Ibiza now has a special place in my little travel heart for sure- beautiful beaches, friendly people, warm weather, music playing everywhere, and most importantly, and an awesome nightlife! What more can you ask for?

This summer, the beau and I were in Barcelona, which is one of my favorite cities. 😀   We checked some flights and when we realized how close we were to Ibiza, we had to go.  Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to check off another item off my 30 before 30 list ! Because of the timing, we were only able to stay for one day/two nights, but next time around, I’m definitely going to shoot for at least a four-day weekend.

I’m proud to say we did fairly well budgeting for this trip – back in college, I was always hesitant on going to Ibiza because of just how expensive I thought it was. Sure, if you don’t book your flights in advance, stay in a luxury villa, and wait until the night of to buy tickets to clubs, it is most definitely expensive. With a little elbow grease and proper planning, I think we did Ibiza right and within a moderate budget. Here are the highlights and tips from my short, but sweet, sweet trip to Ibiza this summer.

(1)    PACHA IBIZA: R3Hab, Steve Aoki, and Benny Benassi were spinning at Pacha, so this was one of the main reasons we made the trek to Ibiza this summer.  Overall, it really wasn’t a production to get in, and if you had tickets (about $60 USD each), they just took them and let you in. I do know it was more expensive if you paid at the door. They didn’t check our IDs or purses. I saw people in there with backpacks(?!) and I saw lots of flasks. Lots and lots of flasks. The drinks are pretty expensive (like 12-15 euros), so I can understand why! The dress code is NOT enforced, and you’ll see people really dressed up and plenty of people really dressed down (flip flops/shorts/tanks…. Backpacks.).   Be prepared – doors open at midnight and the party lasts until dawn. We got there around 1:30AM and the R3Hab was already playing, so I wouldn’t try to get there too late! Here were the set times.

A few others to check out are Amnesia, Privilege and Space as you plan a trip to Ibiza, and definitely buy your tickets in advance.  I strongly suggest downloading the app “BandsinTown” and syncing it with your music, so it can provide you with recommended shows in your area (you can specify “Los Angeles within 20 miles”), and upcoming concerts by your favorite artists or music genre will pop up.  This is definitely how I found out about Sensation in Amsterdam, and that Diplo was in Barcelona.

(2)    RENT A SCOOTER FOR THE DAY: You can rent a scooter to explore the island if you have time. We rented one for the day for 25 euros and found a cool beach to relax on. Gas was relatively inexpensive, make sure you fill up before trekking throughout the island, I didn’t see too many stations.  You can also rent cars or ATV’s/quads! 🙂

(3)   BEACHES: Check out any of the beaches on this island! They’re all gorgeous! If you’re there to check out the clubs and end up staying in Ibiza Town, check these guys out:

Playa den Bossa-right outside of Ibiza town and known for its party atmosphere

Figuertes -right outside of Ibiza Town and there were a lot of locals there)

Es Torrent-15 minute drive from Ibiza Town. This is supposedly a more “ritzy” and quieter beach.

For scuba divers out there, check out Cala Xarraca.  One of the locals told me about it, but we never made it there, it’s over 30 minutes by car from Ibiza Town.

Most are topless beaches, and some are even nude beaches. Consider yourself warned, people can and will let it all hang out…There are family friendly beaches, but you’re going to have to seek those out.

(4)    DISCOVER THE NIGHTLIFE OUTSIDE FROM NIGHTCLUBS: Our second night in Ibiza needed to be more low-key because of our early flight the next day. We started off by walking the streets of Eivissa (Ibiza Town), and the atmosphere was still so lively outside of the club scene! There’s music and conversation everywhere you turn. We found a hookah bar with a full bar and even taught them how to make one of our favorite drinks – Moscow Mules. Every bar found it so interesting to mix vodka and ginger beer together, but this one actually had ginger beer and mixed our drinks for us. It was definitely a common theme for most bars in Spain to be less familiar with mixed drinks if it was not on their menu already.  Every bar was willing to try and put together our concoction, but usually it resulted in a poorly made cocktail.

A lot of the bars are stocked with only a few beers on tap (like Estrella, Cruz Campo, and one other beer), and not a very extensive collection of liquor.  For example, a typical bar would carry a number of gins and dark rum, but a limited selection of vodka.  They usually had Absolut or Stolichnaya, and that’s about it.   If you’re prepared to drink more simple drinks here and you’ll be okay.  *Same goes for food- Americans are accustomed to asking for substitutions, but that doesn’t go over so well in Spain.  This happened whether or not the server spoke English or understood my simple Spanish. *

(5)    GET YOUR FILL OF PAELLA: Even though we came from Barcelona, where the seafood is amazing, the seafood here is also delicious and fresh! I noticed there was a lot more seafood in the mixed paella than when I ate it in Madrid and Valencia, too.   Make sure to specify if you want something de-shelled and de-boned, so all you need to worry about is savoring (and chewing, of course).

