sunset Archives - Travel Live Learn

Why the Ibiza sunset is SO special (and where to see it!)

by Sarah Blinco | Sep 30, 2019 | Beautiful destinations, Europe, islands, Rooftop and views, Spring and summer in Europe, Travel blogger destinations, Travel for health and wellbeing, Travel vlog

Ibiza has struck something in us: there’s a magic here, and the Ibiza sunset certainly proves it night after night.

There’s an energy on this island, and it’s got nothing to do with the clubs or the music. Although I won’t lie, those are cool too. However, this is a place where people have gathered for a very very long time, to pursue a spiritual calling.

Around the island you’ll find mementos of times gone by: the Romans were here; we took part in a sunrise Yoga class by an ancient Phoenician tower… It’s rumoured the lost city of Atlantis is under Es Vedra which is just across the water. Ancient stories, tradition, culture – they all reference the sun as a source of energy. Here, there really is something very beautiful about the light, and everyone must see the sunset.

As the sun hits the horizon, everyone cheers. It’s fabulous. We’ve seen proposals happen at that moment, and a roar of happy energy as thousands of people from all corners of the earth relish in one special moment.

Where to experience this for yourself?

3 areas where you can see the Ibiza sunset: our favourite spots

Restaurant el Carmen or beach areas opposite Es Vedra

Many people go to this area to meditate as the sun sets. That’s pretty special

Head for the beach areas opposite Es Vedra. Here you’ll witness the sun set over the mystical island. It’s one of the three most magnetic places on earth (alongside the North Pole and Bermuda Triangle).

Sirens, UFOs, and more mysteries surround it. This blog writes beautifully about sunset here – worth a quick read.

Sunset Ashram or Kumharas beach bars

Two excellent places listed in our round-up of best beach clubs Ibiza: Sunset Ashram and Kumharas are on the same side of the island. They’re not too far from each other, and you need to get over to this side of the island to explore all its lovely secret beaches, but you’re best to have a car to get to them.

Kumharas is set right on the beach. Sunset Ashram is stunning, surrounded by aqua and deep blue coloured waters! Enjoy non-stop music, great energy and a spectacle you won’t forget.

Cafe Mambo

While there are plenty of great venues along Ibiza’s sunset strip, all the way from Wi Ki Woo, Cafe Del Mar, and Savannah to bars like Ibiza Rocks and Tulip around the other side of Sant Antonio Bay (Sant Antoni de Portmany), our very favourite is Cafe Mambo.

Here, a tradition has unfolded, where hundreds gather on the shoreline to watch the sun hit the horizon. There’s cheering, and the music kicks in. Live DJs (some very big names, I might add) do their stuff right there for all to enjoy.

It’s a brilliant experience if you want to be around people and are partial to a bit of dance music at its best (me!).

Have a tip or questions? Let us know in the comments.

Ibiza sunset and other unmissable travel moments on the White Isle

by Sarah Blinco | Sep 13, 2018 | Europe, Travel blogger destinations

I write this from grey old London, in a space where I’m subjected to rap music that doesn’t impress me much. Take me back to the Ibiza sunset and energy of my new favourite spot in the world.

I thought Ibiza, Spain had shaken its party-hard reputation.Yet that’s all anyone back at work knows of it. Well, except one colleague who I happened to see from a distance during my time on the White Isle. …7 months pregnant, mind you. She proves Ibiza isn’t just for raving.

Ibiza sunset and magic moments

I felt Ibiza’s secret allure the very first time I got to visit. It was back in the winter of 2016. I had always always wanted to go. Now I want to stay.

Admittedly the place was on my radar in my 20s because of the dance music scene. If you’re into the genre like I am, this is the destination for you. Just like each season’s style is previewed at the four big Fashion Weeks of the world, New York, London, Paris and Milan, every year the best in dance starts right here.

The biggest-selling music genre in the world launches here each year. Every summer, on this stunning island in the Mediterranean, you’ll find out what’s ‘next’ in dance.

I was in Australia back when I first wished I could come. A very long way from Ushuaia’s day raves. Or the Ibiza sunset in front of Café Mambo, and the superstar DJ sets of Hï.

Music (and the rest) gets the best of me

I talk about the music, because yeah, it’s everywhere. It’s just so excellent. But don’t be fooled, Ibiza is an island for everyone. Dry-warm 30-degree August days. Sunlight sparkling as it bounces across clear blue ocean.

Surrounding islands lure the curious. Take a day trip from the marina or San Antonio.

Quaint traditional villages and cathedrals, and the most stylish bars and restaurants you’ll find in the world are open right here, right now. There’s experiences you can book: sustainable farming, cooking classes, meditation and Yoga.

How to chill out in Vienna and Barcelona

Then there’s the divine Old Town on a hill keeping watch of it all.

Secret paths unravel along the coast, surprising at the end of the road with shabby-chic cafes or lone restaurants boasting the most romantic views. It’s truly a creative’s dream, inspiring, peaceful and freeing. I strongly suspect I’m not the only one to feel this way.

