An author has opened up on her Spanish second home "hell" in a warning to second home owners.
Author Sadie Nicholas has discussed the struggles involved with owning a second home abroad, including a deluge of friends hoping to pay a visit.
She purchased a property in Valencia with her husband six years ago, a detached four-bedroom villa, with plenty of room for visitors, the pair were assured.
In the midst of the excitement of buying the villa, the couple had not banked on becoming 'besieged' with requests from friends hoping to pay a visit.
Despite this, Ms Nicholas revealed she has a "pet hate" of staying with other people.
Spain is a hugely popular holiday destination for Brits.
Lauren Hurley
She said: "It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d feel quite so besieged.
"On reflection, it shouldn’t have been a surprise as one of my pet hates is staying with other people.
"That’s partly because I don’t want to encroach on friends in their own homes, but also because I like our own space to do as we please, right down to wandering around in our underwear".
Ms Nicholas revealed that she was urged to keep her second home "quiet by a friend due to the threat of people "inviting themselves to stay".
Having a second home in Spain is not all it's cracked up to be, Sadie Nicholas feels.
Lauren Hurley
Ms Nicholas wrote in the Daily Telegraph: "Our friend who has a substantial place in Mallorca offered a sound piece of advice: keep your second home quiet, for if people don’t know about it, they can’t invite themselves to stay.
"We heeded this wisdom for a while, but our cover was blown by a combination of the holiday snaps I posted on social media, our own excitement, and us returning time and again to exactly the same place."
She called on people visiting her holiday home to "acknowledge" the fact that she is enjoying a getaway, while admitting that she needs to do similar.
Despite the issues outlined by Ms Nicholas, she stated that her second home has brought "magic moments".
She said: "The sizzling summers, mild winters and countless magic moments with family – and friends – are utterly wonderful.
"When we get the right balance of family fun and the right kind of visitors, the memories we make will be nothing but good."