RESEMBLING a pair of fleshy 99 Flakes, two slender high-heeled legs protrude from a chocolate cupcake.

As billboard campaigns go, this advert for a night out at the world's biggest superclub Privilege leaves very little to the imagination. But in a place where, stereotypically, enjoyment is measured by excess, I'd expect nothing less from Spanish island Ibiza.

Similar adverts line the roads leading to clubbing hotspot (or hedonistic hellhole, depending on how you look at it) Playa d'en Bossa, like a sugary, sweet trail, attracting bees to a honey pot.

When I arrive, though, the place is refreshingly peaceful; flyers have been ripped from shop windows, bars have pulled down their shutters, and a plastic bag sent billowing skyward by the cool autumnal breeze is the closest thing I see to any dancing in the street.

The clubbers may have packed away their glowsticks for another year but, I'm told by one local resident, the winter season is when Ibiza really blossoms.

There's less traffic on the roads (I cross the island in less than an hour), prices are much lower (when I book, return flights are around £100, compared to a staggering £700 at the end of September, while hotel rooms are half the high season price) and yet the sun still shines, with temperatures hovering at 15 degrees Celcius in December.

According to Cheapflights.co.uk travel expert Ben Rosier, there's been a surge of interest from UK holidaymakers seeking shoulder season breaks in Ibiza. "If you're not fussed about catching the clubs but still want to see spectacular sunsets, top up your tan and sample traditional Mediterranean cuisine, it's a great time to go," he says.

Traditionally, clubs, bars, restaurants and hotels would close their doors once DJs had spun their last tunes at the September closing parties. But now, several properties are staying open for longer; the new Hard Rock Hotel is taking bookings until November, while glamorous Atzaro (pictured below), in the north of the island, has announced they will now be hosting guests year-round.

Basingstoke Gazette:

A 15-minute drive from grown-up beach town Santa Eularia, Atzaro is a working orange farm that's been in operation for more than a century. Ten years ago, owners, the Guash family, opened the property as a 24 room hotel with Ibiza's only open-air spa. Oranges are still cultivated and sold to local markets, or served as freshly squeezed juice to guests at breakfast.

Teak, linen-wrapped day beds are spread around the vast but secluded gardens, resplendent with canopies of fragrant jasmine and striking bougainvillea.

A proliferation of Balinese statues hints at the property's spiritual, New Age leanings, with several wellbeing festivals taking place throughout the year - some attracting as many as 9,000 people.

"We did invite Sven Vath to play here once," one employee tells me. "But it was a disaster; people were stealing the Buddha heads, so we decided we'd never host a party like that again!"

Basingstoke Gazette:

Now the property attracts couples, families or an off duty clubbing crowd who, dressed in an Ibizan uniform of straw Stetsons and cowboy boots, still rise late for breakfast but prefer to spend evenings partying amidst the olive groves, rather than on a dark and sweaty dance floor.

It reflects a bigger trend that's been sweeping the White Isle for the last few years, with celebrities snapping up expensive villas and families heading to the many Caribbean-like beaches.

I'm part of that latter category, as my travel partner for this long weekend break is my 67-year-old mother.

As a one-time electronic music fan and a former employee of clubbing bible Mixmag, I'd always imagined myself throwing shapes on a podium in Pacha, or getting down to Carl Craig in a dark corner of DC-10.

Thirteen years later, though, I'm woken up at 8am every morning by my mum photographing frogs and terrapins in the lily pond outside our southeast Asian-themed room.

In place of strobes, I'm dazzled by a digital glare as she struggles to deactivate the flash on her iPhone, and if I concentrate hard enough, the sound of her systematically tapping away at the touch screen - taking her one millionth shot - could easily resemble a four-on-the-floor house beat.

My holiday wardrobe is also a far cry from the short, butt-clinging hotpants and skimpy crop tops that seem so prevalent on Playa d'en Bossa. Instead, I've packed a Rohan rain mac and sturdy shoes - quite useful for exploring trails around the hotel.

One afternoon, we walk through farmland to the popular hippy market Las Dalias at Sant Carles de Peralta, open year-round every Saturday. Soil the colour of cayenne pepper burns in the sunshine, with rotting marrows strewn across the ground like deflated beach balls.

Along with being a place to hang out and chat over chai teas, Las Dalias is also a one-stop shop for all Ibizan wardrobe needs; battered boots, trailing feather headdresses and pendants with effigies of Hindu elephant God Ganesh are all for sale. I fear I might walk out looking like a cross between Hiawatha and John Wayne.

Leaving the hippy trail behind us, we pass a young couple trying to thumb a lift and a shaggy dog with dreadlocks. Mum and I make the 45-minute journey back to Atzaro in darkness, stumbling over exposed tree roots and guided only by the stars and the GPS on my mobile phone.

The truth is that if you really want to enjoy Ibiza, you need a car.

One of the cheapest and most ethical options is to rent an electric car from Ibiza Green Car (ibizagreencar.com). with charging points found at several locations on the island, including Atzaro.

Argentinian-born Juliana and her boyfriend set up the company with a view to making Ibiza more environmentally friendly. She kindly takes us on an island tour, zipping quietly along empty country lanes.

We explore the narrow streets of UNESCO World Heritage Site Dalt Vila in Ibiza town, a white-washed citadel with a history stretching back more than 2,000 years. Laid-back bars and charming cafes are tucked into the narrow streets that wind their way to the upper ramparts, a recommended spot for sunset.

But a more impressive place to watch the final hours of the day drain away is the arc-shaped Cala D'Hort beach in the southwest, looking out to rock islands Es Vedra and Es Vedranell.

Sarah and her mum at Cala D'Hort

Basingstoke Gazette:

According to local myths, the limestone formations are inhabited by sea nymphs, giants and even aliens. But the only proven inhabitants on the protected nature reserve are in fact wild goats, lizards and falcons.

Nevertheless, the place is still magical, and I can see why Juliana, who's only once stepped foot in a club, chose to emigrate here.

When the strobe lights are dimmed and the volume is turned down, it's possible to see Ibiza for what it really is. Visitors in winter really can have their strawberry-topped cupcake and eat it.

TRAVEL FACTS

Sarah Marshall was a guest of Atzaro (www.atzaro.com; +34 971 33 88 38) who offer B&B rooms year-round, from 120 euro in low season. Until March 29, 2015, rooms with breakfast, car hire and a bottle of cava can be booked from 150 euro.

Cheapflights.co.uk offers return flights from London to Ibiza, starting from £59 for travel in November 2014.