Where to go on honeymoon after a dreamy elopement surrounded by the romance and renaissance of a 16th century Medici villa in Florence? A honeymoon for six. A 'familymoon'. Hmmm. Where in the world..?

Then I remembered 'the sign'.

Ibiza is the answer who cares what the question is?

I'm guessing the Ibiza Airport sign writer hadn't ever considered the question would be 'Where should these middle-aged newlyweds take four teenagers to celebrate their blended familyness?'

'Why don't we all go to Ibiza? There's everything to make everyone happy and we can sneak off to Pikes for a party", said I. My husband agreed enthusiastically. Maybe a little too quickly.

Our first taste of Ibiza hit us as we boarded the plane, Ibiza of course being the answer to many other questions such as 'Where can I go to party non-stop for a week?'. Judging by the demeanour of 80% of our flight companions, that will be the question they asked themselves and found Ibiza to be the answer.

The White Isle is of course known for its dusk till dawn hazy hedonism but in recent years, the original spirit, soul and bohemian character of the island has drawn a new (or indeed, slightly older) visitor in search of a quiet, restful and distinctly more grown-up experience.

We're there for that, and whatever fun gems we unearth as a new family of six. The upside of having teenagers is that you can go on holiday with them and get away with becoming one of them, as we found out pretty quickly.

We left our travel companions in various states of 'tired and emotional' at Ibiza airport and headed to our resort, The Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa, a sprawling five-star resort on the beachfront of Playa d'en Bossa, just 10 minutes away.

The largest all-inclusive resort on the island, the hotel is a cluster of Mediterranean style buildings, situated around a large freshwater lagoon pool which buzzes with energy and comings and goings; perfect for people watching, equally ideal for siesta snoozes under the palm trees, drifting off to the poolside beats.

The hotel has recently been renovated with minimalist, fresh décor which creates the impression of added space and an air of relaxation. The vibe is a mixture of free and floaty with little pockets of fun.

Fancy a bolder buzz? Trip trap over the connecting bridge and you've arrived at the Grand Palladium Palace hotel next door with its two large pools, waterslides, pool games, tennis courts, big beats and sports bars. Livelier, with a more energetic vibe.

Guess where we're headed five minutes after arrival

I swap my usual arrival Prosecco for a blue slushie. With vodka. If you can't beat the kids join them.

The Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa is at the far end of Playa d'en Bossa beach, perfectly placed for beach and beach club access and just a 10-minute wander from the superclubs such as Ushuaïa and HÏ Ibiza, which I didn't think would be particularly relevant for our stay. Wrong

Behind the hotel you'll find the salt flats of Ses Salines natural park; historically, Ibiza was nicknamed 'the island of salt'. More than 210 species of birds live in the park go flamingo watching, you'll find them wading here towards the end of the summer. Beautiful at sunset.

There are seven restaurants, including two buffet restaurants, four a à la carte and seven bars; more than enough to cater for the whims and fancies of our teens. Being all inclusive means that they can feed when they want, where they want and eat whatever they want which quite frankly means more poolside lounging and freedom for my husband and me.

Must visits are La Dona for à la carte Mexican gastronomy in a stylish outdoor terrace, Il Palazzo for a delicious al fresco dinner of Italian classics and Portofino on the beach front for Mediterranean cuisine.

There's an extensive activities programme all day and pretty much all night for all ages; football, archery, darts, ping-pong, pool games, Padel tennis, tennis and paddle surfing. The Mini Club has a huge range of activities for little ones and the Junior Club gives teenagers an added escape with a full activities programme, interactive zone and they can have DJ lessons and become as cool as they really think they are.

The resort's Zentropia Spa is a daily reviver for me. It has a tranquil sunny outdoor area, large, warm water dynamic swimming-pool, sensation showers, a Turkish massage area and loungers for soaking up the rays under the swaying palms. Head indoors to the wellness zone with special cabins for relaxation and thermal treatments. Brave the cold and immerse yourself in the plunge pool for the ultimate 'sharpener'.

Our daily pattern of activity consists of breakfast with whatever children choose to join us and basing ourselves at the pool for the day; everyone has freedom to come and go, chat, eat, zone out, go to their rooms and do whatever makes them happy. An early evening visit to the beach becomes a family ritual and we soak up the beach club sounds in the sea as the day gives way to apricot skies and the 'magic in the air' spellbinding vibe which is so unique to the island.

Most nights are spent with the kids, however we have a 'green pass' for one night only as I've got us on the guest list to see The Avalanches at Pike's, now known as Pikes Ibiza, an iconic rock n' roll institution and home to 30 years of hedonism, including that party to celebrate Freddie Mercury's 41st birthday (Google it) and of course, the pool in the Club Tropicana video.

'Freddie's' is where we're spending the night, an intimate party space which was transformed from the original suite where Freddie Mercury spent many months each year, recording and escaping from the public eye. His bed is still there, a place for louche lounging and moments of escape from the heat of the dance floor. Pike's is a 'if the walls could talk' kind of place History and hedonistic heritage ooze out of every secret nook and cranny. It's a nighttime wonderland of fairy lit twist and turning pathways, neon signs, captivating art, Balearic beats, happy people and decadently grown up party vibes.

We return to our hotel, just in time to take the kids for breakfast. A 'sunglasses indoors' kind of morning

My husband and I float through the day with our dreamy memories of the disco ball and get ready to do it all again, this time at nearby super-club Hi! Ibiza, formerly Space nightclub, a mecca of electronic music for 27 years, a 10 minute walk from our hotel.

I've promised my son a night at Future Rave with David Guetta, which I begin to regret somewhere around about 10pm when getting ready to go out, rather than to go to bed. My faith in the dance floor is however restored, somewhere around 3am when I see his face lit up by lasers and the energy of 3000 clubbers, delighting in the digital sounds.

Our final big experience happens off the dance floor. We've chartered a boat from Boats Ibiza for swimming, snorkelling and sunset seeking. Our captain, Dan, skippers us out to sea and round the coastline from Ibiza Town where we drop anchor and immerse our happy souls in the turquoise waters of Cala Roja bay before losing ourselves in the spiritual spectacle of an Ibizan sunset at sea.

Every party must come to an end and as we head to the airport I remind myself that the goal of every holiday is to leave feeling better than when you arrived. As I looked at our four kids, headphones on, hoodies of their new Usuhai and Hi! Ibiza up (airport purchase), freckled and zoned out, I thought to myself, 'Ibiza really is the answer'.

Six new experiences, one happy family, tired feet and heads, sunshine filled hearts.

Travel facts:

Mhairi and her family stayed at the Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa in Playa D’en Bossa. Rooms available from £212 per night for a Standard Room. Visit website for special offers. www.palladiumhotelgroup.com