*** Ibiza 2017 observations ***

kimajy said:
Probably about 25 minutes if you're flooring it



You'd be surprised how much partying goes on up North :twisted: :lol: It's just not so commercialized and (hate to use the cliche but ...) more "authentic" :lol::lol::lol: ! It's so quick and easy to get to places like Cala Jondal, Cala Tarida, Cala Conta etc. by car I think that's one of the reasons I tend to try to use boats for more inaccessible spots - but if you haven't been driving over there that likely makes a big difference as those places will all be relatively unexplored too. There's plenty of caves and of course Atlantis and Es Vedra etc. none of which can be accessed by land without a big effort, and the great thing with a boat is you can stop in any little cove between the main beaches for a swim or to relax.
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I debated getting a car this year on my trip but a couple things stopped me, 1. I don't want to get pulled over and still have something in my system (very likely) and 2. I have never actually drove a car outside of the UK!! Honestly I'm worried ill end up on the wrong side of the road or going the wrong way round a roundabout!

When you mention the partying still goes on up north is this for the people in the know i.e. private villa party's and so on? I don't have any contacts to get invited so could see myself being rather isolated!

I very much like the idea of a boat because you can look at the island as opposed to looking out from it! Think after next years trip down south I might try exploring the north abit then.
 
aregandj said:
Honestly I'm worried ill end up on the wrong side of the road or going the wrong way round a roundabout!
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Driving while drugged or drunk is the real concern, however dont be put off by diving on the other side of the road.

Where I live (US Virgin Islands), we drive on the left (UK style) with american cars. Where I live is also a touristy island, and people come and rent cars and there is never a head-on collision from going the wrong way. What gets people is that they instinctively look in the wrong direction 1st when turning (if you drive on the left you typically look right), but most sane divers eventually look both ways prior to fully entering traffic. The ones that typically get hit are pedestrians that step blindly into the street looking the wrong way.

The really weird thing was shifting manual transmission with the other hand!!! I have also driven substantially in the US and UK and in my experience you feel awkward until you get into the flow of traffic and then you are fine.

Get a car.
 
Think ill give it a try next year then, on a day where I haven't been on a heavy one the night before!

Any suggestions on places to visit up north if you only have one day with a car?
 
We liked Benirras and Aguas Blancas. Some of the other beaches/villages we stayed for 20 min , looked around and left. There were also some cool caves/cliffs that we found that we were not looking for. We also would just stop and take in the landscapes... smell the wildflowers and the citrus trees.... I would suggest that you just go exploring and see what you find, as that when the really magical moments really occur.

Out of the 10 days last trip, we saw most of the North in about 2 days, and spent the rest of time using the car to facilitate beach access to places we knew and enjoyed in the south. We just find it more useful overall. On a previous trip with no car, we learned the hard way that the last bus leaves Cala Conta at about 6pm... a long walk back to the main road looking for a taxi! That experience was incentive by itself to rent a car!
 
CasaNegron said:
We liked Benirras and Aguas Blancas. Some of the other beaches/villages we stayed for 20 min , looked around and left. There were also some cool caves/cliffs that we found that we were not looking for. We also would just stop and take in the landscapes... smell the wildflowers and the citrus trees.... I would suggest that you just go exploring and see what you find, as that when the really magical moments really occur.

Out of the 10 days last trip, we saw most of the North in about 2 days, and spent the rest of time using the car to facilitate beach access to places we knew and enjoyed in the south. We just find it more useful overall. On a previous trip with no car, we learned the hard way that the last bus leaves Cala Conta at about 6pm... a long walk back to the main road looking for a taxi! That experience was incentive by itself to rent a car!
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I like the idea of that, just drive and see what happens! May have to hire the care for a couple days then, use it one day for the south and the next for the north. This year we had to get a taxi to Cala d'hort and back which cost more than hiring a car for the day would have!! Just have to keep myself away from the booze on those days!
 
Depending on how long you're going for and what time of year it can cost about the same to rent a car for a few days from the airport as for a single day from a town hire office. In most cases for a 3 day trip before peak season for example, the whole hire car bill likely comes out less than a return taxi from the airport to San An. You just have to be sober when you land and sober when you fly home !

aregandj said:
Any suggestions on places to visit up north if you only have one day with a car?
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Where to begin ..... just generally, if you are a nervous driver unless you have an MPV-type car (Juke, Qashqai etc.) stay off the Caminos (dirt roads) down to less accessible beaches until you are more confident dealing with eroded roads and soft dust, and know how to get yourself in and out of them in a smaller car. Cala Xuclar is an example of that.

