As an American, I am extremely late to the Ibiza game. According to recent data, only 5.2% of Ibiza visitors are American, with the bulk of non-Spanish tourists coming from the UK (21.9%), Germany (14.7%), Italy (13.6%) and France (11.4%).
Not once in my late teens/early 20s did I feel the pull (like everyone under 25 in Europe and the UK, it seems) to follow a famous DJ to la Isla Blanca (the White Island) and party until 6am. Maybe Montreal stood in for Ibiza at this time in my life. So when Bill announced last year that he wants to visit Ibiza before he turns 50, we added it to the start of our Euro Summer itinerary. A quick 48-hour trip just to say we’ve been.
One of the first things I did was try to understand the allure and lore of Ibiza. Why do people love it? How did it get this reputation as a party island? Was there anything else on the island other than clubs? I tore through Mr Pikes: The Story Behind the Ibiza Legend, an autobiography of Tony Pike, the owner of Pikes (legendary hotel/restaurant/bar) and someone who was on the ground in Ibiza when it morphed from a hippie enclave to a hedonistic paradise in the 1980s. I learned a few things rather quickly: 1) there’s so much more to Ibiza than clubs, 2) there is no right age or wrong age to visit Ibiza, and 3) 48 hours wasn’t going to be enough time to scratch the surface of Ibiza.
But the itinerary was locked and the onward flights to Nice were booked, so a quick 2-night trip was all that was in the cards for this trip.
Check In
With a too-short 48-hour itinerary, we decided to stay at Montesol Experimental in Dalt Villa, aka the old town. A quick 10-15 min taxi from the airport and an even shorter ride to the beaches and clubs of Playa d’en Bossa, Dalt Villa is a good base for a first timer’s trip to Ibiza. Montesol was a design-forward hotel with a cool rooftop restaurant/bar (with DJ of course) and a great breakfast outside on the plaza in the mornings. It’s a five minute walk to a bunch of cute shops and restaurants, as well as the ferries that take you to Formentera. For our next trip, I want to split my time between the legendary Pikes and another spot in the northeast of the island.
Eat Like It’s An Olympic Sport
Can Gourmet Eivissa: Recommended by Dua Lipa, this affordable sandwich spot pairs meat & cheese packed bocadillos with local wine.
TKO Tacos: Another affordable spot serving up 1€ tacos and 5€ frozen passionfruit margaritas.
El Zaguan: This is a casual restaurant with sidewalk seating and very cheerful service.
Puerto Fino: Upscale grill restaurant with great cocktails.
Drink Like A Local
La Spritzeria: I don’t think you’d spot an actual local here, but I can’t deny myself an Aperol Spritz so this spot dedicated to spritz towers of all shapes, sizes, colors and flavors makes the list.
The Montesol Rooftop: A quiet, vibey spot with a DJ and views of the city.
Where to Caffeinate
One Cup Lab: Espresso drinks and bakery items, the usual.
Shop Around
I’m a sucker for good merch and Dalt Villa has all of the club merch stores packed together, so whether you’re looking for bathing suits & bandanas featuring the cherries of Pacha or a soccer jersey adorned with the birds of Ushuaia, the club stores are going to deliver. My only beef with the club merch is that there were so many kids clothing options but zero merch for dogs. What a miss! The streets behind the marina are all packed with independent shops selling linen shirts, bikinis, souvenirs, sunglasses and more. Sounds very cheap and touristy but almost every shop is unique and stylish, so not cringey at all.
Stalk the Stylish Locals
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Snapshots from guided hikes all around Ibiza to hidden lagoons and swimming holes.
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Athena Calderone started coming to Ibiza with her DJ husband like 20+ years ago and returns every summer.
Take a Break from Eating & Drinking
Clubbing: Despite being 44 and 49, we knew we wanted to get a taste of the party side of Ibiza so we dedicated one full night of hitting the clubs. Our clubbing itinerary ended up following this trajectory: beginner -> intermediate -> advanced. We kicked things off around 7pm at Ushuaia, an outdoor venue where the planes land overhead and the headliner DJ plays 9-11pm (roughly). I’d consider this beginner-level Ibiza. The sun is still shining while the DJs play and you could (if you wanted to) be in bed by midnight after a night at Ushuaia. After Ushuaia, we took a late dinner break nearby and then walked over to HI across the street. HI really doesn’t get going until 2-3am so things were pretty tame when we were there from 1-3am, even the DJ set in the co-ed bathroom. At this point in the night, this was intermediate-level clubbing. Serious music/DJs but a chill crowd. Next, we dialed it up to advanced by grabbing a cab inland to UNVRS around 3am for the Carl Cox opening party. Previously home to famous Ibiza clubs Ku Club and Privilege, UNRVS is a megaclub with a ton of rooms/spaces that sits inland between the Playa d’en Bossa clubs like Ushuaia and HI and the port town of San Antonio. They even have a burger restaurant because most people end up spending 6 hours there and it’s in the middle of nowhere. Though we didn’t make it ’til sunset (when they roll up the windows behind the DJ and the sun spills into the club), we did get a taste for the advanced club life.
Hiking: Hit up Ibiza Hike Station for a custom guided hike to explore the natural beauty of the island.
Getting on a Boat: Hire a boat to take you around the island for the day to hit beaches only accessible from the sea, or take the ferry over to Formentera for the day.
Worth a Detour
El Chiringuito: A 20-minute taxi ride past the famous Ibiza salt flats where white flamingoes live, this beach club/restaurant is insanely expensive (I think a chicken salad sandwich was 55€ but sometimes you have to ball out and this is a beautiful place to do it. We made beach bed reservations about a month in advance. Other beach clubs that require advance bookings are Blue Marlin (easy to get a booking) and Jondal (nearly impossible).
Formentera: As the smallest of the four Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca & Ibiza), Formentera a 30-minute ferry from Dalt Villa.
Casa Maca: Sunset dinner of open fire , farm-to-table cooking in the mountains above Dalt Villa.
Pikes: Legendary Ibiza institution with a strict 27+ age requirement and No Photos policy.
Cala Gracioneta: Small beach cove and restaurant on the west side of the island.
