I did what many people dream of. I fulfilled my own dream of doing a season in Ibiza. Yes, I had to do a lot of things in order to get it going, but looking back, it was the best decision I ever took
Other than my reviews from my Ibiza holidays in earlier years, I won’t annoy you with daily reviews this time…who wants to read through almost 180 days anyway? But still, I put a nostrum-esque review of the whole season together and this reflects the amazing time I’ve experienced this summer, on an island in the mediterrenean sea that had taken my heart by the storm when I came here for the first time a few years ago…
(as always – print it out and read it when you’re not busy )
May
…and as well the last days of April, when I arrived here, was a very nice time in Ibiza. The weather was mostly good, already really warm during the day (up to 30 degrees C) and cool at night. There were only a few days with a lot of clouds and even fewer ones with rain. But other than in summer, the wind was almost constantly strong and quite fresh at times! I had taken my bike with me which was really a great thing, like that I was mobile from my first day on and I already could visit a lot of my favourite places while doing some sport!
During the first four weeks, there were many things to do. First off, I had to get a place to live and a job as well. I was lucky and found both within a few days. Yes, my contacts and my knowledge about the island surely helped me a lot with getting these things done. Then I had also to apply for the NIE (more exactly, I even applied for the residencia), which was a pain in the ass, but in the end, everything went fine. You just have to be persistent and endurable within the first few weeks instead of only lying on the beach! But of course, almost every day I spent an hour or two on the beach. By mid-may I also had my car sorted out, which was absolutely great – everything on the island was quite close now!
It was very nice to see how the season starts. When I arrived in the last days of april, things were starting only really slowly. The tourist resorts were still quite empty and many works still had to be done. The beaches were still very quiet, which I loved. Two weeks later, you noticed that things are progressing fast now. More planes flew in each day, more workers and much more tourists arrived and so, things got livelier. By the end of may (say in the week before the openings), each and every bar/restaurant/shop/whatever had opened its doors and everyone was ready for the season. Playa d’en Bossa, for example, finally looked the way I remembered it from holidays in earlier years. By then, the workers’ anticipation for the openings had gotten huge. To me, may was a really cool month, but as I still like to go clubbing a lot, it was a bit strange to see everything’s open (and tourists flying in), except of the clubs, which were still shut (except of pacha, which was open). So…with the clubs still being shut, also the clubbers were still missing and with that, all the Ibiza groove was a bit different (but great anyway) in this month!
May was also the moth were a lot of contacts were made. First off, I met my friends who live on the island. Then, of course, you get to know to their friends, and then again, to other friends and in the end, the circle closes because they all know each other. Same goes for the workers. Many were here for their second, third or fourth season, not like me. So it was a big HELLO in this month. Contacts was also one of the key words (if not THE key word) to get an apartment and a job.
Fun Factor – half/half – much work to do and some annoying stuff, but on the other hand, after a few weeks you really realise you’re HERE FOR HALF A YEAR and after a bit, IBIZA really doesn’t feel like a holiday destination to you anymore, but more like HOME!
Tanning factor – yay, already getting some color!
Highlights: arrival – april 28. my birthday on april 30. had a very nice day and a very amusing night afterwards. Thanks again guys! May 3 – first day with visiting some of my favourite places and the first ibizenco sunset of this summer. May 6 – work sorted. May 7 – moving into my apartment. May 23 – first working day. May 25 – finally went dancing the first time (at underground) this summer.
very quiet and very nice playa d’en bossa
June
Let’s begin with the weather again – almost sunnier and hotter day after day. Days got hotter, nights stayed warmer, wind went flat. There was real rain twice (both times only for an hour) and that was it. Else: Sun, sun, sun.
June was surely the most exciting month of them all. First of all, there were the opening parties, which marked the REAL start of the season. Suddenly playa d’en bossa (where I had my headquarters) was floated by tourists and even the last bars finally opened. Then work finally began as well, which was very nice. Then, of course, there was the story with the temporary closing of amnesia, dc10 and bora bora, which kept us all going and asking around. This was really a special situation and everyone was extremely keen on being well-informed. Bora bora had alternative locations (Delano and Tahiti), which sometimes worked fine and sometimes didn’t work at all. DC10 was just closed for two Mondays. Amnesia stayed closed during all June and therefore Cocoon held their first 3 parties at privilege, the opening was brilliant and the next two parties more average.
