Review: Cooltra Moped Hire

Cooltra is one of the leading names of the island for moped hire during the tourist season and having never tried to explore Ibiza on moped, I thought it was about time I did.

So it was that I found myself at Playa d'en Bossa - just one of their many conveniently situated outlets - requesting a 125cc moped, topbox and helmet please!

Now, between you and I, I haven't ridden a moped in 30+ years, having quickly moved on to motorbikes and finally of late, a tonne and a half of jeep. I looked at this dinky little silver bullet before me and yet again wondered if I had taken my job description ("find the best of Ibiza & tell people about it") just a step too far....

However the staff were fab. The paperwork was simple (credit card / 150€ deposit & passport essential), a quick reminder of how it all worked - indicators, headlights, where to put the fuel in (& what type) and I was free to hit the roads... Great...

I'd requested the 125cc anticipating it to be slow & sluggish, more accustomed to 600cc bikes but whoa, this little beast had an attitude! On an island with not that many roads and an average between towns speed limit of 80km an hour, I wasn't going to be holding up traffic, hitting 70kph before I realised it and only a side-wind wobble making me glance down and ... How does one put it politely... mutter a few choice words and slow down!

Then the fun started and this I do need to share. Mopeds can not be ridden like motorbikes. There is no slinging them low into corners, knee out ready to say hello to the Tarmac before you power up and roar off. No siree. Mopeds need to be kept upright and generally it seems most folks power down when you take a corner... Hard habit to break for this motorbike junkie... and I suffered a few close calls with curbs, oncoming traffic and ditches during my learning curve.

I guess most folks arriving on the island hire their moped and they might head out of town for a day or two, leisurely exploring the spectacular countryside but I still had a job to do. Racking up over 300kms in just four days, I travelled motorways, back roads, dirt tracks, day and night (lights were fab, by the way)

Credit where credit is due, a moped is a fantastic way to explore the island and the quality of Cooltras bikes allows for an extra confidence - no bald tyres or engines that should have been retired a decade ago.

Despite scaring myself half to death daily - be wary of other vehicles and blind pedestrians! - I've enjoyed myself sufficiently to book another moped in two weeks time! ...

In the meantime if you're looking for a reputable company, a decent well maintained bike and a good back-up service should anything remiss occur, there's no doubt Cooltra is one of the islands better services - and their website, aside from offering more than just mopeds, is a dream to navigate and book!

Like: Noelia, a member of staff who made a point not to just "tell you stuff" but to actually help.
Didn't like: Blind traffic and stupid pedestrians.