Tag: Spain

Parador de Ibiza – Only Took 17 Years, No Big Deal

Break out the cava! Ibiza is about to have its very own fully functioning Parador – which if you didn’t know is a government owned hotel of historical and cultural value. Yes, after 17 years (basically 5 World Cups, a global recession, a pandemic, and enough municipal meetings to age several governments) the Parador de Ibiza is finally ready to open. Honestly, I’m just happy it’s here in my lifetime.

But I digress – it’s beautiful. It really is.

66 rooms of which 41 are for guests and the rest are for staff – thanks to the Ibiza housing crisis and which feels like the only sane way to solve the problem. There’s a wellness area, outdoor pool, terraces, solarium, and all the cultural trimmings you need to justify 17 years of work. They even built a courtyard with a canopy and a mini auditorium, presumably for events, presentations, and future complaints about pigeons (but I shall come to that later).

Most importantly it sits atop Ibiza’s iconic old town in the most photogenic pocket of D’alt Vila, next to the beautiful cathedral with sea views and just waiting for that thoughtful cultural Instagram pose.

At FITUR in Madrid this week, officials explained the delay of recovering Punic walls, Roman ruins, medieval arches, underground parking, and heritage restorations that made this a really complex project and all joking aside it probably was but it also feels like the construction version of ‘my dog ate my homework’ except the dog is UNESCO.

There’s also a “museumisation” phase (yes that really is a word) still underway (because why finish everything before opening?), but they promise it’ll be done by the end of the year. I believe them… kind of…in the same way you believe airlines when they say your delayed flight will depart ‘soon’.

In the most Ibiza twist imaginable, the Parador now needs a falconer to scare away pigeons. Yes, a literal falconer, as in trained birds of prey patrolling the bastions of D’alt Vila like it’s a medieval Netflix series. They’ll also be trapping invasive snakes and wild cats, because apparently nature didn’t get the memo that tourism is king of the island and just in case you were were wondering the salary for the falconer is €30,000 a year, because of course it is.

Wheels turn slowly in these parts and it’s been a long process (understatement of the year) but everybody’s proud and rightfully so. Ibiza’s Mayor, Rafa Triguero, called the opening a “historic milestone,” which it is – mostly because it survived 17 years of bureaucratic, logistical, and archaeological purgatory to exist at all.

Ibiza also finally joins the Paradores club, becoming number 99 in the national portfolio, the first in the Balearics and another big step towards ‘deseasonalisation’ (another long word) which has been the island’s version of ‘New Year’s resolutions’ for decades.

Am I excited? Yes. It’s gorgeous, cultural, heritage-rich, job-creating and genuinely good for the island. Am I annoyed? Hell yes because it’s been well over a decade of seeing that bloody great big crane which is thankfully no longer there.

But hey it’s here and it’s happening. Reservations start next week and guests arrive late February (hopefully). Better late than never, though if they decide to renovate anything else in D’alt Vila may I humbly suggest we start now for a 2043 grand opening.

INFO: www.paradores.es/en

You Reap What You Sow 

Graffiti in Barcelona

Has the penny dropped yet? Activists on Spanish streets shouting anti tourist slogans, graffiti on Barcelona walls saying ‘tourist go home’, keyboard warriors always willing to double down on why ‘tourism’ is such a dirty word. Idealist thinking at its most dangerous.

Empty streets, staff being laid off, restaurants 40% down in Mallorca, Balearic businesses closing. Can you join up the dots here? It’s August and tempers are starting to fray but the current situation has only shined a brighter light on Spain and Ibiza’s issues and many are seeking answers. The Ibiza business model that took 40 years to mould has taken 5 years to destroy.

Social media might tell you that all in the garden is rosy however as any serious user of ‘InstaSnapFace’ knows you should never let the facts get in the way of a good story, like influencers peddling their ‘perfect lives’ until you meet them only to realise they are neurotic basket cases using likes and views as their only currency. 

If I’m not making any sense then let me spell it out with a simple equation. Tourismophobia + high prices + poor service = trouble. 

But this is only half the story on the White Isle. 3 night weekend offenders who pre-book everything and only use the same 10 businesses (that all have a digital marketing army behind them), adult only signs, a small amount of families (who rarely leave their all inclusive hotel), an airport arrival lounge that doubles as a discotheque, fluid hotel pricing to eye watering levels and many other things are marginalising the middle market mass tourism that historically accounted for the majority of Ibiza’s income. 

The world is too small, there are too many other options to think you can pull the wool over the eyes of those valuable tourists. The re-emergence of Greece, the consistent quality of Turkey, the new markets opening up, forever tempting the tourist dollar. As any holiday company boss will tell you, it’s a cut throat business.

Ibiza has world class day and nightclubs, a rich culinary history that has now added top-end restaurants, a UNESCO world heritage site equivalent to any in the Mediterranean, natural beauty beyond compare. All the ingredients are there yet the final recipe is a bitter taste to many.

It’s a new order and many businesses are struggling under the pressure. The complementary offering can’t get a foothold anymore and whereas in previous years many could withstand the odd bad year, now it’s almost impossible.

The big businesses are becoming all powerful, there’s no room for others. The investment is so high that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of success. Places that previously relied on historic goodwill have their wings clipped so are unable to function like before. Never has the phrase ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’ been so apt. The Ibiza of 2025 is a relentless, ruthless place unforgiving for those who aren’t on the same page or lucky enough to be on the top table.

Ibiza is and always has been an incredible destination but the equilibrium is now so skewed that it’s creating social tension which has spilled over and blamed the one thing it can’t do without, the proverbial shooting yourself in the foot.

And guess what…. it looks like those pesky tourists who come over to Spain and the Balearics, and more specifically Ibiza and Mallorca, with pockets full of credit cards and have the audacity to enjoy themselves have started reading the headlines with placards and graffiti saying ‘tourist go home’. As the old saying goes, you reap what you sow.