Ibiza "out of season"

If you want to feel the real Ibiza, which also attracts thousands of people around the world each year, be sure to visit the island out of season. Leisure and activities, especially on the weekends, is spectacular. Festivals of all kinds, food shows and gatherings, medieval fairs, exhibitions, open days at museums and typical houses, local organic products and crafts markets, ... The island in winter doesn't stop at all. An active combat to offer's "seasonality" is becoming more noticeable in emblematic businesses and several of them have already announced that this is the first year they are going to be open year round.

("Closed. See you in April!! Thanks.")

But apart from the specific commercial and cultural offer oriented to residents and winter visitors, Ibiza offers a number of unique charms that I will gladly detail. 

Rural Life: winter is probably the best time of year to explore the vast network of plantations and farms scattered throughout the interior. Many of them develop ecological crops and raise local breed livestock, promoting the consumption of such local and seasonal products. Especially interesting are the craft centers in small villages of the North, located between extensive pine forests that exemplify the natural exuberance of the island.

The Phoenician Ibiza: did you know that the ancient Phoenicians were the ones who gave the present name to the island? "Ibossim" was already a strategic location for this civilization 3,000 years ago. A good example of this importance is the village of Sa Caleta, in Sant Josep, place of their first dated settlement. We can admire its archaeological remains from the seventh and eighth centuries BC. Still more important is the necropolis of Puig des Molins. It is the the largest and best preserved of the Phoenician civilization Worldwide and displays invalulable historical remains. It is a pleasure to walk through the calm and beauty of this huge place also declared a World Heritage Site. Surrounded by olive trees, it houses about 3,500 "hipogeos" (underground tombs) through which we can penetrate the ancient history of the early inhabitants of Ibiza.

Almond Blossoms: Yes, I know it's a classic, but this time of the year means for many the most magical and interesting moment to wander on Ibiza. Those days in mid-January to mid-February also attract the special feeling of the imminent arrival of spring. You can find almond trees throughout the island, but without doubt the greatest show to admire is the valley of Santa Agnes de Corona, literally carpeted with white petals. If you are fortunate enough to visit during the full moon of February, the experience will be unforgettable.

Winter Gourmet: from gastronomic point of view, winter invites you to try the suculent Ibizan typical dishes. There are many restaurants in operation at this time offering an extensive variety that leverages the traditional richness of indigenous raw materials. As our friend Xescu Prats points out in his guide "Ibiza 5 Senses" (http://www.ibiza5sentidos.es/), these places deserve our appreciation and honor as, far from throwing in the towel during the off season, they make the effort to stay open all year, giving us the opportunity to continue enjoying the superb cuisine of our beloved island without interruption.

Sunsets: If you like collecting sunsets, near the coast of Ibiza you will find colorful postcards to keep in your memory forever. Some of the most impressive can be experienced over the winter, when the silver skies play with reflections, lights and shadows, making some of them even more glorious. If we had to choose a couple of them we would start by the one admired over the salt ponds of Ses Salines, or from the tower d'Es Savinar in Cala d'Hort against the islet of Es Vedra. Classics of the summer such as Cala Conte or Sant Antoni bay are also magical because we'll surely observe the sunset in a total solitude provided by winter twilights.

Have no doubt, a visit to Ibiza in winter will provide you the same special sensation of peace and disconnection of the summer without hassles or crowds. Sharing with friends a hearty "arroz de matanzas", sitting close to a good fireplace in any of the traditional restaurants that stay open is the best way to regain strength and temperature after an unforgettable walk  around the Ibizan countryside. Of course, the prices at this time are very different when considering the trip. The offer is limited but not less varied.We're expecting you!

Our Ibiza "Musts"

I want to share with you all these essential places and pleasures of our beloved Ibiza. They are "mandatory" experiences for us whenever we step on the island. Of course, Ibiza is so immense in corners and pleasures that we consider ourselves fortunate to be enhancing our list of favorites year after year. This seriously hampers the task of advising the new Ibiza visitor about what should not be missed. So I'll just expose our list of "routines" we follow every time we are on the island. This way we never leave with the bitter aftertaste of not having lived it intensely.

1) Soak up the sunshine in "Caló d'en Serra": this cove near Portinatx is a treat for the senses. Wild and remote, only assaulted in its unique landscape by a concrete monstrosity that some unscrupulous wanted to plant there a few years ago. Thanks to providence it was stopped, or ran out of money, to finish the work. The skeleton of the monster continues in that corner without bothering, at least providing shade for vehicles of those who dare to go down its steep access.

2) Paella at El Carmen in Cala d'Hort: we dream all year round on this delicious paella and its intense saffron aroma. If you also have the privilege of tasting it with the best views of "Es Vedrà" in front of you, in the terrace of the Hostal El Carmen, the experience becomes addictive.

