Holiday protection best practices?

UK to Spain - I was hoping to book a private villa and travel separately. I've read all of the horror stories of Booking.com and Airbnb. False descriptions rarely match the actual settings found in reviews like:

• Full air conditioning - Just the hallway
• Whole property - Host lives on-site
• Private pool - Shared with other guests.

Main concern is being stranded in another country with young children. I want to avoid double-bookings and random cancellations. Here's some of my thoughts to protect myself:

• Pay only via credit card - Not always applicable as Booking/Airbnb is the middle-man?
• Book direct with villa owner?
• Avoid "aggregators", stick to VillaPlus, JamesVillas etc? Do these actually manage/host the property?
• Specific travel insurance? Does this cover things like alternative accommodation?
• Book/research alternative nearby property in case.

Any help or views greatly appreciated.