missflorida
New Member
It's taken me two weeks to get off my lazy ass and write a review so here goes!
Second time to Ibiza in less than a year- first time was September 2008 for the closing parties. What a difference July vs. September is! First, I actually felt like I was at a beachy destination this time. The weather was PERFECT, not one drop of rain, no clouds, and the heat was just as good as it is here in Florida. I know there is always debate about whether or not to go for the closing parties, or during regular season. I found our two big club nights out just as amazing and packed as the closing parties were. However, I guess it would depend on what kind of line up you will get out of a closing parties as far as the DJs go.
WED JULY 14th/15th: Flew from Tampa to Philadelphia to Barcelona to Ibiza. Almost missed the flight to Ibiza and came to blows with my friend in BCN due to leaving carry on bag on the inter-terminal connection bus. Finally made it to IBZ and we were friends again. Checked into Fiesta Hotel Playa D'en Bossa, second time at this hotel. Last year we had the oceanfront rooms at the very end of the hall, this time we were three from the end. If you stay at this hotel, do not worry about going for that oceanfront room because the other rooms are BIGGER, WAY BIGGER! We were pleasantly surprised about that!
Didn't do much of anything this day - just made our way to Bora Bora for a bit. This was hysterical actually, after being up for almost 28 hours my friend and I played the most exhaustive game of charades with two Italian boys who spoke no English. Between limited Spanish on both sides, lots of hand gestures, and lots of pretending to understand, we ended up leaving early and got caught up on our sleep.
THUR JULY 16th: Formentera! Yay, we wanted to go last year but it was cold and raining in September. Being at PDB was so easy to get the boat. The hotel sold tickets for the Ulises Cat, which departs down on the beach beyond where Bora Bora is (maybe 10 minutes more walk) and the prices was 25 Euro round trip. This was easier than getting the taxi to Ibiza Town. Left at 10 am - the trip was 35 minutes. When you pull up to La Savina, they have busses ready to take you to the different beaches. The price was 6 Euros round trip - we went to Illetes beach. The problem with this beach is that it is up this long dirt road, they have little golf carts that will drive you back and forth but they aren't there all the time. Also, the main bus only comes back at certain times, and doesn't run continuously! The beach was wonderful but we didn't want to stay all day, so ended up taking a taxi back to the port to wait for the boat. The port is not much going on there, just got some lunch and fell asleep at a construction site before getting back on the boat. It was a nice trip and I'm glad I saw it. Oh, beware the restaurants at that beach - WAY OVERPRICED! Not worth it! Go eat at the port or bring food with you!
This night we met up with some other spotlighters and went to Cream @ Amnesia. Payed the extra 20 Euros for VIP (bought on Spotlight) and it was worth it! I really loved having the direct view of Paul Van Dyk from the balcony and it was not crowded up there. Last year we went to People From Ibiza closing party. The vibe and the look was different this time, both were great though. I was surprised though that PVD went on about 2:5 AM, I thought it would have been later! He played a good mix of current and classic, and even debuted a new song (with the singer there, sorry can't think of it right now!). Oh, they totally did NOT search our bags here (everyone walked right in), I took tons of pictures and videos, and the taxi line at 6 am was long but well organized and speedy.
FRI JULY 17th: Got up at 1 pm, walked around PDB, got some lunch (why is pizza so much better in Europe?) Went looking for SuperMarxte flyers/deals since we had not previously purchased and wanted to check out Privilege on this trip. We couldn't find any, but saw tons of wristbands for free entry to Space being given out. Finally bought the tickets at Tantra restaurant, right near Space. 30 Euros per person. They said that if we wanted to go to Pacha the next night for Defected, to come back and ask for the "Girl Special" - 80 Euros for two tickets, vs. 60 Euros each at the door.
Privilege for some reason just wasn't what I expected. Yes, it is HUGE, but I kind of expected it to be bigger?? 8) The pool in the middle was cool at first glance, but then I thought that it kind of makes a disconnect between the stage, the DJ and the rest of the club. When the show finally started (4 AM! - WTF) the dancefloor moved over the pool and covered that up a bit so that was cool. Now, the show was definitley like no other I have ever seen at a club. Huge, Vegas style! Very well done- Asian themed! The DJ was playing some AWESOME AWESOME house music too. But when the show starts you can see how everyone stops to watch! Didn't stay too late, left around 5. I really hated the entrance/exit of this club-I thought it was disorganized as to what line you need to stand in. They need to revise that.
