Morbyd
Moderator
As promised, here's the grand review of my 5th annual prilgrimage to the White Isle. For me, this is as much an excercise in memory recovery as it is a review, but I will try to make it useful by including an opinion or two about stuff we did/saw. I tend to ramble, so for those who get bored, I'll highlight important words/places/etc. in bold so that you can skip down to anything that might be of interest.
This was the first year that Irina (the wife) and I traveled to the island without the usual compliment of friends, so it was a very different trip. Most missed was my buddy Scott, who introduced me to Ibiza (his wife just had twins!), but he got regular text msg updates
OK, here goes:
Wednesday (June 15, 2005)
Day: We arrived in the afternoon, picked up our rental car at the airport (Centauro booked through Hispacar for 20 euros/day. Recommended) and headed to Playa D'en Bossa. There, we settled into the Aparthotel Garbi . Decent studio apartment with kitchenette and a view from the balcony of the pool area and the sea beyond, all for a respectable price. Curteous staff. Mainly German guests, which is fine but we felt a bit out of place at times. After settling in, we went to the supermarket to stock up on snacks, beer, etc.
Night: We hopped in the car and headed over to Ibiza Town for a look around and a little shopping. I immediately picked up NastyDirtySexMusic, Defected Eivissa 05 and Roger Sanchez's Release Yourself 05 for our in-car listening pleasure. We were delighted to see familiar faces around the harbor bars and settled in for a couple of drinks.
Thursday
Day: Up and at 'em. One of only 2 days we made breakfast. The wife then dragged me to the beach at Bora Bora to begin her sunbathing/swimming regimen. The music was kicking and Playa D'en Bossa is still my favorite beach in Ibiza. It reminds me of the beaches I grew up going to on the East Coast of the USA (long, sandy, relatively clean), only with the added bonus of blazing tunes and beach-bar service. Much sangria consumed.
Night: Over to Bambuddha Grove for dinner (for the unitiated, it's a rural Thai/Asian fusion restaurant just off the road from Ibiza to Santa Eularia). The food was a bit overpriced but tasty. I had the buffet but couldn't take full advantage due to queasiness from too much daytime sangria on an empty stomach. Later on, we had the surprise arrival (with pre-warning of a "maybe" in a text message) of a couple of friends from Moscow. We took them down to Ibiza Town to show them around and get some drinks in the harbor. Relatively early night as all were a bit tired.
Friday
Day: Back to Bora Bora, this time with the Moscow couple, for beach, beer and sangria action. I spend most of my beach days sipping drinks under an umbrella (since I don't need a tan) and bopping to the tunes, occasionally ambling up to the bar area to bop around a bit. Irina and I decided we wanted Indian for an early dinner, but the place on the beach in PDB is a seafood place now.
So, we got in the car and ended up in Santa Eularia We ate at the Cardamom Club which has a great special for the first hour of their dinner hours - 50% off all entres! Irina's Pork Vindaloo was substantially spicy and my curry was good, but the samosas needed some work.
Night: Finally, it begins! We met back up with the Moscow couple for pre-party drinks at Tantra in PDB, where we acquired tickets for Pure Pacha sans Pete Tong. We went to the club a bit too early (1ish) and it was only half full but it filled quickly, so we took up our favorite spot on the right side of the VIP area. People could have come later... the opening DJ, Wally Lopez , was absolute total crap. We couldn't even dance to it. Our Moscow friends started listing off Russian DJs that could have done better. That stopped when Groove Armada came on. I know they get a lot of flack, but they played a solid set and only stuck in Superstylin' when we were on our way out anyway It might be because I hadn't seen them before (I hear they repeat their sets a lot) and because Lopez was so bad by comparison.
