My review 6-13 October - a 47 year olds view.

Moondust

Active Member
Saturday 6th October


We arrived at Birmingham airport at 6.30am for our 8.40am flight to Ibiza flying with Jet 2. Flight was on time and we landed around 1pm. Didn’t wait long for the bags and it was off to P3 for our Minibus to take us to collect the car for the week. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I can only speak as I find, and I always go through Do you Spain and yet I have not had any problems in years. Our car hire was with Record Go. Never used these guys before but everything was fine. Car hire price similar to last year was just over £6 and separate platinum full cover insurance was around £50. If your credit card can handle a high excess on pick up, you can save a lot on car hire but that is entirely up to you. Anyway we collected our Cmax and we drove to the hotel.


We have never stayed all-inclusive before in Ibiza but for the difference in price from any other hotel we thought we would give it a go and booked to stay at the Grand Palladium in PDB. It does claim to be a 5-star hotel but 4 or 4.5 is nearer the mark. Not stayed in PDB for 10 years or more and was a little sceptical after reading some of the reviews on spotlight. As some of you know it is situated right at the end of the beach and felt comfortably far away from the likes of Ushuaia which was perfect. The hotel was perfect from the food right down to the location and we will stay there again. For years we have stayed in various Finca's and Agritourism’s which are all very nice but always a drive to get to and from so to stay here was a welcome change. We had a few drinks on the beach until sunset then enjoyed dinner at the hotel before we headed by cab into Ibiza town. Please don’t drink and drive, it’s not worth the trouble and I saw a fair amount of roadside checks this year.

We love Ibiza town and always have. We strolled through the streets soaking up the atmosphere then headed up to the old town. We walked around a little and ventured into a few shops. Some expensive clothing up there but very nice. Wes stopped off at El portalon for a drink. Turned out to be the most expensive drink of the holiday. Stung a little considering I could drink myself to sleep at the hotel for nothing. Always worth heading up there though. Ibiza town is not just a reason for us walk around although very nice, it is our go to place to see the man for the tools for the job. I see him every year and every year he is reliable and safe. After a couple of drinks and catch up of how our year has been its down to business. 1G of shizzle for the Mrs and 1G of MDMA crystal for myself. We are both 47 now so that's more than enough for the week. We say our goodbyes and we both know it will be next year before the next transaction. Adios amigo. A short cab ride back the hotel, a quick nightcap and the first day is over.


Sunday 7th October


After enjoying a bit of a lay ii we headed down for breakfast. There was no real rush today as we intended on having a few hours by the hotel pool before we headed over to Pikes for Sunday roast. Breakfast was lovely as it was every morning. Our hotel was busy and there was a very large German group of fitness fanatics who grunted their way through the mornings at one of the many fitness classes being held at the hotel. We left around as lunch was booked for 2pm. We love Pikes as I think most people do. We have had a few nights there, but this was our first time for Sunday roast. When we walked in Tony was sat at the table right by the door. He looked ok considering is ill health of late. The roast was superb, and I would recommend it. We left around 4.30 and headed over to Cala Jondal for the Blue Marlin closing party. We had our Tools and I had already split my MDMA into 8 and brought half of it with me. Not been to Blue Marlin for a long long time but went with an open mind. We landed around 5pm and the place was already busy. Hector was first up and played some ok stuff. Stacey Pullen took over and I thought his set was really good. Played some great tech house and i would have much preferred him to have played for the duration. I couldn't get into Marco Carola and even less so when the Martinez bros went B2B with him.
For the life of me I just don’t appreciate B2B sets. It’s so obvious in between tracks. Only Sasha & Digweed for me ever really compensated each other. Musically it went downhill after Stacey but the steady stream of 1/2 a gram of MDMA kept me happy till around 11.30pm. By that time we had seen and heard enough. We left the car there and flagged a taxi. Still a great day.


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Monday 8th October


One of those days that we both look forward to and no trip to the white island is complete without the day as Sa Trinxa. There where number of reasons we chose today, the weather, although it did rain for half an hour. Jon himself being there and the option of DC10 closing. DC10 was always the stand out clubbing day of our trips but we haven't been since 2013. We had been going for more than 10 years previous but year on year I have felt it loses that original rawness. At best I would have been happy with a few hours in the garden anyway but as long as the weather held out at Sa Trinxa as was more than happy there and luckily it did. It wasn't too busy down there which I prefer but more than enough people to not feel empty. We had a lovely dinner there as it always is and the Jon's tunes where on point. As the weather improved I decided to go for a dip. Nothing like that feeling of jumping the artificial grass of the old jetty. I swam out and relaxed on my back and was in my element then wallop. A f***in jellyfish stung me on the back of the leg. I flipped over and swam back to shore and headed straight into Sa Trinxa and the girl behind the bar fixed me up with some gel. Was painful for around 2 hours or so accompanied with 2 large red streaks down my leg. Irony was I had swim shorts with jellyfish on so maybe he was looking for a mate. Any way it wasn't going to ruin our day. We left when the sun went down. I did feel a twinge as we drove past DC10 and could hear the music but I told myself if I wanted it that bad I would already be there. The memories of the good old days at DC are memories for a reason and nicely parked. We landed at the hotel and went for a few drinks down at Nassau.


