Stereotypes annoy the listener who picks up on them, but the ones they hurt the most are the people who have to live with them. And I say this as someone who spent 44 years of my life accepting the clichés about Ibiza at face value—until June 2019, when Maria del Mar Bonet invited me to one of her concerts in Dalt Vila. I discovered Ibiza through one of the most delicate voices in the Mediterranean, strolling along the wooden boardwalk from Marina Botafoc to Nobu on the not-so-accessible Talamanca Beach, where the afternoon sun shatters into a thousand tiny pieces, like mirrors of light on the waves.
It took me just a few hours to realize that Ibiza is God’s greatest geographical creation, though it has taken many of us some time to understand this. Not because of the nightclubs, or the drugs, or the crowded beaches—though those play a part, too. Ibiza is the sun’s warmth on your skin, a brilliant blue sky just as night falls, and the unparalleled magic of Jondal, the most delightful restaurant in the history of world cuisine. It could only exist in Ibiza, and in fact, when attempts have been made to replicate it elsewhere, it hasn’t worked. Everything about Ibiza deserves to be set off with exclamation points, even though being there is so serene. I haven’t missed a single year on the island since 2019—first in late June, after San Juan, once school is out; and then in early September, to celebrate my wife’s and daughter’s birthdays. Seven years. Always with my family, and always during the day. Not bad for debunking preconceived notions.
Nature did its part. Not only in Ibiza, but also on its sister islands. And it did so with greater generosity than anywhere else on Earth. The islanders honored this gift and celebrated its beauty through their humanity, architecture, cuisine, and art. It is no coincidence that Forbes’ first vertical is set in these islands, a dream come true; explaining the business and helping to develop it is the noblest contribution one can make to what is beautiful.
In a country like Spain—as extraordinary as it is reluctant to acknowledge its own treasures; a country where life is so pleasant yet public debate is so unnecessarily tense—the partnership between Forbes and the Balearic Islands promises to clearly reflect a reality that clearly works in our favor and a promising future. There is a truth that needs to be explained in precise terms.
We cannot pretend not to see the privilege of being alive in such extraordinary circumstances and in such an idyllic place. We cannot respond with apathy or indifference to the immense good fortune we have been granted, nor can we scratch back at the kindness shown to us. Forbes and the Balearic Islands each embody, in their own way, the same vision of culture, happiness, and prosperity. Here we are, this is who we are, and we are eager to share our story.