June saw also the first arrivals of friends, relatives and (of course!) forum-memers. Speaking of forum-members, there was this Sunday evening on the space terrace (I’m speaking of we love opening) which I’ll never forget. Believe it or not, such events like this are one of the reasons I am a forum member. The best thing about these forums are, apart of exchanging muchos informaciones of course, really meeting a lot of the people and seeing who’s behind all these nicknames. I love it.
Back to work. I finally got my NIE number in june, about a month after I had applied for it. Finally. Then june is always well-known as a quite difficult month business-wise. That’s because everyone first has to get used to each other and, speaking about facts and figures, june isn’t such a strong month, but still, everyone should go for the max to get the season going! But in the end, we did well.
All in all, June was a very nice and comfy month. Still loads of place on the island, not too much work and a nice groove everywhere.
Fun factor – high! Tanning factor – getting better almost every day
Highlights: Space opening and dc10 opening, june 3 and 4 – let’s get the party started! My mum saying “oh son, now I understand your passion for this island” on june 22, after I showed her my fave bits of Ibiza when she was here on holidays (she hated both san an and playa d’en bossa and I knew she would, but loved other places I showed her)
the season starts
bora bora moved to Tahiti
chill out moment
July
The first few days of July were great because i wasn’t working and many friends were around, which meant mucha fiesta. Dc10 on July 2nd was not the most-packed ever, but surely one of the best EVER dc10 sessions. The crowd was great, the music was brilliant and especially luciano closing the terrace was mindblowing. He played an amazing set and his last tune was out of this world (chymera – arabesque), everyone in there was absolutely off the hook
Then work started again – which was a good thing as well – and, yohooo, natascha flew in again on july 5th. She stayed with me for almost 3 weeks! So during this time, when I was not working, I spent a lot of time with natascha, enjoyed the island together with her, went to many nice beaches, had many dinners and – of course – also went partying a bit so when she was here, it almost felt like the Ibiza holidays I was used to from earlier years.
Weatherwise, the first few days of july were so-so. Not always perfect to be honest, but still always very warm and little rain. Only more clouds than I’m used to! But the rest of the month was lots of sun and heat and little clouds and rain.
Amnesia finally opened on July 5 (with Cream) and “real” Bora Bora only re-opened on July 12. So this situation finally was “done”. But then, the ship accident happened and this was something else that didn’t really help the season! Still, at about the 20th of July you could really notice the island is slowly but steadily getting fuller and fuller and we knew august wasn’t far away now…
Fun factor: – perfect Tanning factor: milk chocolate
Highlights: Dc10 july 2, one of the best ever. July 4 – burst out in tears when this lovely irish family brought my wallet back I had lost the night before. I had all my life in it and EVERYTHING was still inside, not a cent was missing...I feckin love the irish! July 7 – matinée opening – muy divertido! Formentera on july 14 – natascha was scared to hell riding a moped (and fortunately didn’t know it was the first time for me driving one, because else she probably never would have gotten on it, but I did well), what a perfect day in the sun! july 20 – atzaro for one night. Amazing!
What a crazy month. What shall i say? Yes, august is always well-known for some highlights (like BBC radio 1 weekend, big line-ups generally and tiesto’s two dates this year), but else I really cannot be very positive about this month…(and I found BBC r1 weekend nothing special really)
First of all, lets begin with the weather again. It was almost the coolest august ever and it also rained quite a lot (surely you got it if you read the news on the forums here). I know this was out of average, but still, august is known for its summer storms and we had them! Weatherwise, july was much much better.
Then lets continue with the crowd. Clubs are packed, beaches (too) full and finding parking space is a nightmare, no matter where you are. All the workers are stressed out and people are beginning to be unfriendly. Getting on or providing guestlists gets much harder and sometimes impossible (no worries in june, july and September) and really almost everything is a hassle in this month. Ah yes, and of course, club tickets for the tourists are most expensive as well then.
Still, I am sure almost everyone coming to Ibiza in august enjoys his/her holidays, especially if they haven’t been before or always have come in august. And of course, Ibiza is still Ibiza, even if it is Mid-August, but personally (knowing how it is during the rest of the season) I NEVER would come to Ibiza on holiday in August if I had the choice.
Fun factor: lowest of the season Tanning factor: morbyd is a whitey!
Highlights: Armin van buuren’s 7hr solo at armada, august 7. august 23 – one full sunny day on a boat – merci zolti!
a day on a yacht. Bliss!
jam-packed clubs wherever you go…
September
Let me begin with the last days of august, because already then you notice the peak is done. You can actually breathe again on the island. The nationality-mix, which in august is being changed dramatically with the invasion of Italians, is getting to the normal standards again (say lots of Spanish, English and german people, fewer French, Italians, swiss, Austrian, etc. people).
