kate2014
Member
Hi everyone, I'm Kate and I'd like to share my story about how me and my friend 'did' Ibiza in 3 nights! This was back in July/August 2011 so forgive me if I'm a little hazy on the details. The reason I want to share is because I get a lot of people asking me if I felt a weekend is enough in Ibiza... My answer is YES! It is! But I wish I'd stayed longer of course! I can't wait to return this September for 6 nights to really make the most of my time there.
Friday 29th July
I was us and ready at 4, so excited and bleary eyed. Me and my friend J were off to Manchester airport to catch our 6.20am flight to IBIZA. It was my first time but about the 17th time for J who used to work and live there in the 90s/2000s as a performer at Eden and for Manumission nights. I was 20 and J was about 33. She is my sister-in-law and after a few drinks at a family gathering we decided spur of the moment, two weeks prior, to book our flights and accommodation for a mad weekend.
We checked in and made our way to the bar (as you do) and ordered our first drink of the holiday. Two rather strong Tequila Sunrises! As our flight was called we excitedly sunk our drinks and made our way to the gate.
The flight was over quickly as the atmosphere was buzzing amongst passengers sharing with others their plans for their stay. We had planned (thanks to Spotlight!) where we would be at what time but didn't buy tickets in advance because you never know what's going to happen!
We touched down to cheers and woops. We were actually here! After disembarking we headed to the carousel to find our bags that appeared instantly. They knew we were keen! So we hauled them off and made our way out of the building where the mid-summer heat hit us. We were given some flyers for Amnesia which included stickers that I immediately slapped on my suitcase. Posters all around us told us some of the events on the island; David Guetta at Pacha, Judge Jules at Eden etc.
We didn't book any transfers because J knew about the regular bus that took passengers directly to San Antonio. We could have got a taxi for about 30E but luckily the bus was there upon our arrival just to the right of the exit. We hopped on and asked for two tickets in rusty Spanish.
The bus ride is quite pleasant! For about 3E you get a mini tour of the island. I would definitely recommend the bus (I think it was bus number 9, Ibiza like to keep it simple!). As we approached the bay it became apparent that it was the height of summer. The roads, beach and bars were packed! We hopped off the bus near the famous Egg and tried to locate our hostel. The sea front was buzzing, full of people who were recovering from the night before, just arriving wide eyed with their suitcases like us or on their way back home. J took me on a tour of the west end pointing out familiar bars on the strip, assuring me our hostel was around here somewhere! With the help of a friendly local we found it. Hostel Cervantes. One of the only ones in the area to have any space last minute...at a cheap price too! 80E for 3 nights!
We checked in and made our way up a few flights of stairs. The room was tiny and basic but it would do. After all we weren't planning on spending much time there! It was around 2pm local time now and the sun beamed down on to our balcony where we took a moment to rest.
We locked up and went straight across the road to the mini supermarket to stock up on supplies. We bought a litre of vodka with 6 red bulls strapped to it, a bottle of tequila, water and some Pringles for fuel. After dumping them in our room (which we then realised didn't have a mini fridge nor aircon! Seriously these are two room essentials that I now will never do without on holiday) we went out to find some cheap grub and to buy some tickets for the evening.
The good thing about going with someone who knows pretty much everything about Ibiza is you know little things that most first timers don't. We walked along the harbour near the fountains and got as many free wristbands for club entry as we could. We then stopped off at J's old friends restaurant who gave us an excellent pasta dish and some very strong cocktails on the house. We knew to shop around for our club tickets and chatted with one of her old boss' who ran one of the main ticket stalls at the bottom of the west end about who would be playing at which pre-party that night. He then gave us half price tickets for Supermartxe at Privilege that night (20E!) and told us to come to his bar before we went for some drinks.
We planned on going Privilege that night (one thing to tick off the list!) and now we were actually going! To the biggest club in the world on our first night in Ibiza. What a way to start the weekend!
At around 8pm we made our way down to Cafe Mambo. The rocky beach was filled with groups of people kick starting their night with shop bought drinks waiting for one of the most magical sights on the planet. We headed in to Cafe Mambo and bought some drinks with some shots as no one other than Pete Tong took to the decks! He was playing their before his All Gone Pete Tong night at Pacha. So as we sipped our drinks we watched the sun go down to clapping and cheers. It was amazing and I urge you to go to watch it at least once during your stay.
