Kellie Ragan moved from London to embrace island life on Ibiza last year with her children Stephanie, six, and Jack, three. She launched Sol den Serra, a restaurant, lounge and beach club
“TURNING 30 is always a big birthday, but I had extra reason to celebrate when my twenties ended last year. My father gave me the best present possible – a restaurant business in the Balearics, Spain.
I had absolutely no experience of running a restaurant. At the time, I was living in London working long hours in the City for a Dutch bank. But I separated from my husband last year and it was hard working in the City and being a single mother. I wanted to bring up my children in a totally different environment and Ibiza was the obvious destination. My grandparents and parents have lived on the island for many years and my three brothers live there part-time. I even spent five years of my own childhood living on Ibiza.
I turned 30 on the 1st March – and eleven days later we arrived with a pile of suitcases at Ibiza airport. I knew that my parents had found and bought the restaurant and I hadn’t even seen it. I was feeling nervous but excited about seeing it for the first time.
My mother drove me straight there to see it from the airport. When I walked in, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s set on several floors cut into a hillside, overlooking a small beach. The setting is stunning but it was much bigger than I’d imagined. I wondered what I was letting myself in for. I had never done anything like this before in my life. I was totally new to the business.
When I gave up my London job, I knew that I wouldn’t be happy just sitting quietly in a gift shop somewhere. I wanted a challenge that would keep me on my toes. I managed a team of 30 in London and I knew I was up to the challenge but it hasn’t been easy. The previous owner had painted everything a deep burgundy and my first job was to completely change the way it looked. I set myself a deadline of 25 April – an opening date to coincide with my dad’s birthday - and set to work.
We painted the whole place white and filled it with Moroccan lanterns, Buddha paintings and leopard print fabrics. We changed from a 70- to a 140-cover restaurant with a sushi bar and lounge. White sunbeds, large cushions and four-poster beds with white drapes for lounging and drinking were set out by the beach. It was a big rush but we managed to get things up and running for the launch party and celebrated my dad’s birthday at the same time. It was a great night. Since then, things have been incredibly busy.
I get up around 8.30 to take the kids to school and then spend the day sorting things out at Sol den Serra, calling suppliers and checking everything is ready for the evening, which is when we get really busy. I’m back in the early evening and work til three or four in the morning. We are staging a number of one-off VIP events for companies such as the London nightclub Boujis in London as well as weddings and private parties. We’ve had Hollywood actresses, pop stars and famous DJs come to our parties – it has been surreal at times but it has been great fun.
Island life is so relaxed. It is nothing like London. The sun is always shining, you have the sea outside your front door, Ibiza is beautiful and the people are friendly. But, without a doubt, the best thing about moving here is seeing my children so happy and liberated. They love being here. They are learning Catalan and Castilian Spanish at school and they already have lots of lovely young Spanish friends.
We have been living in a rented apartment very near my parents. It is on a lovely leafy estate with large modern houses and apartments right on the beach. I’m lucky to have a strong family support network to help with the children as I’m absolutely exhausted from the long hours. You can tell who works in Ibiza as they don’t have a suntan – I don’t have time to go anywhere near the beach!
In terms of running a business, I’ve learnt how important it is to have the right staff. Most places in Ibiza have a very high turnover because people are often here to party not work. I have 25 staff –from waitresses and chefs to cleaners – and I’m very hands on. Just the other week, I even found myself trying to help with a salad in the kitchen. It was a bit of a Nigella moment that probably won’t happen again.
I would advice anyone considering doing something similar in Ibiza to get a very good lawyer and a very good accountant, both of whom can speak English. There is a lot of paperwork to deal with. I’m fortunate enough to have my father helping me but it can be very confusing to deal with, on top of the practical side of things.
Patience is also essential. I was driven mad at first by everyone going to sleep in the afternoons. It’s frustrating if no one answers the phone for hours every day but you just have to accept it.
Read the full story in our June 2008 issue.
