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16 things I didn’t know

1. It’s not all party, party, party. You see, I love the venue, the pool, the sunset and the food… but I’m not always up for a party at the tail end of August! Well, of course, it still was a party per se, but a stripped back version of events, with Hed Kandi saxophonist Lovely Laura and Paul Powell performing acoustic versions of well-loved dance music anthems. Yes, there were still cocktails. Yes, there was still dancing. But it was a more chilled-out type of celebration than the other parties on Ocean Beach Ibiza’s roster. Me gusta mucho!

2. Unlike other Ibiza pool parties, you are actually allowed in the pool. YES! You can cool off when you need it, you can actually dance when you’re in the shallow water and you can even drink while you swim. Hallelujah.

3. The endlessly colour coordinated ice buckets, cocktail glasses, straws and plates were obsession worthy (if, like me, you are partial to orange that is). Seriously. I wanted to err, borrow them for my roof terrace (you know it’s so much better using that durable plastic than constantly breaking wine glasses), but then, knowing that someone from Ocean Beach might read my blog, I stopped myself. And you should too folks. Stealing is not cool.

4. The Ocean Beach Ibiza Boutique is actually a really cool little fashion find. I spent about an hour perusing the wares (as an excuse to keep my lily white skin out of the sun at the peak of the day) and was totally inspired. Flippy little shorts, cool printed leggings, amazing kaftans (my favourite was leopard of course), sexy bikinis… if you didn’t come dressed for a pool party, you can certainly snap up the look onsite. Later on, I actually invented a game for myself – spot the sunglasses… so many people in the pool had obviously bought theirs that day!

5. The pool menu is super extensive… I’d only ever eaten upstairs at the Sunset Roof Garden restaurant before, and had imagined downstairs was very basic but NO! You can basically satisfy any craving from the list – burgers, salads, sushi, tapas, wraps, sandwiches, steak, pasta, chicken, fish and chips… and dessert! Being spoilt for choice meant we decided to take the easy route and go for the tasting platters to avoid any food envy – a Thai and a Mezze. DELISH, and HUGE.

6. The frozen mango daiquiris are so good I basically drank a whole jug myself. And I’m not afraid to admit it. And the strawberry and raspberry were good too. Err, just like the mojitos…

7. Who knew Ocean Beach Ibiza played old school hip hop beats? In between Laura and Paul’s ‘Pull the Plug’ sets, classic old school tunes like Everyday People, Buffalo Stance (ok, so that’s kind of pop), and my fave, Biggie’s Hypnotize… Although the occasional Michael Jackson track made me cringe, the rest of the crowd seemed to love it.

8. Speaking of music, credit where credit is due: not only does Lovely Laura absolutely smash it on the sax, she also has a fab singing voice, that complements Paul’s acoustic guitar perfectly. Her gorgeous crooning on tracks like ‘Missing’ by Everything But The Girl (you know the one, “like the deserts miss the rain…”) made me very sad that I am not so musically blessed myself… but very happy that I can enjoy listening! Speaking of smashing it – Laurent Garnier’s ‘The Man With The Red Face’ was one of the final tracks of the day that definitely went down well with the crowd… myself included.

9. You may think it’s all about the pool party, but it’s actually really easy to relax and unwind at Ocean Beach Ibiza. Especially with the help of Ashley Fernando, the venue’s onsite massage therapist – who just so happened to be name dropped by glamazon Rosie Huntington Whiteley as the man responsible for smoothing out her knots! In addition to Ashley, the Ibiza Angels also bring their heavenly head, neck and shoulder massages direct to your sun lounger…

10. There is somewhat of a uniform among the girls at Ocean Beach Ibiza. Fringed, lace and embellished kimonos over brightly coloured bikinis and floral headpieces are de rigeuer – girls, if you don’t have your wardrobe ready, the White Ibiza Boutique is ready and waiting with everything you need! And boys – just a little note – while the rest of the Med may be carefree with girls frolicking topless on the beach, you won’t spot any boobs at Ocean Beach… the girls are too proud of their carefully devised outfits to remove any portion of them.

11. Little ones are welcome at Ocean Beach Ibiza too – and I reckon Pull the Plug is the perfect party to bring them too. We saw a few little tykes on their dads shoulders and lazing on sun loungers, and the family vibe was actually really nice.

12. Never have I seen so many people in one location taking selfies! In the toilets, at the bar, in the pool, at the stage, with Lovely Laura, with their friends, at the entrance, with the security – anywhere you can imagine, it was happening, like non stop paparazzi… to themselves!

13. It’s well worth watching the crowd’s shock and surprise (that turns to childlike glee) when the giant sprays of water around the pool burst up unexpectedly! Now THAT is somewhere that is impossible to take a selfie!

14. Ocean Beach Ibiza is all about genuinely having fun. Everywhere you look, people are smiling, hugging, laughing, singing… big groups of friends, newfound friends, a few snogs here and there in the pool… but it’s all in good spirits. The vibe is so uplifting – no posing (selfies aside of course), poncing or bitchiness allowed.

15. I really have to commend the staff at Ocean Beach – the service is amazing! The waitresses, waiters, security and other staff spend the entire day in the hot, steaming summer sun – and let me tell you, it was so freaking hot I was cowering under my big VIP umbrella until about 6pm when the breeze finally picked up – and they DO IT WITH A SMILE.

16. It was really nice to experience a San Antonio sunset from a different perspective – the warm golden colours changing the hues of the pool combined with the chilled out musical vibes made for the perfect end to my day.