WeLuvIbiza
Active Member
Preamble: The review is a bit of a ramble, hopefully it might have the odd bit of useful information for potential family winter visitors. I make no apologies for the length or content! This was our first visit to the island outside of the summer season, we being me (Jake), Shelley and our two children Harvey (five) and Jemima (two). It might provide a bit of inspiration for anyone considering a winter visit with children. I could not recommend a winter visit highly enough to anyone, with or without children, it was a magical experience that will never fade from our memories. We have never flown with Ryanair before and having read various reports on different sites, we expected the worse with strict hand baggage checks which proved to be unfounded
Mon 21st Feb: We had been super organised on the Sunday and everything was ready for us to getup at 4:00am and drive the three hours to Stansted. It didn't quite work out like that somehow, finally leaving the house at 5:00ma for a 10:15 flight, to get three miles down the road and me having forgotten the four passports L. On the way, my phone was telling us we would arrive at Stansted @ 8:30, and it kept beeping like crazy every time Shelley went over 83 mph! Eventually arrived in plenty of time, people with big metal suitcases didn't have enough cash to pay the over weight charges! No excuses, and entirely not Ryanairs fault, the people directly in front of us were let off at 16.5kg so the check in people were being fair enough. Arrived on time and soon had the hire car sorted and setoff to find the San Francisco apartments in central San Antonio. We chose this place as it was a huge two bedroom apartment with balcony. Driving through the one way system was an enlightening experience but an enjoyable one! Available through spotlight http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/sanfrancisco/, and very spacious, it was an absolute bargain. The apartment looked out onto the library and social services, the view was not brilliant but for two hundred odd quid we were delighted with the place. The streets were still lively, but in a totally different way to the summer season, all the garish neon adorned bars were closed, yet all local bars and cafes were open. It will be fascinating to visit the area in high season to see the difference. We wandered aimlessly through the streets, eventually arriving on the sea front about a mile north of Mambos. It was gorgeous walking in the afternoon sunshine, eventually stopping at a bar opposite the harbour pier/ jetty for snacks and refreshments. The wine menu included some bottles for £1,500, maybe next time! The bar was really quite busy, the locals sat outside with coats and scarves whilst we were sat in shorts and tee shirts, a regular theme throughout the week! We wandered aimlessly back in the direction of the apartments, it is magical exploring San Antonio in this way. A quite night ended with a few glasses of vino on the balcony, at which time we did give in to the weather and put on our sweaters!
Tue: Shopping trip to Eroski, absolutely loved wandering around listening to the locals chattering away. Got a trolley full of goods, but failed to weigh and label our fruit and veg, caused a big tailback at the checkout and suffered burned cheeks. After filling the cupboards, we drove up to Portinatx thinking there would be a shop open to get a bucket and spade. There had been a couple of accommodation options in the resort so we thought it would bear some life oop north. The drive up there is simply amazing, the twisty winding roads through the pine forests is always spell binding for me. The resort was in fact totally closed, and a strong wind meant it was sweater weather until we found a lovely spot on the beach out of the wind right over on the left hand side. People looking across the bay must have thought we were nuts but it was in fact really hot out of the wind! Walked back to the car and noticed a café/ bar had opened and got chatting to a couple from London. They had arrived on Sunday evening and been unable to find their apartments in the darkness, and eventually ended up in a hotel in Santa Eulalia for the night!! It was their first trip to Ibiza and I did my best sales pitch of my favourite island in the whole world. I sold Es Boldado as the best option for lunch (even though I had never been at that point!!). Back ‘home' for Jemima's afternoon nap, Harvey and I went out exploring the area. Before this trip if someone had tried to tell me how much enjoyment could be had exploring the streets of San Antonio in the winter I would not have believed them. Getting totally lost is also part of the fun J In the evening we headed over to Ibiza Town in a taxi on an impulse, turned into a fabulous night. In the town, two different temperature signs told us it was 17oC and 18oC, quite amazing. We wandered down Vara de Rey, it looked magical, and felt dreamlike, I should have been born Ibicenco. We noticed Hostal Parque was open and was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few places in Plaza del Parque open and BUSY. One thing I never expected to see in winter was a looky looky man and we saw many.that night. The children loved it here as they played hide and seek and numerous other games for a couple of hours. Enjoyed a lovely chilli con carne, whilst Shelley shared a pizza thingy with the children at Café Madagascar. The whole square looked amazing with the lights from the bars and our children playing with Spanish children with no concept of a language difference. Got a taxi home and chatted away with the driver who was convinced the British party people of 2010 were the best behaved of any year since we had been driving a taxi. It's nice to hear this kind of feedback. As per every night, ended with glass of wine on the balcony reflecting on a perfect day. Whilst sat relaxing, I commented to Shelley; “I wonder if we will get the dustbin wagon tonightâ€, as if by magic, it appeared, coming down the now empty street, quite weird. The road sweeper was not far behind and it has to be said the roads and pavements were spotless in the area!!