Saturday
Day: The friends who were with us last year told us about this great beach they had visited, so we decided to find it. Scott texted me that it was Cala Llonga, so Irina & I headed there. Nice sandy beach with tranquil waters and a few cafes & restaurants, but the beach bar they described was not to be found. In fact, it's a quiet resort with a much older crowd. So we got back in the car and checked out another suggestion, Sa Caleta. Great view and we heard the restaurant is quite good but the beach was kind of small and not very sandy with few amenities. Back in the car, when Scott called and we figured out it was Cala Jondal. Beach club Tropicana there is a great place to relax with chill-out music playing. Seaside service, good food, good views and nice sandy beach (with one unfortunate band of pebbles right where water touches sand). Highly recommended. Meanwhile, our Moscow friends had rented a boat for the day and offered to come meet us there, but their captain took them to Las Salinas instead! When we figured this out, we headed over there for a quick drink at Malibu.
Night: We all then hopped in the car and raced to San Antonio to catch sunset at Cafe del Mar. We got there just in time to see the sun go down, then hung out for a few drinks before heading back to PDB. Two of the 4 of us (not me!) had no strength for the Amnesia opening, which was a shame.
Sunday
Day: Up for breakfast! I think for the last time Irina went for a quick swim at the Garbi beach area, then we went together to you know where... the opening party for We Love at Space! Tearing up the decks was Jonathan Ulysses out on the temporary terrace when we arrived. What a great space! Well done! We ran into Robo, Barbie & Tom, Jamie, et. al. who were also on the terrace and whom I'd later run into all over the place that week. Next to DJ was Tom Novy and, to be honest, we thought he took things a little too hard for the daytime terrace vibe. The heat, drink, etc. got to us after a while so we took our pass out to Bora Bora which was rockin'!! We thought it'd been a little quiet there earlier in the week but Sunday was packed and up to its high table-dancing, plane-waving, booty-shaking hedonistic standards. Rocked out there for a bit then I got that queasy feeling again so back to the hotel for a nap.
Night: Where else? Back to Space. This time solo since our Moscow friends (who left Monday) never quite made it to Space all day and Irina never made it back from our nap. First up was NastyDirtySexMusic in the Red Room, which conveniently thinned out some as I arrived (it was overpacked when I walked up). Tim and Jo were in good form. After a break on the roof terrace, down to the main room for 2 Many DJs who were also stellar. Back to NDSM for another hour, then out on the terrace for a bit, then back inside for a few, then home. Great party.
Monday
Day: Another Bora Bora afternoon before heading off to KM5 for dinner. Irina had a great fillet steak and my lambchops were ok, but the atmosphere in the gardens was really quite nice. (For those who don't know, it's a rural restaurant at the 5 km mark on the way from PDB to San Jose).
Night: Pre-party drinks at Kopi bar in PDB. Gaudy place, but convenient to our hotel and really cheap. Picked up our tix for Pacha and headed over to the opening party for Release Yourself with the man himself, Roger Sanchez. What can I say? Nowhere else did I see so many hands in the air and screams of delight. The man is a crowd pleaser who keeps the party going. Another great show with great tunes from the master. Home after dawn.
Tuesday
Day: I'll admit it - I hadn't seen Es Vedra yet, so we went to Cala d'Hort for our daytime beach/drink session. On the way, there's a turn off to climb Ibiza's highest peak, Sa Talaia. Irina freaked out about a hundred meters from the end of the road, so we didn't make it. But great views. Cala d'Hort had a nice beach with a few pebbles but otherwise sandy and pretty quiet. We had lunch in the restaurant there, Es Boldado I believe. Irina was not pleased by her grilled shrimp but my garlic prawns were delicious. I liked her gazpacho but she didn't. Their paella looked great, by the way (I was jealous of the neighbors!). Afterwards, I dropped Irina off for some shopping in Ibiza while I relaxed back at the hotel. Later, we had a snack at Mooreas in PDB.
Night: Irina was in for the night so I went solo to the bar next to Kopi (name escapes me) where we knew the Irish PR guy from last year. Really nice Welsh-Spanish guy runs the place so buy a drink there if you can. Picked up a Pacha ticket and off to the opening party for Defected . Simon Dunmore opened and was funky but surprisingly not over-commercial. Good tunes to start off the evening, in fact. Then Junior Jack & Kid Creme played a similarly-surprisingly good set up until their last half-hour which turned a little too hit-laden. That's OK, because just as it started to get annoying, Sandy Rivera came on and took you deeper and deeper into the night. Really solid set, IMH(but correct)O. All of this was ruined... all of it... by the MC that kept babbling all night long until about halfway through Sandy's set when he finally took a break. Home after dawn.