HOW TO GET HERE

We booked in advance and went through Vueling (Iberia). There was only one direct flight from Barcelona and one direct flight out to Amsterdam, so we were really pigeonholed into when we got into and left Ibiza. Be considerate of these lower-budget airlines, as they tend to nickel and dime you. Check out my PRO-TIP #4 on traveling in between other countries and cities for a couple considerations when booking your flight, especially with Vueling and Iberia.  With these tips in mind, we saved $150 for two plane tickets.

PRO- TIP: When we were flying within the country of Spain, we didn’t need to check into the desk and therefore, no one weighed our bags (that DEFINITELY exceeded the 10kg weight limit) and we got onto the plane with our huge carry-ons without any issues. Note that what Americans consider as normal carry-on size looks about three times the size of European carry-on bags. If the airline is a real stickler, they will ask you to try and fit your carry-on into the “Carry-on Checkers” located near the airline counters or by the departure gate.

When traveling from Ibiza to Amsterdam, we had to check into the counter because it was an international flight and the airline was more aware of our carry-ons and made us weigh them both. They were both clearly overweight, and cost a pretty penny (35 euros EACH) to check. If you’re that worried about your carry-on, just pay the checked bag fee in advance online, and it’s usually half that price. Or just make sure no one sees and weighs your carry-on at the counter…

ACCOMMODATIONS

When seeking accommodations, naturally, as a loyal Hilton member, I checked for the best Hilton points could buy. We couldn’t find any Hilton hotel in Ibiza, so ended up looking for alternatives such as renting a house through AirBnb or another hotel. Most hotels ran around $650/night, and the houses for rent were fairly reasonable but seemed like such a waste of space, and we ended up choosing this hotel, and couldn’t have been happier.

HOTEL NAUTICO EBESO(Ramón Muntaner, 44 07800 Figueretes – Ibiza): We ended up staying in Ibiza Town (Eivissa), which is the biggest city on this island. There’s tons of restaurants, shops, and hotels in this area. Pacha is in Ibiza Town, too, so this hotel’s location was perfect. We found a good deal on hotels.com (room was like $215/night versus the average $650/night for surrounding hotels). We were initially skeptical of the significant price difference, but read some reviews and decided to give it a shot.  Worst case, we’d be spending most of our time on the beach or going out.  In any event, we were so, so happy with our decision! It was reasonably priced, and had a bunch of restaurants within walking distance. Also, the view from our room was incredible. Sometime to note is the “king bed” was actually just two twin beds stuck together, so be careful not to fall through! Wifi is not included and can be purchased for 6 euros for daily use on one device. Since we were so close to restaurants, we just ate there and got their wifi codes – free wifi! Also, there is no ice machine and you will have to scrounge for ice at their bar or get ice elsewhere. Otherwise, a very clean hotel in a convenient location. Next time, I’m definitely going to consider renting a house, especially if I plan on staying a little longer, but this was a good find.

Check out some reviews here.

Next Time, Ibiza…

Next time I go to Ibiza, I’m definitely planning on staying for at least 4-5 days. There’s more beaches to discover, sunsets to watch, and nightlife to enjoy. Also, I definitely need to visit the Sky Lounge at Ushuaia Beach Hotel  for a gorgeous view of Playa d’en Bossa (just east of the Ibiza airport) and go cliff diving at the “secret” beach – Atlantis. Check out this video I stumbled across!

OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS AND TRAVEL TIPS

> Traveled there in early July – perfect sunny weather

> Pack your camera – the island is so gorgeous!

> Don’t take selfies- everyone is really friendly! Ask them!

> Buy tickets to the nightclubs in advance if you can plan ahead.

> Don’t worry about waking up late – the sun doesn’t set until 9:30PM. You have plenty of time to catch some rays.

> Pick up free wifi at restaurants, and don’t forget to load your maps over wifi so you can access them remotely.

> The scooter rental places I checked out open at 9A and close at 7P. Free parking is designated with the white lines- don’t park in any other color. Parking was a little difficult to find, too. Factor this into your trip when picking up and dropping off.

>Download BandsinTown app on your phone to check out local concerts in the area.

> And don’t forget…

BUEN VIAJE! xo