thejudge2k
Active Member
One bright summers day in August a young man boarded a Ryanair plane from Malaga with his other half. Their destination - a magical, mystical island called Ibiza.They would spend the next 2 days living in Hotel Torre Catalunya in Playa den Bossa, spending their days on the beach and their nights at the Radio 1 party. This is their story...
Actually it's not quite - I just thought that intro might be more fun than listing out where, when and how for my reviews of 2012 in Ibiza. This is the review of my third trip of the year - hope you enjoy!
Every August listeners from across the world tune in to BBC Radio 1 to listen to multiple hours of broadcasts direct from Ibiza. Said people are often working away in the UK in conditions that bare little resemblance to summer. And for more years than I care to remember, I was one of them. With the recording of 2011's version still doing the rounds on my iPhone, one afternoon at work I happened upon a tweet that said tickets were being distributed by ballot and you could apply online. I promptly applied, got the confirmation of entry and duly forgot all about it.
Mid Summer, a new email arrives in my inbox - congratulations you have tickets. I suddenly remembered the application, but had no plans to travel to Ibiza! Time to check Expedia and get it sorted. Luckily, the missus and I already had plans for be in Marbella the week before. A quick check meant a Ryanair flight from Malaga to Ibiza and a couple of nights in the Torre de Catalunya hotel.
No don't get me wrong, this was quite an extravagant trip just for one party, but that's the beauty of Ibiza for those of us in Western Europe - it's close enough to make an impulse trip. And when you consider the usual price of 2 tickets to an event at Ushuaia, this was pretty good value - I.e. FREE!
Wristbands were given out the day before from the venue with no queue. Staying in town meant no car required. We also got some good beach time - hoping on a bus and heading to salinas for the afternoon is always a welcome excursion. As is visiting the decades-old bus station in Ibiza town and cruising on up to San An for sunset.
Now, what about the event?
Listening on the radio gives an impression of a different world somewhere, so removed from the daily grind. The reality is a show for radio, with lots of guests, some interviewing and lots of requests to make some noise - it's not your typical all-day into night party with long DJ sets and the like. However, it was really good fun. Some quality guests - Groove Armada were top-drawer - biggest tunes of the summer and over 4 hours of live broadcast made it an event to remember. It also made you think of those on the other side - listening at home, whilst the sun set over the Ushuaia stage and lasers began to fill the air. If you're in Ibiza that weekend, or can hastily arrange a trip should be lucky enough to bag tickets, I suggest you give it a go - its an Ibiza institution in my mind and well worth doing at least once in your life.
One of my fave tunes has to be Nneka - Shining Star:
[video=youtube_share;yxHtclUAyLo]http://youtu.be/yxHtclUAyLo[/video]
Unfortunately we had to head back home before the big party at Privilege on Sat, but it was still worthwhile. The only thing I would caution - this is a very busy weekend in Ibiza so expect places to be packed and Taxis to be in short supply - suddenly a five minute ride to the airport becomes a somewhat stressful exercise when you can't find a cab!
One form of transport that didn't disappoint is the "Taxibus" from Playa Den Bossa to Ibiza Town - cheap, reliable, and a great view all the way on your short journey. Just try not to wear exactly the same outfit as the guys running it - it's embarrassing for them, and you!!
As we headed home back to the UK, we finished off with a quick visit to the newest airport amenity - the FMIF lounge - an interesting concept, and an 'interesting' crowd!
Actually it's not quite - I just thought that intro might be more fun than listing out where, when and how for my reviews of 2012 in Ibiza. This is the review of my third trip of the year - hope you enjoy!
Every August listeners from across the world tune in to BBC Radio 1 to listen to multiple hours of broadcasts direct from Ibiza. Said people are often working away in the UK in conditions that bare little resemblance to summer. And for more years than I care to remember, I was one of them. With the recording of 2011's version still doing the rounds on my iPhone, one afternoon at work I happened upon a tweet that said tickets were being distributed by ballot and you could apply online. I promptly applied, got the confirmation of entry and duly forgot all about it.
Mid Summer, a new email arrives in my inbox - congratulations you have tickets. I suddenly remembered the application, but had no plans to travel to Ibiza! Time to check Expedia and get it sorted. Luckily, the missus and I already had plans for be in Marbella the week before. A quick check meant a Ryanair flight from Malaga to Ibiza and a couple of nights in the Torre de Catalunya hotel.
No don't get me wrong, this was quite an extravagant trip just for one party, but that's the beauty of Ibiza for those of us in Western Europe - it's close enough to make an impulse trip. And when you consider the usual price of 2 tickets to an event at Ushuaia, this was pretty good value - I.e. FREE!
Wristbands were given out the day before from the venue with no queue. Staying in town meant no car required. We also got some good beach time - hoping on a bus and heading to salinas for the afternoon is always a welcome excursion. As is visiting the decades-old bus station in Ibiza town and cruising on up to San An for sunset.
Now, what about the event?
Listening on the radio gives an impression of a different world somewhere, so removed from the daily grind. The reality is a show for radio, with lots of guests, some interviewing and lots of requests to make some noise - it's not your typical all-day into night party with long DJ sets and the like. However, it was really good fun. Some quality guests - Groove Armada were top-drawer - biggest tunes of the summer and over 4 hours of live broadcast made it an event to remember. It also made you think of those on the other side - listening at home, whilst the sun set over the Ushuaia stage and lasers began to fill the air. If you're in Ibiza that weekend, or can hastily arrange a trip should be lucky enough to bag tickets, I suggest you give it a go - its an Ibiza institution in my mind and well worth doing at least once in your life.
One of my fave tunes has to be Nneka - Shining Star:
[video=youtube_share;yxHtclUAyLo]http://youtu.be/yxHtclUAyLo[/video]
Unfortunately we had to head back home before the big party at Privilege on Sat, but it was still worthwhile. The only thing I would caution - this is a very busy weekend in Ibiza so expect places to be packed and Taxis to be in short supply - suddenly a five minute ride to the airport becomes a somewhat stressful exercise when you can't find a cab!
One form of transport that didn't disappoint is the "Taxibus" from Playa Den Bossa to Ibiza Town - cheap, reliable, and a great view all the way on your short journey. Just try not to wear exactly the same outfit as the guys running it - it's embarrassing for them, and you!!
As we headed home back to the UK, we finished off with a quick visit to the newest airport amenity - the FMIF lounge - an interesting concept, and an 'interesting' crowd!
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