So inevitably, on June 12th I flew back to Ibiza. My third journey on the White Isle.
Maybe the after-effects of covid and just getting older have lit a fire under my ass these last 12 months. Either way; if you haven’t been, then go.
I flew out of Glasgow International at 6am on June 12th. A busy, rowdy flight with Jet2. Landed at about 10.30 Spanish time, took a transfer to the Arenal Hotel in San Antonio. Great to be back, a few of the staff recognised me. Under the odds price and they were very patient with my spanglish.
Took me no time to find a sunbed by the pool, rip my shirt off and soak up some of el sol. I got the first party bus of the day out to Ushuaia.
Straight to it and grabbed a mojito whilst dipping my feet in one of the pools. Looking around was a good crowd for David Guetta’s residency: F*** me I’m Famous! The undercard featured some good tech-house. Even included a guest appearance from James Blunt who dived in for a crowd surf. No-one broke his neck for “You’re beautiful”.
There were acrobatics above us. A lady pirouetting and doing somersaults, attached to a giant balloon. You really felt the spectacle of the occasion. David Guetta’s set started at 9. Real good fun. “I’m good yeah I’m feeling alright. Baby Imma have the best fucking night of my life, and wherever it take me I’m down for the ride. Baby don’t you know, I’m good yeah I’m feeling alright”.
He played his old anthems from my teenage years too. Like “Love is gone”.
This photo was taken by a cool dutch girl who was enjoying herself aswell. See this video below for highlights of the set.
The next day I got up for the hotel’s breakfast selection. Some different fresh fruit juice with eggs, Jamon and buttered toast. Went out to sunbathe by the pool and read. Then over to Ibiza Rocks for a pool party. Below is a shot and video of 24 Hour Garage Girls (name is accurate) who were good fun. Becky Hill topped the bill and was impressive. For a chart topper, she knew her rave. I loved her drop of “Disconnect” with Chase and Status.
Had a nice pasta dinner back at the hotel and a few drinks at the bar. The next day my friends Steph and Feeney were arriving.
They turned up at the hotel early afternoon. We chilled by the pool and on the balcony of their double room, smoking 5 euro pack Marlboro cigarettes and chatted. We then headed to Tapas Bresca for some late lunch. Both these guys are vegan, but we found a dairy free pizza to share that was lush. Best they had eaten they said! Back at the hotel, I gave them the options that we had for later whilst lying in the sun. I talked them into heading west to check out Cafe Del Mar and Cafe Mambo. Get in some Ibiza music history with the ultimate sunset bar experience. Less impressed by the 30 euro round of drinks, but had to be done.
After this the 3 of us walked to San An’s west end and were hustled into a bar to spend on double drinks. Saw us wallies coming!
We found another spot further up where we had a drink and a wee dance. The west end is more like Magaluf than the rest of Ibiza; little England basically. This is San Antonio’s famous strip. Not for everyone, but worth checking out. Being with a Scottish guy and an American lass, we had a pint in the Highlander Scottish Pub. A few hammered conversations outside wouldn’t surprise you.
Then drinks on their room balcony and bed.
We got up the next day for a late breakfast. You can se this nice picture of the 3 of us here, just out the pool and enjoying an Alhambra beer. Afterwards to the Bay for a dip in the sea. You can step out the back door of hotel, past the tables and chairs, and walk down to the beach in your sandals. Crystal clear and warm sea. We swam out up to the rope that keeps tourists safe from the boats (or drowning). A lovely scorcher of a day. Steph topped me up with suncream and we lay in the sun for a few hours. Class.
Nice and chilled, we wandered across the road to Tapas Ibiza. This restaurant is hidden off the beaten track and inland from our location on the Bay. A friendly waiter called Riccardo looked after us and the food was glorious. Riquisimo! We sat in the garden under the tent cover. I had 2 sides which were chorizo Spanish sausage and deep fried brie with red onion marmalade. Steph had some pan fried mushrooms which were lush aswell. Being a dirty meat eater who tries friends’ vegan food and cant share his with them! The bottle of red between us was the icing on the cake. We gave a wee tip.
After food we headed back to the hotel for a few hours an got stuck into a bottle of whiskey that Feeney bought on their flight over. Me and Feeney decided to go to Eden for the One More Time 90s music night. We drank and talked on the balcony until 12, when Steph went to bed and us 2 headed to the rave. The card headliners were Seb Fontaine and Vicky Devine. Nostalgic trance and house tracks like Insomnia by Faithless and You’re Not Alone by Olive. Anthems that stand the test of time. All the DJs were sensational, we transcended over to a higher level. An old skool, original Ibiza all-nighter. Over to the bar every so often for a rum and coke. Eden’s a cool club.
Next day we took it easy. I won’t lie, we were battered. A walk around San Antonio and . The 2 ravers had a siesta. Was the hottest day so far. Plenty of cold agua. The looky looky guys were out in full force, selling drugs and sunglasses.
We walked by the sea towards Playa es Pouet beach. This is quieter side of the island, but passed O Beach Club on the way. This is for pool parties like Kisstory, and is owned by Gary Lineker’s brother.
This was Steph and Feeney’s last night. We drank cocktails on San Antonio Bay beach. Listening to music on a speaker.
Was a lovely night. I was drinking mojitos, bought from a local shop. They had rum
and played a selection of favourite electronica tracks. We also had a paddle in the sea. Talked late into the night.
The perfect way to sign off for these good mates of mine. The flew back the next morning after breakfast.
I went back to bed after breakfast. Woke up about 12 and headed poolside to read my book in the sun. Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. Really getting into my meditation these days, and might start talking about it on here haha. Had a nice swim in the pool. I was once again a solo traveller.
The Hotel Arenal is good value bearing in mind the location, which is pricey (can be extortionate). Its a medium sized hotel and isn’t packed full of ravers, so you get peace when you want it. That night they serving steak and chips for dinner. I devoured that with with veg and wine.
The next day was a Sunday. I went back to Cafe Mambo about lunchtime. Had a G & T on the decking benches looking out at the sea. They played one of favourite tracks; Salsoul Nugget (If You Wanna) by The Girl Next Door. Perfect for where i was and you’d know it if you heard it.
That night I went to the pyramid of Es Paradis. A cheaper Superclub and one of the oldest on the island. World famous for its water parties. They played some latino music with pumping bass mixed in to spice things up. La Fiesta. Was talking to some locals who came often.
On the last of the 8 days here, I went in the sea and sunbathed on the beach. Bliss! The picture below is out the back of the hotel.
Next day, I was off to Playa D’en Bossa on the other side of the island for 10 nights. I will tell you all about that soon…
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