Ahh summer time – travel – sand – music – drinks – music – foam – sunrise – sunset – sand – water – sleep, a little……let’s talk about my love affair of two very distinct islands off the Spanish coast – Ibiza and Menorca – part of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.

Just a week into our second year in Barcelona, classmates of David’s were organizing a weekend in Ibiza for a birthday celebration…..so, vamos! – off we went!….after a short 30minute plane ride from Barcelona, the weekend festivities were quickly underway.

Ibiza is one (big) part international non-stop party and one part serene stunning beaches. We started with the party side of the island 🙂

The music clubs here are like no-other….and they are plentiful….certainly making many Las Vegas clubs seem small and tame to some extent. Think indoor-outdoor dancing, toes in the sand at 4am, 5am, 6am….with a firework light show above the dj’s stage while cirque-du-soleil style artists perform aerial shows above your head and the heads of thousands of others. The big names on the island are Pacha, Amnesia, Space, Privilege, Usuhaia (dancing around an outdoor pool along the beach front)…..the clubs are grouped fairly close together, but a taxi is recommended to get around. Drinks are pricey and all clubs have admission fees – you may be able to pre-arrange before you touch down – otherwise, you will be bargaining to buy entrance tickets from street peddlers – the way it’s done there.

TIP: Be sure to buy water from the local grocery marts and stock your room for hydration! Our stay was, surprise, a ton of fun !! – but the rude awakening was finding that our accommodations had pipes that pumped in salt water (apparently, though, not from the sea, ha). Not uncommon on the island, you will find yourself brushing your teeth with salty water and taking showers, as such – hence another good idea to stock up on that grocery store bottled water or asking your host as your are looking to book your room.

After a long night/morning of dancing and taking in all of the fashion scene (dresses, shorts, florescents, it’s all here), you can find a relaxing corner where your feet will thank you for not being in high heels….the beach….a friend navigated our way to a remote beach (definitely a taxi ride needed) – Cala Olivera was our hide-out for the day….that is, until round two of dancing.  There are many ‘hidden’ beaches on the island – many of which have there own ‘chiringuito’ – beach side cafes serving perfect refreshing drinks and fresh bites. Thankfully our friend got our original taxi driver’s number and was able to call him back to our remote location so that we could make our way to the posh beach cafe setting of ‘El Chiringuito’ – dream loacation, live daytime dj with beach-lounge tunes, jamon carvings, cozy white chairs and the jet-set crowd of the island….we were the posers and loved every minute!

TIP: Be sure to ask for your taxi drivers phone number so that you can call him for a pick up if you are exploring the more remote areas of the island – if you don’t have a rental, you may be stuck waiting 30+ for a taxi to drive by.

When you are ready for a 180 from the thumping beats of Ibiza, head to Menorca (Mallorca is the other bigger, better-known island in the grouping off Spain’s East Coast).  After another quick flight from Barcelona, we touched down on a magical slice of preserved history and endless beaches. In fact, with more beaches than Ibiza and Mallorca combined, Menorca’s sparkling colors, hidden treasures and perfect quaintness create an idyllic paradise.

We stayed in a bed and breakfast in the town of Ciutadella de Menorca – the former capital of the island – now held by the town of Mahon. Our ‘sweet spot’ of the island was filled with fanciful exploration along a great port. For our first evening, I lined up a surprise for David, unsure of how he would take to donning an apron and trying a cooking class, but I was excited. It was a great success and more-so, a great memory! Look up the cuk-cuk school and prepare for an evening of fun laughs, education, a delicious paella meal and meeting terrific friends.

Cuk-cuk school hosts, Elena and Alex (a former architect and pharmacist, respectively) warmly opened their Menorca home in the heart of the old-town and we caught a wonderful glimpse ‘behind the doors’ of true local living. With a fantastic commercial grade kitchen, heavy archways leading to a beautiful center courtyard garden and wooden beams strewn across the rooms, we had stepped inside a phenomenal experience — even before we started cooking! We happened to be visiting right before the start of their busy season (we were there in April), so we were the only ones in the class – aka private lesson and a ton of food for ourselves 🙂 but how fun it was to cook paella from scratch – learn the local secrets, try and learn some Spanish (though the hosts spoke perfect English) and warm up to the island of Menorca.

We wandered back to our place along the winding, dimly lit, stone-cobbled streets, past churches dating back to 1287 (the Cathedral built under the order of King Alfonso III of Aragon) and through the cross-roads of darting little wild island cats.

TIP: A rental car is strongly suggested, as the island has a lot to explore and though there is a bike path around the whole island, you will enjoy jumping off the path, over rugged stone and dirt roads, past cattle pastures (the island is known in part for their cheeses) only to happen upon prehistoric stone megaliths from the Iron Age – reminiscent perhaps of Stonehenge. Believed to have been constructed sometime between 1000-3000BC, the structures purposes are unknown, but most likely were for religious worship or astronomical healing – either way, absolutely amazing to stand at their footings and a true treat, still largely un-touristic.

A great friend back in the States had recommended checking out a small fishing village in the town of Fornells. Beyond picturesque in its quaintness and charm, filled with locals and small numbers of passer-bys, stroll along the marina waterfront promenade dotted with moored fishing boats, then wind your way up along the boutique storefronts, then back down to the water’s edge, grab an outdoor table and indulge in fine seafood – including one of the island’s most famous restaurants known for its great lobster dish. On nice weather days, take advantage of water sports from here, including sailing, canoeing, windsurfing and even scuba diving!

Beyond the food, past the prehistoric sites, the must must must dos are the beaches. Beaches, some of which can only be accessed by walking along narrow hilly dirt pathways — self-exploration is part of the game and definitely part of the fun of discovering Menorca. The gradient colors of green and blue are like none-other and the absolute feel of untouched natural beauty is unmistakable.

There is no way that I can imagine being tired of water views – so the final MUST for the island is a visit to the Cova d’en Xoroi – you will not even believe a place like this exists – and you will wish you thought of it and owned it…..a night-club carved into the cliffs of the island (though open for drinks and seaside-cliff seating during the day). We stopped by for daytime drinks. There is an admission fee, but the ticket comes with a free drink and the setting is to-die-for. Walking down the stairs built into the sheer-cliff, we found a plateau that had a few umbrellas and tables and we sat for our drink overlooking the water in one of those ‘pinch-me, I can’t believe this place is real’ kind of moments. In fact this place is so real that Friday and Saturdays, the nightclub starts thumping music at 11pm for their ‘white parties’ and I truly cannot imagine being intoxicated and navigating the steep terrain, but dancing the night away in an awesome seaside cave is all thumbs-up to me!