In our last post about Ibiza we went in search of the island’s culinary delights, coinciding with the #IbizaSabor2017 event, and found that it features a whole world of flavours waiting to be discovered. On this occasion we delve into its facilities for promoting well-being and present them in the form of places and activities for nurturing our body and mind to the full, turning our visit to Ibiza into a restorative experience. Fancy discovering this with us?

Take it Slow

By this stage everyone knows that yoga is highly beneficial to both body and mind. A few asanas to tone our body, a good set of stretching exercises and a decent spell of meditation give a boost to our everyday well-being. If on top of that we do it in a setting in the heart of nature, the experience can be absolutely arresting. This is what you’ll get at YogaRosa Retreats, the ideal place to pamper yourself on a yoga retreat in a dream environment where you will also come across Austrian chef Philip Gandler, who adds a touch of experience to the wholesome cuisine. Another place to get rid of stress through yoga is Ibiza Retreats, a painstakingly renovated property located just 5 to 10 minutes from Santa Eulàlia, Santa Gertrudis, San Lorenzo and the turquoise waters of Cala Nova beach, where they schedule nearly 30 retreats between late February and the end of October.

Discovering Rural Ibiza

You might be surprised to learn that there is life beyond Ibiza’s beaches and discos. Venturing inland reveals a host of beautiful rural areas where you can enjoy an alternative experience to the usual Ibizan sojourn. You could elect to stay in accommodation like Can Pardal, an exquisitely restored 16th-century Ibizan house in the north of the island set amid olive groves and fruit trees. Or else visit an organic farm, Can Obrador, located on the Camí des Pedrisset, on the main road between Ibiza and Santa Eulàlia, where you can learn the workings of environmentally-friendly farming systems, or see the Can Caus organic farm in operation up close.

My Life For a Spa!

Fast-paced modern living makes it well nigh impossible to pamper yourself so, why not use your getaway to Ibiza to treat yourself to a spa treatment in amenities where you will emerge feeling renewed? There are various hotels on the island which include a spa among their services, as at Migjorn Ibiza, featuring a spa where they apply geothermal, Thai, chocolate and essential oil techniques. Other venues include La Posidonia, with views of the Mediterranean from their spa which alone make the experience worthwhile, and the evocative spa at the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, where you will come out feeling like new.

“Mens sana in corpore sano”

Sports enthusiasts will find that Ibiza has myriad open-air spots, full of magic and charm, where they can engage in sporting activities. The beaches are one of the main draws, where you can dive in crystal-clear water, go on a kayak tour, have a whale of a time doing kite-surfing, sail around the coastline or while away the time doing paddle boarding. You can also sign up for a bicycle tour of the island, go rock climbing or simply enjoy the island’s natural beauty while hiking along its footpaths.

Book your Vueling to Ibiza and discover the wellness awaiting you there.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

One of the experiences you can not miss if you visit Catania is to enjoy an authentic 'gelato' while you stroll through its streets and its monuments. Although the ice cream in Italy is an institution, the Sicilians are the most famous and it is one of the pillars of their food culture.

Its making has its own characteristics, with traditional recipes that have been passed from generation to generation, to obtain a softertextureand extraordinaryice cream flavors. Its traditional character is one of its greatest assetsand traditionalice creamandice-cream makers still use the same methods they have always used.

You'll notice thatthe ice creamis served inthe classic scoop, not with the device for forming balls to which we have become used. Try the Ernesto ones, in Via Ruggero di Lauria91-93,at the Pasticceria Quaranta, in Piazza Mancini Battaglia, or Pasticceria Gelateria Santo Musumeci on the Piazza SantaMaria, 9-10.

Artisanal granita

The ice cream is integrated in one of the most typical products of Catania, the 'broscia' or brioche. It is filled with countlessice cream flavors like pistachio, chocolate, caramel, lemon, strawberries, walnuts, hazelnuts, blackberry, tangerine or almonds.