Wed: Went to the swimming baths at Can Coix to learn children were only allowed to swim on Saturday morning, on enquiring about the pool at Can Misses was told it currently had no roof on! The swimming pool complex looked brand spanking new and is well worth a visit, but check times first. We drove down to Es Boldado for the first ever time, via a peculiar route, my navigator was somewhat confused as to where we actually were. There is no better place to be totally lost than Ibiza in winter, the green, leafy scene is so different to the height of summer, feels so peaceful. Eventually seeing the turn for Es Boldado, Shelley thought it was a wind up, the little hire car struggled with the terrain, but mighty me the reward is well worth the trip. The restaurant and view are breathtaking, to put it mildly. Upon arrival, we were the only people in the place, it was an ethereal experience, even the children were quiet for a while. I had already decided on steak having read ric's previous reviews, jeez it was a monstrous thing and took some hard graft to see off ¾ of the doorstep sized meat. Childrens options were limited and try as I might, I cannot get them into proper fish at the moment. They shared a full chicken with Shelley, followed by ice creams, we indulged in the Ibiza cheesecake, I loved it, Shelley hated it! The bill with a bottle of wine and coffees and soft drinks was €84. Worth it simply for the experience of sitting there looking at big rock. By the time we left, the restaurant had filled up and a couple were dining outside, such was the afternoon sun. We will deffo be going back, I need to see off most of the items from the fish menu. The evening was a relaxing walk around the area local to our apartments, stopping outside bar Europa for a beer, the staff were uber friendly here and of the three times we visited, always had complimentary foods brought out. Looked across at the Zebra eatery over the road, debating whether to give it a try and sadly didn't, have since read good reports from McC. Was home in time to listen to the bins being emptied and roads being swept J
Thur: Still no bucket and spade to be seen, Shelley suggested Playa Den Bossa was a possibility. My mocking of her idea had set me up for a grand fall! La Sirena was open and had a selection of buckets and spades that sent the children delirious. By the time we reached the checkout we had acquired a FCB baseball hat for H, crocks for J and mummy and various items of digging equipment, the store is a veritable Aladdin's cave! We spent a lovely couple of hours walking up the beach towards Figueretas, our pleas for the children to keep out of the water ended with both of them wet from head to toe. The return journey was via the main road and a lovely meal at a new place (name unknown), Valencia sausage for me, gorgeous but for the back pudding. The girls slept whilst Harvey and I did more exploring of San Antonio, realising our apartment was only yards away from Ibiza Rocks! The evening was all about the Pintxa trail http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/news/2011/pintxa_2011_i.htm , posters are everywhere. We planned a little route and our first stop was the Urban bar, lovely chicken Pintxa, my favourite thus far…Next was Mari and a meatball with a jam like covering, this turned out to be my favourite of the night. The bars were rammed and had a fantastic atmosphere. We visited five places in total and had a great time, the children were on impeccable behaviour but we had to be home in time for the dustbin wagon…It was a fantastic experience, the service and staff put us to shame in the uk, whilst rushed like crazy, they still had time to say hello and explain the tapas and Pintxa available whilst fussing over the children.