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Tuesday 9th October


We kept an eye on the weather forecasts every morning and the Mrs always likes a mooch around the shops. Today’s forecast was pretty grim so what better day to do it. We had a lovely breakfast before we left, hopped in the car and headed up to Sant Gertrudis. One bonus of going this time of year was the amount of traffic that wasn't on the roads. We were able to get around pretty quickly. Sant Gertrudis is a really nice town and has plenty of cool shops and cafe's. The Mrs was looking for something in particular, a Ganesh. I have no interest in Buddhism so my sole purpose is to carry the f***er. She had no luck so we stopped for lunch at an Italian called B+. Not sure if its new as I don’t remember it being there before but the food was lovely and would recommend it. After dinner we headed up to San Carles. There is a small shop on the other side of the road to Las Dalias called Orient Bazzar where she bought one of her many other buddhas. We were close to being killed in a serious car accident 5 years ago in Ibiza and she swears the buddha saved us but that’s a different story. Sadly, the shop is closing down so it was a wasted journey. With all else failed I knew a shop in Ibiza town where we get the Ganesh, so we headed down there. The weather was getting worse at this point so it was no hardship. After a few hours in town we headed back to the hotel to make use of the All-inclusive drinks and a pre-booked meal at the Italian restaurant and get a few things packed for a day over at Formentera.

Part 2 next
 
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Wednesday 10th October


The first time I went to Formentera I fell in love with the place and I still get that buzz when I arrive. We got there around 10am. You can buy tickets on the day, but it is cheaper online. Not seen there Eco ferries so maybe they are new. From experience it is better to go when the Italian invasion is over. If they don’t grab your Mrs's tits and arse, they will do their best to run you down on a scooter and I’m being polite there. Not all bad I know but it’s there. The weather forecast wasn't great till around 2pm, so we headed to San francesc for a few drinks and bit of shopping. Silver jewellery. We met a guy called Tito on the market last year who designs his own jewellery. Not cheap but nothing is if it’s any good. Sadly, he wasn't there so I sent him a message to see if he would be around today. He replied and said he would be at the La Mola market tonight which is at the top end of Formentera. We hit a few shops around Francesc of which there are plenty and definitely worth trying out if you have euros to throw about. The Mrs bought a vintage military parka something you wouldn't expect to come home with on a summer holiday. The weather started to turn so we headed over Playa Mighorn and in particular the Blue Bar. There are other places along there, but they are for you to find!!!! We had a great afternoon on the beach, which is my favourite on Formentera or Ibiza, taking bottles of wine from the Blue Bar onto the beach which we had to ourselves. Worth the trip alone to me. As the sunset the DJ treated us to some old tunes from The Cure , Simple Minds and early Foo Fighters. Everyone was having a right old sing song and it was a shame to leave. The La Mola market was calling and so was the last ferry. We got to La Mola and Tito was there (PM me if you like silver jewellery for his IG) and we spent nearly an hours searching through his designs. We both bought a ring (the Mrs 2 ) and it was time to get a cab to the port. 10 minutes into the crossing we chatted on how cool a day we just had then I asked "where's the bag with the Parka?". "You had it" she
said!! Well I didn't and neither did she. It wasn't cheap, so all hell broke loose for 30 seconds. When we arrived back in Ibiza, I sent Tito a message, we had left it at his stall. "Don’t worry, I will fix everything" he said! I didn't doubt him for a second. It’s what Ibizan's do isn't it? A few frosty drinks at the hotel bar before bed.
 