If you’re coming for the whole season, you’ll notice, many workers already leave by the end of august, because of uni and other stuff they have to do at home. This is a pity because IMO they all miss the best part of the season. And still, you miss those people when they’re already gone before the season’s really done!
But back to September. The stress is over. Everyone is taking it a lot easier again. Yes, there are still many tourists around, but it is really nothing compared to august. You’ll find your parking space right away and you can go to cala conta again without having to put your head between your neighbours legs anymore (ok, also this might be nice). The average age of the clubbers is going up again. The good parties are still really busy and the vibe is great. Closing parties approach and as soon as they start, you really realise it soon will be over. September for me was an absolute emotional rollercoaster. On one hand you have the best parties of the season and especially the vibe within the workers and locals is great (really everyone feels the relief after August), you party together and also get to do things you simply didn’t have time during high-season. And on the other hand, every day people are leaving you shared lots of memories with, with every closing party a chapter of an amazing summer ends, the days get remarkably shorter and it gets well cooler in the night. In the third and fourth week of September, you can really see the season ending and to me, this had an extremely melancholic touch. This, combined with the fact you might not see again many of the nice people you’ve met all through the season, I really felt muy triste sometimes by the end of September.
Weather was ok generally throughout September. Some days with rain, many sunny days, surely warm enough to swim in the sea, just a lot cooler at night. And, as written above, days get a lot shorter already.
Apart of the clubs, of which almost all close in September, also many shops in the tourist areas close by the end of September.
Fun factor: high again! Closing parties! But tristeza as well sometimes… Tanning factor: where has my tan gone? I guess I lost it during the closing parties in the last 2 weeks of September…
Highlights September 6 – 8, close friends were over here, “best of Ibiza” in 3 days. Sunny weather, amazing company, great time (and new Ibiza-infected people as it seems J). Flower power, September 9 – best night ever at pacha. September 29 (actually 30) – amnesia closing. Amazing vibe, can’t get any better really.
it gets quieter again
but the closing parties are not to be missed
October
The first few days of October were all about clubbing with the last closing parties on the menue. Surely the messiest period I’ve ever been through, but on the other hand surely also some of the funniest days and nights I’ve ever spent in (and around) clubs. Apart of clubbing, you could really notice the season’s done. During the whole closing party period, workers were leaving and quickly after the last closing party marathon (matinée, space, dc10, blue marlin and underground), even the last workers left and it really really really got quiet on the island. This was nice in one way, but as the weather was a bit ****ty just in the days after the closings, it all felt a pretty sad. Saying bye-bye in the rain to people you’ve spent the whole summer with was quite strange. I had hoped for sun and warm temperatures, but instead it was pissing down. The good side of the bad weather though, was that I slept a lot and so, recovered really good from the closings…
So, by about October 13, the vast majority of peeps had gone. In the following week, I lost my sadness I had caught just after the closings and really enjoyed the quiet on the island. When sun was shining, I went to catch sunrays and when it was raining (a bit too often for my liking, many islanders said it was the worst October they’ve seen in a long time), I still was all over the island, discovering the very last bits of Ibiza I hadn’t seen before. Plus, I met friends who live here all year around and had many good lunches and dinners.
October also saw me going to the gym again finally. I had bought a half year card in a very good gym in San Jordi when I arrived on the island and had been going regularly all during the season, mostly twice a week. But September (and the first week of October) had been muy mal regarding fitness. OK, dancing also burns a lot of carbs, but still, going back to the gym in the weeks before I left Ibiza was a good thing.
Then the very last days came. And with these, the sun definitely came back. Brilliant. Like this, I finally got the chance to catch some sunrays, then went visiting my favourite places on the island for a last time, saw my favourite sunsets (cala yogi – torre d’es savinar – cap d’es falco), had more delicious food and a really good time with some friends (hola!). sure, I also had to pack my bags, clean my apartment and everything, but still, the last few days were definitely amongst the best of the whole season. So, when I left Ibiza on October 23, I was in peace with the island. I had had an amazing summer here, saw most probably more of the island than any other worker or tourist did within one stay, had many tremendous parties and still enough recovery, had much beach time and loads of great dinners, met almost the whole world here and made new friendships and basically had the summer of my lifetime here.
