Ibiza | mysite

A Beautiful trip to Ibiza and Formentera

When we think of Ibiza, the first thing that comes to mind is "PARTYING". Well if you also thought like us, you're in for a surprise. There is much more to this Balearic island located off of the coast of Spain. We found out about it on our last trip to Ibiza last summer. We had such a great time last time that we went again this year. There is so much more to do in this tropical paradise beyond the partying, even though it is considered world’s party capital.

So this trip to Ibiza was to replace the carribean islands we are used to visiting living in North America. But to be honest, we didn't really think of going to Ibiza to enjoy the beaches, because we didn't really expect anything out of the beaches in the Mediterranean compared to the ones in Carribean. Again, if you thought the same, then you need to visit Ibiza ASAP. This trip completely changed our mind and way of thinking about Ibiza. I initially thought I will not find any families on this island of Party. That this island only welcomes the drug addicts and party animals, and that's it!

Again, completely wrong! We saw many families full of kids, older people, couples, all kinds of people. WOW. Just wow, this island has a bad reputation for those wanting to travel to Ibiza with family. This place reminded us of the Carribean beaches, which is great! Thats exactly what we wanted but didnt expect anything even close to those beaches in the Carribean, yet we enjoyed bathing and snorkeling in several beaches of Ibiza and Formentera.

Ok let's get started on our trip

Day 1

Getting out of the airport, going to the hotel

The Ibiza island is not that big, therefore everything is accessible by walk, bus, or ferry, you can even rent moped, depending on what you are planning to do on the trip. When we reached the airport, we were just eager to get to our hotel, so we went ahead with a cab, which costed us roughly 30 euros to our hotel. As soon as we got to the hotel, like WOW, a beautiful carribean like beach right in front of us the whole time! We were basically in a hotel where all the rooms were facing the beach and it was just SO pretty! It is really nice to go to a country not expecting anything special, because when you get there, it just completely changes your trip, in a better way of course!

So, of course we just left our bags in the room and went for the beach. We went to the cafe closest to the beach and ordered our virgin drinks. And just sat there to sink in all the nice vibes of the island. It was amazing, we got there in the afternoon, so it gave us time to chill and eat, and of course bathe in the beach!

Tip: I believe that all hotels are usually located on the beach, but still just make sure you hotels room is facing the beach, because believe me it pays off! We stayed at San Antonio Bay, which was just perfect. There are buses from the airport, different timings for different areas, which will cost you a 10th of the price if you were to go with a cab. But if you want to head to the port of Ibiza, then you can take the bus No 10 that runs every 15 minutes in the summer, for winter, you can check ibizabus.com. So just make sure to check online for Ibiza buses schedules for all the other buses running to different areas.

View from our room

Cafe Del Mar

Then after enjoying the beach and the heat, we made our way to the famous Cafe Del Mar which is the most famous cafe of the island on the sunset strip! We were headed there for the sunset, but we stayed too long on the beach and we were late so we caught the sunset by ferry going to the sunset strip. It is located at San Antonio de Portmany, with other cafes all next to each other. This was the very first cafe opened at the sunset strip, that is why it is so popular. When you are in ibiza make sure to go there! So right next to cafe Del Mar there is Cafe Mambo, and this time we were actually really lucky we caught Nick F. actually spinning at café Mambo!

Tip: Try going there earlier, because it gets packed very fast even before sunset. If you are on a budget, I would say to buy your drinks at the supermarket, and just sit by the water, and you can still hear the music in the back, with your drinks, closer to the ocean, and all this for a fraction of the cost of sitting at a cafe. For going back to your hotel, it is very simple, if you are staying in San Antonio bay, you just take the ferry across to San antonio de Portmany.

Day 2

Cala Conta, Cafe del Mar and David Guetta

Early in the morning we woke up again, hit the beach, and ate at the restaurant of the hotel. But today, we had another beach planned to go to, the beach Cala Conta. So we took the bus there and the way back, spending the whole day at this beach. In the evening, we decided to catch the sunset at Cafe Del Mar since we had missed it the night before. Well, we caught it this time, since we went quiet early as you can see in the pictures. We also wanted to check out San antoni de Portmany is the day time. And later after the sunset, we stuck around a bit at the sunset strip and then made our way to Playa D'en Bossa for a party with David Guetta at Ushuaia, and then cabbed it back. It was fun!!

Tip: I recommend going to this beach, even though your hotel might already be on the beach. Cala Comta is one of the nicest beaches in Ibiza, and that is why it gets packed really fast here. So try to go to the beach as early as possible. We got there in the afternoon, and the place was really packed.

The Egg in the port of Sant Antoni

Day 3

Ibiza Port and Armin Van Buuren

We woke up fresh this morning, considering we stayed at the party of David Guetta for about 2 hours. Just like everyday, we chilled at the beach all day. Today, we had planned to visit the Ibiza port later in the day. Right after visiting the port of Ibiza, and having a nice meal there, we headed to Ushuaia to catch another party and this time Armin Van Buuren at Ushuaia again. He really interacts with his fans while spinning so it was quiet fun! You can see in the video below, and you'll know what I am talking about.

