During peak season, prices can be astronomical in Ibiza. But once the crowds have gone home, hotel rates drop and the Spanish island is at its best, says Sarah Marshall

Resembling a pair of fleshy 99 Flakes, two slender high-heeled legs protrude from a chocolate cupcake.

In between, a strawberry has been provocatively placed atop a bed of whipped cream, while a slogan scrawled in neon lipstick reads: “You’ll never dance alone.”

As billboard campaigns go, this advert for a night out at the world’s biggest superclub Privilege leaves very little to the imagination. But in a place where, stereotypically, enjoyment is measured by excess, I’d expect nothing less from Spanish island Ibiza.

Similar adverts line the roads leading to clubbing hotspot (or hedonistic hellhole, depending on how you look at it) Playa d’en Bossa, like a sugary, sweet trail, attracting bees to a honey pot.

When I arrive in mid-October, though, the place is refreshingly peaceful; flyers have been ripped from shop windows, bars have pulled down their shutters, and a plastic bag sent billowing skyward by the cool autumnal breeze is the closest thing I see to any dancing in the street.

The clubbers may have packed away their glowsticks for another year but, I’m told by one local resident, the winter season is when Ibiza really blossoms. There’s less traffic on the roads (I cross the island in less than an hour), prices are much lower (when I book, return flights are around £100, compared to a staggering £700 at the end of September, while hotel rooms are half the high season price) and yet the sun still shines, with temperatures hovering at 15 degrees celcius in December.

According to Cheapflights.co.uk travel expert Ben Rosier, there’s been a surge of interest from UK holidaymakers seeking out of high season breaks in Ibiza. “If you’re not fussed about catching the clubs but still want to see spectacular sunsets, top up your tan and sample traditional Mediterranean cuisine, it’s a great time to go,” he says.

Traditionally, clubs, bars, restaurants and hotels would close their doors once DJs had spun their last tunes at the September closing parties. But now, several properties are staying open for longer; the new Hard Rock Hotel was taking bookings until November, while glamorous Atzaro, in the north of the island, has announced they will now be hosting guests year-round. A 15-minute drive from grown-up beach town Santa Eularia, Atzaro is a working orange farm that’s been in operation for more than a century. Ten years ago, owners, the Guash family, opened the property as a 24-room hotel with Ibiza’s only open-air spa. Oranges are still cultivated and sold to local markets, or served as freshly squeezed juice to guests at breakfast.

Teak, linen-wrapped day beds are spread around the vast but secluded gardens, resplendent with canopies of fragrant jasmine and striking bougainvillea.

A proliferation of Balinese statues hints at the property’s spiritual, New Age leanings, with several wellbeing festivals taking place throughout the year – some attracting as many as 9,000 people.

“We did invite Sven Vath to play here once,” one employee tells me. “But it was a disaster; people were stealing the Buddha heads, so we decided we’d never host a party like that again!”

Now the property attracts couples, families or an off duty clubbing crowd who, dressed in an Ibizan uniform of straw Stetsons and cowboy boots, still rise late for breakfast but prefer to spend evenings partying amidst the olive groves, rather than on a dark and sweaty dance floor.

It reflects a bigger trend that’s been sweeping the White Isle for the last few years, with celebrities snapping up expensive villas and families heading to the many Caribbean-like beaches.

I’m part of that latter category, as my travel partner for this long weekend break is my 67-year-old mother.

Oxford Mail:
The old city of Ibiza

As a one-time electronic music fan and a former employee of clubbing bible Mixmag, I’d always imagined myself throwing shapes on a podium in Pacha, or getting down to Carl Craig in a dark corner of DC-10.

Thirteen years later, though, I’m woken up at 8am every morning by my mum photographing frogs and terrapins in the lily pond outside our southeast Asian-themed room.

In place of strobes, I’m dazzled by a digital glare as she struggles to deactivate the flash on her iPhone, and if I concentrate hard enough, the sound of her systematically tapping away at the touch screen – taking her one millionth shot – could easily resemble a four-on-the-floor house beat.

My holiday wardrobe is also a far cry from the short, butt-clinging hotpants and skimpy crop tops that seem so prevalent on Playa d’en Bossa. Instead, I’ve packed a Rohan rain mac and sturdy shoes – quite useful for exploring trails around the hotel – and discovered that when the strobe lights are dimmed and the volume is turned down, Ibiza is a rather lovely place to be.

ESSENTIALS

* Sarah Marshall was a guest of Atzaro (atzaro.com; +34 971 33 88 38) who offer B&B rooms year-round, from 120 euro in low season. Until March 29, 2015, rooms with breakfast, car hire and a bottle of cava can be booked from 150 euro.
* Cheapflights.co.uk offers return flights from London to Ibiza, starting from £59 for travel in November 2014.

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