Not quite sure about Ibiza

Ibiza old town on the port

I currently have two friends who have been traveling the world for the last two years.  Every once and a while, I get a Facebook message from them saying they will be in the area -- and if I want to join them for dinner or a weekend of adventure.

Most of the time "in the area" does not mean in Lausanne (where I currently live) or even in Switzerland.  It usually means they are in Paris or Istanbul or in this case, Ibiza.

Ibiza has been a mystery for me....and after going, I'm not sure I liked it.  My party friends love it, but then my 40 year old chill-axing wine and foodie friends hate it.  I think I might in between - or maybe I need to go again, now that I know what it's all about to give it a second try.

Pool at night at the Hard Rock Ibiza

But I did like the hotel I stayed at.

I wasn't sure where to stay as most places on Expedia were crappy 2 star hotels. Yes, I'm spoiled and like to stay at nice places - even if the nice place is on AirBnB (I've stayed at some amazing places through that site).

But then I saw that a Hard Rock had just opened - and it had it had a swim up pool to the room (see the Hard Rock Ibiza website).  I've never stayed in a place that had that, so I had to splurge and do it.

My world traveler buddy (who usually stays in hostels or on a towel on the beach), was not amused at the cost but agreed to pay half for the suite to humor me.

The swim up pool to your room. Impossible to catch those chairs when they float away.

Frankly, I loved the room. From the purple neon lights around the beds (you could pick your neon color of choice), to the floaty lounges at the pool outside the room -- it was all perfect.

The one flaw with the floaty things is that they were heavy and when I was trying to maneuver it, mine floated away down the river towards the swim-up bar. Very sad face for me...but lots of humor to my buddy and our neighbors who watched me struggle to try to get it back on the deck.  I finally had to give up and set it free.

Little streets in Ibiza old town - my favorite part

What I'm not sure about is the night life -- or the maybe it's just the techno drug scene. Ibiza is famous for all-night clubbing with techno and DJ music.  So you can see David Guetta (who I love), Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege DC-10, etc. The thing is they don't go on until 2am -- and if you know me, I'm a morning runner who would rather be up and running along the beach at sunrise in my zen zone than coming home from a club at that time.

Or maybe I'm just too healthy for this scene...or too old...or both.

But maybe if I'm prepared for these late nights in the future, I could swing it and see a DJ that late. Maybe....although I still think running the beach at sunrise would be more fun.  Man...I might be too healthy and too old.

Anyway....the island of Ibiza is interesting. It's really popular even thought the beaches aren't that nice, the hotels (except for the one I stayed in) aren't that nice and the food during the day is awful.  However, the clubs are amazing -- so it's a little like Vegas without any of the poshness or shopping.

But, there are some things those of us who are more of the good food and wine type can enjoy...and that is Ibiza old town.

This section of the island is adorable and I would have no problem hanging out there until 2 am.  It's full of tiny restaurants (lots of good tapas) and little dive bars.  The streets are narrow, filled with people and the vibe is great.

I really loved this part of the island and would go back just for that. Good conversation and laughs with a good friend over little plates of food...what could be more perfect?