Wednesday
Day: We spent the day in Es Cana, first at the Hippy Market and then at the beach for a short bit. I found the market (open Wednesdays) there to be much more corporate than the one at Las Dalias in San Carlos (open Saturdays), and more expensive too I think. The beach was a very family-oriented place, it seemed. We should have eaten somewhere there but I decided we should go back to try Sa Caleta. Restaurant was closed when we got there Back to PDB and Moorea's where Irina had a great grilled sole and I had a tasty steak. This place has been consistently good when we've eaten there over the years.
Night: Pre-party drinks in PDB then off to the opening of La Troya at Amnesia. One word: awesome. The best atmosphere of any party we attended and the terrace there is such a fabulous place to be. Cesar de Molero kept the music pumping, the dancers were fabulous, and DJ Oliver took you straight to heaven at dawn. This party is a must for all. Left just seconds before closing.
Thursday
Day: Another Bora Bora afternoon before I decided we had to head over to check out Kumharas in the San Antonio bay area (Cap Nou, I believe). I had never realized how far around the coast the bay's resort area goes! We made 3 mistakes going to Kumharas - we arrived hungry, slightly tired, and on a cloudy evening! No sunset, the food is just ok (and you can't get served in the bar area close to the coast), and the music was chill-out with almost a reggae flavor. The atmosphere was nice, though, so perhaps a good place for a chilled sunset.
Night: Off to Cafe Mambo in San An for the Deep Dish pre-party. My boys from DC were already spinning and we were treated to a flaming Yoshitoshi sign. Lots of fireworks around that night too (I think there's a holiday, because I remember the same thing towards the end of our trip last year). Dropped Irina off, had a quick PDB pre-party drink and got my Pacha ticket for Yoshitoshi with Deep Dish. Dear sweet lord do these men rock! One of the best sets I heard all week. Met a Canadian girl from London with her British fiancee and friends and we all got invited up to the VIP section (which lasted 10 minutes. boring! must be in the crowd!). Saw Barbie & Tom on the way out and lamented the fast-approaching end of our trips.
Still reading? Almost done...
Friday
Day: After 5 straight all-nighters and getting woken up for beach duty daily, I was beat so I took the day off and lazed around the hotel. Irina hit the Garbi beach area. Late afternoon, we went to Ibiza Town for a walk around the D'alt Vila and in search of Spotlight Stephen's paella-for-one restaurant suggestions. They didn't work out (one didn't have it on the menu, the other only for lunch) but I finally got Irina to conset to share a paella at La Brasa with me. Nice garden restaurant setting and the paella we had was pretty darn good (though I might have added more salt ) Irina liked it, so something must have been right.
Night: Over to the harbor for drinks at Kube where we managed to swing free Penelope tickets 8) We went back to PDB for some more drinks then over to the Penelope grand opening. The place was rammed! I'm still not sure which DJs were playing when but the music was up and down all night in terms of quality. There were a couple of good runs of songs though, so some dancing was attempted, especially when the some space appeared in the dancefloor. The interior is red, black and silver and the tiered seating/VIP/bar areas around the dancefloor looked straight out of Club Leto in Moscow. Some of the paint on bars was so new that it smelled and was sticky to the touch! The dancefloor bar is a no-go (I wasted 30mins trying to get a drink) so use the side bars. The one against the back wall was best, and also a nice place to stand, dance, and look down on the crowd. The terrace area was a nice hangout but the 2nd room had poor sound segregation and was ignored by all. Overall, a decent party but the crowd seemed somehow aggressive to me and we weren't overly thrilled. Still, home well after dawn.
Saturday
The last day Off to Bora Bora for the usual afternoon entertainment of sun, sea, drink, dance. Some last-minute shopping also taken care of. Dinner at La Dolce Vita in PDB which had some quite good fresh pasta (get the fettucine) and also a good veal in port wine sauce.
