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Ibiza Holidays
Ibiza is beaches day and night. Great for action at night and relaxing in the daytime! |
Ibiza is beaches day and night. Great for action at night and relaxing in the daytime!
Tourist information about Ibiza in Spain. Travel to Ibiza and let Spain-Holiday.com guide and accommodate you |
General Background
Ibiza is one of the five Balearic Islands off the Western coast of Spain - best known, of course, for its year-round sun, sea, sand, sex and whole-hearted embracing of the all-night and all-day beach party. Every summer the place is mobbed by the beautiful and the young from all over the world, each searching for the ultimate in hedonistic fun-in-the-sun. The innovative music scene in Ibiza has been so influential that its trademark genre of chilled-out dance music has come to be known as ‘Balearic House’, and the place has made superstars out of previously anonymous DJs who have now been catapulted to celebrity status. What began as small bars and underground clubs have spawned whole empires, and international club nights such as Manumission and Miss Moneypennys are now global brandnames.
Although the island’s huge tourist industry is geared unashamedly towards these 18-30 ‘up for it’ types, Ibiza does in fact have a lot to offer families and the less nocturnally-minded visitor. For those who manage to tear themselves away from the intoxicating atmosphere of the beach resorts and 24 hour parties (or who wouldn’t dream of ever finding themselves there in the first place), there is a wealth of history and culture to be found in the interior of the island and also in the ancient capital city of Eivissa - Ibiza Town.
Clubs
The clubbing scene in Ibiza is now a huge business – some of the venues are among the largest, most flamboyantly impressive clubs in the world and every summer they attract top celebs and the best DJ’s on the planet. Massive multinational superclubs such as Cream and Pacha rule the roost, but there are plenty of smaller venues which play more experimental music to a varied but consistently energetic and enthusiastic crowd. Whether you are looking for blissed-out beats on a lazy sunny afternoon or eardrum shattering techno at 5 in the morning you’ll be able to find it in Ibiza. Just remember that things don’t kick off till about 1am at the earliest and then keep on going right through the night, so don’t start too early or you’ll be asleep before sunrise. One of the classic Ibiza experiences is dancing ‘al fresco’ to great music as the dawn breaks and a new day of unadulterated fun begins. Also note that many of the clubs in Ibiza have considerable door charges, and you should budget for this when planning your holiday – you don’t want to miss out on anything because you haven’t brought enough cash. Lastly, bring your most glamorous and outlandish costumes to wear – this is the place to see and be seen, where anything goes and you’ll never look weirder than the guy dancing next to you.
Everyone has their favourite nightclub and, although they are all great fun and offer a clubbing experience you won’t find anywhere else in the world, I would have to say that my choice would be KM5 on the South coast of the island near San Jose. It started life as a fairly small bar-cum-club, but that is all changing and many predict that this is another ‘superclub’ in the making. KM5 attracts the more sophisticated and older clubbers on the island who prefer to leave the overhyped, generic staples to the teeny boppers (although you might be forgiven for thinking that KM5 had returned to its former incarnation as a brothel after glimpsing the decidedly unsophisticated antics of some visitors hidden amongst the tropical vegetation). Its main attraction, other than great music and a secluded out-of-the-way situation, is the beautiful garden which has been transformed into a haven for those wanting to while away the hours in hammocks slung up between Moroccan-style tents and luxurious scatter cushions. Spend a whole afternoon here, sampling the great food on offer and preparing yourself for a night on the dancefloor.
Beaches
After all that manic partying, you need to know where to go and chill out during the day. Remember to bring your sunglasses, although nowadays they’re more de rigeur on the club terrace at sunrise than on the beach at midday. Ibiza has some truly beautiful beaches and they are also among the cleanest in the Mediterranean, with the Balearics usually picking up prestigious Blue Flags from the EU Commission for the Environment. Although some of them have been spoiled by ugly high-rise hotel developments and overcrowding, there are still some little gems hidden away which you will share with only a handful of people, particularly if you go out of season or venture up to the north of the island. I would particularly recommend Benirras, Agua Blanca and Las Salinas beaches, but each has its own individual character and atmosphere and it is worth trying a few out before you decide where you’re going to perfect that golden tan.
For a mellow beach vibe in the north of the island try:
Cala de Benirras – perhaps the most famous beach on the north coast, a favourite with the hippy contingent who accompany the beautiful sunsets with bongo drumming.
Cala de Portinax and the nearby Cala Xarraca
Agua Blanca – if you don’t mind the odd bit of nudity
Cala de San Vincente
In the East you will find a mixture of family and full-on party beaches:
Playa das Canar – home to the Wednesday hippy market
Playa de S’Eularia – Canar and Eularia are both quite family-orientated beaches
Playa Talmanga
Playa d’en Bossa – lays claim to being the longest beach on Ibiza, and home to the notorious free beach party ‘Bora Bora’, but somewhat spoiled by tourist development.
In the South there’s a wide variety of moods and scenery :
Playa des Cavallet – Ibiza’s official nudist beach with big dunes and a big gay scene
Playa das Salinas – dubbed by many the best beach on the island and it’s easy to see why; long stretch of white sand, great bars and food, good watersports and a trendy crowd
Cala Jondal – for a bit of quiet during the day
Cala d’Hort – another chilled out beach with great views of Es Vedra island
In the West, always a good bet for a romantic sunset or two:
Cala Salada – set in a beautiful cove and perfect for watching a peaceful sunset
Cala Conta – a group of beaches with good watersports, snorkelling and bars
If you’re getting annoyed with that sand-between-your-toes-and-in-your-sandwiches feeling, then you could always make your way to one of Ibiza’s waterparks, which also have the advantage of great slides, wave machines, changing rooms, showers and safe children’s play areas. Two of the biggest are Aguamar in Platja d’en Bossa and Agialandia in Cap Martinet, which are both open every day in the summer from 10am – 6pm and are not too expensive.
Sport
For the insane among you to want to do sport on your holidays (As if dancing for hours every night wasn’t enough) there are plenty of options in Ibiza:
Horseriding – Hire horses from a number of stables and explore the island that way
Golf – The 27 hole Club de Golf Ibiza is situated in Santa Eulalia
Diving – There are numerous dive centres at San Antonio, Portinatx and Cala Vadella, offering dives for both experienced and beginner divers.
Tennis – there are some very swanky sports clubs in Ibiza which have top-rate tennis courts such as the Ahmara Sport & Social Centre, Club de Campo & Club Can Jordi. These clubs also offer other facilties such as badminton & squash, gyms and pools.
The Gay Scene
The gay scene has been very influential in making Ibiza the partyzone that it is today and the relaxed atmosphere that established itself in the swinging 60’s has appealed to gay holidaymakers ever since. Such is the influence of Gay Culture on the island that Ibiza has come to be known as the ‘Pink Island’, rather than its normal epithet the ‘White Island’ (which refers to the typical architecture found all over the island). In the Sa Penya district of Ibiza Town you will find many gay bars, particularly at the end of Calle Mare de Deu or Calle Virgen. The big clubs such as Pacha and Privilege regularly host gay nights which attract a mixture of clientele and I would recommend that everyone goes to at least one just to experience the friendly but outrageous atmosphere and great costumes that the gay community has become renowned for.
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