Well then dear reader, it’s time to fly over Spain in order to continue the island hopping adventures. To be honest this is the first time I’ve gone from a destination in the Atlantic Ocean to arrive at an island in the Mediterranean Sea. How awesome an experience is that!I I boarded an Air Iberia flight from Tenerife which featured a stopover in Madrid, and then headed on to the legendary island of Ibiza. I’m thrilled to be here after all these years, this is most certainly a dream destination for your intrepid travel correspondent! I can finally cross the world famous party destination off the bucket list. With its somewhat notorious reputation I didn’t really know what to expect. I decided to stay a little away from all the craziness and after hours shenanigans of Ibiza Town and instead chose Santa Eularia. The town is to the north of Ibiza Town. As a matter of fact I didn’t know too much about my chosen destination, but am pleased to confirm the town and the beach are a total knockout. I could not be happier with my choice including the hotel as well which is top class. It’s great to have my own room for this leg of the trip, I’ve met some amazing travellers in the shared rooms during my latest adventure, but I could tell you a story about one person who will always stay in my mind, but for all the wrong reasons. But anyways, that sorry tale will have to wait for another time…
So here I am in Santa Eularia. My flight arrived in the late afternoon and as soon as I settled in my room it was time to head out for a meal and a preliminary explore of the beach after dark. This place is nothing short of divine, with an immaculate esplanade and fine dining options galore that exude pure class. I headed down to the beach the next morning, with the air and sea temperature reminiscent of my hometown Sydney during summer, To be honest I feel right at home here! It’s also nice to be back on picturesque white sand beaches after my recent adventures on thei islands of the Atlantic Ocean. I headed back to the hotel for a quick shower, and then caught the bus south to Ibiza Town. There are so many attractions to explore, including the imposing Ibiza Castle with its dominating views of the city. The historic part of town is simply gorgeous, and I spent two days exploring in the afternoon after spending relaxing mornings on the beach in Santa Eularia. The bus is frequent and provides an excellent service, I seem to have stumbled upon the best of both worlds by staying in a more quiet area of the island, yet still less than 15 kilometres from the legendary Ibiza Town.
I had plans to visit Formentera which is a very popular day trip taken from the ferry terminal, either at Ibiza Town or in my case Santa Eularia. The staff informed me to check in the next morning as the wind had picked up and there was a chance of the ferry being cancelled. I was a little apprehensive but the crowds at the terminal and a quick confirmation from the staff confirmed we were good to set sail. The saes were quick rough, but it’s only 1.5 hours before arriving in Formentera. What a beautiful little island to spend the day, I charged along the coast while coming across some very picturesque beaches. There are also a couple of big yachts that have become shipwrecked on the island, one of them is quite the monster and has become a tourist attraction in itself washed up on the jagged rocks. The kite surfers were out in force in the windy conditions, tearing long close to shore and flying through the air when the occasion arose. I headed back to the port in the late afternoon, and settled in for a meal and a beer at a fine dining restaurant to celebrate another wonderful island adventure before catching the ferry back to Ibiza in the early evening.
The final destination on this island hopping trip of a lifetime is Mallorca. I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 5:00am to check out for a taxi ride to the airport due to a very early flight. The journey was uneventful; short, and on time which is just how I like it. I caught a taxi to an awesome hostel where I had a private room booked for my stay. I arrived at my accommodation before 9:00am, and there was no-one around. I’m not sure whether this is a post-covid trend, but it proved to be surprisingly common during this trip and something I haven’t experienced before. Several places left instructions for check in, but as for having a staff member on site, this proved to be the exception at times rather than the rule. Anyway, they had a comfy lounge so I just settled in for what I expected to be a long wait, but before long my English host Ollie arrived like a whirlwind and whipped me in to shape like a champion. I only had a few days on this brief visit and was feeling a bit flat after such an early start. But he goaded me in to action and the thought of putting my head down for a time was off the table, there was no time to waste!
I took the bus in to the historic centre,of Palma, and I have to say this city is absolutely magnificent. It has all the grandeur of any major Spanish city, and there is definitely no shortage of money that has been put in to its construction and care. The gothic architecture of the cathedrals and the scale are quite surprising given the size of the island. I was blown away by the beauty of the streets as I wandered around with a sense of wonder. The endless beach along the coast is also awesome, and the venues were jam packed with European revellers. The next day I was up early and caught the bus again to the city centre, from where you can take a day trip to Valldemossa up in the hills. This a a sublime village, steeped in history and gorgeous architecture. As a huge fan of the Polish piano master, I had to visit the Chopin museum in the town he lived in for two years in the company of the famous French writer George Sand. I strolled around at my leisure, and only just got to board the bus back to town even though I had been queueing for over an hour. I’m not sure what was to happen with the people behind me, unless another bus scheduled for the same departure time was trailing behind. Anyways, I got back in the city centre and took the bus out to my hotsel to relax and have a pleasant chat to Ollie and the awesome guests before a late evening flight back to Ibiza.
I feel lucky to wind up the trip with one final day in Ibiza, and this time booked a hotel in Ibiza Town which is closer to the airport. Just lazing on the beautiful Figueretas beach on another sunny day is the perfect end to an unforgettable trip; commencing with the majesty of mediterranean Western Europe, on to the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, and ending in the Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean Sea. It goes without saying that when reminiscing about this trip in its entirety, basically all of you should be here now!
“Simplicity is the final achievement.” Frederic Chopin
Its home time, so until next time I’m signing off for now.
Tom
Tom's music blog can be found here:
http://www.tomrooneymusic.com
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