel.

Following a complete reincarnation from an 18th-century limestone townhouse, the 124-room Casanova is an innovative, yet chic boutique hotel. Located in the heart of Barcelona’s University district, just minutes from Las Ramblas, Paseo de Gracia, and the city’s famed Gaudi creations, the hotel features the signature Mexiterraneé restaurant; a pistachio-coloured backlit bar; and Stone, Barcelona’s first indoor and outdoor spa.

Spending winters on the road gives Nicholas Scott more sunny summer days to be with his family

Most people have a career in Britain before they even think about moving abroad to live. It wasn’t like that for Nicholas Scott. In fact he’s never had a permanent job in his home country, though that hasn’t stopped him working his way up to a senior position with a British holiday company. Nicholas, his wife Helen and their two year old daughter Zara live in the small coastal town of Begur, on the Costa Brava, where he has spent most of his working life.

Nicholas trained as a chef in his native Cardiff, but he never got the chance to pursue a full-time career in the kitchen. He and Helen met when they worked as reps at a campsite on the Côte d’Azur in 1992 and they returned for four more summer seasons – though it took them three years to get together as a couple.

More and more couples are dreaming of a wedding in the sun, with the whole family around them, and Spain could offer the perfect blend of both

“When we first got engaged, we quickly realised that it was going to be difficult to arrange our wedding within a year. All the reception venues in the UK we were interested in seemed to require at least 18 months’ notice and we just didn’t want to wait that long.”

Susannah Rayner from London was married in Granada two years ago and found that marrying abroad opened many doors. Her now-husband is Roman Catholic so they chose to have a full service in Granada’s spectacular Santa Ana church, a converted 16th Century mosque. “It was really something to be able to take our vows, gazing up at the original Moorish ceiling of this beautiful church,” says Susannah.