The seeds of the plan began to form over a year ago, when Jay, a hiking friend, told us about how wonderful Ibiza is in May. He explained how the crowds haven’t arrived yet, but the weather is warm and the island sparkles in all its luster. We were intrigued – it had always been on the list of places to visit; living in Dénia, we are fortunate enough to have the Ferry embarcadero less than 1KM from our house.

A few weeks later, we were off on our bikes, ready to explore Ibiza. It was 4 days of cycling, relaxing on the beach, exploring the beautiful coves, visiting hippie markets and absorbing the unique Ibiza vibes. Before visiting, we had a one-dimensional view of the island, it’s famous for the parties; especially electronic music, hosting some of the world’s most famous DJs. We never realized that there is so much more to it. It is a unique blend of international tourists, hippies, locals, island vibes, artists, spiritual-seekers; all packed onto a small island that abounds with absolutely stunning nature. If one were to take the most scenic spots in a 100km radius of our town and then condense them into an island in the mediterranean, add a dash of partying/hippie/spiritual/international vibes and a touch of island life – you would have Ibiza.

After our first adventure, we vowed to make it an annual tradition.

Fast forward to present day, and we were doing it again. This time, we had upgraded from bikes to a compact van (una furgoneta in spanish), named Furgie. She has the wonderful ability transform into a micro-camper for camping adventures. Not only was there an upgrade in transportation, Patrick had a special plan that he was anxious to execute on.

We spent the morning packing and organizing the van – and we were off! It was a comically short 5-minute ride to the Ferry. Arriving early, we secured our spot in line for departure. This allowed us to freely roam and admire the other vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, and bikes, waiting to board the ship. It’s fun to see everyone’s rigs; from small cars, to giant campervans and everything in between. Most people seemed excited to start their vacation. There was a group of guys (likely on a bachelor party trip) loudly singing “La Bamba” and drinking beers. There’s something relaxing about traveling by car Ferry – you just drive onto the boat and let the captain do the work.

We departed from Dénia, soaking in the wonderful views of the port, the castle, the coast and the towering inland mountains. “Damn, it sure is beautiful here”. It really puts things in perspective when you see it from the sea.

After a very smooth ride of only two hours, we hopped in Furgie and drove from the ferry to the road – free to explore the island at our will! We zoomed off into the sunset, cruising for about 30 minutes to the opposite side of the island. We had booked a rural campsite in an unexplored section. The campsite was rustic, but had all we needed – trees, nature, a bathroom and running water. We set up the new awning and prepared Furgie for bed-mode.

Day 1

The next day was action packed. Patrick had made a detailed Google Doc with exact times for everything. Military precision would be required to execute on that day’s mission.

First up on the agenda: rent Steph an electric bike and explore coves and beaches. The original plan called for a trip to the top of Ibiza’s highest mountain, but it was decided to scrap that portion of it as they were running late. Thank the gods they did that because it was later discovered that its completely impassable on bike! It would have thrown a wrench into the perfectly crafted plan. Sometimes Patrick gets a bit too ambitious with adventure plans.

They cruised to some nearby coves, some were empty of people; they felt wild and natural. Another was filled with tourists, trendy shops and beach restaurants. It wasn’t too crowded and gave off a fun summer vibe. Everyone was so happy, and the natural setting was beautiful. “This water is so blue, I’ve never seen anything like it….I think I’m having a religious experience!” we heard two British tourists exclaim.

They swam with the fish like kids, filled with joy and excitement. The fish were not afraid, they swam freely between the humans – allowing them to marvel at their sea beauty. Patrick even forgot about what was planned to happen that night and got lost in the moments of watching Steph frolic with the fish.

The day was escaping them and they were behind schedule. “It’s cool, we’ll improvise,” Patrick told himself. They skipped one of the coves on the schedule and decided to head back to the campsite to eat. As they were climbing a particularly steep hill, Steph yelled “My bike is out of battery! I can’t go any further.” It was quite hilly and their campsite was far away. After confirming that the battery was dead, Patrick decided to bike home, grab the car and pick Steph up. “I’ll just wait at that shopping mall over there and look at Ibiza dresses,” Steph commented. “How convenient”, Patrick thought to himself. He then sprung into action, aggressively cycled back to the campsite in about 15 minutes. He jumped in the car, sped back to the mall and looked for Steph. They still had to get home, cook and eat dinner, get cleaned up and drive to the sunset spot. The clock was ticking!

He was surprised to see Steph casually shopping for dresses. “I love everything here! And the prices are reasonable. Can I try on a few?” Patrick stared blankly at her, but then realized that this day would be memorable forever – he should savor it – and be on his best behavior. “Sure, whatever you want. You should get that one, looks great.” After 45 minutes of trying on dresses, Steph bought one that she loved and they were heading back to the campsite.

The time was about 18:00. The original plan was to leave fo the sunset spot (Cala d’Hort) at that time. They were behind! Luckily, Patrick baked in plenty of wiggle room into the plan and there was still time before the 21:00 sunset. However, they needed to be quite efficient from here on out.