Still, leaving was hard. My very last day began very early, I got up at 7am (something I almost hadn’t done for all summer), went to the beach and watched the sunrise over playa d’en bossa at about 8am. Then I drove into town and had a last breakfast at croissant show. Back to casita stivi, packing stuff, cleaning my castle. Got hungry in the afternoon, a last visit to my fave tapas place can tixedo (with wi-fi). Then a last glass of red wine with a friend in san jordi and off to the airport. Yes, I was in peace with the island, but still, the act of leaving was just ugly… but in the end I had to board this damn airplane, left ibiza sometime past 9pm and flew back to Switzerland…and that’s where I am now…end of the story (or almost).
Fun factor: sky-high and bottom low. Heaven and hell. Emotional rollercoaster again. Tanning factor: the tan I had mid-august was definitely gone. But at least, I got a bit of it back, when sun returned by mid-october, after the closing parties and a lot of rainy days!
Highlights The closing weekend from October 6 till October 10. Pure madness. October 17 – was in the north and stuck with the car on a muddy steep road. Didn’t move anymore, neither forwards nor backwards. Thanks to the two german guys who came along and helped me out. October 19 – 23. my last days on the island this year. “best of ibiza in 5 days”, including much laughter and also tears obviously. I didn’t know wether I should laugh or cry when I heard moby’s “why does my heart feel so bad?” at sunset at cap d’es falco one day. Had many great moments with friends during this time and tried to catch as much ibiza for my mind during wintertime as possible.
Well. The positions were quite set this year. House music (mostly with an electro touch) ruled, then there were a lot of parties in the minimal and tech sector, a few trance music nights (with armada definitely being the best one imo) and only a very few funky and vocal house music parties.
I have quite a split opinion about this year’s music. Yes, I do agree that 2007 saw less big tunes that once will be a huge classic and much of the electro-house stuff sounded quite the same. And that one of the biggest tune of the summer, samim’s heater, was really crap IMO. There were missing some REAL killers like a “sun rising up” (ok, maybe “shine on me” was something like that) or other real biggies like there were in 2004 and 2005. IMO already 2006 saw a bit less crackers.
But then again, I was pleased to see how the minimal and tech sector evolved. I think generally, “minimal” this year was much LESS minimal than before. Either, it got more techy (“slow techno” was a definition I heard of many dj’s this summer) or it got a bit proggier again with spheric elements. Producers like Guy Gerber, Extrawelt, Deadmau5, Pryda and so on proved underground music doesn’t have to be dead minimal (and sometimes dead boring therefore) to be cool. I especially liked the fact prog came back a bit more. So in this way, I still think it was a great year music-wise and I’m really curious to see how electronic dance music will go further.
When I am thinking about Ibiza 2007, the following tunes still make my spine tingle and I often get wet eyes because I have thousands of memories floating through my mind when I listen to these…(and I know, there’s a bit of everything style-wise)
Favourite Tunes 2007
Axwell – I found u Angello & Ingrosso – Umbrella Funkwerkstatt – Windrose The new remix of Felix – don’t you want me (the original is simply great) Taito Tikaro, J.Louis & Ferran feat. Clarence – Shine on me (matinée anthem 2007) Niels van gogh – pulverturm 2.0 Audiowhores & Roland Clark – I’m inspired Art of tones – Praise Özgür Can – 84 Shots Ida Engberg – Disco Volante (the remix) John acquaviva – first stroke Kadebostan – Caracas Soul – wow, love it!!!!! Dj T – The Dawn Henrik Schwarz – Walk Music Deadmau5 – Faxing Berlin (and more of this fantastic producer!) Pryda - so many great tunes this year!!! genesis (THE sunset terrace tune for me this summer), armed, RYMD, balaton and the amazing muranyi. Chymera - Arabesque …(ID) - … (ID) (the luciano singing children tune) John Dahlbäck – Everywhere Phonique - Bang Dubfire – RibCage Smith & Selway – Transit Time Betoko - Someday Dan Berkson – Circuits Dennis Ferrer – Son of Raw (Loco Dice rmx) Chris Lake – Carry me away Kirsty Hawkshaw meets Tenishia – Reasons to Forgive Nic chagall – What you need Marc Marzenit – Trozitos de Navidad Andy Duguid feat. Leah – Don’t Belong Reeves feat. Alanah – Lonely …and a lot more, but that’s what I remember at the moment!
Cd’s…I loved amnesia’s underground compilation vol. 7 and this years monza compilation (brilliant)…and AvB’s ASOT 2007 plus tiesto’s ISOS 6 for the fluffy stuff. Still love it. And I guess sven väth’s “sound of the 8th season” might be a bomb.