Darkness fell and the party started! At around 10pm we made our way back to the hotel to change in to something more dressy and headed on to the west end. Our hostel was a 5 minute walk from the strip in a quiet location. I'd consider staying around that area again, not on the strip but slightly set back.
I can't really remember the names of the bars but I think we went to a Scottish bar first after being enticed by a 2 shots 2 cocktails 2 JD and cokes and a jug of vodka red bull for 25E. Can't say fairer than that!
We sank them whilst making friends with a group of young lads who were also there for the first time. I can't remember where they were from but they said they had one night left and hadn't been to any of the clubs just the bars in the West End every night. I really couldn't understand why you'd do that! You're in Ibiza!!
Me and J were feeling pretty drunk at this point and made our way down to the Privilege party bus that left every hour on the hour outside Plastik near the Egg. Just show your club ticket and you get a free lift saving you about 20E in taxi fares. Once on the bus it took about 20 minutes to get there as its between San An and Ibiza Town.
The queue was huge but went down quickly. After a quick check of our bags we went inside. IT'S ENORMOUS! I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place! We made our way down to the front as the "show" was about to start. If you've never been to a Supermartxe night, J said it was like Manumission on speed. There were drag queens singing Beyonce, models dancing, stripping and fire breathers doing their thing to pumping house music. We were having a great time except for the occasional sleazy European men trying to grind against you. Ergh. J and I then went over near the famous pool. It was really crammed round this area, partly because that's where the DJ booth was and partly because there was a naked woman splashing around in a giant martini glass! Above us people were tight rope walking and bungeeing over the crowd suspended on a BMX. We left the madness and went to get a drink from the bar. Two small drinks came in at about 30E but we weren't shocked. This is Ibiza after all. J needed a smoke so we went up to the dome and after several flights of stairs we made it up to the cool room full of people chilling out having a smoke and talking in a thousand different languages.
We had a wander round and dipped in and out of all the rooms playing different types of music, all of which were full. There's even a shop in there! We stayed until around 4am and decided to head back on the bus which left on the hour. We could have stayed longer but by that point we were fed up of being crushed and the drink was wearing off.
We somehow found our way back to our hostel meandering through the west end which was still in full flow and crashed out. What a great first night.
Friday 29th July
I was us and ready at 4, so excited and bleary eyed. Me and my friend J were off to Manchester airport to catch our 6.20am flight to IBIZA. It was my first time but about the 17th time for J who used to work and live there in the 90s/2000s as a performer at Eden and for Manumission nights. I was 20 and J was about 33. She is my sister-in-law and after a few drinks at a family gathering we decided spur of the moment, two weeks prior, to book our flights and accommodation for a mad weekend.
We checked in and made our way to the bar (as you do) and ordered our first drink of the holiday. Two rather strong Tequila Sunrises! As our flight was called we excitedly sunk our drinks and made our way to the gate.
The flight was over quickly as the atmosphere was buzzing amongst passengers sharing with others their plans for their stay. We had planned (thanks to Spotlight!) where we would be at what time but didn't buy tickets in advance because you never know what's going to happen!
We touched down to cheers and woops. We were actually here! After disembarking we headed to the carousel to find our bags that appeared instantly. They knew we were keen! So we hauled them off and made our way out of the building where the mid-summer heat hit us. We were given some flyers for Amnesia which included stickers that I immediately slapped on my suitcase. Posters all around us told us some of the events on the island; David Guetta at Pacha, Judge Jules at Eden etc.
We didn't book any transfers because J knew about the regular bus that took passengers directly to San Antonio. We could have got a taxi for about 30E but luckily the bus was there upon our arrival just to the right of the exit. We hopped on and asked for two tickets in rusty Spanish.
The bus ride is quite pleasant! For about 3E you get a mini tour of the island. I would definitely recommend the bus (I think it was bus number 9, Ibiza like to keep it simple!). As we approached the bay it became apparent that it was the height of summer. The roads, beach and bars were packed! We hopped off the bus near the famous Egg and tried to locate our hostel. The sea front was buzzing, full of people who were recovering from the night before, just arriving wide eyed with their suitcases like us or on their way back home. J took me on a tour of the west end pointing out familiar bars on the strip, assuring me our hostel was around here somewhere! With the help of a friendly local we found it. Hostel Cervantes. One of the only ones in the area to have any space last minute...at a cheap price too! 80E for 3 nights!