“I definitely want to see the sunset at that rock, Es Vedra,” Patrick casually commented to Steph. She agreed – it was her idea in the first place! She was feeling blissful after the wonderful morning exploring on bike, swimming in the sea and buying dresses. She was game to be as efficient as possible – get cleaned up, help Patrick cook, clean the dishes and drive the 30 minutes to Es Vedrá.

Patrick was laser focused on cooking, eating, cleaning and prepping. Despite the impending doom of the special moment, he felt surprisingly relaxed and had faith that it would all be ok.

That all changed when he ran out of things to do. Steph was washing the dishes and everything was ready. The camera gear, the wine, the blanket, the special camera case – it was all ready to go. There was nothing left to do but think about what lay before him. It was in that moment that the waves of roiling anxiety started to wash over him and he started to pace around. The technical term is ‘freaking the f$%k out.’

They were in the car and driving at 19:30. Ok, still time. “I forgot my makeup!” Steph said, two minutes after departing. Patrick suddenly slammed on the brakes, made a u-turn and calmly said: “no problem, we’ll go get it”. Despite Steph’s pleas that it wasn’t a big deal, he calmly and sweetly insited.

As he drove back to the site, he thought, “uh oh…have I just showed my hand? Does she know of the plan?” Nope, Steph thought it was a little strange but was none the wiser of what lay before her.

They drove through the isolated hills to reach the remote section of the island. The sun was well into its descending trajectory beyond the horizon but they still had at least 70 minutes before darkness. The light was transforming into a golden beauty; rays poking through the trees. “There’s the rock, it’s so beautiful! I’m going to cry. I wonder if I’ll have a spiritual experience there – they say it has magnetic forces,” said Steph. “Just hold your horses, woman,” Patrick thought to himself. He focused on driving, the road and the feel of the steering wheel in his hands – because there was nothing else to focus on. If he let his mind wander, he may have a nervous breakdown. He caught a glimpse of the rock through the rays of light; “my god, it is stunning. I see why people come here.”

The arrival

They arrive into the half-full parking lot. The worries start to rush in: “Will it be too crowded? Will idiotic tourists ruin the moment? Will I find the right spot? Stick to the plan, man!” Patrick screams silently to himself.

He throws on his backpack, tells Steph to bring layers and starts marching like a man possessed. Head down, he’s staring at his GPS. He had scouted out a hiking route along the cliffs. The idea was to find a nice spot to watch the sunset, away from the crowds, the instagram influences and the partyers. Selfishly, he wanted a sport just for themselves.

It was crowded. People were setting up picnics, cracking open beers, looking for there piece of land for the next 90 minutes. “Stay the course!” Patrick thought to himself.

Two fashionable young European women, wearing those wacky shoes with tall platforms walked slowly in front of him. “MOOOOOOOOOOOVE!” he silently screamed at them. After some aggressive tailgating, he zoomed past them as they lazily wandered to the dead end of a trail while he and Steph veered left, following the trail inland. Suddenly, everyone was gone. No tourists. The life maxim of “walk 1km away from the tourist spot and everyone disappears” has held true once again. On top of that, the trail was unmarked, only those who had specifically planned a hike would know this exists. Checkpoint completed!

They kept walking for 20 minutes, momentarily losing site of the rock. The trail was jagged, rocky and narrow. Steph, oblivious to the internal anxiety and turmoil that Patrick was experiencing, prattled on about how wonderful the hike was, how great the day has been and how happy she felt. Eventually, the trail led them back to the coastal cliffs and they came across a rocky outcropping.

Patrick knew this would be it. There was no time to explore the ‘what ifs’. This would be it. It was perfect. He immediately declared it as their spot and started setting up the tripod. It’s go-time.

Patrick fiddled with his camera, tested out settings, stood in front of the frame and adjusted the focus. Steph took in the beauty of the scene, snapping a phone pics and videos. The view was truly incredible. They were elevated on a cliff above the water, the sea was their canvas. Es Vedrá towered to the left and to the right, the fiery sun descended into the horizon, blasting ever-increasing rays of golden light into their world.

“Do it, do it now!” Patrick silently commanded to himself. “No, just relax, wait for the sun to set and the light will become an even more honey shade of golden. What if drunken tourists appear and ruin it all?!” He continued to have this manic conversation with himself while pretending to be footloose and fancy free as Steph lazily floated in a blissful cloud, enamored by the scene and being uncharacteristically quiet.

They both puttered around, taking photos and absorbing the sunset vibes. Eventually, Steph sat down in front of the camera and Patrick joined her. “Just for a moment, let’s be still,” they silently said to each other. They sat in peace, the only sound was the gentle wind. The golden sun bounced off their faces and they connected with the power of the rock. They held the moment for as long as possible. The awareness of the moment was the only thing that existed. Patrick didn’t think, but knew, that it would happen then.