Best Parties 2007
Space and DC10 Opening, just because it was the point when everything began We love opening – forum meetup! Cocoon opening at privilege – different, but great! (and a shame Cala Bassa didn’t happen) Matinée opening – just lots of fun! Mulletover at Sol d’en Serra including full moon. What a location, what a day! Tiesto at Privilege – cool to have him back on the island. Music was good, vibe was great, visuals were amazing! Flower Power at Pacha – a party definitely not to be missed Monza closing – volume level too low, but if you opened your ears, you got the best electronic music available. Amnesia closing – terrace, 3pm Sunday afternoon. I cannot tell people about the vibe, you have to go and experience it yourself next year. Best closing party, no contender. The last few parties in general (matinée – space – dc10 – blue marlin – underground). Brilliant atmosphere, great music, many marathonists and everyone going down properly.
Plus…each and every Monday at dc10. this lunatic place still has soul. Plus…Saturdays at Gala Night. Respect for that and keep up the vibe. Plus…matinée at space on Saturday. Definitely the best party at space atmosphere-wise and one of the happiest parties on the island generally!
Best Sets 2007
Josh Wink at DC10 opening (and Afterparty at Privilege), June 4 Sven Väth at Cocoon Opening at Privilege, June 18 – one of the best set’s I’ve ever heard from him Luciano closing DC10 terrace on July 2, world-moving session! Guy Gerber performing live at Cocoon, July 30 – wow! Armin van Buuren 7hrs solo at Armada on August 7 – pure trance bliss James Zabiela at We Love, August 12 – this guy simply rocks Michel De Hey at carl cox’ night, August 14 – you all know I love MDH Laurent Garnier at carl cox’ closing night, September 11 – another great set by the master Luciano at Monza closing, September 27 – another great one Marco Carola at Amnesia closing, September 29 (erm, 30) – brilliant 5hr set, followed by… Hawtin vs. Villalobos, first at amnesia closing and 24hrs later at dc10. massive sets! Luciano at dc10 closing – yes I know, I get boring, but luciano really was one of the defining dj’s for me this summer.
Plus…props to Tom Novy who mostly played great sunset terrace closing sets at We Love all summer. Plus…a big shout out to heath holme, taking care of bora bora many many afternoons, evenings and nights. Great to see you there and hope to see you back on the island next summer!
the "zoo" (gala night)
Dc10, 02jul
mulletover at sol d'en serra
sunset ashram
amnesia closing, around 3pm
The Island
Winds of change. A month after I had arrived on the island, the Ibicencos decided they had enough of the current government, which was lead by the PP (the right party) and by the end of may, they elected a new government which now is lead by the left party, the PSOE. This had many intermediate effects. The second tunnel of the new Motorway which still had to be built, wasn’t built in the end and probably never will be (which is a good thing IMO). Yes, the motorway is very handy in a way, you’re really much faster than before, but first, I really feel sorry for the people who got taken their land away and second, the only month when such a big motorway is needed, is August. I do agree that there had to be done something, but what they’ve done is simply oversized. Plus, the part from the airport till ca’n Escandell is really ugly and I also think they’ve done many things properly wrong. The roundabout near hiper muebles is done wrong for example, you still get serious traffic jams there in rush hour. And when it rains hard, the motorways get flooded and turn into a reall mess in various places (Jesus junction, under the roundabout which leads to Ses Salines,…) :x
And then, changes are in the air regarding the non-stop-clubbing. The new government seems to be serious (at the moment, at least) to stop 24hr clubbing. Let’s see what happens. I am not too worried though, I am sure Ibiza will keep being the best clubbing place in the world. Where else in the world do you find such amazing clubs within such small distances? Where else can you choose between many world class dj’s every night of the week? Where else do you find so many different nationalities having a wicked time together? Yes, new places around the world are evolving, but so far I haven’t discovered anything that really can take up with Ibiza. Sure, Ibiza-lovers that come here for 10 or 20 years already (or more) are right when they say “it’s not the same anymore” (and I am very sure they are right and it was a lot different back in the day!!!), but then again, I personally think that the day had to come where the (quite) lawless state Ibiza once was, had to be transformed into something all Spanish can look at and say “yes, that’s also part of our country”. The problem though is that many sins have been done here (buildings, motorways,…) and it will take a lot of time until these ugly things will be removed (if ever). To me, Ibiza is still a beautiful island with a lot of unique places. And it still has unique inhabitants that keep the vibe and tolerance alive – even if many forces fight against it.
Sightseeing. Whenever I had spare time, I really enjoyed seeing the island. Yes, I did already know Ibiza quite well, but still, this year I really discovered almost every bit of the island. I think I’ve seen each and every beach (including many of the McRackin secret ones), I’ve been to all the towns and villages, have visited all the towers around the island… Basically, I saw a lot this summer and this is one reason why I forever will love Ibiza – simply because it’s still an amazing place.