3) Swim in the crystal clear waters of "Cala Saladeta": I have not seen water like this anywhere else in the World. Observed at close range, the boats seem to fly at 3 or 4 meters from the white sandy bottom. Fresh and clear water, where blue ranges are endless. I recharge my batteries for months every time I have the good fortune to dive into them.

4) Getting lost on the roads of the interior and north of the island: to follow those steep narrow roads linking the lost interior villages transports you to another time. It takes you to the time of simple and authentic life, showing its last flashes briefly in one of its corners. Santa Agnes, Sant Mateu, Sant Llorenç, Sant Agustí, Santa Gertrudis, Sant Joan, Benimussa, are the very essence of Ibiza.

5) Fresh fish or seafood rice in "Sa Caleta": a place run by lovely people, hardworking and dedicated. They will not let you leave their home without having tasted the best of Ibiza's cuisine. Always with a smile, ready to advise and share their joy of you having a great culinary experience. A place open 365 days a year that makes you feel privileged to taste the best Mediterranean sea offers.

6) Embrace Ibiza's night in "KM5": in its terrace you will find the very best of the island. Beautiful people eager to enjoy to the full the magical setting that offers that rustic farmhouse converted into one of the best night spots in Ibiza. Elegant dance music to enjoy inside contrasts with the "chill" environment in its gardens, corners to enjoy  conversation and company that in KM5 always become special.

7) Fried squid, bread, aioli and "herbetes" (local herbs liquor) at "Ca l'Anneta": the mythical bar of San Carlos, a few minutes from home, it is always a mandatory stop to enjoy that delicious fried food, always finished off with a glass of the house's "herbetes Eivissenques". Sitting on that terrace, lined with old wooden mailboxes, you embark  on a journey to Ibiza's hippy era which all the island's fans would have loved to live.

8) Sunset in our "secret" corner of "Cala Conte": walking on a carpet of marine life to reach the sea and swim to the solar disk when it is hiding behind the islands that adorn the horizon at "Platges de Conte". After such a mystical experience, one always finds a greeting moon that invites to share with her the freshness and sensuality of Ibiza's night.

9) "Stealing" the fruits of our "private" fig tree in the road to "Benirrás": it is all part of a ritual... Returning from a day at the beach in Benirrás you discover a fig tree full of mature and ready to eat fruit. Stopping to buy a good home made goat cheese from the island peasants. Completing that intense mix of Mediterranean flavors with strong Ibiza's land wine . Swearing you will not stop until you get to turn this island into your home...

10) Living in Cala Martina: our home in Ibiza, little known to the vast majority of visitors. A cove where red dirt fields covered with flowers reach almost to the sea, with a mirror of calm and flat waters. Day after day you cannot help but wonder how it is possible not a simple distorted wave moves. It is our favorite corner of the island. A unique place where in less than one square kilometer you can find a Roman aqueduct, the largest Hippy Market in Ibiza, the new home of one of the most exclusive beach clubs in the World, one of the best diving centers in Europe, the breathtaking cliffs of Punta Arabi, one of the most authentic "chiriguitos" in the island, one of the best fresh seafood restaurants in Ibiza, seabeds so full of life that overwhelm, an old country home where sheeps still roam freely and greet everyone who passes by the road... We cannot find a more special place. It is HOME.

And you? What are your IBIZA "musts"?

Why your business must be "social"?

No one doubts that the way we communicate has changed at breakneck speed in less than 10 years. In the last 3 we have seen a social network like Twitter becoming an essential reference tool to taste the feedback from the public on any hot topic. The rapid reaction of this network users through comments and ideas on any subject, almost in real time, has revolutionized the access to sources of information that traditional media used for decades. We begin to hear the first hard voices demanding that the “feeling” of the street is not on Twitter, and there are all kinds of studies of social and cultural institutions that have been thrown head-to analyze this fascinating phenomenon.

No business owner, trader, entrepreneur or self-employed doubts that without internet presence their business does not "exist". And it looks like now this inevitably extends to social networks. The availability and easy access to a multitude of promotional tools that these communication platforms offer today also makes it virtually the first source of consumers and users queries. Social media presence has become key to building a reputation on-line that connects transparency and closeness to the customer also providing an invaluable source of information for the head of the company. Out of the many reasons we can find for a business to be active in social media, I wanted to rescue the 5 which I believe fundamental:

1) If you're not "on-line", you don’t exist:

Although at a particular level we feel more or less inclined to participate in social networks, today’s methods to share and communicate rely on them. These networks have increased the frequency and volume with which we are able to develop new relationships, find information and talk to a wide community of contacts. They have heavily impacted on the way in which individuals interact socially, emotionally and psychologically. In the mids of such sociological and cultural change we are facing, these modes of communication have changed the way we do business.

