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Situated within the port area of Ibiza town, Mao Rooms was opened in 2001 and is brought to you by London's Chinawhite.
The cocktails and food are all lovely and are best enjoyed while lazing about on the day-beds covered in silky fabrics and cushions.
D'Emili Pou 6, Ibiza Old Town;
tel: 971 194 331;
www.chinawhite.com/nonmembers/ibiza.html
Formentera is a very small island with a few wonderful shops and eating places but it is the beaches that are most memorable. Beautiful white sand and crystal clear waters. It's a little bit naughty but camping out over night on one of the otherwise deserted beaches to await the sunrise is a truly wonderful experience.
There are regular ferries from Ibiza Town to Formentera. The journey takes 20 minutes.
A mystical, ancient quarry where the stone was carved for the walls around the Ibiza Old Town. It’s like the Giant’s Causeway but with rectangles, glistening crystal clear sea, idyllic surroundings and a hippie folklore.
The angular landscape has also been doctored by travellers with faces, engravings and a mind blowing painting of a Buddha. It’s a great place to spend a day. The only thing is it’s a 40 minute descent down a cliff face to find it. It’s not easy. In fact, my girlfriend fell out with me for the rest of the day due to the even longer ascent. It’s worth the grief though. Stunning.
Head to Torre des Savinar and head to the cliff edge to see your target and begin the descent.
A magical seafood restaurant perched on the cliff side at Cala D'Hort beach in the south.
Overlooking the breathtaking Es Vedra island, the paella is the business and the view at sunset is a suitably fitting dessert.
Cala 'Hort;
tel: 626 494 537
Forget Cafe del Mar (hugely overrated) - the Blue Bar in Formentera is the best beach bar experience in Ibiza & Formentera.
Situated on the beautiful, unspoilt Platja de Mitjorn, the Blue Bar is a relaxing place to cool down, eat and drink by day, with DJs by night.
tel: 971 18 70 11;
www.bluebarformentera.com
Restaurant and bar in the hills about 5 miles from Ibiza Town. It’s a huge garden covered in Arabic style tents, cushions, candles - the most chilled place in Ibiza. The perfect escape after a couple of crazy nights.
Ctra. San Jose - km 5,6 (On the road to San Jose about 5 miles from Ibiza Town);
tel: 971 396 349
www.km5-lounge.com
The Old Town has the most character, but accommodation can be difficult to find. Renting a car is also a wise idea.
Whatever you do, don't stay in San Antonio. It has the feel of the worst of the Costa del Sol, only more horrific.
And be careful with Playa den Bossa too, as it's very close to the airport. Being under the flightpath is not a good idea as planes land around the clock.
Day charter from Ibiza or Formentera on a private and fully licensed sailing yacht with a maximum of 10 guests. You even get to sail the yacht yourself if you want. Buffet lunch included with wine, beer & soft drinks.
tel: Jenny & Phil on 636 003 860
A cafe at the junction in a one-horse town is an entertaining place to see other adventurers stop and decide whether to turn right or left. Half the vehicles return to take the alternative whilst the other half simply go back from whence they came. The more chilled out have refreshment first.
Santa Innes (also called Saint Agnes) is accessible by car.
Located on the opposite side of the island to San Antonio, Benirras Beach is a great little hangout with a couple of restaurants, a good little ramshackle beach bar and a friendly atmosphere.
On Sunday evenings the place comes alive as all manner of old school hippies, and trustafarians appear out of nowhere. There's beer drinking, drumming and dancing as the sun sets on the horizon.
This is a world away from the San Antonio I experienced on an 18-30's holiday 10 years ago.
And if you're into a bit of stretching, I recommend you check out Ibiza Yoga - totally idyllic and not 'too purist' ;-)
www.ibizayoga.com/;
www.ibiza-spotlight.com/beach/benirras_i.htm
This'll be the seventh year Galaxy Radio have been on Ibiza with their legendary Weekender, with special broadcasts, exclusive parties, artist PAs and guest DJs. It's a chance to get up close and personal with some of the world's biggest DJs and all for the price of a drink.
More venues and lineup information on www.digitalgalaxy.co.uk
The most famous club in the world with branches in London, New York, Marrakech and Buenos Aries. But this is the mother of them all, opening way back in 1973. Dress to impress and dance the night away to some of the biggest DJs on the planet including Roger sanchez, David Morales, Eric Morillo and Sandy Rivera. It's not just about house music though. Last year the club launched an urban night in it's Global Room with RnB and hip hop. The Monday parties were such a success that they're back for the 2006 season - June 19 to September 25.
Avenida Ocho de Agosto, opposite the Marina in Ibiza Town;
tel: 971 31 36 00;
www.pacha.com/
Cafe Mambo is a legend in it's own cocktail hour. Expect to rub shoulders with the celebrity set while taking in Ibiza's legendary sunset. It's also where to catch the world's biggest DJs playing their warm up sets before heading on to Pacha.
This July it will be hosting guest DJ sets from Satoshi Tomiie, Hector Romero, Wally Lopez, Lisa Lashes (exclusive Dirty Breaks set), Axwell, Roger Sanchez and special guest Tom Novy. Be there and be the envy of your mates back home.
C/ Vara de Rey, San Antonio, Ibiza;
tel.: 971.31.21.60;
www.cafemamboibiza.com/
A two-hour trip outside of Barcelona to the small town of Figueres on the regional train was a pure delight. You can walk from the train station to the museum and the works of Dali opened up a whole new world in art for me.
The thing to miss in Barcelona is paying to go into the Sagrada Familia. It is an architectural wonder to behold but we felt the 20 euros spent to go in and up was a total waste of time and money. It is a construction site inside and totally disappointing.
PL. Gala. Salvador Dali, 5, Figueres;
tel: 972 51 1800;
Open: 9am - 7.45pm (Jul - Sep), 10.30am - 5.45pm (Oct - Jun);
www.salvador-dali.org/eng;
horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html
This a typical Valencia dish. It is made of thick noodles, fish, all sorts of prawns and seafood. It is very tasty and rivals the famous paella.
The best place to eat it is in Gandia, a holiday resort 40 miles south of Valencia. Gandia is the hometown of fideua, however you can ask for fideua in nearly every restaurant in Valencia that specialises in seafood.
If you come to valencia and you have the chance, buy a ticket to the Mestalla stadium. You will live a passionate atmosphere there! Mestalla is nearly 75 years old. In a couple of years Valencia CF will change its site.
You can find it in Avinguda Aragó or Avinguda de Suecia. Also the tube takes there. Line 3 or 5.
This is a hotel in Barcelona with a great location and a friendly staff. My room had a balcony, was clean, and I had a good time there.
Beware of thieves and tricksters. We were robbed on the train from the airport, attempted theft outside Sagrada Familia, and we saw a scam in the Ramblas where a person was pretending to have lost his contact lens.
A lovely Indian/Pakistani restaurant located next to the Poble Nou metro station. They specialise in Tandoori, but for spicy food lovers the good news is that their dishes are prepared as they would be in Ireland or the UK, and not made mild for the locals!
Prices are very reasonable, if not downright cheap.
Nearest metro: Poble Nou.
Athome are an agency renting apartments throughout Barcelona, and I recommend them for their friendly, professional approach. That, and the fact that they located the perfect apartment for us, just off Plaça Reial but with the bedrooms not facing the street.
We were delighted to be able to sleep comfortably without the usual noises waking us early, as has happened in every other place we've stayed in Barcelona (regular visitors!).
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