Still around for sure. As a well-known NY dj said in an interview in Pacha mag this summer, “clubbing and drugs go hand in hand”. But also here, there had been quite some changes this year. First thing I noticed is, that in the beginning of the season, I wasn’t asked “Want Pills?” anymore, but “want MDMA?” and later in the season the sellers in the clubs added “want Ketamine?” to this. And you really could feel K getting big here if you had a close look around in the clubs…
I won’t go into details, but I was working legally, with working contract, NIE number and everything. And I had the choice if I either wanted work a lot (means 6 or 7 days a week) and also earn really good or other, work easy (means 4 till 5 days a week) and logically earn less. As I had saved a bit of money back home, I decided I’d like to have as much spare time as possible and so I went for the second option. Like this, I really had an amazing season here. I worked and earnt some money, but on the other hand, I had more spare time than most workers and so also had the possibilities for all the sightseeing and partying. Sure, working less than normal meant earning less than normal and with more spare time, you also spend more money. So, in the end you can imagine I really spent a lot of money this summer. But this didn’t bother me too much – I had planned it like that in a way. But sure, on the other hand, I really could have saved more money with working more, thus earning more and thus having less spare time where I could spend my money. But as I said – I came for the summer of my lifetime and I had it.
The San Antonio vs. Playa d’en Bossa discussion
OK. When I first came to Ibiza a few years ago, I stayed in a hotel in Playa d’en Bossa and so I always felt “home” there. And yes, I didn’t like San Antonio back then because I really thought it was overly English.
This summer, I still lived in PdB. But I was often in San An and I really changed my opinion about this place. Yes, it is still very English and I still very much dislike the Westend for example, but else, San An has much more nice places than I had thought. The new Promenade is really an upgrade for San An, the Cafés in the Port are nice (good coffee selection in Rita’s Cantina for example!) and the sunset Bars in Ses Variades and Calo d’es Moro are still really cool. And there are also a few good restaurants and Bars in and around San Antonio (read on for that). And also, you have a few very nice beaches in the proximity (Cala Gracio & Gracioneta, Cala Salada, Cala Bassa & Cala Conta).
Compared to this, PdB is really falling behind. Yes I still do like PdB, but this place definitely needs a refurb. The good points for PdB are surely Space and Bora Bora, the proximity to Ibiza Town and for beaches, also Ses Salines and Es Cavallet are not far. But else, there is really a lack of decent restaurants and bars in PdB and can you imagine how nice a walk would be on a Promenade that reaches from Figueretas until the tower at the south end of PdB?
For me, it didn’t basically matter that much, because I had a car and so could go wherever I wanted. But for someone coming to Ibiza for the first time and staying in PdB, don’t you think they might get a feeling, everything is a bit aged there? Really, if I could, I’d refurb some of the restaurants, make them look nice again, open up some stylish (but still cosy) lounge by the sea and generally would try to clean up that place a bit, because basically it is still a nice place with a mostly very nice beach!!!
Best time to come?
Of course, this really depends on what you want. If you want nice weather, quiet beaches and a few nights out, then I’d say late June. If you want hot weather guaranteed, lots of parties and cool people, then come mid-july. For me, that’s still the most “complete” period, when everything is just perfect. If you really only want to party and don’t care about the beaches, then come for the closing parties from mid-september onwards. Do not come in August, in my opinion there is really no reason why you absolutely should come then.
