I miss Ibiza. I mean, really miss it. My poor friends and colleagues and Twitter followers and Facebook friends and generally anyone who listens will know this already, since anytime I hear a song that may or may not have been played during my week out there, I mention that I miss it. Again. 

So, though I am hoping to pop back for a weekend before the season's up, I am doing anything I can to bring a bit of Ibiza over here to London. I listen to music whenever I can, daydream a little and am keeping the social calendar full of nights out to combat the Ibiza withdrawal symptoms. Then, I heard about Shakedown.

Shakedown festival is near my hometown in Brighton, and the line up looks ah-mazing. Example, 2 Many DJs, Kissy Sell Out, Razorlight, Zane Lowe... the list goes on and on! Obviously, I shall be there with bells on (and probably glitter, neon paint and a headband, naturally) so I thought I'd share the Ibiza-inspired love. Tickets are only £35 at the moment so if you're already bopping along to the DJs in your head, get booking! I'll definitely post a review after the event too. Happy partying...

Info

When: Saturday 17th September 2011, 

Opening times: 2pm-Midnight

Where: Stanmer Park

http://www.shakedown.co.uk/

It's been two weeks since I got back from Ibiza, and I still can't get it out of my head. I have a revived obsession for music, I keep bopping away to myself in public places such as on escalators and train stations, and I have a fairly permanent smile on my face despite hating people that do that.

As mentioned previously, I've realised how much I needed this holiday - though this year has been pretty good so far, I'd forgotten what it was like to actually relax and not be near a phone, Internet connection or piece of technology in general. I'm surprised my hands aren't permanently fixed in typing position and that I can still hold a pen. 

It usually takes me a couple of days to get into the holiday spirit, but thanks to very sensibly turning off all data on my phone so that the phone bill when I got home didn't give me a heart attack, I switched off - in all senses - as soon as we landed. And then it was time for seven days of laughing, dancing, chatting, sunbathing and face painting...

I'd been to Ibiza three years ago for the first time and as much as I loved the island, I couldn't quite dive into it as much as I wanted thanks to the break up from hell and feeling spaced out from graduation. This time, I was single, happier, and ready to make the most of the gorgeous island (and maybe even practice a little Spanish). Here's how we did it, with a few tips along the way...

Sunday - Space

After just two hours sleep, we got our flight at 5am from Gatwick and touched down just in time for breakfast. We found our Sunshine Apartments in San Antonio Bay (which I would highly recommend - it's under new management who are very professional), threw our bikinis on and headed out for breakfast by the beach. On the beach you will get approached by club reps, trying to sell you tickets for that night. After a few too many interrupting our sunbathing, some girls eventually convinced us that there is nowhere else to be on a Sunday than at Space for their We Love Space night. We did a package which got us 2 hours of all inclusive drinking at Active bar, followed by a bus to Space and entry to the club. We didn't last much past 3am thanks to the lack of sleep but it was a damn good start to the holiday.

Monday - 'Quiet Night'

With a hangover (we made good use of the two hours) and thinking we needed to budget, we decided to have a 'quiet' night. What actually happened is we went to my now favourite bar in Ibiza - Ibiza Rocks - where they drew moustaches on our faces and we discovered they were fairly reasonable for drink prices. We then went on a bit of a bar crawl, including Hed Kandi Bar (just as good as the one here in Clapham, but with Hed Kandi promo girls wearing diamante nipple tassles and not much else), Soul City (a bit messy) and eventually Hush (apparently one of the better West End bars). I always claimed to hate the West End, or Puke Street as I call it, but if you go to the right places you'll be fine. Our quiet night ended with us getting lost and not climbing into bed until about 7am. Brilliant.

Tuesday - Pacha

Tuesday was my best night because we decided to check out Pacha for the first time for their Flower Power night. If you ever go to Ibiza, you have to go to this - it's a retro night with old music that will get you moving (I did the twist!) and everyone dresses as hippies. We hadn't known about the dressing up until the day, so we used my many coloured eyeliners to graffiti ourselves in flowers and general sparkle. Pacha is stunning as a club, but don't drink anything except water - we paid 35 euros for 'a bottle of wine' which was so small we barely got a glass each out of it between two of us. And make sure you check out the terrace - the perfect way to end a night if the sun's coming up.

Wednesday - Ibiza Rocks

After such a high the night before, we didn't think it could get better - but then we got tickets to see Friendly Fires at Ibiza Rocks Hotel. The hotel is the other side of the West End so we started in Amsterdam Bar, because they offered us this: a bottle of champagne, two drinks each of our choice, a huge pitcher of Sex on the Beach, and a shot each all for ten euros. Needless to say, we didn't need a lot more after that. Friendly Fires were amazing; Metronomy and Kissy Sell Out were also on and the crowd was buzzing (or was that just my head?!). We also met up with the guys we'd met at Pacha and carried on to the after party at Ibiza Rocks bar for a very very funny night...