Fri: Drove over to Figueretas / Es Vive and parked outside our fave apartments Playa Sol II and walked towards the beach at Figueretas. Again we were surprised that many of the bars / cafes were open along the seafront, amongst them Prince, our watering hole of old. We found it impossible to walk past and had to stop for refreshments listening to lovely chillout music. We spent a few hours on the beach, getting burned in the process, fortunately the children had sun cream aplenty by now. Wandered towards town stopping at various play areas here and there, the children were in heaven. Drove over to Talamanca for late lunch, mistakenly though the pizza place on the beach was open but still enjoyed a lovely meal whilst the children entertained us with their beach antics. Does anyone know what the drilling / boring machinery was doing and for what down at the end of Talamanca? All week I had been bigging up the fair in San Antonio on Friday, yet had given little thought to were it was in the town. Harvey was tortured going past water parks et al that were closed so the fair was going to be his big fun night. Well what a plonker, there was no fair, I had totally misread the item on spotlight, it had been a series of events for children through the winter. The guilt I felt was enormous, I promised Harvey the earth to make up for his disappointment, including a trip to a local toyshop as soon as they opened at 9:30 Saturday morning! After the bustle of Thursday, it was so quiet everywhere on Friday as we walked home from the non fair. We walked on the sea front past Mambos, it was gorgeous looking out to sea and getting a great view of the night sky as there seemed very little light pollution.
Sat: We setoff for St Agnes, but not surprisingly with the weather as it had been, not a smidgeon of almond blossom remained but it is lovely around there, real picture postcard scenery. Santa Eulalia was the beach for the day and by far the hottest day of the week, we were baking whilst the children played and played some more. They loved the beaches and sea, I'm sure they would have played until sunset if allowed. Santa Eulalia was really quite busy, with a noticeable increase in English voices (is this a busy expat area?). The sun slipped behind clouds, marking a dramatic drop in temperature, a rude awakening having spent a few hours baking. A short drive to Cala Llonga for old times sake, we stayed there in 2007. There is a lovely play area right on the beach which was hosting a birthday party as we arrived. The tables were laden with fruit and the odd bottle of vino, sure as hell knocks spots off a mcdonalds birthday party. We had a couple of amused looks as Harvey and I were in shorts and tee shirts whilst every other person had big winter coats, it was much colder without the sun tbf. We started playing a game in the car called spot the cherries, whoever saw the Pacha logo first called out cherries and scored a point, the children thought this was the greatest game ever invented. It later progressed to Space logos, we never got round to the other clubs but there will be time enough for that. Both Shelley and I had been talking about Tijuana's since reading the online menu; http://www.tijuanatexmex.com/ As we arrived approx 9pm, only two tables were occupied, by the time we left it was packed to the rafters upstairs and down, 50% of diners had children with them. Why can't the English treat the going out on a Saturday as a family thing and not a cavernous drink up sesh. To go anywhere in the uk to eat with children without being treat like lepers we are forced to contend with plastic food a la Harvester. The food and service was brilliant, the starters were my favourite part, stuffed jalapenos. The starters had been preceeded by an enormous plate of nachos with all kinds of toppings. By main course time I was full to bursting I did battle halfway through my enchilada before surrendering gracefully. Complimentary slammers followed, overall this was my favourite meal of the week foodwise, and a fantastic atmosphere to boot.
Sun: Getting a bit mopey by now as it was our last day L Harvey had chosen Ibiza town for the last night of entertainment. For daytime activities due to the cooler weather we headed to Playa Den Bossa for the bowling alley http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/bowling/ which is open all year round. Sadly on Sunday this was not until 16:30. We lunched at Prince whilst the children insisted on playing on the beach. As per much of the week we drove around some of the smaller roads just looking at the scenery in silence. Wandered around the bay before heading home for some relax time before enjoying a gorgeous salad prepared by Shelley, not before Harvey and I had scoured the whole of San Antonio looking for a shop that was open to buy bread, this was far and away the quietest day of the week. We eventually found a little Spar approx 200 yards from the apartments yet we had walked for nearly an hour to find it! I will master the streets of San Antonio one day. Enjoyed the bus ride into Ibiza Town and saw part of the town we had never visited before near the bus terminus (of sorts). We had a stroll around eventually ending in Plaza del Parque (yup, we love it here), every single bar was open this night, another surprise. We got tapped up by a supposed local hobo jabbering on in Spanish. I gave him money but my mind went back to an incident in Leeds a few years back, as we had watched a bloke get out of a brand new land rover discovery, get changed into scruffy clothes and start begging! I saw the guy head for the far corner of the plaza and could not resist leaving via that direction. Lo and behold, there was a group of guys all chatting away in English with what appeared to be a German guy as head of the team! I was tempted to go over and share a joke with them but didn't. We explored the town some before heading home for the final night. Had a great chat with the taxi driver who upon hearing me say something to Harvey told me his boy was called Harvei (spelling?). When dropping us off he revealed a tattoo the length of his fore arm with the name “Harveiâ€. His English was impeccable, apparently had gone to an English academy since the age of 8, that's a lot of work! nb: no dustbin collections in San Antonio on Sunday evenings….
