Lots of sites such as owners abroad. If you want a resort witrgh plenty for the kids but not too busy try L'Escala on the costa brava. You can fly to Barcelona (1 hour away) of Girona (20 mins away) or drive yourself down through France.

We have booked via Villa Plus this year - about the same price for a large villa as booking direct via Owners Direct etc but with a bit more security eg ATOL licence,ABTA etc
Booked flights via Easyjet -at least the way out -still waiting for EJ to release return flight dates

Hi , I booked with Villa Plus http://www.villaplus.com. this year , I found them a bit more expensive than my usual route which is owners direct , but they were very good with booking , emails and info , and you can also package flights with them , or book the flights yourself and book villa only . I would agree with what Dave said about security etc and using a company rather than a private arrangement as its your 1st time and you usually book through a tour company , and see if you like this type of holiday .
Although booking your own private villa might seem expensive , I've found the food and drink prices you save on hotel prices make it an affordable type of holiday , also like having my own sunbed and pool !!

Just had a look at villaplus for me, but minimum is 2 adults or 1 adult one child - so no good for me, it's probably just as cheap for me to stay on a package

Have to second what andy66 said re Villa Plus - very efficient admin so far. Not using them for flights but have booked some extras via them. Also were only looking for 10% deposit on booking.

We have had both good and bad experiences booking villas direct with owners in past years .For example, excellent service from a villa owner in Rhodes on two or three occasions - but a nightmare with an owner in the Algarve a few years ago, which never did get resolved and cost us £100s.

Decided against the Owners Direct route for next year because a) we were looking for a big property (15 of us) with a corresponding hefty rental so some members of the party were looking for security and b) as I said the price difference was insignificant on a large property anyway.

I would certainly use villaplus again , but when on hol this year , I saw a lovely villa just behind our one and noted the name , googled it and it was owned by an English couple who advertised it on owners direct , so booked it 11 months in advance !! I try to take notice of what's around when on holiday for future reference , my sister just thought I was being a nosey git when I went off for a wander for a while !
We have only had one bad experience in about 20 rentals which was a loss of a £100 deposit cheque for damages which was cashed and no explanation given , otherwise we've had great places to stay and wonderful helpful service from owners .
It's certainly a type of holiday I enjoy very much , and also good to the local economy of where you're staying .

We have had villa holidays ~ a dozen times over the years -only bad experience in the Algarve was when we turned up to find people already in occupation!
Generally find it a most relaxing way to holiday -no pressure on mealtimes , your own pool -and the ability to go out and about and find local eateries -works especially well in Greece.