A very personal journey brought flamenco star Maria Pagés home to Seville

Flamenco is known for capturing the spirit and passion of a nation, but when María Pagés created her dynamic dance show, Sevilla, she took a very personal approach. For Pagés, Seville is home - the place where she grew up, found her love of dancing and, despite spending much of her time on the road, the place to which she always returns. All of which she poured into Sevilla.

When ceramicist Elisabeth Corberó bought Mas Perdu, she fell in love with its history and devoted herself to restoring it with an eye firmly on the traditional

Mas Perdut is a farm with a 300-year history, in Ampurdán, Girona. It was built in the 1700's and is an example of a typical farmer's house, surrounded by the fields of maize and hay that still fulfil their original purpose, and bordered by the River Ter. Its name, which has followed it since it was built, means ‘lost farm’ and alludes to the labyrinth of paths that one has to follow in order to reach Mas Perdut’s tucked-away location in the rural landscape.

Londoners Bash and Paulette Robinson found their perfect lifestyle in a villa near Marbella.

It’s a Friday afternoon in January, and having flown into Malaga on the first BA flight out of Heathrow, Bash Robinson has just got back from a walk on the beach with his wife Paulette, children Oscar, Evie, Lochie and Maddie, and their two dogs, Joey and Flo.  Flushed from the sea air, which today has a mild bite to it, he settles down in the spacious garden of his recently acquired five-bedroom home and starts talking about the family’s move to Spain.

He may be the 9th Sexiest Man Alive according to People magazine, but Javier Bardem would rather let his work speak for itself

If there were an Oscar for worst haircut, Javier Bardem would snag it for his role in the Coen Brothers’ new thriller, No Country for Old Men. Playing the ruthless psychotic Anton Chigurh, who will stop at nothing to retrieve $2 million that’s been stolen from him by a foolhardy Texan (Josh Brolin), Bardem had to live with an unflattering side-parting-cum-comb-over for three months during the shoot.
“I guess the haircut helped us show that this man is insane but also normal,” he says. “But it’s hard to wake up and see yourself…taking a shower, you go, ‘Oh my God! I forgot it was me!’”

Adrian Day and his partner Mark Florko can’t seem to stop themselves from taking on big projects, like their current quirky home near Ronda

When Adrian Day sold his estate agency in Bath and headed off to southern Spain with partner Mark Florko, the idea was to take life a little easier: long lunches, siestas, sundowners on the terrace – that sort of thing. The last thing the couple planned when they moved to Ronda was embarking on a series of restorations, but, four years later, they are finally close to finishing work on the third property they have made over since leaving Britain.

Finding a bargain property in Murcia is easy, thanks to today’s buyers’ market, says Anthony Jefferies.

Murcia may be the smallest of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, but when it comes to property, this area in the south east of the country thinks big. Wedged between Andalucía and the Costa Blanca – the two biggest hitters when it comes to overseas property sales – Murcia was a bit of a latecomer to the market.

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.