Mon: Enjoyed a lovely breakfast in Playa Den Bossa, I should have remembered the name as it was the bargain of the whole week. Ibiza cheesy toast *2, toast and jam *2, coffee * 2, fanta orange * 2 €10. Just on the side road going out of PDB, 20 yards from the main road of PDB. Whilst sat indoors, saw the first rain drops of the week. Airport and home L
Summary: I have missed out loads as it was turning into a long ramble without content. We both agreed it was one of our best holidays ever, quite possibly the best, and we have been all over the world. Just as it's impossible to describe why one loves the island so much per se, it's impossible to nail down what is so special about the island in winter. It is simply so peaceful and colourful, the people are incredible, I don't know but Ibiza in winter is magical. I am surprised the island does not make more of the winter season, it knocks Tenerife and similar places into a cocked hat. Although one of the taxi drivers did say that the Spanish Government had given 29 of 30 million allocated for marketing the winter season(s) to Majorca, hardly seems fair. If Shelley had been able to get time off work, another trip in April was a possibility; sadly it's not going to happen. My words have not done the island justice, but I would challenge anyone to go at this time of year and not enjoy every single moment of the trip. Dearest meal bills of the week were Es Boldado €80 ish and Tijuana €80 ish comparing this to a bill from our local yesterday when we paid £57 for a very average meal without half the soft drinks and ice creams we had with Ibiza meals, it seems reasonably priced to me. This is for four people. As for the €2 for a glass of wine and mini tapas, how can you beat that for value?? If you have ever considered a winter visit, there is only one thing to say “Do itâ€.
Sadly three rolls of film from our old 35mm camera turned out blue, so we only have a few from the digital camera and some rescued ones from the 35mm camera. Most are of the children many of the best scenery ones are blue, if anyone knows what would cause this, I would be interested to know?
Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=664956198&aid=269419
http://www.facebook.com/david.ickringill#!/album.php?id=795817714&aid=378067
Videos
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095383746199
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095285391199
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095365756199
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095285391199
Mon 21st Feb: We had been super organised on the Sunday and everything was ready for us to getup at 4:00am and drive the three hours to Stansted. It didn't quite work out like that somehow, finally leaving the house at 5:00ma for a 10:15 flight, to get three miles down the road and me having forgotten the four passports L. On the way, my phone was telling us we would arrive at Stansted @ 8:30, and it kept beeping like crazy every time Shelley went over 83 mph! Eventually arrived in plenty of time, people with big metal suitcases didn't have enough cash to pay the over weight charges! No excuses, and entirely not Ryanairs fault, the people directly in front of us were let off at 16.5kg so the check in people were being fair enough. Arrived on time and soon had the hire car sorted and setoff to find the San Francisco apartments in central San Antonio. We chose this place as it was a huge two bedroom apartment with balcony. Driving through the one way system was an enlightening experience but an enjoyable one! Available through spotlight http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/sanfrancisco/, and very spacious, it was an absolute bargain. The apartment looked out onto the library and social services, the view was not brilliant but for two hundred odd quid we were delighted with the place. The streets were still lively, but in a totally different way to the summer season, all the garish neon adorned bars were closed, yet all local bars and cafes were open. It will be fascinating to visit the area in high season to see the difference. We wandered aimlessly through the streets, eventually arriving on the sea front about a mile north of Mambos. It was gorgeous walking in the afternoon sunshine, eventually stopping at a bar opposite the harbour pier/ jetty for snacks and refreshments. The wine menu included some bottles for £1,500, maybe next time! The bar was really quite busy, the locals sat outside with coats and scarves whilst we were sat in shorts and tee shirts, a regular theme throughout the week! We wandered aimlessly back in the direction of the apartments, it is magical exploring San Antonio in this way. A quite night ended with a few glasses of vino on the balcony, at which time we did give in to the weather and put on our sweaters!