It will be tough from now for a company to survive without the "social factor". If you do not communicate online (informing your clients and contacts, educating, entertaining and converting new clients into "partners") you run the risk of becoming a dim memory of the past. Your professional connections today need to be fed of firsthand information about you and your business, about what you do and the influence you will have on their lives.

2) Social networks are the new generation of "word of mouth" marketing:

And we all know that there is no better and more reliable promotional item than that. The most people with the desired profile we can reach, the most likely for them to become customers and "promoters" of our brand. Our sphere of influence is the people in and around our business we interact. There will always be individuals having greater influence on their environment so we must invest a little time to know them, to observe and learn how to attract such audience. When we get to develop a relationship with these key contacts we positively influence people perception and that increases our credibility in the online environment.

3) Costs are very low if compared to potential benefits:

Social networks are very cheap when compared to other more traditional marketing channels. Big brands total expenditure in these media are generally less than the cost of a simple advertising campaign. The level of return on this investment is excellent when compared to the saturation of advertising that reached consumers in recent times. Networks are much more effective to attract and motivate the client. As remarked in the previous section, we know that "word of mouth" is much more effective than traditional advertising and networks enhance this factor to generate sales and loyalty at a much lower cost.

4) Communicating through social media humanizes your brand / business:

Using marketing jargon in an environment so different from traditional media simply does not work. No room for that in networks because users establish a closer relationship, more transparent, where an advertising language "squeaks". Company and brand placement in these channels is a unique opportunity to connect with their audience on a personal level, even emotional, to create direct relationships, face to face.

5) Your competitors are already doing it!:

Every industry or market is already represented on Facebook and Twitter. It is an easy fact to check if we go into Google and type "our industry" + Facebook and observe the results. In 2011 the benefit of this social network advertising reached 3,800 million dollars and in 2012 they were over 5,000 million. Another proven fact is that 40% of small businesses that have a presence on Facebook recognize that it is their only means of promotion.

Companies are spending more and more money in advertising their brands and creating great social networks. That gives us a clear idea that these channels are actually working.

Once convinced of the importance for our business to be present in social networks it's time to consider a social media plan. Be very aware it is not an issue as simple as just “being”. To really take advantage of these communication platforms we must prepare a good strategy that will complement our traditional marketing and customer service plans. We must also allocate resources to make it work. Without a well defined "Social Media Plan", without an accurate implementation and regular follow-up of our media presence, we will easily meet with disappointing results, even counterproductive. But we'll leave that topic for a future post ...

Reinventing Yourself

In the present economic and employment situation we are continuously hearing this concept we must "reinvent ourselves". Reinventing is now an urgent need to survive the difficult times we are facing, at all levels. We need to change our attitude towards our way of life, facing precisely the way we make a living, to overcome the difficulties that complicate our existence as we try to get out of the bloody crisis. Brands, companies and individuals must work with another approach, one which could even force us to  start from zero, or practically zero. It is clear that nobody, or almost no one takes this path willingly. The fear of change and all that entails is something innate in us and we are not on the tremendous task of reinventing ourselves if we do not really need to get out of a critical moment or situation.

That insecurity and feeling of cliff jumping given by thoughts of starting again mean we will not gladly face changes if what we leave behind involves some comfort and lack of concern. But we're not talking here about adapting to a different situation, we are talking about changing completely. We are talking about doing something that not everyone felt able or willing to support the hard work and commitment involved. To succeed in such a process we need to firmly believe in ourselves and our possibilities. The rest is a matter of optimism and constant work. The psychologist Luis Rojas Marcos clearly defined it: "True reinvention is not to change attitudes but to change behaviors." It is not just about believing we can do it but about adopting the habits and routines that will lead us to that change. Changing our routines allows the appearance of new person we pretend to be.

Anyone who had the "revelation" on the need to create a new personality, or to have new interests and a new profession, seldomly reaches such state if it is not caused by an external event or sudden change in life situation that forces to change tastes, hobbies, and even relationships. And everyone who turns in this "reinventing" all energies and hopes is likely to succeed.

We live in times of major social, economic, cultural, labor changes... A vast majority of us had to reduce our standard of living while we become "hyperconnected" individuals. The way we communicate and interact expanded in an unthinkable way just 5 or 6 years ago ("if you fail to communicate, you don't exist"). Many of us feel misplaced professionally in recent times by ability, potential and interests. It looks like the speed at which changes happen in our environment has been increasing and we feel if we do not "update" and join the train of change, we can finish completely offside. Recently I read a sentence about this sense that I think sums up what I mean: "if you can easily explain to your mother what you do for a living, it is likely that your activity is in danger of extinction".