Night: Back to Bora Bora one more time for some drinks and dancing. This time, we stayed until closing to see them open up the inside area. Looked ok, but we went to Tantra for El Divino tickets and then headed over to the opening of Hed Kandi. The good news is, my wife is finally cured of her love of Hed Kandi. The bad news is, what a crap party! Mark Doyle, who got too drunk to play last time he visited Moscow 3 weeks ago, was poor. The songs, stale. Then the karaoke began (I guess they were guest singers, but the sound was horrible).
Straight from El Divino to the hotel for a shower and change to the airport for our 7:30 flight. We were so wrecked the whole trip home that it was nearly unbearable, especially the 5 hour layover in Barcelona (we had thought about going in to town, but were just too tired to deal!).
Back to Moscow, 45 minutes in passport control, people returning for weekend dacha trips clogging up the road home, then had to clean up the apartment a bit and go grocery shopping. After a full day back at work Monday, the depression is waning, but the memories are forever. I will be back.
There it is. 11 days. 10 restaurants. 8 parties. 7 Bora-Bora visits. 7 beaches. One Love. Two tears rolling down my face just thinking about it. I hope there's a useful tidbit or two for some people in there... tried not to just recount events or level of hammered-ness (though my alcohol consumption was epic). We really packed a lot in this year compared to previous trips and tried some new things/places.
My awards:
Best Party: La Troya, hands down
Wildest Party: Bora Bora on Sunday
Best DJ Set: A tie! Sanchez and Deep Dish
Party with the most glamourous and beautiful women: Hed Kandi, strangely enough
Party with the most glamourous and beautiful men: Need I say it? La Troya!
Best beach: Playa D'en Bossa (esp. Bora Bora!), followed by Cala Jondal
Best meal: tough one. lots of good food. A 5-way tie! KM5, La Brasa, Dolce Vita, Cardamom, Moorea's
Most strange sight in a club: couple grooming each other's hair while dancing at Pacha
Best way to ruin your otherwise decent party: Have an MC like Defected
Link to a video from our trip: http://www.morbyd.com/films/ibiza05.php
(you'll need a broadband connection to view it)
This was the first year that Irina (the wife) and I traveled to the island without the usual compliment of friends, so it was a very different trip. Most missed was my buddy Scott, who introduced me to Ibiza (his wife just had twins!), but he got regular text msg updates
OK, here goes:Wednesday (June 15, 2005)
Day: We arrived in the afternoon, picked up our rental car at the airport (Centauro booked through Hispacar for 20 euros/day. Recommended) and headed to Playa D'en Bossa. There, we settled into the Aparthotel Garbi . Decent studio apartment with kitchenette and a view from the balcony of the pool area and the sea beyond, all for a respectable price. Curteous staff. Mainly German guests, which is fine but we felt a bit out of place at times. After settling in, we went to the supermarket to stock up on snacks, beer, etc.
Night: We hopped in the car and headed over to Ibiza Town for a look around and a little shopping. I immediately picked up NastyDirtySexMusic, Defected Eivissa 05 and Roger Sanchez's Release Yourself 05 for our in-car listening pleasure. We were delighted to see familiar faces around the harbor bars and settled in for a couple of drinks.
Thursday
Day: Up and at 'em. One of only 2 days we made breakfast. The wife then dragged me to the beach at Bora Bora to begin her sunbathing/swimming regimen. The music was kicking and Playa D'en Bossa is still my favorite beach in Ibiza. It reminds me of the beaches I grew up going to on the East Coast of the USA (long, sandy, relatively clean), only with the added bonus of blazing tunes and beach-bar service. Much sangria consumed.
Night: Over to Bambuddha Grove for dinner (for the unitiated, it's a rural Thai/Asian fusion restaurant just off the road from Ibiza to Santa Eularia). The food was a bit overpriced but tasty. I had the buffet but couldn't take full advantage due to queasiness from too much daytime sangria on an empty stomach. Later on, we had the surprise arrival (with pre-warning of a "maybe" in a text message) of a couple of friends from Moscow. We took them down to Ibiza Town to show them around and get some drinks in the harbor. Relatively early night as all were a bit tired.