SAT JULY 18th: This was the day I realized that if I bought a Starbucks franchise, I would put it at PDB. Seriously, I really need a BIG coffee, not those capuccino/cafe con leche small things. And why don't hotels have coffee makers in the rooms?
Anyways, after finally ending that quest, met up with the Spotlighters again and we drove out to Cala Bassa near San An. Awesome beach! Wavy - almost looked like you surf there. It was 18 Euros to rent 2 sun chairs and an umbrella. They have plenty of people walking around selling beer and soda from buckets for cheap. After the beach, headed to Bora Bora for a bit - they had it open to the beach and the place was really busy, this was around 6 pm. Since we had no plans for this night, we grabbed a wrist band here for Hed Kandi at Space, just in case.
Ok, so we ended up at Hed Kandi. The deal with the wristband is, pay 15 Euros before 11 pm, or get a 5 Euro discount off the regular price (I think it was 35 or 40) after 11 pm. So we were there at 10:55, and some of the first people in the door. UGH. I knew what to expect with Hed Kandi because we mistakenly went last year at El Divino. The music was a bit better this time, and the room looked nicely decorated. But, this just isn't my cup of tea. Actually, no one was feeling this. We left around midnight. Note to self: do not invest in Hed Kandi for 3rd trip to Ibiza. So after leaving, we went and chilled for quite some time at Tantra. That place was pretty busy and a nice atmosphere. Just tell the waitress that you want the "2 for 1" special on drinks. It worked!
SUN JULY 19th: Chilled by the pool and didn't do much else! Fully intended to go to The Sands and Ushaia but extreme laziness was in effect and we didn't make it to either.
I'm really mad about this one because our hotel is RIGHT THERE!! Dang it. Ok, next time.
Well, that's it! On Monday we flew to Prague and spent a few days there, then Vienna then Budapest.
If you would like to watch a short video I put together of my trip to Ibiza, then check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pXB2r6p4Kw
Thanks for reading this review!
Second time to Ibiza in less than a year- first time was September 2008 for the closing parties. What a difference July vs. September is! First, I actually felt like I was at a beachy destination this time. The weather was PERFECT, not one drop of rain, no clouds, and the heat was just as good as it is here in Florida. I know there is always debate about whether or not to go for the closing parties, or during regular season. I found our two big club nights out just as amazing and packed as the closing parties were. However, I guess it would depend on what kind of line up you will get out of a closing parties as far as the DJs go.
WED JULY 14th/15th: Flew from Tampa to Philadelphia to Barcelona to Ibiza. Almost missed the flight to Ibiza and came to blows with my friend in BCN due to leaving carry on bag on the inter-terminal connection bus. Finally made it to IBZ and we were friends again. Checked into Fiesta Hotel Playa D'en Bossa, second time at this hotel. Last year we had the oceanfront rooms at the very end of the hall, this time we were three from the end. If you stay at this hotel, do not worry about going for that oceanfront room because the other rooms are BIGGER, WAY BIGGER! We were pleasantly surprised about that!
Didn't do much of anything this day - just made our way to Bora Bora for a bit. This was hysterical actually, after being up for almost 28 hours my friend and I played the most exhaustive game of charades with two Italian boys who spoke no English. Between limited Spanish on both sides, lots of hand gestures, and lots of pretending to understand, we ended up leaving early and got caught up on our sleep.
THUR JULY 16th: Formentera! Yay, we wanted to go last year but it was cold and raining in September. Being at PDB was so easy to get the boat. The hotel sold tickets for the Ulises Cat, which departs down on the beach beyond where Bora Bora is (maybe 10 minutes more walk) and the prices was 25 Euro round trip. This was easier than getting the taxi to Ibiza Town. Left at 10 am - the trip was 35 minutes. When you pull up to La Savina, they have busses ready to take you to the different beaches. The price was 6 Euros round trip - we went to Illetes beach. The problem with this beach is that it is up this long dirt road, they have little golf carts that will drive you back and forth but they aren't there all the time. Also, the main bus only comes back at certain times, and doesn't run continuously! The beach was wonderful but we didn't want to stay all day, so ended up taking a taxi back to the port to wait for the boat. The port is not much going on there, just got some lunch and fell asleep at a construction site before getting back on the boat. It was a nice trip and I'm glad I saw it. Oh, beware the restaurants at that beach - WAY OVERPRICED! Not worth it! Go eat at the port or bring food with you!