We checked in and made our way up a few flights of stairs. The room was tiny and basic but it would do. After all we weren't planning on spending much time there! It was around 2pm local time now and the sun beamed down on to our balcony where we took a moment to rest.
We locked up and went straight across the road to the mini supermarket to stock up on supplies. We bought a litre of vodka with 6 red bulls strapped to it, a bottle of tequila, water and some Pringles for fuel. After dumping them in our room (which we then realised didn't have a mini fridge nor aircon! Seriously these are two room essentials that I now will never do without on holiday) we went out to find some cheap grub and to buy some tickets for the evening.
The good thing about going with someone who knows pretty much everything about Ibiza is you know little things that most first timers don't. We walked along the harbour near the fountains and got as many free wristbands for club entry as we could. We then stopped off at J's old friends restaurant who gave us an excellent pasta dish and some very strong cocktails on the house. We knew to shop around for our club tickets and chatted with one of her old boss' who ran one of the main ticket stalls at the bottom of the west end about who would be playing at which pre-party that night. He then gave us half price tickets for Supermartxe at Privilege that night (20E!) and told us to come to his bar before we went for some drinks.
We planned on going Privilege that night (one thing to tick off the list!) and now we were actually going! To the biggest club in the world on our first night in Ibiza. What a way to start the weekend!
At around 8pm we made our way down to Cafe Mambo. The rocky beach was filled with groups of people kick starting their night with shop bought drinks waiting for one of the most magical sights on the planet. We headed in to Cafe Mambo and bought some drinks with some shots as no one other than Pete Tong took to the decks! He was playing their before his All Gone Pete Tong night at Pacha. So as we sipped our drinks we watched the sun go down to clapping and cheers. It was amazing and I urge you to go to watch it at least once during your stay.
Darkness fell and the party started! At around 10pm we made our way back to the hotel to change in to something more dressy and headed on to the west end. Our hostel was a 5 minute walk from the strip in a quiet location. I'd consider staying around that area again, not on the strip but slightly set back.
I can't really remember the names of the bars but I think we went to a Scottish bar first after being enticed by a 2 shots 2 cocktails 2 JD and cokes and a jug of vodka red bull for 25E. Can't say fairer than that!
We sank them whilst making friends with a group of young lads who were also there for the first time. I can't remember where they were from but they said they had one night left and hadn't been to any of the clubs just the bars in the West End every night. I really couldn't understand why you'd do that! You're in Ibiza!!
Me and J were feeling pretty drunk at this point and made our way down to the Privilege party bus that left every hour on the hour outside Plastik near the Egg. Just show your club ticket and you get a free lift saving you about 20E in taxi fares. Once on the bus it took about 20 minutes to get there as its between San An and Ibiza Town.
The queue was huge but went down quickly. After a quick check of our bags we went inside. IT'S ENORMOUS! I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place! We made our way down to the front as the "show" was about to start. If you've never been to a Supermartxe night, J said it was like Manumission on speed. There were drag queens singing Beyonce, models dancing, stripping and fire breathers doing their thing to pumping house music. We were having a great time except for the occasional sleazy European men trying to grind against you. Ergh. J and I then went over near the famous pool. It was really crammed round this area, partly because that's where the DJ booth was and partly because there was a naked woman splashing around in a giant martini glass! Above us people were tight rope walking and bungeeing over the crowd suspended on a BMX. We left the madness and went to get a drink from the bar. Two small drinks came in at about 30E but we weren't shocked. This is Ibiza after all. J needed a smoke so we went up to the dome and after several flights of stairs we made it up to the cool room full of people chilling out having a smoke and talking in a thousand different languages.
We had a wander round and dipped in and out of all the rooms playing different types of music, all of which were full. There's even a shop in there! We stayed until around 4am and decided to head back on the bus which left on the hour. We could have stayed longer but by that point we were fed up of being crushed and the drink was wearing off.
We somehow found our way back to our hostel meandering through the west end which was still in full flow and crashed out. What a great first night.
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