Luise Steinmeier

When I first arrived in San Juan, the air was different. It smelled of freedom, mixed with the pine and sea breeze that swept through the small village. In the early 70s, Ibiza was untouched in so many ways. We lived simply—handmade clothes, shared meals, and long nights under the stars with nothing but music and the rhythm of the island. Life was cheap then, and so was the rent. No one asked questions when you wanted to rent a finca. A handshake and a promise were enough.

But now, walking through the same streets at 74, I barely recognize the place. I’ve seen the island grow, and with it, the cost of living. So many of the friends I made here, the other wanderers and dreamers, are gone now. Some couldn’t keep up with the rising rents, others simply grew old and tired of the constant battle to stay. I know the stories well—people forced out of their homes, packed into overpriced flats or even sleeping on balconies just to get by.

I’m originally from Germany, a place that feels like a distant memory now. I came to Ibiza looking for something more than the structured life I had back there. The island offered something raw, wild, and full of possibility. And though it’s changed, those early years still hold me here. I managed to hold onto my small finca just north of the village. In the summer, when the tourists flood in, I rent it out for a price that would have been unimaginable back in the day. I pack up my things and move into a caravan or stay with friends who still have space. It’s not ideal, but it’s how I manage. I still teach yoga when I can, though it’s more for the connection than the money.

I’ve thought about leaving, more than once. But every time I sit with it, the answer is always the same. I belong here. This is my home, my island, even if the rest of the world has discovered it and changed it beyond recognition. My friends are still here—those of us who have managed to stay. We’ve built something, a community, that feels too precious to abandon.

Yes, it’s harder now. But every morning, when I watch the sun rise over the sea, I feel the same sense of peace I felt when I first came here.