How to survive a villa holiday with friends

When two-year-old Seth climbed into the swimming pool with his waterproof nappy and let out an enormous fart, it raised an interesting point about the etiquette of a group holiday.

Was it really waterproof? What if the nappy leaked and filled the pool? Would the parents be responsible for cleaning out? Or the collective? And would we purse our lips at allowing nappies in the pool? Or think, he's only a kid - and s**t happens?

Happily, there were no immediate repercussions. That's not to say the three non-parents at the pool within earshot didn't rapidly rouse Mum Clare from the villa. Well, we weren't all volunteering to dive in, so to speak. Or should we?

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• How to survive a villa holiday with friends

Group holidays, mixing friends and families, can be a source of much prurience for those not involved - the rows over child discipline, strained relationships exposed to all, the outrageous baggings of the best bedroom and the drunken lunge at a friend's wife.

But most work well - with bitten tongues and common sense. In our case, it was four friends of 15 years or more renting a villa in Mallorca with partners and four kids, aged two, eight, eight and nine.

We had a similar holiday last year in a rented house in Normandy, which worked well although the house didn't have a pool and the days usually overcast. It meant hour-long trips to the beach for the kids and lots of alternative plans, involving markets, the racing at Deauville (highly recommended for a family day out), D-Day tours and the like.

So we looked at Mallorca, which has plenty of pools and sun. As with Normandy, no-one ever discussed "how" to holiday together. Common sense prevailed. But scratch the carefree expressions and jolly bonhomie of a group break, and it's clear that a series of unspoken rules have to be put in place to make it work....

THE VENUE

A six bedroomed-villa from Mallorca Farmhouses sleeping 12 on the edge of Calonge, a village close to the big resort of Cala d'Or and only 40 minutes drive to the airport. Important features: ensuite bathrooms in all but one room; bars, shops and restaurants within walking distance; a few minutes drive to beaches and supermarket; villa gated and fenced in to prevent wandering kids.

It was a newly restored house, with DVD and games console (handy for the kids), shade by the pool and house (important for all - five days of solid sun above 30C), BBQ (but could we find bricquettes? No, so virtually useless), lawn (demanded by British clients, apparently), two big fridges (perfect), separate laundry room with washing machine and table tennis table.

THE PARTY

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