Restaurant Experiences 2007
Here’s a list of the restaurants I visited for lunch or dinner this summer…
Ibiza Town Area (and Playa d’en Bossa)… La Brasa – still one of my fave restaurants in town. Unfortunately gets ridiculously busy in high season and the service then suffered a bit. But already back to perfect in September. La Oliva (Dalt Villa) – went there the first time this year. Very good cuisine, really recommendable! El Olivo (Dalt Villa) – another good address on the square in Dalt Villa. Also my first visit. La Bodega – great tapas! Comida San Juan (town) – definitely the cheapest place in town and still, good food! Los Pasajeros (town) – same category as the one above, a nice small place for a small budget! Basil Thai (in Jesus) – great Thai food, not cheap though! Carpe Diem (in Jesus) – great Italian food at fair prices! Nice Italian people! Bon Lloc (in Jesus) – always good. And around for decades… Cafeteria el parador (in Casas Baratas, on the way to San Jordi) – great argentinian place, delicious meat for great prices! Home Loos (Figueretas) – a good place for tasty Tapas Bar Roberto (Playa d’en Bossa) – local place, Tapas cheap as chips Roberto II / Can Gines (Playa d’en Bossa) – the real restaurant of Roberto. Great lunch menus for great prices. Hardly any tourists in there, basically locals! Ciao Ciao (Playa d’en Bossa) – went once. Did not go back. La Dolce Vite (Playa d’en Bossa) – this pizza is good! But has its price. Hora 0 (Playa d’en Bossa) – my favourite Chiringuito in PdB. Good pasta, great vibe. And friends by now. Schnitzelhaus (Playa d’en Bossa) – need a bit of Germany? Tasty Schnitzels, very fairly priced. Ancient People (in town) – ancient people is alive! And rob does a great job on avenida espanya. Love their Indian food!!! El Divino restaurant (new port) – very pricey, but good. Don’t forget you don’t have to pay club entry though when you look at the prices! Kekafe (town) – another place I like a lot. Asian or moroccon. Both good! La Terraza (Playa d’en Bossa) – one of the very few decent restaurants in PdB IMO. Not a pearl, neither from the outside, nor from the inside, but their food is really good, reasonably priced and they also have great lunchtime menus. Everybody, aka “Fish Shack” (Talamanca, just behind Sa Punta) – basically great fish dishes in a great and still very basic place. Lovely staff!
San Antonio Area (and San Rafael)… Villa Mercedes – surely one of the nicest restaurants in San An. Must say I wasn’t overly convinced with the food though, compared to the prices. Es Ventall – great place!!! Definitely recommended. Thanks for that Stephen! Rincon de Pepe – OK tapas, but there are much better (and cheaper) places for Tapas El Chiringuito (Cala Gracioneta) – good food, nice place, very reasonable prices! Savannah’s – ok food (not cheap though), lovely people Rey de Copas – great people, good food Sol Bahia (the Hotel) – cool BBQ (I think it was on Thursday nights?), definitely reasonably priced and food until you’re stuffed! Itaca – got a negative comment lately. I always found the food ok there. Nam Ling (or Ling Nam? The one just on the left before you enter the main west end street) – a set 3 course menu for around 8€ including a drink. Nothing gourmet, but solid thai and Chinese food! David’s – OK…but really nothing special to be honest! El Ayoun (San Rafael) – beautiful place, yes. Beautiful people as well. Food? Average and seriously overpriced. If you wanna see it, go for a drink. Can Tixedo (in the middle of nowhere between San An and Sta. Gertrudis) – the best Tapas place on the island. And free wireless internet. A hit! Ca’n Pilot (San Rafael) – surely not as stylish as their almost-neighbour El Ayoun, but in my opinion, their meat is better, their prices are human and their service is nice. Huge glasses of hierbas!!!
North… Atzaró (Agroturismo near San Lorenzo) – whoa! That’s all I can say. Expensive, but if you want to pamper yourself, then go for it!!! Cami de Balafia (near San Lorenzo) – a great and cosy place for the best meat at absolutely fair prices. This is one of the restaurants I definitely will keep going to! Es Caliu (near San Lorenzo) – another great address for meat for reasonable prices, Balafia is better though! La Casita (near Cala Llonga) – nice restaurant, not one of the “fashion” places, but simply good food at fair prices! El Rincon del Marino (Santa Eularia) – great tapas place (thanks Icey for the tip!) Mezzanotte (Santa Eularia) – very nice place. Food was good, but a bit too expensive for what it was. Bar Costa (Santa Gertrudis) – an institution and worth going (even if it’s very touristy) for tapas and bocadillos! Bar / Restaurante Santa Gertrudis (Santa Gertrudis) – the one just next to Bar Costa. go and try their Montaditos there! Sol d’en Serra (near Cala Llonga) – changed owner, changed look. But still great cuisine (pricey though) and probably the cosiest lunches possible if you hang out on the beds there…love that place! Bar Anita (San Carlos) – another institution. Post office, local smalltalk and good food. I really think this place hasn’t changed a lot during the last 30 years. Las Dalias (San Carlos) – finally also made it there. Neither for a party though, nor for the Hippymarket. Just for a chilled and cheap lunch (9€ for a three course lunch menue). And even if this place is already 50yrs old, they are up to date with free Wi-Fi! Sansara (between Santa Eularia and San Carlos) – do you like Flammekuche? (bit like pizza, but it is not pizza) go there! Very cosy place as well. El Pato (between Ibiza and Sta. Gertrudis) – AAA quality food, presentation and service. Surely, all this has it’s price, but it also was simply one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Ibiza. Note to self: Ars Vivendi (Tapas Bar next to El Pato and run by the same people) still to be done (next year)!
