I can honestly say that over the three decades I have been visiting Ibiza I have only ever come back with my heart full but a body mostly destroyed.
My first trip with school friends was courtesy of the legendary 18-30s package holiday and in an era when the mantras ‘sleep when you’re dead’ and ‘live fast, die young’ was very much the order of the day. Nobody was thinking further ahead than the two weeks of foam parties and boat trips, dancing until dawn at Manumission, Pacha and Es Paradis while surviving on cheese toasties and every neon shot or goldfish bowl of booze going. I returned a shell of myself, my voice lost somewhere between Cafe Mambo and the West End. But it had sparked something of a beautiful, yet toxic, love affair with the white isle.
Over the years I have been lured back with promises of a good time, partying until dawn with the likes of Kylie and Swedish House Mafia, drinking vodka straight from the bottle with Tinie Tempah, celebrating hen parties, weddings, birthdays and lost cheeky weekends.
I had heard of the relaxing side of the island, but that had never been my version of Ibiza - until now.
Aside from the odd yoga session before cocktails, I hadn’t nourished my body particularly with healthy food, or taken in the island's nature, which are all things I am leaning towards now that I am in my late 40s.
I still love listening to dance music but my hangovers hit that bit harder, and those old mantras don't ring true any longer. Now when I go away I want to make the most of my time and feel rejuvenated, ready to face the hectic juggle of home life when I return.
When I had wanted to press pause on a hectic trip previously, someone had suggested Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel , an oasis in the centre of the Island. The moment you walk into the converted traditional farmhouse, your shoulders drop at the sight of the extensive colourful gardens, trickling water fountains and scent of orange orchards on the breeze.
Birdsong and the odd ribbit from a frog replaces the Balearic beats blasting out of the rest of the island. “The biggest complaint we get about the noise in the hotel is the sound of wildlife,” says Leane Lecase, a former Manumission dancer who has worked at the family run hotel for decades.
Rihanna, Madonna, Shakira are all fans; the famed chef Ottolenghi has hosted dinner parties in the acres of bucolic kitchen gardens. It is in such a peaceful spot that one of the private villas up on the adjoining mountain is rumoured to be on long term rental to the Versace family.
The hotel has leant into its USP of reset and relaxation this season by launching a series of longevity programmes for guests - who I note are mostly over 40 - to maximise their stay.
You can book in to the Atzaro Spa for a Longevity programme for either a taster day or a more impactful week, to discover how to become the best version of yourself for longer through high end technology, fitness sessions, IV drips and deliciously healthy food and drink options.
© Danielle LawlerUnlike most health retreats, this one is low stress and based on informing guests to make good choices, rather than depriving yourself. I wanted to reap all the benefits in the short time I was there so opted to switch my usual Lady A rose for pink grapefruit juice and Don’t Call Me Hugo mocktails. Food wise you are spoilt for choice given the abundance of fresh produce from the gardens that are supplied to the hotel and its sister restaurant Aubergine. I resisted the urge for a camembert starter for fresh ceviche and side of carrots in a greek yoghurt and pomegranate dip (full of antioxidants) with a josper cooked white fish for main.
But I would soon learn this was only the tip of the iceberg of lifestyle changes I needed to make.
My first step in my Ibiza transformation was to have a 3D body composition scan in the state of the art gym that overlooks the palm tree lined swimming pool to give me a picture of how my body was functioning. This would form the basis of a bespoke longevity programme - basically a way for me to live healthier for longer.
It was a different kind of podium I was invited to stand on as I placed my feet on the silver footprints before being swung around in my swimsuit, to scan and measure every inch of me.
An unedifying black and white image of a body that turned out to be mine, proved I was definitely not an 18-year-old party girl anymore - although according to the stats my metabolic age predicted me to be a whole year younger than I am which I took as a win.
The details from the analysis were fascinating. It picked up everything I already knew about myself - my frozen shoulder was causing issues, common in perimenopause - and lots that I didn’t.
The patient spa manager Wanda Lammers, previously of Six Senses, talked me through the red flags, and suggested courses of action to continue when I left paradise and returned to reality. Years of working on a laptop had left me with ‘significant forward head posture’ which I need to get to grips with along with my knock-knees (a new revelation to me), as over time they can all seriously affect my balance. A course of pilates sessions, back activation and symmetry training was recommended, to get my body back on track, along with myofascial exercises and massage to release stiff muscles and keep me moving into old age.
For the next stage of the programme I opened the wooden Bali style doors to a room lit up with red strobe lights - not a nightclub this time, but a session on the infra-red sauna. It reminded me of the sunbeds I would naively lie on when I was a teenager. Thankfully these carry none of the cancer risks, but all the benefits of anti-aging and easing inflammation that could be causing chronic pain.
They also can get super hot, so following up with a session in the cryo-therapy chamber was a welcome respite. The temperature plummets to -100 degrees but I found the three minute timer passed quickly while I danced around in the protective woolly booties, hat and gloves and I stepped out feeling invigorated. Just make sure you aren’t still sweaty from the Ibizan heat otherwise you could find icicles in places you never imagined.
Then there is the Hypoxic oxygen training - or a kind of altitude training where much like climbing a mountain with an altitude of 4,100m the oxygen levels are gradually lowered. Wanda explained as she fitted the oxygen mask over my face, that the treatment was popular with Olympic athletes and marathon runners to enhance performance and strengthen their cardiovascular system. The sensation felt uncomfortable at first, but then the sound of the oxygen mask lulled me into a snooze and I woke from the session to Wanda printing out my results - which thankfully was ‘ a healthy response’ but could benefit from regular treatments. A reason, as if I needed any, to come back. I slept like a baby in the four-poster suite afterwards.
Overall, the longevity programme was a welcome wake-up call, delivered in the most gentle and relaxing of ways, that my years of living like a teenager and neglecting my body were over. It brought into sharp focus my need to make some serious changes to my fitness, strength training and posture when I got home, which hopefully given I'm in midlife I still have the time to correct.
After all I want to make sure that my future 70-year-old self will still be able to come back to Ibiza to party - and after this reset, hopefully I won't be the one shuffling on the dancefloor with a zimmer frame!