Tip: The port of Ibiza is very nice. You can catch a good meal in any of the restaurants there. And there is so much life there in the evening. So if you get bored staying at the beach and hotel all day, this is where you need to head for some action!

Day 4

Formentera

Today we had planned a full day for Formentera. We had caught the Aquabus ferry from the port of Ibiza that takes you in about 40 minutes to Formentera. We caught the ferry at 12 pm.

Ok, like WOW, you start seeing the difference of color in the water as you start approaching the island a littel bit. You can see it a bit in the video below. Once we reached Formentera, we caught a bus that took us to Playa Illetes. We wanted to do this beach, since this really is one of the best ones in Formentera, with white sand stretching as far as the eye can see, and the one that has the closest touch of Carribean! If you go to Ibiza, you HAVE to go to Formentera because the beaches are a lot prettier than in Ibiza. The water is SO clear it is just so beautiful and shallow, you can really far and still have just your feet under the water! In summer Playa Illetes is perhaps the busiest of all Formentera's beaches, since it is the closest to the port and easier to reach! Our bus was completely packed compared to all other buses that take you to other beaches in the area. We had our lunch in the restaurant...

But here is the best part, the beach has two sides!! We stayed in one spot for a bit and then I took a stroll to check what else is around, and there was the other BETTER side of the beach! Don't just stay near the entrance of the beach when you get there, walk until you find the other side. We had our snorkeling equipment with us, but we didn't see any special fishes in the water, perhaps because water is too shallow. For lunch, we had food from a nearby restaurant, I can't recall the name, but there is not a big selection in terms of restaurants, so I would suggest just eating anywhere. We found food to be quiet cheap in Ibiza, but then again maybe we are comparing it to Switzerland, Yikes!

Tip: You can book your ride with them online, but honestly, you dont need to do that, we just bought our tickets right on the spot from the guy on the boat.

So basically we went back to Ibiza a second time because the first time we didn't get a chance to go to Formentera. And it was worth it going back specifically for Formentera. You can even stay in Formentera, we were going to, bus then we still wanted to be close to the action of Ibiza town and the port. Formentera's hotels are quiet expensive as well, since the island is a lot smaller than Ibiza, so less space. So if you are on a budget, I will definitely not recommend you to stay in Formentera. I mean besides, you are literally a boat ride away!

Where we stayed

We stayed in the Hotel Club S'Estanyol. We really liked it because of the convinience. The ferry is right on the beach for this hotel, and the beach on the hotel is quiet nice! I would recommend you to stay here and this is my authentic review as I am not affiliated with this hotel at all.

Other accomodation options

If you are going there for just the parties, then I would highly recommend you to stay in Playa d'en Bossa, because you will be so close to the clubs that you can easily just take buses to go back and forth, instead of the expensive taxis. If you are on a budget, then I will definitely recommends hotels in Sant Antoni de Portmany.

Other activities

There are so many more activities to choose from. It all depends what you are going for. Some people will come only for the parties and to chill on the beach. Us, we went for a bit of both, but mainly Formentera this time around. So, we went for the beaches.

Water sports

There are so many water excursions available to do here. You can go for skyborading, sea doo boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, jet ski etc.

Rent a moped

Rent a moped for as little as 35 euros a day and see the whole island at your own pace. We travelled a lot by bus on our trip a total of 4 hours of our trip dedicated to bus rides, totally wasted, moped really is the way to go if you want the most for the least.

Can Marca caves

Visit the Can Marca cavs in Puerto San Miguel. If you like to go fo other excursions than the ones in the water, this cave one would be awesome, something different to do.

Boat parties

There are so many boat parties you can join, and most of them have drinks for free or a small fee on the boat.

Budget trips for the shoetring traveller

Camp

This is a very good way to save money and still experience all the fun the island has to offer. For as little as 15 euros you can get a tent for two per night! That is a deal with all the luxury available, shwers, direct access to beach, parking, wifi, etc, like what else is needed with that type of price tag? Some of the campsites worth stauing at; Camping La Playa - Cala Martina, camping Es Cana, camping Cala Bassa, Glamping and Yoga.

Rent a moped

Save time and money on your trip, and rent a moped, you are truly going to save so much hassle and time on your vacation. The prices are really affordable for what they offer.

Stay in apartments-cook at home

There are numerous appartments on AirBNB listed for Ibiza. Here, you save on your stay and food. If you pick up something at the market and cook at home, you can save a substantial amount.

Take the bus

If you really cannot rent a moped, then stick with the bus, because the taxis tend to be very expensive.

Have a picnic

For sunset, people just buy something from the supermarket and head to the Sunset strip. This is great option if you want to save money and yet still feel like you are in the party zone. There will be music behind you and the ocean even closer than the ones sitting at the cafés, how better can it get?

Have a drink away from the ocean

Another great option for saving money, would be to have drinks just off the waterfront to save about 50%! The bar and restaurants with a direct view to the ocean, will always charge you a premium for it.

Shopping in the South

There is a flea market on Saturdays where you can find cheap stuff like stalls selling clothes, furniture and bric-a-brac.

Have you ever been to Ibiza? I would love to hear about your experience there! Scroll down to leave a comment!

Eat.Play.

Explore