MAGICAL MALLORCA!!: Four Days on the Island of Ibiza

Is it pronounced "EE-bee-zuh" or "EE-bee-thuh"? Or, Eivissa? Technically, you're all correct! People who speak Catalan enunciate the letter 's' or 'z' like 'th', as if you had a lisp. The island is called Ibiza but many people also refer to the primary city on the island as Ibiza as well, which can make it confusing especially if you're making a hotel booking. Why? Because searching for 'Ibiza' may give you listings in 'Ibiza Town' (the proper name for the primary city) or in Sant Antoni which is ON the ISLAND of Ibiza but miles away from Ibiza Town.

The island of Ibiza is the 3rd largest of the Balearic islands, after Mallorca, where I live, and Menorca. It's 6 times smaller than Mallorca but 5 times larger than Mykonos.

It's well known as a party island where the rich and famous go to gigantic dance clubs (primarily in Sant Atoni) til dawn then be recluse on their yacht, secluded home, or beach cove during the day. So, I set out to experience this place (but not the night scene, I'm too old for that) for 4 days.

I booked a ferry to take me and my moto across the 80 miles (mas o menos) distance which took about 3 1/2 hours. The Balearia ferries look like one-half cruise ship and one-half cargo ship because, in addition to passengers and cars, they also transport a lot of freight trucks to supply the islands. My ferry, the 'Bahama Mama', holds 1,000 passengers, is over 450 ft long, and holds 126 vehicles. They're mainly outfitted with airline-type seats but also have cabins you can rent which provide beds, bathroom, and small dining area.

There's quite an impressive network of ferries between the various islands of the Balearics (ie; Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Gran Canaria) and to/from the mainland (ie; Barcelona, Malaga, Denia, Valencia).

It was nice to have my moto so I could venture out and about the island whenever and wherever I wanted. Scouring the island I took almost 200 photos, which I edited down to 126, but don't worry, I'm only publishing a mere 64!!

Heed my advice and do yourself a favor...don't use a cell phone to view these photos!!! Use a large screen so you don't miss the details and can fully appreciate the experience.

Pulling away from the docks in Palma looking back at another ferry but of a different company.

Passed a cruise ship moored in Palma. Usually there's 1 or 2 cruise ships in port every day, sometimes up to 5 during the summer!

Looking at the hills behind Palma and the Belver Castle.

A ferry similar to mine coming in to Palma's port.

Comes with a mini-pool and sun loungers, but it was too cool for that today.

Approaching Ibiza a pilot boat comes out, nudges up to our ferry, a pilot jumps off, and the little boat zips away. The pilot takes over the controls of incoming ships to maneuver into port.

Old town outside the walls of Dalt Vila (but not as old!). I love a splash of brilliant-colored bouganvilla against a white building.

To keep rooms cool but allow air flow, it's common in Spain for dwellers to have their windows open and drape a curtain or blinds over their balcony.

Looking up to the top of the hill of 'Dalt Vila', the original fortified town of Ibiza. Dalt Vila translates to 'Upper Town'.

The church is 'Catedral de Santa María de Ibiza', built in the 13th century.

A quaint little tug-boat in the marina.

The fortification walls of the old city, Dalt Vila, are in amazing condition. At this spot they stand about 75 feet tall. Very few cars enter the walled area as the streets are steep and narrow. But, no problem for my moto!!

Looking down from Dalt Vila to the active harbor of Ibiza Town. Note the red three-masted schooner coming into harbor.

The same ship lit up at night.

On Ibiza, it's obvious white is the favored color. Everything is either white, brilliant white, gleaming white, or shocking white. I was amazed at how well-kept homes and walls were. It was as if everyone had just freshly painted their property prior to the onset of the high season.

Looking down on Old Town from Dalt Vila.

The narrow stone-paved streets of Dalt Vila.

It's easy to walk by subtle details of old. This flanks a doorway.

From atop Dalt Vila, you can see the airport runways in the distance.

The streets and pathways have been travelled on so much by vehicles and feet, the faces are polished smooth which made it tricky to walk on when wet.

The enclave of homes, restaurants, and museums cling to the hillside within the walled area of Dalt Vila.

The immense walls surrounding Dalt Vila.
Off to the right, you can see two men dangling, performing maintenance to the masonry.

The island of Ibiza is mostly flat, except for the one 'mountain' that reaches over 1,500 ft high. Big whoop. But, I moto'd up there anyway to see what all the fuss was about in the views.

Using my zoom the furthest it could go, that's the city of Sant Antoni, about 10 miles from Ibiza Town. It's where most of the large nightclubs are (not in Ibiza Town as most think). Sant Antoni has a population of about 26,000 compared to 50,000 in Ibiza Town. Both populations swell enormously during the summer season.

I love coves. I prefer them over long sandy beaches because they're more quaint, shallow, calm (little wave action), and usually great for snorkeling. So, I set out to see some of Ibizas coves and found some pretty spectacular places such as this one...Es Vedra at Cala (cove) D'Hort. This small rocky island is over 1200 feet tall!!

When I moto about looking for coves, views, and stunning homes, I try to follow roads as close to the coastline as I can get. Most of the time I don't use a map. I just use my intuition which usually serves me well in unfamiliar locations. On this occasion, I passed a dilapidated piece of property where a house(s) had been torn down and everything around it was left to junk. This on the edge of a very upscale development. Curious, I turned around to see what was up. On the property appeared to be two squatters in an old beat up van with scraps of sheet metal and whatnot used to build a 'shelter' around it. I parked my moto and walked over to the edge of the cliff. WHOA!!! Look what I found!! On what was a patio, a barcolounger and two car seats were placed in front of a multi-million dollar view. Off to the side, was a old pathway (a precarious one at that) etched out of the cliffs to take you down to a small cove where a harge flat sheet of rock made it a perfect sun spot for only a few....the few that knew of this hidden treasure.

The junkpile behind this setting.

The steps that lead you down the cliff. You can see it turns left. And, you can see there's NO railing and it's damn near straight down should you go off the edge.