Friday
Day: Back to Bora Bora, this time with the Moscow couple, for beach, beer and sangria action. I spend most of my beach days sipping drinks under an umbrella (since I don't need a tan) and bopping to the tunes, occasionally ambling up to the bar area to bop around a bit. Irina and I decided we wanted Indian for an early dinner, but the place on the beach in PDB is a seafood place now.
So, we got in the car and ended up in Santa Eularia We ate at the Cardamom Club which has a great special for the first hour of their dinner hours - 50% off all entres! Irina's Pork Vindaloo was substantially spicy and my curry was good, but the samosas needed some work.Night: Finally, it begins! We met back up with the Moscow couple for pre-party drinks at Tantra in PDB, where we acquired tickets for Pure Pacha sans Pete Tong. We went to the club a bit too early (1ish) and it was only half full but it filled quickly, so we took up our favorite spot on the right side of the VIP area. People could have come later... the opening DJ, Wally Lopez , was absolute total crap. We couldn't even dance to it. Our Moscow friends started listing off Russian DJs that could have done better. That stopped when Groove Armada came on. I know they get a lot of flack, but they played a solid set and only stuck in Superstylin' when we were on our way out anyway
It might be because I hadn't seen them before (I hear they repeat their sets a lot) and because Lopez was so bad by comparison.Saturday
Day: The friends who were with us last year told us about this great beach they had visited, so we decided to find it. Scott texted me that it was Cala Llonga, so Irina & I headed there. Nice sandy beach with tranquil waters and a few cafes & restaurants, but the beach bar they described was not to be found. In fact, it's a quiet resort with a much older crowd. So we got back in the car and checked out another suggestion, Sa Caleta. Great view and we heard the restaurant is quite good but the beach was kind of small and not very sandy with few amenities. Back in the car, when Scott called and we figured out it was Cala Jondal. Beach club Tropicana there is a great place to relax with chill-out music playing. Seaside service, good food, good views and nice sandy beach (with one unfortunate band of pebbles right where water touches sand). Highly recommended. Meanwhile, our Moscow friends had rented a boat for the day and offered to come meet us there, but their captain took them to Las Salinas instead! When we figured this out, we headed over there for a quick drink at Malibu.
Night: We all then hopped in the car and raced to San Antonio to catch sunset at Cafe del Mar. We got there just in time to see the sun go down, then hung out for a few drinks before heading back to PDB. Two of the 4 of us (not me!) had no strength for the Amnesia opening, which was a shame.
Sunday
Day: Up for breakfast! I think for the last time
Irina went for a quick swim at the Garbi beach area, then we went together to you know where... the opening party for We Love at Space! Tearing up the decks was Jonathan Ulysses out on the temporary terrace when we arrived. What a great space! Well done! We ran into Robo, Barbie & Tom, Jamie, et. al. who were also on the terrace and whom I'd later run into all over the place that week. Next to DJ was Tom Novy and, to be honest, we thought he took things a little too hard for the daytime terrace vibe. The heat, drink, etc. got to us after a while so we took our pass out to Bora Bora which was rockin'!! We thought it'd been a little quiet there earlier in the week but Sunday was packed and up to its high table-dancing, plane-waving, booty-shaking hedonistic standards. Rocked out there for a bit then I got that queasy feeling again so back to the hotel for a nap.Night: Where else? Back to Space. This time solo since our Moscow friends (who left Monday) never quite made it to Space all day and Irina never made it back from our nap. First up was NastyDirtySexMusic in the Red Room, which conveniently thinned out some as I arrived (it was overpacked when I walked up). Tim and Jo were in good form. After a break on the roof terrace, down to the main room for 2 Many DJs who were also stellar. Back to NDSM for another hour, then out on the terrace for a bit, then back inside for a few, then home. Great party.
