There is much to see and do in Ibiza. Staying in the north of the island meant that if we wanted to do more than was on offer we had to venture further afield. I suppose we could have hired a car but as it was our first visit we opted to do a few group excursions instead. When I next go back I will definitely do the car hire as I have a real sense of the island now.
The first outing we took was called "Trinkets & Treasures" - slightly ambiguous as a description as the journey took us first to Ibiza town just 30 kilometers away where we spent a couple of hours doing whatever we chose. Food was most definitely on our agenda! We decided to find a nice restaurant where we could eat traditional Spanish cuisine and found one right on the harbour - El Bucanero. It was a random choice really - we liked the look of it and they did tapas - perfect! It was a beautiful setting with a great view of the marina and whilst we sat there enjoying our food and wine a super yacht docked right in front of us blocking part of our view. It was called "Lady Lara" and quite a crowd gathered round as two golf buggies arrived and transported a disembarking small group away. How the other half or should I say billionaires live!
We headed back to the coach around sunset and headed next to Las Dalias, to visit their famous Hippy Market which opens from 7pm till 1am on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays and all day Saturdays during the summer months. We arrived there around 10.30pm and it was already in full swing. This is where the "trinkets and treasures" bit makes sense and there is a real atmosphere of 'hippiness' .. peace and love, flower power and of course a huge cutout of Jimi Hendrix stands by the entrance! Inside there are a variety of different stalls selling jewellery, clothing, art, sculpture and all things creative and hand made.
Whilst there we discovered a local sculptor, Oscar Gallizia (facebook page Oscararteibiza) who had some beautiful pieces made from what looked like scrap oil drums and driftwood. I loved the fish theme in his works and purchased two pieces to put on my courtyard garden wall. They are beautiful - well I think so - very reasonably priced and evoke the colours of the sea. They will forever remind me of Ibiza.
The Las Dalias market also hosts live music, bars, restaurants and food stalls. Before we went back to the bus we still had a little time to sample mojitos at the Soul Bar. Mine was watermelon and I can honestly say it was the best I've ever tasted!
I would definitely recommend visiting a hippy market in Ibiza - if not Las Dalias then one of the others on the island for the "experience" - it will transport you back to a time of peace and love.
"The End" (Lennon-McCartney) - 'And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" - so true.
Coming soon .. Ibiza Part 3 will take in San Antonio and a sunset cruise .. watch this space!
Where do I start? There are so many facets to Ibiza and we sure saw and covered a number of them on this trip!
It's essentially the island of peace and love - the original hippy hangout. It's a place where artists, bohemians and party lovers have always gravitated because of it's reputation for freedom of expression and thought. This influence is seen and felt all around and for me it has a truly magical atmosphere.
The sunsets are amazing (aren't they all anyway?!) particularly so in the little coves and rocky outcrops where the light reflects the beautiful spectrum of colours in the crystal clear stillness of the water and gives a wonderful feeling of peace and tranquility. I took so many photographs I had a hard time choosing one to post here - they are all stunningly beautiful in their own way and different every time. I could never tire of them.
We stayed in the north east of the island in Portinatx where it is mostly unspoiled, beautiful and quiet with a little night life and vibrancy to suit all tastes but not so isolated that you can't find much more to do within 30-40 minutes drive away. There are 3 beaches in the area which were all relatively crowded during the day and I suspect even more so in high season. The water is clear and shallow and one would have to wade out quite a way to get a good swim so it is particularly good for children albeit a little cold this time of year. It can get quite breezy so very good for sailing away from the bays.
A ten minute walk from the town square and towards the lighthouse there is another small beach with a few good restaurants. We tried Restaurante El Puerto (not shown) known for it's excellent fish and is very reasonably priced. The seating outside is right on the water's edge and you can get a great view of the bay and the setting sun.
We also went to Los Enamorados (left) right next door for lunch one day having heard that it had just opened. We liked it so much we went back for dinner and were not disappointed! The menu is small but the food is amazing! I loved my starter - Avocado Gazpacho - beautifully presented and absolutely delicious followed by tuna tacos - simply heavenly! I was particularly enamored by the place - a small hotel of 9 rooms with an eclectic mix of furniture, lighting, artifacts etc and we spent some time after dinner speaking with the owner Pierre, a French ex-pro basketballer from Paris, who showed us around the shop, the rooms upstairs and generally made us feel like we were in someone's home, which we were. The relaxed atmosphere and location was somewhere I would definitely want to go back to.
The bedrooms are all different and have the same eclectic feel and romanticism that one would expect in a location like this with the setting sun to the west and the lighthouse appointed high on the rocks nearby. If you want to be away from the crowds, this is definitely the place to be.
Check out the May issue of Elle Decoration to see Pierre and his partner Rozemarijn's house in Monmartre, Paris.
Places we tried in Portinatx
Zulu Lounge - great seafood and large portion sizes
Es Puet Blanc - great for lunch - tasty salads and pizza. Reasonably priced cocktails and Sangria
El Puerto - locally caught fish and Spanish cuisine
Last but not least ..
Los Enamorados - brand new and delicious locally sourced food - my personal favorite!
Next posts - Ibiza Town, Hippy Markets, San Antonio and the island of Formentera - I said there was a lot to Ibiza!
It's a beautiful small town, (village really) and we spent about an hour there wandering around browsing the boutiques (I loved the concept store called Blink) and artisan shops - all very stylish - and grabbed a mid morning snack at a fab little cafe where they were growing tomatoes from baskets hung outside - a lovely idea and so quaint. There is no high rise development permitted on the island so it retains the appearance and feel of times gone by but with the added benefits of being in the twenty first century! 
Onwards to the lighthouse at La Mola and the view of the sea from the cliffs was breathtaking (see main pic above). We took a stroll near to the cliff edge, breathed in the sea air and felt the cooling breeze on our skin. It truly is a romantic setting - I'd love to see it at night. 
We had a few hours free to do as we pleased so we enjoyed lunch at Bocasalina, a lovely little restaurant overlooking the beach. We had Paella, cod balls and a gorgeous watermelon salad between the four of us washed down with a chilled bottle of Provence Rose!
Of course we didn't come all this way not to go to the beautiful beach nearby so we found a slot to park ourselves on the white sands and took a dip in the cool, crystal clear water - a lovely refreshing way to end our day out and make our way back to the ferry. Formentera is definitely on my list of places I want to revisit for longer in the future.
We passed a number of lighthouses on our way to and from the island. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many in one day before. I like to think there is something quite magical about them.. they would have saved many a sailor's life in days gone by.
