Time for a Siesta.
One of my greatest joys is witnessing holidaymakers immerse themselves in the Ibiza lifestyle. Diving into the waters of the Mediterranean, curiously trying their first ali-oli, sipping a local wine, trying to remember to not pronounce the ‘h' in ‘Hola' and glancing in both directions as they cross the road because drat, some habits are hard to break!
However, it seems many holidaymakers might be missing out on one of the most beneficial traditions of them all. The Siesta.
According to various sources, including NASA, the siesta – or afternoon nap – is not just a great excuse to escape the high heat of the afternoon but is also good for ones health. It's said that a nap of just 20 minutes in the afternoon can reduce mental stress, improve alertness and mood. Some studies even suggest that it can reduce the risk of heart related deaths!
I think I shall change my own schedule forthwith to incorporate such a worthwhile practice. After all, who am I to argue with NASA (or indeed the traditions of the island)?
Before I do slope off though, let us look at the island this week…
Things to Do.
Beach time, club time, checking out restaurants - all cool things to do but a luxury boat cruise? Now THAT is an experience and we checked it out. Want to know what you get to do, for how long and how little it can cost? Here you go - Boats Ibiza.
Of course, you also have the mighty Ibiza Spotlight Calendar, updated for islanders and holidaymakers alike, bringing you news of the latest events and activities to ensure there's never a dull 'what can we do?' moment!
Restaurant(s) of the Week.
In honour of Independence Day (today), we are pleased to remind you that Hard Rock Café has just opened in Ibiza Town. With a surprisingly comprehensive menu – they serve a great fish and chips! Who knew? – and HUGE cocktails, this is definitely the perfect pre-siesta lunchtime venue.
Honouring traditions of Ibiza, Sa Cornucopia Restaurant of Santa Gertrudis is also on our recommended list this week. Loved by locals for over quarter of a century, the reputation of this evening venue is well deserved.
Villa of the week
Brand new to our portfolio and exclusive to Ibiza Spotlight.
Wonderful, completely refurbished villa offering amazing views across the bay of San Antonio and the West coast. The Villa Las Tres Yucas is located in the hills, within easy reach of San Antonio, the sunset strip and all the sandy beaches of the West coast. It comprises 4 double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms sleeping up to 8 people, a fully equipped kitchen and a sheltered bbq area. Wi-Fi.
AVAILABILITY FROM NOW ONWARDS
Hotel of the Week
Hotel Bellamar Beach & Spa offers excellent facilities at very reasonable rates. It is right in front of the Es Puet Beach and just a short stroll along the seafront promenade to San Antonio town centre and the sunset cafés. With free wi-fi in all public areas, a great pool with sunset views and a well-equipped spa & wellness centre, this hotel has all you need!
Fashion Tip
The Holy Grail to finding the perfect swimsuit can be a profoundly spiritual experience. Confined to a confessional sized changing-room, you soon realise that heaven and hell can exist in the same five foot (plus two and a quarter inches in my case) body. Pear shaped? Less is certainly best here. Elongate and slim your thighs. Choose a high leg. The less going on (including material) down below the better! Keep any frills to the top where you can thrill to your hearts content. Athletic types this season's monkinis add the illusion of extra curves. Next week: curvy bodies.
(Check out more of Leena Bhatti's Fashion Tips)
Clubbing
Direct from Stivi -
"We are well and truly in clubbing main season now; my team is out and about every night (erm yeah, sometimes I go out too of course!). During the last few days, we've been to Destino's opening party (stunning location, wicked party!), to Ocean Beach's Birthday celebrations, we've seen the first instalment of Avicii's residency at Ushuaïa (including the boat party) and sang along to the oldies at Flower Power at Pacha!
The next few days are again jam-packed with parties you just can't miss. Tonight one of my favourite parties from last year kicks off again, Richie Hawtin's ENTER. at Space. Such a good night, can't wait to down some Sake again!
Tomorrow (Friday), the big thing will be Pete Tong's opening night of his new party at Ushuaïa, Le Grand Bazaar. And he has a very, very special guest in tow for this one: now, to be honest, I'm personally not the biggest fan of Pharrell Williams, but I'm pretty sure the crowd will go crazy as soon as he starts singing the first lines of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky".
Sunday night Eden in San Antonio holds its official 2013 opening party. The San An superclub was sold to new owners this winter and under Dutch management and a complete refurbishment, the venue unsurprisingly opens with a Dutch star DJ - Ferry Corsten will present his "Full On" party.
On Monday, I'll most definitely head to Amnesia for another dose of Cocoon, the Terrace sees Luciano coming back and Papa Sven will play alongside him, this is going to be simply brilliant.
Tuesday 9th July will probably mark the biggest date of the summer so far with Booom! Ibiza finally opening its doors. In a last-minute change, the Ibiza town venue (formerly known as Heaven, Penelope, Angel's, Zulu) changed their new name from Bomba to Booom! Ibiza and I'm convinced their opening night next Tuesday will be a very memorable night, and probably a roadblock, too. But hey, there's another event on the same night that definitely needs a mention as well - the return of the mighty Carl Cox for another series of Tuesdays at Space. My god...what a week ahead!
Now that our party calendar is complete with all the parties and clubs, have a read of our season preview (deliberately coming out pretty late this year), with some personal comments about the clubbing season and the general evolution of our beloved island..."
As always, for and on behalf of the Ibiza Spotlight Team, we wish you and yours a truly fantastic weekend!,
Cat Milton.