Javier is a "super" host in every sense of the word, from picking us up at the airport to booking us a taxi when we needed one (my Spanish not confident enough yet!) to restaurant recommendations and genuinely helpful and excellent communication at all times. He was a real star...As for the apartment, we hoped for good things from the description/photos and those expectations were exceeded. My wife and I had a lovely stay at Javier's apartment, which was very clean and comfortable, and although there is a sofa bed for a third person I felt the apartment worked especially well for a couple. The spacious terrace was ace...we often had breakfast up there and looked out to sea.
Situated in the Portixol/Ciutat Jardi area, the apartment is just a minute or two from the seafront/beaches which are popular with locals and tourists alike but are by no means overcrowded. There are many nice restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from along the lengthy stretch but I would particularly recommend the local bar/cafe Xorri (friendly waiting staff, great for a sundowner overlooking the Med and really good food too) and Vermuteria La Gloria, a lovely restaurant/tapas bar with a sea view still on a quaint square down by Portixol harbour (worth booking to get a table outside on the square).
For daily provisions, there is a mini-market just up the road whilst a little further on is a lovely little bakery-cum-coffee shop and a deli-style place opposite that. The bigger supermarkets of Eroski and Lidl are a 20-minute walk but we did this a number of times without much hassle. We often walked into Palma, which I guess is around a 40 minute walk plus a pit stop for coffee, but the number 15 and 30 buses can be picked up a short walk from the apartment on the main road and cost 1.50 euro per journey. They were pretty frequent and convenient, whilst the airport is a 10-minute/15 euro ride away.
We look forward to returning to Javier's apartment as soon as possible, which I guess is the ultimate recommendation.