South… Ca’n Berri Vell (San Augustin) – another place I keep on going back. Delicious stuff at reasonable prices! Yemanja (Cala Jondal) – had good fish last year there and this year a tasty steak! KM5 (near San José) – still like that place, but food had been better in earlier years! Sa Caleta (Sa Caleta) – great Paella, great Bullit de Peix, great Café Caleta!!!¨ Destinos (San José) – a huge variation of tapas. Not cheap, but yummy. La Sal (Sant Francesc) – a cosy place with good cuisine and fair prices! Plus free wi-fi. Sunset Ashram (Cala Conta) – nice in the evening, good food and reasonably priced! El Pirata (Formentera!) – good stuff!
Random Figures
Days on the island 176. half a year minus one week then.
Sunsets catched About 80!
Kilometers driven A lot. More than 10’000kms!
Car accidents One. Not my fault though and wasn’t that bad. (Shouldn’t you look back before you put in the reverse gear???)
Parties Total 115 parties…Most frequented parties were “we love” and “circoloco”, even though quite often I only visited them for a few hours. Also went often to cocoon (which unfortunately was overcrowded all through the season) and monza. Clubs I frequented most were space, amnesia and privilege.
Entrance fees paid 85€ in total!!!
Jellyfish sting count 0! Zero!
Stopped by the police Once. And no problems.
Searched by the police Never!
Café solos, icecreams, hierbas Don’t even get me started counting!!!
Regrets
Very few. But here’s at least one thing I would do different next time - Getting a mobile phone contract instead of fcuking prepaid. The mobile costs really killed me. But it was my own fault, I realised it too late when it didn’t make any more sense to change it.
Spotlighters i’ve met in 2007
McRackin, James, Stephen, Dan_In_Ibiza, Cyre, Sundowner, 76-er, Dr Mick, Dan X, Barbie (& Tom), Jinja, Lynch, Beckiboo, Ferd (& Tamsyn), Copperband, Robo and RachelJ, Kang, Robder, Robbie G, Cookie, Morbyd (& Irina), Zarbtron, Funtom, Jez71, Isarmaus (and the Munich gang), Russ, Grego, Recardo, Mark Sun (& Claire), Martinka, Fusion, Utagaura, Sweet Sensation, TheTwo, Judith, Cocotropic (& Ty), Kirsten, Eagle501, Lupoxx, Iza, Tobestar, PPM, Wimpers, Metropolis, Bluenatascha, Ibiza4life, oOoRamonaoOo, Moha, Fatphilb and Csizmadi. That makes around 50 in total! Probably I have forgotten some people, sorry for that! And surely I have seen many more spotlighters on the dancefloors without actually meeting them…
Thank you all guys and hopefully see you again! 8)
The Future
Of Ibiza? Somewhat of a difficult subject. My future? Neither easy, really. I’m back in Switzerland now and have some distance to Ibiza, which is good for taking decisions (I think). Basically, I did have the summer of my lifetime in ibiza. This is great and now, I have to decide if a) this is it and I keep my memories forever or b) I’ll be back as a worker next summer.
I really had a perfect season here, things couldn’t have been better and in a way I fear that, when I would come back next year, circumstances couldn’t be as good as they were. yes, I definitely do feel home in Ibiza (that already happened when I landed there for the 2nd time), but I also have a home here in Switzerland. With some very important people. And they surely also have a big affect on my decisions about the future. So let’s see how things progress. Now, I first have to get used again to wear really warm clothes. Until my very last days in ibiza, I was wearing flipflops mostly and just easy, fluffy stuff. And now it’s 20 degrees celcius colder than in Ibiza, brrr. But that shouldn’t be such a problem, I still have warm clothes somewhere, just have to find them again.
At last - time to say thank you..
Thanks to all these people for creating an absolutely intense and surely unforgettable summer. It’s still the people that make Ibiza special…
The spotlight crew: james, stephen, McRackin and Dan_in_ibiza – thanks for everything guys!!!!
I agree with you about August, however I think (as you said) if its the only time you have to go ( as was my case this year!) it'll still be a fantastic holiday!
wow! what a season- i've loved all your reviews/postings/observations/suggestions thus far...and as always, great work - (please feel free to post the 180-day breakdown, especially as autumn/winter encroaches- you certainly have a (jealous, but appreciative) fan base here. thank you.
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