Thursday - Amnesia

After another amazing night, we woke up smiling, laughing at everything that had happened the night before (together with photographic evidence, of course) and planned to have a 'quiet night' again as we were very quickly running out of money. Then my sister, who used to work out there and was texting me constantly to find out where I was so she could live vicariously, text me to say I should go to Cream at Amnesia. There goes the budget. We decided to go and did another deal - this time with drinks at Linekars (not a nice bar, but hey ho) followed by a bus to the iconic club. Be warned you're not allowed cameras in there and will be charged three euros for the privilege of them putting it in a cloakroom-for-cameras. Feeling a little hungover and grumpy, I decided alcohol was the way forward and promptly spent 18 euros on a vodka and lemonade. Followed by another one. And a shot of vodka to add to it. And a shot of Jäger (not my idea) to top it off. Then, I danced. Until around 6am. With flashing heart-shaped glasses on. I really suit Ibiza.

Friday - Sunset Cafes

It was my friend's birthday so after present opening, lunch and sunbathing, we went out for dinner at Mint Lounge which is along the sunset strip. Pete Tong was playing over at Cafe Mambo's and it was a really chilled out evening for the first time that week. Of course, one creepy clown/magician and some indoor fireworks later, we decided to get more wine in Mambo's, then walk home... via Ibiza Rocks Bar. Here we bumped into our Pacha/Friendly Fires friends and ended up on dodgems (best idea ever, well done Lee) where I got a lot of bruises that were 100% worth it for the sheer amount of giggling. For some reason we then ventured back to the West End despite it being about 4am, danced for about five minutes and then walked home. A very random but very fun night that ended with an old man near our apartments showing us his wallet and undoing his trousers before we ran away...

Saturday - Es Paradis

Our final day on the island was bittersweet - we were still having fun but knew it was coming to an end. But, we decided to forget about our overdrafts and have a good night out to say goodbye - with my much loved Hed Kandi. This year, the night is being held at Es Paradis, with a pre-party at Ibiza Rocks Bar - a pretty perfect combination. The Lovely Laura came down on a giant glittery moon (as you do) which we were almost directly under, and the night really kicked off. Sparklers were being handed around, promo girls were rolling around in roller boots and it was exactly what you'd want for a final night out. 

Covered in glitter still, we went straight from the club to our apartments, grabbed our bags and went to the airport. I won't bore you with how exhausted I was but let's just say I completely missed take off because I started snoozing the moment I sat down - and every time I came to I thought we were still on the ground. But it was so worth it - my body clock was ruined for a good week or so but I also have a lot more energy because I had so much fun and feel happier than ever. We're already planning on going back for a cheeky weekend before the end of the summer...

Quick tips

OK, so it's been a while. My plan of writing more while also living more wasn't so well thought out since, well, both take time. Well done me. But, while the inspiration for this post is the reason I've been so slack on the blogging front lately, it's also given me plenty of ideas, hastily scribbled on anything nearby - so prepare for a few posts coming your way. 

Lately, I have been putting myself first (and the site second, evidently). For the past few years I thought that that was what I was doing; surely, that's what you do when you're single, right? But throwing yourself into work, doing the sensible thing because the scary thing is downright terrifying and being the responsible one in the family isn't, as it turns out, the same as being a little selfish. I'm not saying I've been a cow, as my thirteen year old self would say - I've just been doing a little more of what I want and learning how to make decisions that cheer me up. 

So it probably wasn't the sensible thing to spend a further £200 that I do not have on Spanish Level 2 - but I get so much out of it, that I did it without even a moment's hesitation. Oops. And yes there is a pile of washing-up downstairs that requires my attention (they are yet to invent the dishwasher that loads itself, apparently), but I've realised I had come to resent Saturdays because I spent the majority of the precious free hours cleaning, so it now comes second to whatever I want to do. I can still be a Monica, but it fits in around my fun time. 

I've also realised that despite work commitments and the ever decreasing bank balance (or should that be ever increasing overdraft fees?), holidays are necessary. Holidays make the world go round. Taking time out is so underrated, particularly when moaning about the packing and organising that goes into it - but after my recent best-holiday-I've-ever-had-ever holiday in Ibiza (post upcoming), I've been so much happier, more positive and just feeling pretty damn good about life. 

Of course I am now back and missing it like crazy, but I also have hundreds of great memories that keep me going. In those party-filled seven days, I felt more like myself than I had in years; I took risks (good ones), danced all night every night, fell in love with music again, fell in love with the island again and had enough girl talk to last a lifetime (though there is always room for more).

So, 2011 is still going strong... and there's plenty more fun to be had. What about you - how do you make sure you put yourself first every once in a while?