Ibiza ...another world

Hola everyone! Here I am telling you about my holiday in Ibiza, hoping to be of help to all those (lucky you) who are setting off for this destination. On 6 August at 17.40 my friend and I had our flight departing for Ibiza from Verona Catullo… precisely with the airline Airone. As soon as we settled on our plane the captain informed us that, following some air traffic, we would depart with a 45-minute delay. Despite the wait, the journey was very very fun, thanks to the flight attendants, including the captain who, with jokes and gags, managed to involve the whole crew. On arriving at the airport, the Inviaggi assistants were waiting to accompany us to our hotels; in fact, after about ten minutes by bus we arrived at our…. MARENOSTRUM… nicknamed by me "Campanile" (Bell Tower), because from wherever we were, in the distance you could see its huge illuminated sign.

Very nice setting, enormous… more than 4,000 rooms, with 3 pools, gym, entertainment, mini-market; the rooms are cosy and comfortable… a shame, though, that to have the air-conditioning and TV remote you have to leave a deposit, small as you'd expect, and it's returned to you on departure… but already from here you start to realise that your wallet in Ibiza will often be left gasping! In the evening… even though we were tired from the journey, we couldn't miss the Pacha night, the Flower, a show they do only 3 times a year. So first a quick stop at Bora-Bora, the legendary beach club of Playa d'en Bossa… I beg you… never buy a drink here…. it's super expensive! Do as we did: we'd get something to sip at Thaiti (the bar next door) and then go to Bora-Bora… it'll make your wallet happy! And then off to Pacha; here too some useful information….

decide during the day which club you want to go to that evening, ask the tour operator assistants about the nights, and buy the discounts from them… or from the PRs… or at the Tantra bar, which offers tickets for all the clubs and has its own bus to take its customers to the various clubs. Never turn up, as they say, at the "door" of the club without a ticket… because you'll pay an absolute fortune (alas, we found out afterwards). And so here's our 1st day on this island… following the advice of Tristana (our perfect assistant) we head for Figueretas beach… in many people's view prettier than Playa d'en Bossa… oh well… I actually prefer the latter… true, it's much more crowded…. but it's not bad… at least the beach is clean and the water… is lovely anyway….

What's certain is that from 5 in the afternoon until 2 at night it turns into a club… not suitable for anyone wanting to rest or who doesn't love crowds… because here towels and sunbeds are packed one against the other with so many people! In the evening… we opt for Privilege… the biggest club in the world, 16,000 people… in my view…. the most beautiful! Enormous… it looks like a stadium! On the 2nd day, alas, it rains… well, even here in Ibiza rain exists, unfortunately… so we pop to Bora-Bora where we stop for lunch… and then, since the rain wouldn't stop, we went back to our hotel… For the evening we had planned Space, though not before having a little look around the town of Ibiza.

SPACE… famous for its after-hour… where you can dance until midday… I lasted until 3 in the morning… and then I left… goodness… great music, it hosts the best DJs… but as for the crowd it's not up to much… everyone goes there to get out of it… with a capital O… it's like our Alterego… it's one of the clubs where at the entrance they search you and confiscate your camera or water bottles… a huge blunder… seeing as all sorts of things go round inside! 3rd day… we and our friends met at the Marenostrum organise a day trip…. heading for Formentera. At 11.30 we take the ferry near our hotel that takes us to the most beautiful beach… Illetas… far from the town of La Savina… but believe me..

it's really worth stopping there, Caribbean! Fine white sand, crystal-clear sea to the right and left… enough to leave you speechless! The beach's only bar also leaves you speechless… because you pay 9 euros for a simple sandwich… they probably wrap it in silver! For the rest all splendid… we leave our heart there… in fact at 18.30 we sadly have to weigh anchor because our return ferry is waiting for us… though many of us would have camped here. Return to Playa d'en Bossa expected at 19.00, dinner and a quick shower; the evening at Amnesia awaited us and the famous foam party… sure… not before doing a few jumps at Bora-Bora…. Just because we never danced… Amnesia is lovely too… huge… and at 6 in the morning (after a long wait) the foam party begins…. An incredible experience… only in Ibiza do these things happen….

Try it, guaranteed fun!!! Useful tips for this night: don't wear flip-flops… otherwise you'll come back either barefoot or in someone else's shoes; dress light… possibly with your swimwear underneath…. it's easier to dry off afterwards; stay at the sides of the dance floor… I say this especially for those who, like me, aren't very tall… otherwise you risk feeling ill and suffocating in the foam…. and for the girls… accept it… when the foam party starts… the guys go for it with their hands! Finally, I'd advise bringing a change of clothes to leave at the counter at the entrance…. First because when you come out wet it's very cold! Second… if you can't catch the bus….

The taxi won't take you wet… it leaves you stranded! 4th Day… obviously wrecked… we rested on our hotel's sun terrace, and in the evening a little visit and some shopping in Ibiza town… among the alleys full of bars and restaurants, and full of little stalls! On the 5th day… we and our friends hire a car… to visit some of the beaches Ibiza offers…. from les Salines, es Cavallet, es Jondal, Cala Tarida…. right up to Sant Antoni for the sunset…. not to be missed! In the evening, since we had the car, we choose to go back to Pacha… also because we couldn't miss Pete Tong…. Splendid evening, music like few places… the real house! The next day….

Well… returning the car and hiring a scooter… it was our last day… we wanted to use our last bit of energy… in fact… on Tristana's advice… we took the ferry at the port of Ibiza (which also carries scooters) and went back to Formentera… this time intending to go round much of it… and so it was…. we clocked up 100 km on our little scooter…. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful… one beach better than the next… and then going round it by scooter gives you a sense of freedom…. Here you find loads of scooters… mostly Italians… the nice thing is everyone greets you. We went to Cap de Barbaria… where there's a lighthouse on a cliff… breathtaking landscape where silence reigns… then Can Parra, Es Marì and all of Playa de Migjorn… we were looking for the famous Blue Bar (where at aperitif time it fills with people and VIPs)… we drove around like madwomen….

in the end, after a succession of directions, it's at around km 8, the entrance to Blanco…. that is, where there are stones painted white… (this is the street signage) Here in Formentera every dirt road leads to paradise. At 18.30 we went back to Ibiza… for our last evening… a goodbye to Bora-Bora and then by scooter we reached our friends in the little town for our last shopping. On Sunday…. departure day… we spent a few hours at the pool… and then at midday… alas… Mattia from Inviaggi came to pick us up to take us to the airport. An unforgettable holiday....one we won't hesitate to repeat! An engaging atmosphere that's impossible to forget!