The Moment Time Stood Still

They sat together in silence, meditating on the earth before them. Suddenly, Patrick made a movement and uttered a half-baked thought. “I need to adjust something. My hip.” Patrick stood up and prepared the equipment.

“Stand up.” He said to Steph. She obliged, not thinking anything of it – figuring it was for the time-lapse.

In a swift motion, he threw the sitting pad to the ground, dropped to a knee, awkwardly looked up at her and held a small present as if he was making an offering to a god.

The only words that escaped his mouth were “Will you marry me?”.

The entire world zoomed in, nothing else existing. Only the two faces of Patrick and Steph, locked in a gaze. Her face was the only world he knew. It didn’t reveal anything as she was in shock. He giggled. The towering wave of emotion came crashing down in a powerful explosion as she realized what was happening. The next couple of minutes were a blur of hugs, tears, poorly articulated expressions of love on the part of Patrick, whoops of joy for successfully completing the mission, re-enactments of the proposal that elicited just as many emotions as the first one, laughs, tears and all the emotions in between. He did not anticipate how intense this moment would be – it was as if he took all the powerful drug experiences one could have and condenscensed them into one perfect moment of expressing love and joy between partners.

The timing was perfect, the weather incredible. There was still 30 minutes to enjoy the beautiful colors of the sunset before it got dark. Patrick excitedly shared all the plans he had made, the multiple visits to ring stores in Dénia, the struggle with finding the perfect one, how the plan came to be. What a relief to be able to talk about it. Steph had no idea. She was still in shock and completely overwhelmed with feelings of joy and excitement. We both finally realized why people do this ritual; it’s a declaration of love and commitment. It’s something that’s easy to stick your nose up at (we did plenty of that) – claim it’s superficial, nothing a silly tradition perpetrated by the “big diamond” industry. But when it happens to you, it’s different. We finally “got it” – we understood the appeal and the beauty. It’s something human, ritualistic, traditional. There’s a reason people do these types of traditions over the generations. It’s what connects us to each other and our ancestors. They drank wine and watched the sun go down on one of the most memorable days of their lives.

The Afterglow

They basked in the afterglow for several days. Patrick finally felt like he could relax and enjoy the vacation. They recounted the previous night’s events nonstop, called their families to share the good news and existed in a love bubble that they didn’t know was possible.

The next day, it was a relaxing morning; catching up on journaling, enjoying the rural sounds of Ibiza camp life and giggling like newly coupled teenagers.

Eventually, they took a little bike ride to some nearby coves, swam in the blue sea and basked in the afterglow.

That night, it was a celebratory dinner in the beach city of Sant Antoni, the second largest on the island. The Italian dinner was delicious – with plenty of vegan options in a beautiful setting. Afterwards, they went on a little walk to see the sites and sounds of the city. Suddenly, they found themself in the party district – it felt like a cross between Benidorm and Las Vegas. Drunk people were stumbling around, groups of stag and hen parties were yelling wildly, random women having a street yelling match, teenagers barely walking, clomped past us. It was yet another side of Ibiza – the trashy party district. They strolled along the tourist party sprawl, walking for over an hour through zones of hotels, bars, restaurants and more bars. This is the “party” side of Ibiza. What a fascinating place. “I wonder how many people end up thinking that this is Ibiza? They have no idea about the majestic beauty of Es Vedra and the infinity of experiences that can exist here,” Patrick and Steph pontificated to each other.

After 4 days camping, they cleaned up, packed everything into boxes, and de-camped. Next stop, Ibiza city and then one final night to let out all the pent up emotions from the weekend: Circoloco at ‘DC-10’! It was a fun night of dancing in the sun, meeting interesting people, enjoying some really good music before heading back home to Dénia.

The Short Ride Home

They boarded the ferry sleep-deprived but full of happiness from the wonderful weekend (and awesome night at DC-10). They spend the entire ride on the deck of the boat, listening to the Bossa Nova music that floated through the air – exuding that classic island vibe of Ibiza. Everyone on the deck looked so content; who knows what experiences they had, but the expressions on their faces said it all. Without a doubt, the common theme was “this island is magical and I’ll be back”.

The End

They went on a sunset hike to see the mystical rock formation of Isla de Es Vedrà under the premise of taking a time lapse of the sunset. Steph enjoyed the stunning views while Patrick, racked with anxiety, fiddled with his camera pretending to be focused on capturing the sunset. 

The plan had gone flawlessly up until this point – the route he found on Wikiloc led away from the tourist crowds to a completely isolated outcropping with perfect views of the rock, sun and sea; not a tourist in sight and only the sounds of nature. 

Waiting for the ideal moment and hiding the “present” in a camera bag, he abruptly told her to stand up, lowered to a knee and popped the question. He giggled nervously, waiting for her response. Steph’s blank stare met his gaze; a surge of overwhelming emotions washed over her as she realized what was happening. She said yes. 👏 ❤️ 🥂