Thursday 11th Octobe


I read the weather was going to be half decent today, so I suggested to the Mrs we get up early and catch a sunrise on the beach before breakfast. I’m so glad we did because the sunrise was perfect. We strolled up PDB beach and it is really nice when its quiet. There was only us and half a dozen joggers around. We went back for breakfast and true to his word Tito sent me a message saying the bag with the parka would on the Balearia ferry arriving at 11. He even sent a picture. Tip of the hat the man as he made the rest of my holiday a lot lot easier. We decided to head up north to Cala D'en Serra but first to the port to get the parka. The weather was hit and miss but not a disaster. Cala D'em Serra holds some nice memories for us. We went horse riding there one year and swam with the horses with Davide and Monique the guys that run Ibiza Horse Valley. Well worth it if you have not tried. Magical experience riding up in the mountains with just the moon guiding you along. You can really appreciate the beauty of the island. We enjoyed the afternoon there then headed back for dinner at the hotel before we headed out for the night. We both had one more night in us, so we chose to go to the Beachouse closing party
I was hoping Beachouse would give us a little of the old Ushuaia Vibe, you know sun, sea, sand, beats and no frills. Balearic if you like. Anything but the soulless merchandise store which it has become. We landed right on 7pm as we knew it would finish at 12 and it was already busy. Felt like a good older crowd in there including some of the guys from Sa Trinxa so we were instantly at ease. We bought drink tickets and headed onto the beach for a while. Music was ok and to be fair the only DJ's I knew where Audiofly. We moved indoors shortly after and the Mrs went to the bar and I decided it was time to dip into the crystals. The bar was quite busy, so she was gone for a while. What happened next, I can only describe as 'one of those Ibiza moments'. A small dark-haired girl who I assumed was Spanish/local (certainly not English) walked past. She caught me looking at her and smiled to which I smiled back. Instead of walking past she reversed and stood directly in front of me. I will be honest she was stunning. She leant forward and put her arms around and pulled me towards her and then kissed me on both cheeks. She stood there and smiled. She raised an eyebrow then walked past. I’m a happy man in my relationship and playing away isn't something I’m interested but for 30 Balearic seconds I felt like a free man!!! I didn’t know what to do so I dove straight for the rest of the crystals and took the lot. 1/2 a gram in less than an hour. Maybe I was in panic mode. When the Mrs came back from the bar I told her what happened. We are pretty cool which other and run the rule that the things you don’t say are worse than the things you do. She just laughed and said "well at least it’s not a bloke like it normally is in Ibiza". We had a cracking night in there but due to the panic drop of crystals I knew I was in trouble. The lights came on right on 12. I was in a mess, lockjaw had set in, I could barely see 10 feet in front of me and my legs felt they belonged to someone else. I couldn't face going back to the hotel at this point so insisted in going to a bar, any bar in PDB just to have a Jack Daniels or 2 to steady the ship. I can't tell you where we ended up, but we sat down for drinks, I just needed an hour to get level. Things where just about ok until I picked up the glass on the table with the candle in it and tried to drink that. The Mrs jumped in, took the glass of me and stood me up and said "that’s enough". She then guided me back the all of 800 yards to the hotel which felt more like an SAS backpack assault course. Its normally me that takes care of her, so she owed me one!! Still I really enjoyed beachouse, it gave me glimpse of the good old days.


Friday 12 October (the last day)


After last night’s effort it would have been foolish to drive any were, so we planned to stay around the hotel. As I said the hotel was faultless, so we enjoyed the food and drinks all day and spent an hour or so on the beach outside as well. I’m glad we did this as it gave me time to reflect on our week which goes a bit like this :-

After last year we felt Ibiza was not for us anymore. So much so we took a Holiday in Menorca earlier in the year. It was lovely place but a couple of days in we were already beginning to miss our beloved Island. It wasn't long before we booked to come over for our first visit slightly out of season. Weather wise we knew it was a gamble, but we had a few nice days so can't complain on that level. For the first time in years I felt rejuvenated and inspired and full of idea's upon return. Like I always used to in years gone by. We are both 47 so an older and more educated set of people was the real bonus in going this time of year. My first holiday here was in 1989 so next I see like my 30th anniversary. To sum it all up I did a short video in Beachouse and sent it to a pal back n the U.K entitled "Ibiza is still in the tank". He replied, "never in doubt... Till we die". Do you know what, I think he is absolutely right.

See you in 2019.
 
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Great review.. getting excited now for next week.. this is how we roll in our 40s..:cool:
 
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Ahaha so glad you had a great time @Moondust ... a rich and varied trip at a nice relaxed pace by the sounds of it ! Beachhouse encounter sounds delightful :lol:

Gran Palladium is probably one of the best of the places to stay in pdb - I seem to recall @diver getting on with the place too, it's far enough away from the other side of pdb to escape the worst of it, a bit like Calo d'es Moro to San An and if you really can't face going out having decent food and drink on tap can be a help ! Thing about Ibiza after a while is knowing people and places, it takes a long time to build that up anywhere, guess you missed it in Menorca ?
 
that beachouse bit is hilarious....500mg of mdma is a massive dose!! reminds of the stone roses' comeback gig at heaton park a few years ago. was quite a few lads there going at it like they were still 22.

before the support acts had finished i must have seen at least twenty middle aged fellas in a mess getting dragged out of the crowd by an angry looking mrs who'd only waited twenty years to see the band and would now spend the entire gig nursing her fella
 
Excellent stuff....great read that.

I'm partial to spending ages trying to light the wrong end of a fag but never tried to neck a candle...that's some next level business.
 
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