Although granita is a typical Sicilian ice cream, it has little to do with the traditional Italian ice creams; it is similar toa slush but more creamy and refreshing, and is made with natural fruit. Idea lto start the day, especially in summer, being the typical Catanese breakfast.

The different flavors come from the rich products elaborated from the volcanic soil of Etna, mineral products that produce excellent lemons and oranges, tangerines, almonds, strawberries, cherries, hazelnuts and chestnuts. From these ingredients the maximum quality is respected without add in gscentsor preservatives.

But how do you recognizethe perfect granita? One ofthe featuresto look outis that their colorsare soft, which indicates that carries no dyes.For example, almond should be all white, and pistachio, will be more an off greenish, not garish green.

You also have to keep in mind that good granita should be consumed within a few hoursafter its preparation. Whenyou try it, make sure that the icehas not crystallizedor form spuddles.

You'll find the best ones in many places around Etnea street, but the ones from the Pasticceria Savia clearly stand out, one of the most prestigious pastry of Catania, located in Via Etnea 300. Or in the new Prestipino restaurant, located in Via Etnea 30-32, in the beautiful setting between Piazza Duomo and Piazza University.

Also in Etoile D'or from Via Beato Cardinale Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet, 7, the Chocolate Cafe in Viale Ruggero di Lauria, 129, where you can taste their successful versions made of almonds and pistachios in the seafront. As in Café de Paris, in Viale Ruggero di Lauria, 25, one of the favorite places of the inhabitants of Catania.

One of the most centric and busy is the historical Cafe Europa in Italia, 302. A meeting place to try the essentials of Catanese cuisine. Here, in particular the most requested is their strawberry version.

So you feel like visiting Catania, do you? Book your flights here!

Holy Week coincides with the onset of spring, a season associated with milder temperatures. Although you should still pack some warm clothes – jerseys, jacket, raincoat, gloves, cap and scarf – it’s unlikely to snow in Warsaw, unless you’re in the higher mountain areas. And, by early April, the days are quite long and sunny. Unlike in other European countries, during Holy Week in Poland both the Thursday and Friday are working days and most of the museums and shops are open to the public. Visiting hours at churches may be different, however, as in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, where the largest Good Friday procession of all Poland is held.

As in other areas where the Catholic festivities are traditionally observed, Palm Sunday is celebrated here in style. Like in Spain, in Poland the faithful carry palms, but here they are far more elaborate. Dried flowers and paper flowers go into their careful making by hand. They are so popular here that many towns and villages organise palm contests. We recommend taking the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Łyse, in the region of Masovia, where you can find palms of up to 6 metres high.

Cultural activity also revolves around Easter. The keynote event is the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. Held in Warsaw, as well as in Krakow and Gdansk, it attracts classical music virtuosos from all over to perform a number of works based on Holy Week themes. The festival alone makes it well worth visiting the city. Over the festive period churches host classical music concerts. The programme features religious works, pride of place going to the staging of the Lord's Sepulchre. This is undoubtedly a good reason for visiting the holy precincts of Poland’s capital city. Even under the Communist regime the uncensored sepulchres stood for the most important political events of the time.

Another high moment of the holy celebration is the blessing of the food. Starting on Easter Saturday morning, crowds of people congregate at the churches bearing adorned baskets containing, in addition to the classical hand-painted Easter eggs, bread, salt, pepper, sausage and an endless assortment of Easter pastries to have them blessed. Once the ritual has been completed, they may then eat meat. In bygone days the baskets’ contents were indicative of the purchasing power of the various families – the greater the amount and variety of food, the high their economic status.

Easter eggs are decorated in different ways and this is often the favourite activity of the younger members of the household. Once boiled, the easiest thing is to colour them with polychromed powders dissolved in water. These colours are sold in small sachets at this time of year. A more natural technique is to boil the eggs in a pot with onion skins, giving the eggshells a dark tinge and, the more onion skin you use, the darker the colour. After the eggshell has dried out, it can be drawn on or incised using a sharp needle.

