Eivissa: The heart of Ibiza

I always wanted to visit Ibiza! Growing up in Manchester, visiting the Hacienda at the weekends or the Boardwalk, and generally building a love of electronic music, of which I still have today. But I never went! The idea of queuing for the plane, surrounded by kids who were attracted by the cheap package tours at the time, looking for low-cost booze, kebab's and a fight at the end of the night. I had enough of my nights in Manchester spoilt by that 'attitude' and so summers came and went without the homage to electronic music taking place!

That was the 80's, now fast forward to 2010. Better off, more refined and loving my electronic music more than ever, a windfall grand in the back pocket was the catalyst to say what the hell, lets do it. That stigma I describe is still there, not in my mind but the mind of the English middle classes who'd never venture there and the mention of a trip to Ibiza amongst management or peers at work would often bring a raising of the eyebrows,  that the person they trusted two seconds ago had just uttered the unthinkable.

But Ibiza is different from its popular image, different in many ways. It's cultural, diverse and true to its origins where families mingle with the party people, locals and bohemians, all happy and together in the knowledge that Ibiza is meant to be enjoyed by one and all.

One grand in a week however will not leave you any change so here's a hint......'spend it and enjoy everything Ibiza has to offer'.

2010 was my first trip to Ibiza which gave me a taster of everything Ibiza has to offer from the rural Northern tip to the soft sands of the southern beaches. Our 2011 trip focused on Eivissa without a car, a chance to relax, enjoy and consume. On both occasions, we indulged in our passion to scratch below the surface of our holiday destination and look out at our surroundings picking up the habits and behaviours of the locals as we rolled.  

For Ibiza, our love of food and atmosphere has been swelled on both occasions whilst my hearts relentless need for electronic music has finally been massaged with a homage to some of the greatest clubs and musicians on this little island they call 'the white isle'!

In recent weeks, the tabloids have demonstrated that Ibiza still has its demeaning side. It's usually called Sant Antoni but don't allow these reports to mask your perception of a beautiful island, which is sometimes also unashamedly brash.  
................................

This series of posts focus on my experience of Eivissa and delivers some top-tips for those with similar outlooks on life. Tomorrows posts covers tips for finding the right accomodation at the right price in Ibiza Town.