The last week of January was glorious. In the sun, it felt like 20°C and both sunrises and sunsets were stunning with the sky turning a fiery red to bookend the day. There's a bustle in the streets of Ibiza Town, with a flurry of activity going on inside buildings and behind the scenes. Shops and residential buildings have started their refurbs as the race towards the 2016 season begins. Easter is early this year and with the weather being this good, it is likely that we will see holiday makers arriving on weekend breaks in search of some blinding winter sun. For us residents, work is also underway with the summer in mind, and I spend most of the week meeting with clients over coffees and lunches whilst planning with excitement the preparations for the year.
Monday - Meeting at Rita's Cantina in San Antonio
A client meeting takes me across the island to San Antonio where we meet at the delightful Rita's Cantina in the marina for breakfast. Sun streams onto their terrace and we are lucky to bag a table as the place is super-busy! Tables are filled with mums gossiping over coffees whilst their kids bounce on their knees, and other tables contain people like myself, eating breakfast whilst holding a meeting or quietly reading the paper with a healthy juice or tea from their large selection of infusions. I opt for Huevos Ranchero and a freshly made green smoothie. Absolutely delicious! In fact, it doesn't feel much like a meeting at all! I hang around for another hour making use of the free wifi whilst catching up on mails.
Tuesday - Personal Training
I walk down to the end of Figueretes Beach to meet my Personal Trainer, Peeta Olivia, for the first time this year. I really need to get into shape after all the indulgences of Christmas and New Year. Peeta is a tough cookie and doesn't allow me to slack even though the reps are brutal! But as I do my lunges on the beach looking all the way to Formentera, I can't help but think how lucky I am to have this view instead of a gym wall to help motivate me. Keeping fit is so much better by the sea in the glorious sunshine!
Wednesday - Ulivans Santa Gertrudis
Another meeting takes me into Santa Gertrudis village and I meet my client inside this charmingly simple cafe as every single terrace table is already taken. And the people keep coming. The 2 hours between midday and 2 are positively rammed, and with a lunch menu coming in at under €12 for 3 courses including a drink, I'm not surprised! The food is home-cooked, in generous portions and affordable. No wonder workers, families and business folk alike flock here daily all year round!
Thursday - Women's Wellness Walk
I turn up at the meeting point in Roca Lisa by the golf course at 10:30am to meet 20 wonderful women all looking forward to being at one with nature. The organiser Sabina explains that we will be using the great outdoors along with some simple meditation techniques to ground and relax us. As we set off through the campo in silence, with our phones off, we stop and form a circle whilst she talks us through how to open up our chakras and create energy within. Then we carry on with the walk, sometimes in organised silence, sometimes chatting away with the new friends we have made, all the while stopping at regular intervals to connect ourselves with the ground and the sky. The fact that there is pure female energy is very powerful and as we approach Amante on the beach at Sol d'en Serra, there is an empowered serenity amongst us. We end the walk with a 20 minute meditation sitting on blankets in a circle in a field. The weather has made the walk even more enjoyable and I come away feeling strong and calm. I really don't meditate at all usually, so the whole experience is a real eye opener!
Saturday - Sunrise
Saturday evening arrives and we are ready for a dance. And luckily, Sunrise Bar just a few metres from my front door on Calle De La Virgen, is throwing a little shindig with the crew behind the infamous bar Lo Cura. Boutique Hostal Salinas' owner Dave Phillips and ex-We Love's Big L provide the soundtrack of grooves. I love Sunrise for its anything goes attitude and the fact that it has swings instead of bar stools! Excellent touch! By midnight, the tiny little bolthole is packed and everybody is dancing! The owners Andreas and Peter produce a tray of shots just to make sure we are really loose and the action carries on right up until 3am. What a fab night!
Sunday - Cala Pada
I love Cala Pada in the winter. In the summer, the beach is overridden with sunbeds and tourists, but out of season, the beach is wild and deserted, so we take a little picnic of sandwiches and sit on the end of the beautiful jetty watching the sun dip away and the day turn to evening. I am still in awe of the island's pure and natural beauty and the fact that we have it all to ourselves...
WORDS | Leena Sharma