Tue: Shopping trip to Eroski, absolutely loved wandering around listening to the locals chattering away. Got a trolley full of goods, but failed to weigh and label our fruit and veg, caused a big tailback at the checkout and suffered burned cheeks. After filling the cupboards, we drove up to Portinatx thinking there would be a shop open to get a bucket and spade. There had been a couple of accommodation options in the resort so we thought it would bear some life oop north. The drive up there is simply amazing, the twisty winding roads through the pine forests is always spell binding for me. The resort was in fact totally closed, and a strong wind meant it was sweater weather until we found a lovely spot on the beach out of the wind right over on the left hand side. People looking across the bay must have thought we were nuts but it was in fact really hot out of the wind! Walked back to the car and noticed a café/ bar had opened and got chatting to a couple from London. They had arrived on Sunday evening and been unable to find their apartments in the darkness, and eventually ended up in a hotel in Santa Eulalia for the night!! It was their first trip to Ibiza and I did my best sales pitch of my favourite island in the whole world. I sold Es Boldado as the best option for lunch (even though I had never been at that point!!). Back ‘home' for Jemima's afternoon nap, Harvey and I went out exploring the area. Before this trip if someone had tried to tell me how much enjoyment could be had exploring the streets of San Antonio in the winter I would not have believed them. Getting totally lost is also part of the fun J In the evening we headed over to Ibiza Town in a taxi on an impulse, turned into a fabulous night. In the town, two different temperature signs told us it was 17oC and 18oC, quite amazing. We wandered down Vara de Rey, it looked magical, and felt dreamlike, I should have been born Ibicenco. We noticed Hostal Parque was open and was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few places in Plaza del Parque open and BUSY. One thing I never expected to see in winter was a looky looky man and we saw many.that night. The children loved it here as they played hide and seek and numerous other games for a couple of hours. Enjoyed a lovely chilli con carne, whilst Shelley shared a pizza thingy with the children at Café Madagascar. The whole square looked amazing with the lights from the bars and our children playing with Spanish children with no concept of a language difference. Got a taxi home and chatted away with the driver who was convinced the British party people of 2010 were the best behaved of any year since we had been driving a taxi. It's nice to hear this kind of feedback. As per every night, ended with glass of wine on the balcony reflecting on a perfect day. Whilst sat relaxing, I commented to Shelley; “I wonder if we will get the dustbin wagon tonightâ€, as if by magic, it appeared, coming down the now empty street, quite weird. The road sweeper was not far behind and it has to be said the roads and pavements were spotless in the area!!
Wed: Went to the swimming baths at Can Coix to learn children were only allowed to swim on Saturday morning, on enquiring about the pool at Can Misses was told it currently had no roof on! The swimming pool complex looked brand spanking new and is well worth a visit, but check times first. We drove down to Es Boldado for the first ever time, via a peculiar route, my navigator was somewhat confused as to where we actually were. There is no better place to be totally lost than Ibiza in winter, the green, leafy scene is so different to the height of summer, feels so peaceful. Eventually seeing the turn for Es Boldado, Shelley thought it was a wind up, the little hire car struggled with the terrain, but mighty me the reward is well worth the trip. The restaurant and view are breathtaking, to put it mildly. Upon arrival, we were the only people in the place, it was an ethereal experience, even the children were quiet for a while. I had already decided on steak having read ric's previous reviews, jeez it was a monstrous thing and took some hard graft to see off ¾ of the doorstep sized meat. Childrens options were limited and try as I might, I cannot get them into proper fish at the moment. They shared a full chicken with Shelley, followed by ice creams, we indulged in the Ibiza cheesecake, I loved it, Shelley hated it! The bill with a bottle of wine and coffees and soft drinks was €84. Worth it simply for the experience of sitting there looking at big rock. By the time we left, the restaurant had filled up and a couple were dining outside, such was the afternoon sun. We will deffo be going back, I need to see off most of the items from the fish menu. The evening was a relaxing walk around the area local to our apartments, stopping outside bar Europa for a beer, the staff were uber friendly here and of the three times we visited, always had complimentary foods brought out. Looked across at the Zebra eatery over the road, debating whether to give it a try and sadly didn't, have since read good reports from McC. Was home in time to listen to the bins being emptied and roads being swept J
