Ibiza + NYE = A Night To Remember

Ibiza. That is all…

Ok, so now that I have your attention, let me talk about what could be my greatest NYE ever. First of all, we arrived in Ibiza to find that whilst it is no doubt a “clubber’s paradise” in Summer, it is a very different story in the Winter. The streets are lined with billboards promoting only one thing: the clubs. The only problem was that they were promoting events long gone and what we had arrived to was almost a post-zombie-apocalypse town. Having done plenty of reading, I thought I would be prepared for the shock of an Ibiza in Winter, however the lack of people in the streets reminded me more of Canberra’s Civic at 10am than a club that turns over millions of tourists in the Summer. What a difference a season can make. Not only was it quiet, but at least 50% of the stores, restaurants and hotels were fully closed and boarded up until the following Summer. We couldn’t help but wonder how much money they make in the high season to afford to completely shut down business for 4-5 months (even in the middle of the crisis!).

However, not one to really like crowds, this was fine for me. We were able to enjoy getting a table at the popular places (that were still open) without reservations. One great place for atmosphere and tapas was La Cava.

The rest of our time we enjoyed the ‘quietness’ of the island by sightseeing, siestas and shopping.

New Years Eve however, is a different story. All those who are left on the island are out and about. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a restaurant that still had a free table and enjoyed a late-night dinner (11pm to be exact!) of the most succulent suckling pig and taking part in the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight. Each grape is rushed down at each strike of the bell at midnight, and each grape represents one wish. One of mine would have been ‘I wish these grapes were seedless!’ 🙂

It was a fantastic atmosphere, as everyone stops to take part in the tradition (including staff). Then once the bells are rung and the grapes are swallowed, everyone turns to each other to wish a Feliz Año Nuevo and kiss each other on the cheek. In that one moment, strangers become the best of friends. However, despite our new friendship statuses with strangers, the party must go on. We made our way to Pacha, Ibiza’s only superclub that stays open all year long.

Words cannot really describe how cool Pacha is. It is huge, with different stages, levels and rooms to cater for different music. Although, unfortunately not all of the rooms were opened (possibly due to it being Winter and not having as many people). It did still put on a great night, that didn’t really get rolling until well after 2am. The doors open at 1 and the first hour was great for people watching. What shocked me most was the ages of at least half of the revellers here (at least for the first hour). People well over their 40s were rocking the dance floor in their sequinned attire, with some Rebels club members being part of the mix. Our guess was they were all the hippies that came in the 70s and never left! (Obviously making a fortune in the meantime, as they had access to all of the VIP areas). I was half expecting Richard Branson to be burning up the dance floor. By 2am though, the crowds increased in number and decreased in age and the DJ really got rolling. Unfortunately, due to an ill-thought early flight booking for the following day, we couldn’t party on as late (or early, depending how you look at it) as the rest. However, it was so much fun and an experience I will never forget (although I can’t speak for a lot of the crowd there!)