Here the rain comes again

I think I must have been a weather girl in a past life. In case you haven’t noticed, I love writing about rain, storms, cold snaps and any sign of wild weather in Ibiza. Sunsets, rainbows and hot spells get the odd mention too. I have to be honest, it’s not for lack of other things to write about (I mean, we’re in Ibiza after all), it’s just that I really, really love the way the Mother Nature – when she rains in particular – has the power to totally change everything, often throwing the island into total unexpected chaos. Sometimes it’s over the course of a week, sometimes it’s overnight and other times, it’s in just a matter of minutes – like this morning…

There I was, minding my own business, standing on my little balcony overlooking the drizzly square of Dalt Vila in my pyjamas, as I do every day, when an almighty downpour erupted from the sky. Thunder echoed all over the port, all over the island, and lightning lit up the sky like non-stop fireworks. I knew it was coming of course – not only could my inner weather girl sense it, but my trusty iPhone had also given me a pretty good indication of what time I should expect the storm – but I wasn’t expecting torrential rain of this magnitude. It came in every window and door of the house (north, east and west facing), streaming in and drenching, almost flooding, over two metres at each entry point. Thankfully, I own a lot of towels!

As I ran upstairs and downstairs like a mad woman, trying to lock up the windows while simultaneously sopping up all that excess water, I was running on adrenalin. The sky was pitch black when normally it’s blue; the sound of roaring thunder replaced the usual sound of human traffic mulling about in the square and you couldn’t help but just BE in the present moment. Sure, I had work to do but the internet connection had probably been blown out by the storm anyway. At that exact point in time, I was content to step back from my life in that moment and simply observe. And how often do we actually get to do that? That’s part of what I love so much about the wild weather – it forces you to just be still amongst the chaos.

After about 15 minutes – as my locked up apartment began to steam up like a sauna – the rain eased off and I was able to open the balcony doors enough to poke my head out and look down into the square – and it seemed every single one of my neighbours was doing the same thing. From La Torreta, down through the centre of the square where El Olivo is and down to Restaurante Dalt Vila, THERE. WAS. SURF. I kid you not. The square was almost knee-deep in water (I gauged this from the scale of a van attempting in vain to do drive into the square – the water came all the way up above his tyres) and the strength of the wind was creating mini-waves in the flood. I kid you not. As the same time, water was cascading down the hill from the contemporary art museum like Niagara Falls and it showed no signs of waning.

Then all of a sudden, just like the way the storm came, everything just kind of disappeared again in minutes. The intense rain stopped. The flood waters drained, quite quickly. The man in the van completed his delivery. The internet came back on. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Everyone in the hood went back to their lives inside their apartments. The moment was over – but what a magical moment it was. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t wish misfortune on anyone. I wish these annual torrential storms could hit the island without causing car accidents, tunnel closures, power cuts, water damage, cliffs collapsing (have you seen Sa Caleta?) and sewage problems, or even a loss of trade when it comes to many businesses. I wish delivery men could do their jobs without getting wet.

But at the same time, I have to admit, I do wish we had more storms like these. It seems this week I’ll have my wish, as my weather app tells me the weather is going to stay like this until Saturday (despite however sunny it appears outside right now this minute!). Now, while that’s awesome for me, especially because I had the foresight yesterday to stock the fridge and cancel any plans, it’s not so great for anyone who’s here on holiday. I’m going to be honest with you – if you’ve got kids in tow, the options are not plentiful – Ibiza remains an island designed to be lived under 300 days of sunshine – but there ARE some options and you might want to know them, as three days of hotel room service and screen time might send you mad otherwise…

In most cities, the go-to activity for kids on a rainy day is the cinema. Now, if your kids speak Spanish, that’s not going to be a problem – The Lion King, Angry Birds 2 and Pets 2 are showing in the Santa Eulalia and Ibiza town cinemas. I’m guessing that chances are, if you’re visiting from another country (and reading this blog), they’ll be wanting to watch movies in VO (original language). Fortunately, the island’s coolest kids’ club – set within the five-star surrounds of Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay – screens kids movies every day at 2pm, in addition to a host of other cool activities like ice cream making workshops, mandala painting, shell art, mermaid and pirate parties and more.

And while your kids are having a great time with all their new friends, you can pull up a pew in the cosy Chambao interior and enjoy a long luxe lunch, with front row views of the storm over the beach. The next time-honoured Ibiza rainy day activity is bowling – the only bad news I have on that front is that the main bowling centre doesn’t open until 6pm, so you’ll need to keep your kids entertained until later in the day. There’s a smaller American Diner in Playa d’en Bossa that has a mini bowling alley within the restaurant however, so all is not lost. Finally, for lovers of a challenge, there are Escape Rooms in Ibiza town, with Sherlock Holmes, Zombie, Mad Scientist and Alice in Wonderland themed rooms – my tip is phone ahead, because almost everyone with kids is going to be thinking along the same lines this week…

For adults without kids, the rain is never that bad – ok, so you might not be getting the beach week of your dreams, but there are restaurants aplenty so it’s all about settling in and indulging those epicurean pleasures. You can also book yourself into a day spa and forget about the weather entirely, inside a sweet-smelling spa cabina – I’m a  big fan of Open Spa, Revival Wellness and Pure Seven but again, call ahead because I’m sure I’m not the only islander giving these tips today! Oh, and back to the movies: Adults can see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or Angel Has Fallen in English at the Santa Eulalia cinema every night this week. If you’re coming from a city, let me warn you – it’s a dinky little cinema that harks back to 1982 but the popcorn tastes good and you’re still watching Brad and Leo – things could be worse. Like, you could be knee-deep in flood water trying to make a delivery!