"Ghost" Party Island

Scanning the house sitting sites for new options, we stopped in our tracks when we saw a listing in Ibiza for the winter holidays. Back in the late ‘90s when Danielle was immersed in the Seattle rave scene, the word “Ibiza” held special weight. She never went there, but it had a reputation as Party Central. Danielle had several Cafe del Mar musical compilations, named after an ultracool Ibiza seaside cafe, and we’d heard the beaches were gorgeous. Needless to say we applied, even though we aren’t your typical clubgoers.

We were overjoyed to be chosen as month-long parental stand-ins for Otje, a dear Russian Blue cat who’d immigrated with her parents to Ibiza from the Netherlands.

What a cutie!

Sun worshipper

On our first meeting she began immediately licking Danielle, and the owners felt confident that they could leave and that everything would be fine.

Going in for the lick

Pondering her next move

Post–face bath

Despite not being the most social cat, Otje adopted us quickly, and we had great times hanging out together. She especially enjoyed meditating with us. She might be a Buddhist cat.

Besides having sweet and adorable company, we were blessed with an amazing view of the bay and Sant Antoni from the living room and out on the private balcony. Dawn and dusk were a treat.

Sunset view from our balcony

One day we made the trip into Sant Antoni. We heard that this town gets quite packed with tourists and part-time residents during the season. But this was December: It. Was. Deserted. What a strange feeling, like a ghost town, but it was fun to have the promenade almost to ourselves as we strolled along the seaside through the pretty town. We of course made the obligatory stop-off at Cafe del Mar, which was closed for the winter, just to say we’d been there. 

Speaking of ghost towns, Ibiza in the winter was a bit like a ghost island. The whole island was pretty empty. Even the saunas (which we love to frequent) were open in the summers only! Fortunately we found one attached to a local gym, since it was a bit chilly that time of year.

The house sit went well, but at one point we needed to buy a household item. We were excited to see there was an Ikea. Ikea to the rescue, right? Little did we realize that this particular branch was about the size of your living room. Island life...

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One reason besides the stunning scenery why people are drawn to Ibiza is its nightclub scene. Pacha is a very famous nightclub on the island, in Ibiza (or Eivissa) town proper. It’s rated third in a 2014 DJ Magazine poll of the world’s 100 best nightclubs. (#1 is also on Ibiza: Space.) We didn’t get a chance to go inside, since as usual when we go places, it was closed. But the outside was quite impressive. Due to its notoriety, its famous cherries logo could be found all over the island. We first noticed the logo displayed prominently in our host’s apartment, but then it was following us everywhere: on cars, on clothes, on billboards, in cafes...

Every day or two we’d jump in the rental car (public transportation was not a viable option) and check out a new recommendation from TripAdvisor of someplace to see. We discovered some breathtaking vistas and walks that showed us why so many people move or spend part of the year there.

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Gallery: Our Cool Walks

We enjoyed our off-season stay on the Party Island. Stay tuned for more adventures!