Winter on the Island of Ibiza

Yesterday we returned to cold and snowy Lille France from 6days/5nights on the island of Ibiza (which is just off the south-eastern coast of Spain) where the temp stayed in the mid 60's all week and the sun was shining all but one day. We flew with Ryanair from London-Stanstead airport directly to Ibiza for 4pounds each way. We had five and a half glorious days in Ibiza, and one frighteningly disastrous night in London that all contributed to this totally unforgettable trip. One sign of an amazing vacation is a feeling of overwhelming need to return, and by lunch time of our first day we could not stop talking about two things: when we'll be able to come back, and a need to learn Spanish (we had a very basic understand of the language thanks to what had been picked up from the kitchen staff at the restaurants we used to work at, and from Taco Bell commercials). Every day brought different adventures, scenery and cuisine, and it is for these reasons that I am breaking up this trip into five or so different blog entries.


Our first major task was getting to the airport in London, and I know how boring it can be reading about the actual travelling parts so I just want to offer one piece of advice then move on. If you ever have to go to England/London, no matter what the reason, make sure to do your due diligence, and plan out each detail well in advance, or the city will absolutely devour your wallet.

Our plane touched down in Ibiza just after 9pm local time, and we carried our bags onto the plane (to check them would have cost 3x what we paid for the flight) so it didn't take long before we were in a cab headed towards our hotel. The place we stayed at was in the second biggest city (which isn't saying much) of Sant Antoni de Portmany located on the western side of the island. We stayed at Hotel Puchet (Putxet) which was only about two blocks away from the beach and marina. It was a decent sized hotel and our room was clean and comfortable, but we didn't plan on spending much time there anyway. Something that did stand out about the hotel, and really everywhere on the island, was the geniality and kindness from everyone we encountered.

The trip started off with a lot of intrigue and anticipation. Neither Kathryn nor I really knew what to expect. Ibiza is internationally recognized as the party capital of Europe for about six months of the year, and February is not one of those months. Winter in Ibiza was described to us as a time when the locals take back the island. Approximately 75-80% of all the restaurants, bars, shops and hotels had closed their doors for the off-season which gave the island a very peaceful and calm ambiance; something that is unheard of once the weather reaches the mid 70's. Driving in the pitch black of night from the airport to the hotel did not ease our minds. We were still very excited to get our first real views of the island so once we dropped our bags off in the room we went out to explore what little of the area we could before crashing (wearing only light sweatshirts because it was still in the mid/low 50's). The hotel, being so close to the water, we quickly found a boardwalk that ran along the bay. We followed it all the way around until we got to the marina, and that was about the time Kathryn started getting cold so we turned back towards the hotel to call it a night.

Breakfast was included in the price of our hotel room so we got up nice and early to ensure we didn't miss out. It was slightly confusing at first because we were expecting some kind of buffet set out like is customary in many European hotels, but instead there was just an instant coffee and juice machine. So we got our drinks and sat down. Soon a server came over, and after we kindly explained "no hable Español" he preceded to list off the breakfast options in broken English. We settled on simple bacon and eggs on baguette toast, and after a few cups of coffee we were out the door ready to get our first glimpse of the island.

Having an idea of what the harbor/bay looked like at night we figured the boardwalk would be a great place to begin our morning urban-hike. Even though it was only about 9am there was no real need for a jacket, and after an hour of walking the clouds were blown away and we were blessed with warm sunlight for the rest of the day. Once we had rounded the bay the path began weaving its way around the coast and past some of the closed and barred hotels that lined the waterfront. We walked along the water until the pavement ended, and then turned up into the hills, and began following signs in the direction of Santa Agnès. This took us up through some sparse residential homes surrounded by open fields and rows of olive trees until we stood at a round-a-bout overlooking Sant Antoni.

By this time we had already hiked a good couple miles so we turned back down into the city and headed towards the hotel to change clothes (it had reached the mid 60's before noon). During our descent we passed the famous "Egg" statue of Sant Antoni that sits in the middle of one of the intersections. It wasn't anything too spectacular, but I had read about it on a couple of websites before we came here so it was an interesting landmark. As we were walking back through the city signs of the islands infamous party scene were evident everywhere. There were flyers and posters in the windows of almost every shop or business, or plastered on the walls of buildings at busy intersections; massive billboards rested on the sides of the road advertising special deals/promotions, or celebrity DJ's that regularly headlined a club. We tried not to take much notice since all the clubs were closed for the winter anyway.

After shedding a couple layers back at the hotel we ventured out to try and find a restaurant open for lunch. The street our hotel was on, as well as the boardwalk, was lined with dozens of bars and restaurants, but they were all closed for winter. After about a half hour or so we stumbled upon a nice little place called Restaurant Koppas that was open, and had an outdoor seating area so we could have lunch in the sun. Our table looked out onto a sun-drenched plaza, and a boulevard lined with tall palm trees which ran along the marina. They had a pretty extensive menu (translated into English), but one dish in particular stood out: the paella. It took about 45min to an hour of preparation so we ordered a couple cerveza’s, and Kathryn got a tomato salad, and we passed the time enjoying the warmth of the sun, and the relaxing feeling of being on vacation. We also chatted a bit with our server who spoke almost perfect English. He asked if it was our first visit to the island, and if we were Canadian (I guess they don't get too many Americans). We said yes (not to the Canadian bit) and asked if he recommended anything for us to do or see while we were there. His first piece of advice was to rent a car so that we could experience the entire island, and second he gave us the name of a restaurant on the northern side of the island where we could get great fresh fish. He finished his recommendation by sticking out his belly, rubbing it and saying “trust me.” (Another tip: if someone local ever recommends doing or eating anything, do it!)

When the food finally came it was brought out in a big paella/wok looking dish overflowing with rice and seafood. Just thinking back on it makes my mouth water. It was the very best paella either of us has ever eaten. The rice was done perfectly and slathered in butter and Spanish seasonings. It was also filled with all different types of seafood including prawns, crab legs and claws, mussels, clams, squid, and then topped off with some tender pieces of chicken. There was so much food we couldn’t imagine finishing it all, but with a little determination (and two very large helpings a piece) we polished off the entire bowl. We finished lunch just before 5pm, and then it was time to head back to the hotel for a siesta. Lunch was so big and delicious that we crossed dinner off our itinerary for the evening.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. We took a little nap back at the hotel, and then went for a stroll along the water to walk off a bit of the weight we gained at lunch. On our way back we stopped in the hotel bar for a couple drinks to wind out the night, and to plan out a tentative schedule for Saturday. Day one couldn’t have been a better introduction to life on the island or Spanish culture. We were already dreading the fact that we had to leave in five days, but did our best to keep that out of our minds.

Hasta mañana,
 
-Jordan and Kathryn