It seems that we are getting to a point where "we no longer look for employment but we must create it for ourselves". We must enjoy some autonomy in what we do if we want to achieve our goals, overturning all our interest in developing and enhancing our capabilities. Dreams need maximum commitment in our pursue as there is much more effort than "genius" in the process of successful reinvention. And definitely, the fear of losing cannot be an obstacle to paralyze us as the key to achieving our ultimate goal happens in 99% of cases by learning from experience given by failure. If we assimilate these few assumptions, if we are convinced of its value and make them our own, who may fear the radical change which means reinventing yourself?

IBIZA

"Water transparent as air, water clear sky, "Pitiusas"... Inhabited for thousands of years, one wonders what made ​​these islands so appealing across all eras and all civilizations. A seductive and magnetic force that goes beyond its mild climate, still attracts thousands of people to a land where mysticism and hedonism live, dream and reality ..." So begins the chapter of Spanish TVE series" Cities for XXI Century" dedicated to Ibiza and Formentera. An essential report, conducted objectively and lovingly, to which I often go when I feel nostalgia from the land I consider home. We can find in almost half an hour of filming a deep appreciation for these blessed islands which offer unique corners of our Mediterranean Sea and are World leaders in natural beauty.

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/ciudades-para-el-siglo-xxi/ciudades-para-siglo-xxi-ibiza-formentera-sueno-realidad-pinos/644324/

It is difficult to find a native or resident of Ibiza who would not worship their land, who does not miss it when is away, always with the hope of return as a consolation to mitigate this concern. For many, coming in every age and every condition, the White Island and its southern sister have become something far beyond a more or less exclusive holiday destination, they are a land of eternal spring, they are a way of life. Almost everyone who has ever walked these unique islands, takes home feelings of peace, beauty, freedom and happines to have received the special energy gift that the "Pitiusas" deliver.

The entrance to the report follows with a phrase that is registered in the minds of those who repeat its name like a mantra: "Ibiza, five letters for a magical place ... 30 years ago, many of those who could not point Spain on a map, had heard of Ibiza..." The references to fashion and hippie culture that left such marked spirit on the island are inevitable, as the emphasis on protecting and safeguarding nature and unique cultural traditions that make up an essential part of its essence.

I love to include Ibiza on a blog that seeks to establish a vision of hope (but realistic) on what lies ahead. This corner of the Balearics Islands means to me, for almost a decade, the "Land of Future" that gives name to this blog. Lots of people went through it looking for that dream life, that mythical utopia that meant the global village that became Ibiza in the 60s and 70s. The nostalgia of the islands of those years is another constant presence that floats in the air whenever one is lost and left enchanted by the roads, landscapes and people of their inner lands. Every paradise survives until it is discovered by mass tourism but in Ibiza and Formentera that spirit of authenticity seems to be much stronger than the fierce attack that undercontrolled development of the last 3 decades has planted on their essence. One cannot help thinking about such strength when crosses with the typical "payesa" dressed in her traditional clothes, a few kilometers away from the new "Megaclub" or the most exclusive and fashionable spot in Europe.

It seems that centuries before our era, ibiza already was chosen a place of eternal rest for upstanding classes of Romans, Phoenicians and Carthaginians, as evidenced by the thousands of graves that burrow in Puig des Molins hills in Vila, capital of the island. As a culmination of the many legends that run from it, for a few years it's been spread the story giving prediction from Nostradamus about Ibiza being the only refuge of man on our planet after a nuclear holocaust. Some even exaggerate enough to ensure that the author lived for a time on the island and ended up falling in love with it. However, something emerges from this land that constantly makes us dream of returning to her, of enjoying these fresh and transparent waters, of the sight of those fields that extend a red earth carpet multicolored with fruits and flowers throughout the year.

The brand "Ibiza" continues booming, like her little sister, "Formentera". Each passing day the passion and militancy of its addicts increases. In recent months we did not stop reading news about Balearic Islands being the first to emerge from the economic crisis that has embittered our Mediterranean existence since 2007. Expectations and forecasts for the next tourist season, essential engine that drives the economy of these islands, seem to follow a steady upward trend. Its society works with emphasis on seeking new initiatives to adjust seasonal demand that, if reaching the desired shape, predict a more stable future for the people of Ibiza and Formentera.

The constant struggle that rages from the 60s to find a sustainable balance between nature and development will continue. It is our duty to maintain that essence to keep it generation after generation. Emphasizing the importance of being aware of the treasure we have in our hands I make my own the last words of the same Tv report that opened this post ... "It is difficult to think of the "Pitiusas" without missing its elemental purity. There are a Formentera and Ibiza that the world would like to keep in the heart knowing their interest but also their vulnerability. So that when we will come back in a thousand years through the children of our children, we will remember that in the XXI century we were able to realize that they are a paradise and how we kept it. "