Travel & Hotspots

IBIZA IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA…

and especially in winter

Given that we at Amayzine write excessively and hysterically about Ibiza, I like to add a little more. But I find Ibiza in the summer a bit much, while in winter I love to hop around. Because: still the beautiful beaches, mountains in the north, cute shops, healthy restaurants, and that incredibly blue sea. But not: the drunken English, traffic jams to the beach, sunbeds costing 100 euros, and half of Amsterdam-Zuid in a Pippi Longstocking dress.

I have been in the beautiful north for a week for a yoga retreat and what a delight. The thermometer still faithfully ticks 20 degrees every day, but more importantly: that blue sky. It really lifts a person's spirits. Don't expect to go out partying or meet Paris Hilton in a leopard print bikini, but that’s also quite nice and peaceful, right?

My list of things that are actually fun in winter:

Yemanja

This place next to Blue Marlin gets overcrowded in summer with Russian models and slightly too tanned and too old men clustering around, parents trying to look cool with mirrored Ray-Bans (preferably in orange) while their kids are completely misbehaving, and all sorts of people in kaftans, in winter you can enjoy a grilled fish with a view of the sea and the sun shining on your face in peace. Just for fun, take a look around the corner at the totally deserted Blue Marlin now that you’re there. Is it seriously 500 euros for a sunbed here in summer?

Croissantshow

The coffee spot in Ibiza Town, where you can never, ever get a seat in summer and have to watch in frustration as Johnny de Mol downs his sixth cappuccino. Then, if you finally manage to get a spot, you’re crammed in and just have to hope that no one plants their elbow in your overpriced coffee. In winter, you can sit comfortably and the owner with the Salvador Dali mustache has all the time for you.

Walking

I’m a sucker for walking, but since it sounds so dorky, I always call it hiking. I even have a pair of those monstrous hiking boots that can tackle any rock, rough terrain, or shallow river. In winter it’s not so warm and you don’t run into anyone else. It’s so nice to clear your head completely, be outside, and train your legs. Specifically beautiful are the nature reserve near Santa Agnes, the highest ‘mountain’ of Ibiza, sa Talaia (479 meters), and the lovely route along the salt pans and beaches at Salinas.

“I have been in the beautiful north for a week for a yoga retreat and what a delight.”

Markets

Not as many and as often as in summer. But there is still a hippie market in Las Dalias every Saturday where you can go wild with leather accessories and bracelets and a hundred other things that seem really fun in Ibiza, but that you will never wear at home. My own favorite market is the one on Sunday in San Joan. Here you’ll find a lot of handmade items, such as soap, raw food cakes, ceramics, and crazy clothes that you again will never wear at home. And what’s so nice now in winter: you don’t feel like you’ve landed in the Three Crazy Days, but can leisurely look around.

The most beautiful accommodations

What you pay per day in the summer months, you now pay per week. So this is your chance to rent such a lovely villa with all the trimmings. Okay, the pool might be a bit cold, but hey, what a perfect time to start the Iceman Method.

Es Vedra

Various stories circulate about why Es Vedra (a rock in the sea with a few goats on it) is so special. Some say it’s the rock of the goddess of fertility, and according to others, Atlantis spent some time there. Whatever it is, the place is praised for its special energy and therefore always attracts hordes of spiritual seekers. In summer, you’re almost crushed by the rebirthing, chanting almost enlightened people, in winter you have this chakra banger all to yourself.