Monday
Day: Another Bora Bora afternoon before heading off to KM5 for dinner. Irina had a great fillet steak and my lambchops were ok, but the atmosphere in the gardens was really quite nice. (For those who don't know, it's a rural restaurant at the 5 km mark on the way from PDB to San Jose).
Night: Pre-party drinks at Kopi bar in PDB. Gaudy place, but convenient to our hotel and really cheap. Picked up our tix for Pacha and headed over to the opening party for Release Yourself with the man himself, Roger Sanchez. What can I say? Nowhere else did I see so many hands in the air and screams of delight. The man is a crowd pleaser who keeps the party going. Another great show with great tunes from the master. Home after dawn.
Tuesday
Day: I'll admit it - I hadn't seen Es Vedra yet, so we went to Cala d'Hort for our daytime beach/drink session. On the way, there's a turn off to climb Ibiza's highest peak, Sa Talaia. Irina freaked out about a hundred meters from the end of the road, so we didn't make it. But great views. Cala d'Hort had a nice beach with a few pebbles but otherwise sandy and pretty quiet. We had lunch in the restaurant there, Es Boldado I believe. Irina was not pleased by her grilled shrimp but my garlic prawns were delicious. I liked her gazpacho but she didn't. Their paella looked great, by the way (I was jealous of the neighbors!). Afterwards, I dropped Irina off for some shopping in Ibiza while I relaxed back at the hotel. Later, we had a snack at Mooreas in PDB.
Night: Irina was in for the night so I went solo to the bar next to Kopi (name escapes me) where we knew the Irish PR guy from last year. Really nice Welsh-Spanish guy runs the place so buy a drink there if you can. Picked up a Pacha ticket and off to the opening party for Defected . Simon Dunmore opened and was funky but surprisingly not over-commercial. Good tunes to start off the evening, in fact. Then Junior Jack & Kid Creme played a similarly-surprisingly good set up until their last half-hour which turned a little too hit-laden. That's OK, because just as it started to get annoying, Sandy Rivera came on and took you deeper and deeper into the night. Really solid set, IMH(but correct)O. All of this was ruined... all of it... by the MC that kept babbling all night long until about halfway through Sandy's set when he finally took a break. Home after dawn.
Wednesday
Day: We spent the day in Es Cana, first at the Hippy Market and then at the beach for a short bit. I found the market (open Wednesdays) there to be much more corporate than the one at Las Dalias in San Carlos (open Saturdays), and more expensive too I think. The beach was a very family-oriented place, it seemed. We should have eaten somewhere there but I decided we should go back to try Sa Caleta. Restaurant was closed when we got there
Back to PDB and Moorea's where Irina had a great grilled sole and I had a tasty steak. This place has been consistently good when we've eaten there over the years.Night: Pre-party drinks in PDB then off to the opening of La Troya at Amnesia. One word: awesome. The best atmosphere of any party we attended and the terrace there is such a fabulous place to be. Cesar de Molero kept the music pumping, the dancers were fabulous, and DJ Oliver took you straight to heaven at dawn. This party is a must for all. Left just seconds before closing.
Thursday
Day: Another Bora Bora afternoon before I decided we had to head over to check out Kumharas in the San Antonio bay area (Cap Nou, I believe). I had never realized how far around the coast the bay's resort area goes! We made 3 mistakes going to Kumharas - we arrived hungry, slightly tired, and on a cloudy evening! No sunset, the food is just ok (and you can't get served in the bar area close to the coast), and the music was chill-out with almost a reggae flavor. The atmosphere was nice, though, so perhaps a good place for a chilled sunset.
Night: Off to Cafe Mambo in San An for the Deep Dish pre-party. My boys from DC were already spinning and we were treated to a flaming Yoshitoshi sign. Lots of fireworks around that night too (I think there's a holiday, because I remember the same thing towards the end of our trip last year). Dropped Irina off, had a quick PDB pre-party drink and got my Pacha ticket for Yoshitoshi with Deep Dish. Dear sweet lord do these men rock! One of the best sets I heard all week. Met a Canadian girl from London with her British fiancee and friends and we all got invited up to the VIP section (which lasted 10 minutes. boring! must be in the crowd!). Saw Barbie & Tom on the way out and lamented the fast-approaching end of our trips.
