So first of all, you need to make sure you have enough beds for everyone, not always as simple as it sounds, as the last thing you want is to put granny on the sofa bed, which is creaky and uncomfortable, and makes a dreadful sound every time she turns over, and makes her back ache so she moans for the whole 2 weeks!! Therefore, make sure you have sufficient bedrooms, and not just beds! Many villas have separate annexes, which can house a whole family; so you may be able to come away with your best friends and their kids too, and of course, share the cost of the rental!! (Worth a thought).

Secondly, you will spend a disproportionate amount of time around the pool, so it needs to be a safe pool if you have little ones, and a deep and big enough one for swimming in if you don’t. With enough sun beds for everyone, and a decent sized surround to walk on.

Location may not be as important as you might think, considering the above point. If you do plan to explore, you may want to have a villa nearer the main road into Javea, to give you easier access to the motorway, or if you want a really quiet, relaxing lazy holiday you will want somewhere off the beaten track, and there are plenty of those here! If you usually go for a villa right on the beach, why not try one somewhere else, like on the edge of a pine forest?? There are a couple of natural parks in Javea, and a few parks, where the kids can play happily for hours, and you can take picnics, so that’s worth a thought.

Speaking as a mum, a kitchen is not important on holiday, as your beloved husband will of course treat you all to a slap up meal at a different restaurant every night!!! Having said that, you need the basics to be able to do a decent fry up in the morning, and possibly a BBQ at some stage during the holiday. Not necessities, but definitely high on the wish list for me my friends!

If you plan to spend most of your time in the villa, do you need TV?? I hesitate to say this, as on holiday, you should be out partying all the time, or most of it, so a TV is not a necessity – put it at the bottom of your list!

I believe that you get what you pay for in this life – so if the villa you are considering is half the price of the others on the website, there’s probably a very good reason for it. So buyers beware all the time, look for the obvious first, and always ask if you’re not sure why it’s cheap, or there is a special offer etc….

If you are in England you could join the revellers in trying to pull down Stonehenge – don’t think I will bother with that one.
Perhaps you could visit France where they dance in the streets until dawn that’s sounds more like it, but for me I can’t parle francais very well.

Rumour has it that Spain is the ‘in place’ to enjoy the summer solstice or The Festival of San Juan. Swimming in the sea at midnight, lighting fires on the beach and partying until dawn – yeah I think that’s the one for me. Young and old, locals and tourists, dancing under the stars.

This festival, now celebrating the longest day, was 5000 years ago a pagan ritual where sun-worshippers feared that when the sun-filled days got shorter, the sun would disappear. It must have been really scary to have been a pagan in England don’t you think?

This festival, held on the longest day, signifies the start of the summer and is celebrated all over Spain, especially in coastal regions where having fun is the order of the day, so be prepared to boogey through the night and oooh and aarhhh at the magnificent noisy firework displays - don’t forget the earplugs! Those pagans know how to party!
Javea’s Festival of San Juan - translated as The Party of John the Baptist - still retains its magic and ancestral roots and on the Eve of San Juan the people of Javea, reminiscent of their ancient tradition, swim at midnight to wash away their sins and gain eternal beauty. They light bonfires on the beach and in the town - ‘Las Hogueras de San Juan’ (Bonfires of St John). They then jump over these fires in the magical belief of purifying body and soul. (A detox the old fashioned way.) However, I dispute these claims as this clearly doesn’t work because I have witnessed the faces of some of the revelers the next day!A word to the wise, hair of the dog or a glass of plink plink fizz (Alka Seltzer) for those of us who remember for the morning after perhaps. Enjoy.

Take a look at some of Javea’s stunning villas at http://www.selectholidayvillas.com/