IT'S Saturday night and the fiesta is in full swing.

But joining the party in Pollensa is way down our list of priorities- behind, for example, getting to our holiday villa before it gets too dark to find it.

The precise instructions from Hoseasons, with distances set out to a 10th of a kilometre, would have been brilliant-if only the main road on our route wasn't closed for that fiesta.

We spent an hour or so of fruitless diversions up and down country lanes, which we could see from the map were tantalisingly close.

Then in desperation we rang the local rental office's "emergency" number, feeling like a bench of clueless tourists, which I suppose is exactly what we were.

But the very young man in charge of the idiot line couldn't have been more understanding. "Please not to worry," he insisted.

"Where are you? I will come to meet you and show you the way."

And that's exactly what he did . . . with his elderly father at the wheel, accompanied by assorted even older relatives who all accepted this interruption of their night out with charm and good grace.

Our saviour led us to the villa we'd driven past several times and even apologised that it had taken him so long.

"There is a fiesta, you see-and someone blocked my car in, so I had to get a lift." It's a kindness and consideration we found again and again in Puerto Pollensa-a friendly, laid-back resort far from the high octane tourist spots in the south of Majorca.

From the genial restaurant host who watched us dither over the 15 wines before recommending the 7 house white (which was lovely), to the villa landlord who came round to check on us in person after a short power cut- the friendly locals here showed us nothing but kindness.

Our home for the week, Villa Vileta, was a bit off the beaten track, surrounded by lovely countryside between the mountains and the sea, and near the main road between Pollensa inland and Puerto Pollensa on the coast.

Choice

The villa, which was attached to another property but so well converted you'd think it was detached, came with fabulous outdoor space-a large pool surrounded by lawns, plus two enormous terraces.

One was under a veranda with a big dining table and the other had sun-loungers and chairs . . . the perfect place to enjoy a cold drink and watch the sun go down over the mountains.

Pollensa itself is an attractive market town 5km inland with a pretty square, a decent market and a few nice cafes. You can get round all of it in a morning. Puerto Pollensa has much more going on. It's small enough that you can easily walk from one side to the other but big enough to give you plenty of choice in where to eat, drink, shop or sunbathe.

There's a decent beach with all the usual facilities and extras, a marina where you can get boat trips to the nearby resorts of Cala San Vicente and Formentor or just round the bay and back.

If you want an all-day English breakfast or an Elvis tribute act then it's there, along with Indian, Chinese and Tex-Mex restaurants.

But so are the tapas places, small local restaurants serving suckling pig and fresh fish and a few high-end hotel restaurants too. There are some great bars and a couple of clubs. It's lively enough for anyone not on a clubbing holiday, and is still quite chilled-except for during fiesta.

Once a year, on August 2, the place goes mad as it celebrates Pollensa's victory in 1550, when villagers armed with nothing more than sticks saw off Moorish invaders.

Music

The battle is re-enacted through the streets of the town and there are processions, marching bands, mock fights, music and fireworks.

It's a fabulous spectacle-apparently-and well worth seeing.

Just make sure if you plan to catch it that you get there before they shut all the roads . . .

£100 off villa holiday

HOSEASONS Villas is offering News of the World readers £100 OFF a week's stay at the Villa Vileta or its sister Villa El Vila.

A week's accommodation in the Villa Vileta starts from £365. Visit www.hoseasons.co.uk or call 0844 847 1170 and quote News of the World discount when making a reservation.

Thomson Airways flies to Majorca from 23 UK airports with a return flight from Luton from £104. Visit www.thomson.co.uk/flights or call 0871 231 4787 for more details. A week's car hire is from £128. Visit www.economycarhire.co.uk

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