Still reading? Almost done...
Friday
Day: After 5 straight all-nighters and getting woken up for beach duty daily, I was beat so I took the day off and lazed around the hotel. Irina hit the Garbi beach area. Late afternoon, we went to Ibiza Town for a walk around the D'alt Vila and in search of Spotlight Stephen's paella-for-one restaurant suggestions. They didn't work out (one didn't have it on the menu, the other only for lunch) but I finally got Irina to conset to share a paella at La Brasa with me. Nice garden restaurant setting and the paella we had was pretty darn good (though I might have added more salt
) Irina liked it, so something must have been right.Night: Over to the harbor for drinks at Kube where we managed to swing free Penelope tickets
8) We went back to PDB for some more drinks then over to the Penelope grand opening. The place was rammed! I'm still not sure which DJs were playing when but the music was up and down all night in terms of quality. There were a couple of good runs of songs though, so some dancing was attempted, especially when the some space appeared in the dancefloor. The interior is red, black and silver and the tiered seating/VIP/bar areas around the dancefloor looked straight out of Club Leto in Moscow. Some of the paint on bars was so new that it smelled and was sticky to the touch! The dancefloor bar is a no-go (I wasted 30mins trying to get a drink) so use the side bars. The one against the back wall was best, and also a nice place to stand, dance, and look down on the crowd. The terrace area was a nice hangout but the 2nd room had poor sound segregation and was ignored by all. Overall, a decent party but the crowd seemed somehow aggressive to me and we weren't overly thrilled. Still, home well after dawn.Saturday
The last day
Off to Bora Bora for the usual afternoon entertainment of sun, sea, drink, dance. Some last-minute shopping also taken care of. Dinner at La Dolce Vita in PDB which had some quite good fresh pasta (get the fettucine) and also a good veal in port wine sauce.Night: Back to Bora Bora one more time for some drinks and dancing. This time, we stayed until closing to see them open up the inside area. Looked ok, but we went to Tantra for El Divino tickets and then headed over to the opening of Hed Kandi. The good news is, my wife is finally cured of her love of Hed Kandi. The bad news is, what a crap party! Mark Doyle, who got too drunk to play last time he visited Moscow 3 weeks ago, was poor. The songs, stale. Then the karaoke began (I guess they were guest singers, but the sound was horrible).
Straight from El Divino to the hotel for a shower and change to the airport for our 7:30 flight. We were so wrecked the whole trip home that it was nearly unbearable, especially the 5 hour layover in Barcelona (we had thought about going in to town, but were just too tired to deal!).
Back to Moscow, 45 minutes in passport control, people returning for weekend dacha trips clogging up the road home, then had to clean up the apartment a bit and go grocery shopping. After a full day back at work Monday, the depression is waning, but the memories are forever. I will be back.
There it is. 11 days. 10 restaurants. 8 parties. 7 Bora-Bora visits. 7 beaches. One Love. Two tears rolling down my face just thinking about it. I hope there's a useful tidbit or two for some people in there... tried not to just recount events or level of hammered-ness (though my alcohol consumption was epic). We really packed a lot in this year compared to previous trips and tried some new things/places.
My awards:
Best Party: La Troya, hands down
Wildest Party: Bora Bora on Sunday
Best DJ Set: A tie! Sanchez and Deep Dish
Party with the most glamourous and beautiful women: Hed Kandi, strangely enough
Party with the most glamourous and beautiful men: Need I say it? La Troya!
Best beach: Playa D'en Bossa (esp. Bora Bora!), followed by Cala Jondal
Best meal: tough one. lots of good food. A 5-way tie! KM5, La Brasa, Dolce Vita, Cardamom, Moorea's
Most strange sight in a club: couple grooming each other's hair while dancing at Pacha
Best way to ruin your otherwise decent party: Have an MC like Defected
Link to a video from our trip: http://www.morbyd.com/films/ibiza05.php
(you'll need a broadband connection to view it)
