Beautiful Ibiza

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Imagine: sitting in the dappled shade of a fig tree in the courtyard of a beautiful finca.... first a checkered table cloth is put on the table, then bowls of fresh salad arrive, a plate of jamon iberico, chuncks of cheese, bread warm in its basket... this was our first lunch in Ibiza....


We have been soaking up the sun for ten days on the beautiful islands of Formentera and Ibiza turning our faces to the warmth like the many ghekos we've seen sunning themselves. Escaping the grey grey skies and hectic diaries of these last few months to just spend some time together has been good for our souls.

Not much was being done. In Ibiza we stayed in the magical Les Terrasses - a converted finca with the rooms dotted amongst the lush garden. Breakfast was served in the courtyard: fresh juice, fruits straight from the garden, thick slices of melt in your mouth jamon iberico, home made lemon and orange marmelade, steaming hot fresh mint tea, a bowl of fresh red strawberries... then we would find the perfect spot in the garden to listen to music, watching the garden, the lizards... reading this (beautiful but made me cry), this (better than I thought and very original), this (also made me cry) and this (I know this won the Man Booker Prize but I wasn't blown away by this) before going for a lazy swim. No records were broken in that pool, only stressed shoulders relaxed and minds full of worries made empty. Lunch usually meant driving out to the coast to one of the beach restaurants, or sitting at one of the tables dotted in the orchard of La Paloma followed by a siesta, another swim, some more reading then on to cocktails and dinner overlooking the beach and glorious sunset.

Formentera is smaller and quieter than Ibiza and looks like what I imagine a carribean island would look like: white beaches, turquoise sea, some palm trees.... The Ghecko Beach Club where we stayed had sun beds big enough for two - with curtains you could close for a quiet afternoon siesta - how perfect is that! It was a great spot from which to watch the waves coming and going, the occasional boat going by and sipping lemon and mint granitas before cooling off in the pool: a beautiful turquoise rectangle in the green green grass.

Did we do much? no... but what a glorious holiday!

IBIZA

La Paloma
A cafe at lunch time and restaurant at night, the food here is mindblowingly simple and tasty. Warm bread, grilled aubergines with tahini and honey, linguine with home made pesto, home made mozarella with basil and ovendried juicy tomatoes...

Les Terrasses
The place we stayed with nine rooms only. Food from the kitchen garden is served at lunch and dinner also. Once a week couscous nights means tables get dotted throughout the garden, lights strung through the trees and steaming bowls of couscous, chickpeas and vegetables are brought to the table. We had home made lemon and ginger ice cream after. The menu changes everyday but has a big south of france slant to it: think fish soup with safran aoili and chicken baked with olives.

Cap D'Es Falco
Beach bar where it is good to lie on the beds and drink a mojito whilst watching the sun go down
Bar Profit
There's only a spanish menu here as it caters mostly to locals so I can't tell you what all was on offer here. Good for basic grilled fish though. Try the flao as desert, a sort of rice flan with mint.
S'Ila Des Bosc
The wild seabass baked in salt was delicous. Nice view of the sunset.
Amante Beach Club
Good for lunch if you want the experience of a typical Ibizan beach club. It's a bit more posh than the Jockey Club and also higher up overlooking the sea whereas the Jockey Club is on the beach but both do good food.


FORMENTERA

Gecko Beach Club
Our hotel in Formentera was basically ON the beach - perfectly located.

Juan y Andrea
On the beautiful Illetes beach. We arrived here on scooter, other guests by private boat or by hummer, oh well. We ate the most perfectly grilled squid here with our feet in the sand.

Ca Na Pepa
In San Francesc, one of the best places we found on the island. Sliced squid dusted with lots of paprika, good meat too.