Thur: Still no bucket and spade to be seen, Shelley suggested Playa Den Bossa was a possibility. My mocking of her idea had set me up for a grand fall! La Sirena was open and had a selection of buckets and spades that sent the children delirious. By the time we reached the checkout we had acquired a FCB baseball hat for H, crocks for J and mummy and various items of digging equipment, the store is a veritable Aladdin's cave! We spent a lovely couple of hours walking up the beach towards Figueretas, our pleas for the children to keep out of the water ended with both of them wet from head to toe. The return journey was via the main road and a lovely meal at a new place (name unknown), Valencia sausage for me, gorgeous but for the back pudding. The girls slept whilst Harvey and I did more exploring of San Antonio, realising our apartment was only yards away from Ibiza Rocks! The evening was all about the Pintxa trail http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/news/2011/pintxa_2011_i.htm , posters are everywhere. We planned a little route and our first stop was the Urban bar, lovely chicken Pintxa, my favourite thus far…Next was Mari and a meatball with a jam like covering, this turned out to be my favourite of the night. The bars were rammed and had a fantastic atmosphere. We visited five places in total and had a great time, the children were on impeccable behaviour but we had to be home in time for the dustbin wagon…It was a fantastic experience, the service and staff put us to shame in the uk, whilst rushed like crazy, they still had time to say hello and explain the tapas and Pintxa available whilst fussing over the children.
Fri: Drove over to Figueretas / Es Vive and parked outside our fave apartments Playa Sol II and walked towards the beach at Figueretas. Again we were surprised that many of the bars / cafes were open along the seafront, amongst them Prince, our watering hole of old. We found it impossible to walk past and had to stop for refreshments listening to lovely chillout music. We spent a few hours on the beach, getting burned in the process, fortunately the children had sun cream aplenty by now. Wandered towards town stopping at various play areas here and there, the children were in heaven. Drove over to Talamanca for late lunch, mistakenly though the pizza place on the beach was open but still enjoyed a lovely meal whilst the children entertained us with their beach antics. Does anyone know what the drilling / boring machinery was doing and for what down at the end of Talamanca? All week I had been bigging up the fair in San Antonio on Friday, yet had given little thought to were it was in the town. Harvey was tortured going past water parks et al that were closed so the fair was going to be his big fun night. Well what a plonker, there was no fair, I had totally misread the item on spotlight, it had been a series of events for children through the winter. The guilt I felt was enormous, I promised Harvey the earth to make up for his disappointment, including a trip to a local toyshop as soon as they opened at 9:30 Saturday morning! After the bustle of Thursday, it was so quiet everywhere on Friday as we walked home from the non fair. We walked on the sea front past Mambos, it was gorgeous looking out to sea and getting a great view of the night sky as there seemed very little light pollution.
Sat: We setoff for St Agnes, but not surprisingly with the weather as it had been, not a smidgeon of almond blossom remained but it is lovely around there, real picture postcard scenery. Santa Eulalia was the beach for the day and by far the hottest day of the week, we were baking whilst the children played and played some more. They loved the beaches and sea, I'm sure they would have played until sunset if allowed. Santa Eulalia was really quite busy, with a noticeable increase in English voices (is this a busy expat area?). The sun slipped behind clouds, marking a dramatic drop in temperature, a rude awakening having spent a few hours baking. A short drive to Cala Llonga for old times sake, we stayed there in 2007. There is a lovely play area right on the beach which was hosting a birthday party as we arrived. The tables were laden with fruit and the odd bottle of vino, sure as hell knocks spots off a mcdonalds birthday party. We had a couple of amused looks as Harvey and I were in shorts and tee shirts whilst every other person had big winter coats, it was much colder without the sun tbf. We started playing a game in the car called spot the cherries, whoever saw the Pacha logo first called out cherries and scored a point, the children thought this was the greatest game ever invented. It later progressed to Space logos, we never got round to the other clubs but there will be time enough for that. Both Shelley and I had been talking about Tijuana's since reading the online menu; http://www.tijuanatexmex.com/ As we arrived approx 9pm, only two tables were occupied, by the time we left it was packed to the rafters upstairs and down, 50% of diners had children with them. Why can't the English treat the going out on a Saturday as a family thing and not a cavernous drink up sesh. To go anywhere in the uk to eat with children without being treat like lepers we are forced to contend with plastic food a la Harvester. The food and service was brilliant, the starters were my favourite part, stuffed jalapenos. The starters had been preceeded by an enormous plate of nachos with all kinds of toppings. By main course time I was full to bursting I did battle halfway through my enchilada before surrendering gracefully. Complimentary slammers followed, overall this was my favourite meal of the week foodwise, and a fantastic atmosphere to boot.
