Week 7: Ibiza aftermath

Ibiza.

"The all-night raver, the boho-cool hippie chick, the sexiest babe on the beach – Ibiza is all this and more to those who have a soft spot for the part-loving sister of the Balearics. The cream of Europe's DJs (David Guetta, Luciano, Sven Väth et al) makes the island holy ground for clubbers. And nowhere does sunset chilling like Sant Antoni de Portmany's strip of mellow cafes." - Lonely Planet

The quote above may be the perfect in-a-nutshell description of Ibiza, if one exists. Austin Stowe and I took a nice mini-vacation two weekends ago (mine was a bit longer due to flight limitations) and we decided to book a hotel in Sant Antoni de Portmany. Like the quote says above, the sunset over the water was definitely the most beautiful I've ever seen. 

But don't get me wrong, I didn't spend 6 days in Ibiza staring at the sunsets. Ibiza has way too much to offer to do that. Being an EDM (electronic dance music) enthusiast, this tiny little stretch of an island was packed with some of the world's craziest and largest clubs. 

Night #1, Thursday, October 2: Austin and I settled into our hotel, and he quickly made friends with two English boys in the adjacent room. I did very little exploring around the hotel besides walking down the strip to buy some food. The first night, however, we decided not to waste any time. We went to Sankey's, a double-layer club with a rooftop area, which featured CUFF, Amine Edge & Dance, Been Trill, Ardalan and K-Lagane. I made it on stage with Amine Edge & Dance for a bit because I was talking to "the sound guy" and he invited me to come onto the DJ stand. Needless to say, Thursday was a blast. The only thing I wish I had was pictures to prove it!

"The strip"

Night #2, Friday, October 3: Recovery day. I slept in, relaxed and finally got back on my feet at night, when the crew decided to make our way down the Sant Antoni strip. First, we hit a karaoke bar, and it was astonishingly ALL English-speaking people inside. I went up and down the strip with another girl in our hotel I also met the previous night. Nothing crazy, but all-in-all it was a good night.

Night #3, Saturday, October 4: Amnesia, "the best global club of Ibiza." We went to the closing party, which started at midnight and went until 3 p.m. the following day! I couldn't believe it. The promoter who sold us our tickets advised us not to go until 6 a.m. because that's when all of the "good DJs started." We thought he was loco, but we partially took his advice and waited to go until 4 a.m. Surprisingly, we stayed until 10 a.m. dancing the night away, and I never felt so exhausted yet accomplished for lasting that long. There was a continuous line out of the door the whole night and into the next day. These people were nuts. Below is a video of one of the two rooms.We estimated that there was probably 10,000 people inside.  

The second main room, which we called "the jungle." Photo credit: Austin Stowe

Night #4, Sunday, October 5: Austin had to leave on this day, so I spent my Sunday night with the English boys and two girls I met from the U.S. who are teaching English in Barcelona. We went to Pacha, which was way less packed, way more comfortable, and had better music. Solomun was playing and he was incredible. This night was definitely my favorite. Good crew, good music, and good vibes all around! 

Night #5, Monday, October 6: It was unimaginable that we could even have energy left, but this was Ibiza. There were Closing Parties every night (end of the season parties, more or less) -- even on Mondays. We took every advantage to see it all.  By now, the English boys were gone so I hung out with the two U.S. girls, and thank God for their company! They were great. Our server at Cafe del Sol (the name is fitting; this is where we watched the sunset) suggested that we go to dc10 on the other side of the island. Not a horrible choice, but it was a hot, sweaty mess. I'd say was a concert hall more than a club. We had a good time, but getting bumped into and shoved wasn't my idea of paradise. We stayed until 7 a.m. and decided it was time to go. By Monday, Ibiza had won. I don't think I would have lasted another night even if I wanted to.

The beautiful Cafe del Sol

To sum it all up, Ibiza was a high-energy, non-stop, dance-all-night and never-sleep type of atmosphere. I'm a little disheartened that I didn't have a chance to see the cathedrals and sights in the capital of the island (also called Ibiza), but hopefully I can make the trip back when I'm a bit older. For now, I'll have to say I don't regret a single second of it. Ibiza will forever have a place in my heart and a techno beat in my soul.

Extra: If you're reading this and planning on going to Ibiza, I have a few suggestions.

 1. Go before September 30 because the (4 euro) buses stop running and after that you have to take a (15-30 euro) taxi everywhere you go. 

2. For that, I'd also recommend bringing a little bit of extra cash. 

3. Last but not least, don't miss out on the beautiful beaches and sunlight while there! This island is crazy and wild as much as it is peaceful and enchanting. Ibiza is one heck of an experience. 

Next blog: Madrid aftermath