Easter Monday is noticeably more playful in character and closely linked to rural traditions. In Polish it is known as Lany poniedzialek – “Water Monday” – as Slavic tradition has it that throwing water over the girls is believed to ensure their health and fertility. So, make sure you keep your eyes skinned because even today you can have a bucket of cold water thrown over you.

Cuisine is important in Poland at Easter and tables are decked out with Easter eggs, symbols of a new life. Confectionery also plays a major role, particularly mazurek, a cake based on butter and very thick cream, eggs, sugar and flour. It is also stuffed with nuts, chocolate and fruit (orange or lemon). Another cake typically made during this festive season is kaimak. Although similar to mazurek, the dough contains liquid toffee.

Are you eager to go? Check out our prices here!

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Polish National Tourist Office

With the huge, varied offerings in its restaurants, Seville is well worth a culinary visit. From the oldest in the city, Rinconcillo (Calle Gerona, 40. Seville), where the waiters write your order down on the bar counter with a piece of chalk, to the modern Eslava (Calle Eslava, 3-5. Seville), award-winner for such tapas as Un cigarro para Bécquer (a cigar for Bécquer), which emulates a cigar, made of brik pastry filled with algae, cuttlefish and squid-ink calamari.

Then there is the canned fare of La Flor de Toranzo (Calle Jimios, 1-3), the varied side-dishes of Catalina Casa de Comidas y Más (Plaza Padre Jerónimo de Córdoba, 12. Seville) and the legendary piripi (sousing) at Bodeguita Antonio Romero (Calle Antonio Díaz, 5, Antonio Díaz, 19 y Gamazo, 16. Seville), a bread roll filled with bacon, cheese, tomato and mayonnaise, with a touch of garlic and pork fillet.

If Seville is worth visiting, its environs also deserve a culinary tour, either to taste the local fare or to find out more about such emblematic products as their cured ham.

At Sanlúcar la Mayor, some 25 kilometres from Seville, is the restaurant Alhucemas (Avenida del Polideportivo, 4. Sanlúcar la Mayor), an eatery serving deep-fries which, according to many chefs, have the best fried fish in Spain. While they have not yet earned a Michelin star, the managers are regulars at gastronomic congresses, where they reveal their culinary secrets. The restaurant is also frequented by shrine pilgrims seeking their spicy skewered meat known aspinchos morunos,and their lobster salad.

A bit further afield – just one hour away by car – is the must-see ham museum unveiled five months ago at the Cinco Jotas (Calle San Juan del Puerto, s/n), in Jabugo, Huelva. The trip is rewarding as it reveals all the secrets of the production and curing of 100% Iberian bellota ham via a series of talking panels, graphics, videos, interactive screens and a 12-metre-long cyclorama which plunges you into the meadows where the hogs roam free… There are three unforgettable moments: walking through the impressive cellar, where 50,000 (maybe more) legs of ham are kept, the room where a contest is held – with screens, as if in a TV set – where visitors are quizzed about what they see and awarded virtual slices of ham, and the end of the visit, where you are treated to a tasty delicacy, washed down with red wine or sherry.

Nearby the museum you can visit the Gruta de las Maravillas (Calle Pozo de la Nieve, s/n. Aracena) in Aracena, a complex of monumental, millenary caves with interior lakes and figures so incredible they seem hallucinatory. You can have lunch at the Arrieros restaurant (Arrieros, 2. Linares de la Sierra) in Linares de la Sierra, where they serve one of the best hamburgers in Spain, made of tenderloin and field mushrooms. (According to Martín Berasategui, it’s the best hamburger he’s ever tasted, and he must be right.) Indeed, the menu is based on Iberian pork, field mushrooms, fruit and vegetables from their allotment and local aromatic herbs. In a nutshell, what their chef, Luismi López, describes as alta cocina serrana (“highland haute cuisine”), which materialises in the form of excellent dishes, notably Iberian game carpaccio, foie gras and vinaigrette del Condado, tomato soup, strawberry gazpacho, scrambled blood sausage and king prawns, toast with semi-cured cheese and herbs…

Text and images Ferran Imedio (Gastronomistas)