You can drive around the North for a day and basically miss out on most of what's there to enjoy. My best advice would be to pack a proper pair of trainers and incorporate a walk into your visit that takes you from a starting point such as the Port of San Miquel for example along the coast to the Illa d'es Bosc that is joined to the mainland by an imported stretch of sand. The views are breathtaking and there's even a little bar accessible to visitors only on foot half way along the route in the middle of nowhere. Then stay on for dinner at the best fish restaurant on the island. There are endless others. You can't see much of the North in a day and even less from a car (relaxing though it may be even so driving around up there) but you can definitely get a taste of it.
 
aregandj said:
just drive and see what happens
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This also opens you up to invitations. We ran into a DJ/entertainer that we knew from Dancetrippin (website), I introduced myself and he invited us out to a restaurant where he was performing later that week. Turned out to be a nice dinner party with a an after-hours time party after the restaurant closed.

I would have never taken him up on it without a vehicle.
 
CasaNegron said:
Where I live (US Virgin Islands)
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Whereabouts in USVI CasaNegron ? I've only been to St John - went there for the day from Jost van Dyke with a motorboat and a local skipper and fell in love (with the island :lol:) !
 
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kimajy said:
You can't see much of the North in a day and even less from a car (relaxing though it may be even so driving around up there) but you can definitely get a taste of it
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I would agree. A day or two is enough to get a vibe (from the car). We are actually staying up north for half our upcoming three week trip. I hope to explore a bit more.
 
kimajy said:
Depending on how long you're going for and what time of year it can cost about the same to rent a car for a few days from the airport as for a single day from a town hire office. In most cases for a 3 day trip before peak season for example, the whole hire car bill likely comes out less than a return taxi from the airport to San An. You just have to be sober when you land and sober when you fly home !



Where to begin ..... just generally, if you are a nervous driver unless you have an MPV-type car (Juke, Qashqai etc.) stay off the Caminos (dirt roads) down to less accessible beaches until you are more confident dealing with eroded roads and soft dust, and know how to get yourself in and out of them in a smaller car. Cala Xuclar is an example of that.

You can drive around the North for a day and basically miss out on most of what's there to enjoy. My best advice would be to pack a proper pair of trainers and incorporate a walk into your visit that takes you from a starting point such as the Port of San Miquel for example along the coast to the Illa d'es Bosc that is joined to the mainland by an imported stretch of sand. The views are breathtaking and there's even a little bar accessible to visitors only on foot half way along the route in the middle of nowhere. Then stay on for dinner at the best fish restaurant on the island. There are endless others. You can't see much of the North in a day and even less from a car (relaxing though it may be even so driving around up there) but you can definitely get a taste of it.
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Thanks for the tips, ill make note for next year! I'm quite a confident driver over in the UK so that's not much of a problem, once I get used to it ill be fine.

Seeing as I don't really know of anything that goes on up north I think ill take your advice and do the walk to suggest and just have a little drive around and see what I stumble across.
 
CasaNegron said:
St. Thomas...
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Where the big city is :lol: .. only joking - you are very lucky to live in those parts :cool:.

CasaNegron said:
St. John is a 20 min ferry ride away and Jost is about 30 min. Everything is close here!
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Yeah it's such a nice part of the West Indies ! I had the boat out for 4 consecutive days and got round most of the BVI as well as over to St John in that time with many stops. They picked me up from West End Tortola the first morning, stayed on Jost each night and dropped me back at Beef Island airport on the last day with my luggage. Most special moment was taking a local lobster fisherman out to Little Tobago with us one morning who taught me how to use a snare. I got a free lobster dinner and he got a hefty haul out there. Made a massive impression on me !

 
@kimajy
Its a nice place to live. Unfortunately when you are not on vacation you dont get to enjoy it as often. We get to the BVI on a day-trip maybe 1x per year. We do go to the beach on STT and STJ more frequently.

For me, I would love if the place had some of that Balearic magic. I think that the BVIs are a bit closer, and it may have to do with STT and to a lesser extent STJ being more a cruise ship destination rather than overnight. Also, us Americans tend to be more conservative and do not loosen up as easily, even when away from home :).
 
I saw this discussed a couple weeks ago but what is parking like when driving around the island? Can you kinda just park anywhere you see space for your car?
 
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