Sun: Getting a bit mopey by now as it was our last day L Harvey had chosen Ibiza town for the last night of entertainment. For daytime activities due to the cooler weather we headed to Playa Den Bossa for the bowling alley http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/bowling/ which is open all year round. Sadly on Sunday this was not until 16:30. We lunched at Prince whilst the children insisted on playing on the beach. As per much of the week we drove around some of the smaller roads just looking at the scenery in silence. Wandered around the bay before heading home for some relax time before enjoying a gorgeous salad prepared by Shelley, not before Harvey and I had scoured the whole of San Antonio looking for a shop that was open to buy bread, this was far and away the quietest day of the week. We eventually found a little Spar approx 200 yards from the apartments yet we had walked for nearly an hour to find it! I will master the streets of San Antonio one day. Enjoyed the bus ride into Ibiza Town and saw part of the town we had never visited before near the bus terminus (of sorts). We had a stroll around eventually ending in Plaza del Parque (yup, we love it here), every single bar was open this night, another surprise. We got tapped up by a supposed local hobo jabbering on in Spanish. I gave him money but my mind went back to an incident in Leeds a few years back, as we had watched a bloke get out of a brand new land rover discovery, get changed into scruffy clothes and start begging! I saw the guy head for the far corner of the plaza and could not resist leaving via that direction. Lo and behold, there was a group of guys all chatting away in English with what appeared to be a German guy as head of the team! I was tempted to go over and share a joke with them but didn't. We explored the town some before heading home for the final night. Had a great chat with the taxi driver who upon hearing me say something to Harvey told me his boy was called Harvei (spelling?). When dropping us off he revealed a tattoo the length of his fore arm with the name “Harveiâ€. His English was impeccable, apparently had gone to an English academy since the age of 8, that's a lot of work! nb: no dustbin collections in San Antonio on Sunday evenings….
Mon: Enjoyed a lovely breakfast in Playa Den Bossa, I should have remembered the name as it was the bargain of the whole week. Ibiza cheesy toast *2, toast and jam *2, coffee * 2, fanta orange * 2 €10. Just on the side road going out of PDB, 20 yards from the main road of PDB. Whilst sat indoors, saw the first rain drops of the week. Airport and home L
Summary: I have missed out loads as it was turning into a long ramble without content. We both agreed it was one of our best holidays ever, quite possibly the best, and we have been all over the world. Just as it's impossible to describe why one loves the island so much per se, it's impossible to nail down what is so special about the island in winter. It is simply so peaceful and colourful, the people are incredible, I don't know but Ibiza in winter is magical. I am surprised the island does not make more of the winter season, it knocks Tenerife and similar places into a cocked hat. Although one of the taxi drivers did say that the Spanish Government had given 29 of 30 million allocated for marketing the winter season(s) to Majorca, hardly seems fair. If Shelley had been able to get time off work, another trip in April was a possibility; sadly it's not going to happen. My words have not done the island justice, but I would challenge anyone to go at this time of year and not enjoy every single moment of the trip. Dearest meal bills of the week were Es Boldado €80 ish and Tijuana €80 ish comparing this to a bill from our local yesterday when we paid £57 for a very average meal without half the soft drinks and ice creams we had with Ibiza meals, it seems reasonably priced to me. This is for four people. As for the €2 for a glass of wine and mini tapas, how can you beat that for value?? If you have ever considered a winter visit, there is only one thing to say “Do itâ€.
Sadly three rolls of film from our old 35mm camera turned out blue, so we only have a few from the digital camera and some rescued ones from the 35mm camera. Most are of the children many of the best scenery ones are blue, if anyone knows what would cause this, I would be interested to know?
Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=664956198&aid=269419
http://www.facebook.com/david.ickringill#!/album.php?id=795817714&aid=378067
Videos
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095383746199
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095285391199
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095365756199
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150095285391199