While the ‘white island’ is known for being a haven for hippies back in the 60s and 70s, it was already popular with artists and writers from the 1930s.

Their hearts melted like mine has, in this exquisite little paradise. Each of us dwelling in the tranquillity of it all.

My friend described this experience – the Ibiza sunsets and the sparkling energy of the place – as influencing personal transformation.

‘I just want to buy a bunch of shell bracelets and lounge around in my Yoga pants. I want to be a hippy’, she laughs.

I agree, in the most affectionate of ways.

Hippy chic

The hippy influence is still alive and well, especially in the summer months when the island swells to five times its population.

The famous hippy market at Santa Eulalia (open every Wednesday in summer) offer a huge collection of stalls, handmade wares and goodies representing love and harmony.

Another amazing experience during the summer months, inspired by these local hippies, is drumming at Benirrás beach (10 minutes’ drive from San Miguel). It happens each Sunday. This all started on Sunday 18 August 1991, when a large gathering of anti-war (first Gulf war in Iraq) activists gathered for what became known as ‘the day of the drums’. The ‘day’ itself has been toned down, but if you get in early (by boat or car) you can sit and listen to the rhythmic beat of drums on the beach as the sun sets on another week past.

It all feels very magical, and many do seek spiritual experiences on the island. Ibiza Spotlight shares that:

“The early Phoenicians believed Ibiza to be a magic isle blessed by the Gods, because the rich, red soil is non-volcanic and the island forbids survival to any reptile, animal, insect or plant that can harm humans.

To this day many people wear amulets and pendants containing the sacred soil to protect the wearer from harm”.

Attraction, but not as you know it

With its clubbing culture so famous, if you’ve not been to Ibiza you may not guess that it’s the perfect place to rest and recuperate. The island is becoming ever-more popular for wellness and creative travel options, including retreats. Hiking as well as water or land fitness escapes are the types of trips on the rise too.

What really piques my interest here (outside of having the chance to shake hands with my fave DJ Armin Van Burren) is the mysteries that surround this old island. Particularly the stories of Es Vedra.

It’s a rocky limestone island off the coast which we took a boat ride and swim around. Watching the sunset across Es Vedra is highly recommended. No one lives on Es Vedra, it’s a nature reserve. You’ll need a car to get to the part of the island that overlooks Es Vedra, and there are plenty of half day or day boat trips that will take you near to it. Just ask when on Ibiza.

Es Vedra is apparently one of the world’s three most magnetic spots, outside of the North Pole and the Bermuda Triangle (another hot-spot for seekers of mysteries).

Many visitors choose a place overlooking Es Vedra to meditate and seek spiritual experiences for its ‘energy’, especially at sunrise and sunset.

It’s reported that vessels have many problems with navigational equipment when near the rock, and it’s the location of many UFO sightings. Sadly I had no such experience, but I’ve seen enough X-Files (all of them) to certainly believe.

Atlantis Ibiza?

A popular myth in these parts is that Es Vedra is the tip of the lost city of Atlantis. Atlantis Ibiza, what a suggestion.

Legend has it that the Atlanteans wanted to control the world but faced the wrath of the Gods for their arrogance.

A tsunami allegedly sunk this advanced city of Atlantis, and although there is no evidence that it even existed, Athenian philosopher Plato weighed in saying that he thought it was close to Gibraltar in the south of Spain, which is how this legend around this particular location was sparked.

Greek mythology also spells a story of the Sirens. Apparently Es Vedra was where these half human, half bird-like creatures lived.

Sirens were known for beautiful singing voices that captivated sailors but led them to their graves. Before the Sirens, perhaps, Es Vedra was considered the home of Tanit, the Phoenician lunar goddess and many sacrifices were made here during the full moon in her honour.

Shrouded in stories and mysteries, and far away from the clubs and people, its secrets of Ibiza like this that have me hooked.

Rave, rest, roam, repeat

Back on land, you can drive a car around Ibiza to explore its many lovely beaches and varied landscape that include forests of pine trees and salt flats. Book a day bed in a swanky beach club, go shopping, wander markets, sleep, sun-bathe, chill or hire a bike.

Buses are convenient and inexpensive here, although sometimes as infrequent as one or two hours, so plan your journeys.

You need some change to get around, or a note that’s under €10.

There are marinas at San Antonio and in Eivissa (main city area) where you can catch aqua ferries to various beaches, or the sublime island of Formentera.

We’ve stayed in San Antonio which is great for nightly visits to Café Mambo. On the other side of the island, Figueretas, is where we stayed one December. It’s a perfect spot for being able to walk to the Old Town and marina.

From this area you can easily catch a bus to the hippy market, beaches Es Caná or Santa Eulalia beach, and or to the opposite direction, Platja d’en Bossa home to big resorts and day clubs like UshuaÏa.