Into January and Ibiza turns into a haven of tranquility. It's been fairly sunny mostly though unusually rainy in the last week. This has meant that life's been about socialising much much more with friends and taking advantage of the fun things to do at this time of year.
Here's what I got up to in the first couple of weeks of the month…
Up early for a sunrise run
The sun rises at around 8am at this time of the year, so I set my alarm for 7:30am at least twice a week and set off for a sunrise run. The route from the port to Figueretas beach through the Los Molinos tunnel and along the promenade is exactly a 5km round trip.
I am lucky enough to encounter a gap in the rainy and windy weather. I jog along the water's edge, running past a only a couple of dog walkers and the sun casts long glowing shadows, the sky turning bright orange and neon pink. This winter ritual sets up my days in the most splendid of ways.
The wise men cometh
The equivalent of Spanish Christmas is the day of the Three Wise Men or Día de los Reyes Magos and is celebrated on 6 January, the day of the Epiphany. Festivities begin the evening before when the magos arrive by boat dressed in full biblical garb to take part in the parade that journies around the streets.
Starting off from Figueretas, we walk along with the parade ending at Plaza de Antoni Albert i Nieto, a new location for the town's Christmas Market this year, as the usual site, Vara de Rey, is under construction. We wait eagerly to catch a sight of some of our friends' children who are performing with their dance schools in the parade.
Peace and love in San An
A big Ibiza winter warmer is San Antonio's Flower Power in January. They go to it in style, erecting a big marquee next to the fountains for the winter crew to unite and dance all night long to ‘60s and ‘70s music - all in full fancy dress regalia.
There's a couple of fiestas for the little ones, both a stream of psychedelic colour and hippy love that's just for kids. We walk past as the kids arrive excited to have their own own party, all of them are dressed in outrageous wigs and costumes - proper outrageous Ibiza style. Is it something in the water?
As the evening draws in, it's party time for the adults. We took advantage of the extra buses running all night to and from Ibiza Town and dressed up in our most garish outfits. Dancing till the early hours with my pals, we embraced this great chance to get down big time in the winter months when the clubs are closed.
Getting that body extra supple
Keeping fit is a big theme in Ibiza with health being a focus all year round. In winter, it's more about winding down and looking after the body, so you'll see lots of yoga retreats popping up as well as many other holistic activities across the island.
A favourite class of mine is the Love Pilates Ibiza mat session, which we get to do in a luxury villa in San Agustín. Instructor Natalie makes the core crunches look easy, getting us all into a fit of giggles as we imagine how much commitment we'd need to get to that level. Looking after body and mind is so important and doing it with the morning light shining into a Bali-inspired studio, nestled at the edge of the woods is inspiration itself.
Friends and food in Ibiza Town
Although many of the bigger restaurants and bars in Ibiza Town close for the winter months, there are a number of local businesses that service our hungry bellies all year round.
A real favourite is Comidas San Juan, a tiny family-run eaterie which specialises in hearty home-cooked food in a no-frills environment. Dinner there will set you back a meagre €10-15 per head, including wine. We love the fact that the staff just leave the bottle on the table, but only charge you for the amount you drink. A fantastic, yet (often) dangerous touch.
We head down early doors on Friday night at 20.30 h when it opens. With a no-reservation policy, there's always a queue for one of the ten tables. Gold is at the end though and we spend a couple of lazy hours eating delicious fresh dorada, grilled lamb chops and hearty soups whilst catching up on gossip.
As the room fills up, there's a lovely warm buzz in the air and we soak in the atmosphere of this great little retreat.
Next up...
Take a look at events calendar for cool things to do all year round.
Bringing the kids with you to Ibiza? Check out our new piece featuring some of the best beaches for families on the island.