This night we met up with some other spotlighters and went to Cream @ Amnesia. Payed the extra 20 Euros for VIP (bought on Spotlight) and it was worth it! I really loved having the direct view of Paul Van Dyk from the balcony and it was not crowded up there. Last year we went to People From Ibiza closing party. The vibe and the look was different this time, both were great though. I was surprised though that PVD went on about 2:5 AM, I thought it would have been later! He played a good mix of current and classic, and even debuted a new song (with the singer there, sorry can't think of it right now!). Oh, they totally did NOT search our bags here (everyone walked right in), I took tons of pictures and videos, and the taxi line at 6 am was long but well organized and speedy.
FRI JULY 17th: Got up at 1 pm, walked around PDB, got some lunch (why is pizza so much better in Europe?) Went looking for SuperMarxte flyers/deals since we had not previously purchased and wanted to check out Privilege on this trip. We couldn't find any, but saw tons of wristbands for free entry to Space being given out. Finally bought the tickets at Tantra restaurant, right near Space. 30 Euros per person. They said that if we wanted to go to Pacha the next night for Defected, to come back and ask for the "Girl Special" - 80 Euros for two tickets, vs. 60 Euros each at the door.
Privilege for some reason just wasn't what I expected. Yes, it is HUGE, but I kind of expected it to be bigger?? 8) The pool in the middle was cool at first glance, but then I thought that it kind of makes a disconnect between the stage, the DJ and the rest of the club. When the show finally started (4 AM! - WTF) the dancefloor moved over the pool and covered that up a bit so that was cool. Now, the show was definitley like no other I have ever seen at a club. Huge, Vegas style! Very well done- Asian themed! The DJ was playing some AWESOME AWESOME house music too. But when the show starts you can see how everyone stops to watch! Didn't stay too late, left around 5. I really hated the entrance/exit of this club-I thought it was disorganized as to what line you need to stand in. They need to revise that.
SAT JULY 18th: This was the day I realized that if I bought a Starbucks franchise, I would put it at PDB. Seriously, I really need a BIG coffee, not those capuccino/cafe con leche small things. And why don't hotels have coffee makers in the rooms?
Anyways, after finally ending that quest, met up with the Spotlighters again and we drove out to Cala Bassa near San An. Awesome beach! Wavy - almost looked like you surf there. It was 18 Euros to rent 2 sun chairs and an umbrella. They have plenty of people walking around selling beer and soda from buckets for cheap. After the beach, headed to Bora Bora for a bit - they had it open to the beach and the place was really busy, this was around 6 pm. Since we had no plans for this night, we grabbed a wrist band here for Hed Kandi at Space, just in case.
Ok, so we ended up at Hed Kandi. The deal with the wristband is, pay 15 Euros before 11 pm, or get a 5 Euro discount off the regular price (I think it was 35 or 40) after 11 pm. So we were there at 10:55, and some of the first people in the door. UGH. I knew what to expect with Hed Kandi because we mistakenly went last year at El Divino. The music was a bit better this time, and the room looked nicely decorated. But, this just isn't my cup of tea. Actually, no one was feeling this. We left around midnight. Note to self: do not invest in Hed Kandi for 3rd trip to Ibiza. So after leaving, we went and chilled for quite some time at Tantra. That place was pretty busy and a nice atmosphere. Just tell the waitress that you want the "2 for 1" special on drinks. It worked!
SUN JULY 19th: Chilled by the pool and didn't do much else! Fully intended to go to The Sands and Ushaia but extreme laziness was in effect and we didn't make it to either.
I'm really mad about this one because our hotel is RIGHT THERE!! Dang it. Ok, next time. Well, that's it! On Monday we flew to Prague and spent a few days there, then Vienna then Budapest.
If you would like to watch a short video I put together of my trip to Ibiza, then check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pXB2r6p4Kw
Thanks for reading this review!
