One Week in Ibiza (25/8 - 1/9)

baseballman

baseballman

Member
My long awaited Ibiza trip has sadly come and gone but my brother and I (both twenty-somethings) had the most amazing time on the White Isle. Thanks to everyone on these forums who provided advice one way or another for the trip - it was most helpful planning our way around.

Here’s how it all went down - I’m going to review mainly the activities/parties first with a few closing thoughts after:

Thursday, 8/25
It took 16 hours of travel time to get from the U.S. to Ibiza (connected through Berlin) but we finally landed around 1:30pm and we all checked in to our hotel on Playa D’En Bossa at 2. Despite being on an overnight flight and not getting any sleep, we weren’t tired at all, so we decided to push ahead with going to Cream at Amnesia. A quick nap followed dinner and a pregame in Ibiza Town, where we had a total Ibiza Moment…we were a bit lost wandering around town and out of a random apartment building comes Tony McGuinness from Above & Beyond! After a brief hello we then caught a cab to Amnesia just in time for their set, which was really great (even though we both aren’t huge A&B fans).

Cream was perfectly busy - not too crowded where you can’t move around but still plenty of people there having a great time. After A&B, we headed to the Terrace for Duke Dumont - we were surprised as he turned out a really great set. Tough Love came on after him and their set, in comparison, was pretty lackluster. It was close to 6am when they shut down the terrace so we decided to turn in - a successful first night indeed! By the way - Kathryn from North London if you ever find this, please take me up on my offer to move to the States and marry me. Just kidding - but really enjoyed hanging out with you!

Friday, August 26
This day was almost completely derailed when my brother and I came down with TERRIBLE food poisoning from Chopstiqs. The place looked disgusting (though it came recommended by Spotlight + Tripadvisor alike) and within two hours of eating there we were both really sick. We sucked it up though - you’re in Ibiza for f***s sake - and went to our second scheduled night out (sober FWIW) which was Martin Garrix at Ushuaia. We were impressed with Ushuaia - it’s really just a unique experience you don’t get stateside. Martin Garrix was really solid, but the rest of the lineup was nothing to write home about. We were exhausted/still a little queesy by show’s end at midnight so we decided to have Steak N Shake and call it an early night. It was good knowing that we at least made the best of a shitty situation (no pun intended) and by the time we turned in, we felt good enough to know we could press ahead with the rest of our plans as normal.

Saturday, August 27
Awake early in the morning and having made a nice recovery, Saturday was spent on Formentera. Es Pujols was absolutely the most spectacular beach I’ve been to (I’ve traveled the Caribbean extensively) and it was a nice change of pace from PDB.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we headed to San Antonio’s West End that night to see the “Absolute f***ing Carnage” we had seen documented on Vice’s Ibiza documentary a while back. Before we did that, we took a walk down to Café Mambo for a couple of beers and to see the Paris By Night pre-party (we wanted to see Bob Sinclar but he didn’t turn up - the other DJs were great though). Needless to say that the West End on a holiday weekend was a sight to behold: before we even got to the strip we saw three lads puking in an alley and a girl completely unconscious along the harbor. Just a hilarious calamity of the dregs of teenage drinking to say the least - and the British girls/PRs alike loved our accents. Things got a little blurry but we took the disco bus home and called it a night around 4am.

Sunday, August 28
Sunday was a unique doubleheader for us. First up was Rumors at Destino. Wow, this was a great setting - the party had a really amazing vibe and Destino has such beautiful views of the harbor. The crowd here was a little older than anticipated and the people watching was fantastic - everything from beautiful women with flowing designer dresses to gnarly dudes who looked like they just woke up in the gutter. Guy Gerber and Dubfire B2B was really great, too.

After a quick trip to Ibiza Town for dinner and a pregame along the marina, we headed to back to Amnesia for House of Madness. The crowd was young and raucous as expected and the place was absolutely rammed. Nervo was much better than we anticipated and Dimitri Vegas/Like Mike really put on a show as well. The party shut down right at closing time so we made what became a trip tradition - Burger King as the sun rises and heading to sleep in broad daylight.

Monday, August 29
After waking up and spending some quality time on PDB (hotel pool + day drinking at the Jet apartments), this was easily our most disappointing night of the trip. We had originally thought of making this a mid-trip rest night but we were able to score free admission wristbands to Privilege for what was supposed to be EDX & Nora En Pure’s party, so we thought the decision was made for us.

However, once we turned up, we found out that both EDX and Nora En Pure were not a part of the night’s lineup after all and the only room that would be open was the small Vista Club that was depressingly empty. Turns out the entire crowd who came up was outside of the club arguing with the staff there - many of who paid at least 30 euros for wristbands/tickets and were rightly mad at the whole scene. A sad state of affairs for sure, made all the more depressing by the fact that Privilege is essentially a crumbling shell of its former self. We decided to just go back to Playa D’En Bossa and barhopped until about 4am when we called it a night. Discobus and cab fare seemed like a small price to pay compared to people who paid for that + admission. I reached out to EDX via Facebook and email - their response was that the lineup was changed weeks in advance (guess no one got the memo) and that in fact EDX did show up as a spectator because it was the closing party.

(Part 1 of 2)
 
(Part 2 of 2)

Tuesday, August 30
Whatever disappointment Monday brought was made up for on Tuesday and then some - this was our most epic day in Ibiza by far! We pregamed the Float Your Boat party at the Ibiza Rocks Bar with quite a few San Miguels. We met some fellow Americans (only took ‘til Tuesday for us to find some Yankees!) at the pregame and hung out with them for most of the day. I grew up going out on boats and oddly enough so did our new friends but once our boat hit the open water - boy it got rough very quickly! There were a few of us dancing our asses off but there were also lot of people getting sick, which dampened the festivities. Needless to say, though, our group was more than properly lit up by the party’s end and some interesting things went down on the ride into port.

A bunch of us were staying on PDB and we organized an impromptu pregame before Space - which essentially turned into us partying until we realized we had missed our early entry time that came with the boat party. We were stumbling through Space’s pearly gates around midnight without any issues. By then I was definitely worse for wear and needed some Space Pizza desperately to keep going, so we chilled upstairs for a while before heading to the Main Room. This is where we lost track of our new friends unfortunately but we sobered up a little bit and scored some prime space next to the DJ booth.

Space was definitely our favorite club from the trip and my goodness, what a night we had. Yousef absolutely threw down to open the room up for one of our personal favorites, Carl Craig. He chilled the room out a bit but his vibes were really loved by the crowd. We also met some fun people in this area who knew Yousef so he kept coming over to interact with all of us. Then we went to watch Nicole Moudaber slay the Terrace. She finished up around 6am and we watched Adam Beyer until Space closed up around 730 - which meant BK + bed around 9. I honestly don’t know how we lasted so long but it was incredible - this night was worth the trip alone.

Wednesday, August 31
Holy SHIT was my first thought when I opened my eyes at 2pm - I was definitely feeling the effects of a week of solid partying. Pure and utter exhaustion had set in but the reality was that this was our last day in Ibiza, so we sucked it up and readied for one last stand. First up was the My House pre-party at Café Mambo, where we had a table and enjoyed dinner, sunset and Martin Solveig’s hour pre-party set. From there we went to Pacha for the proper My House party - hands down the best party from the trip as Tchami and Martin Solveig absolutely tore it up with both their popular songs and some really great current/retro house beats mixed in. Pacha is a very interesting venue, you can definitely sense that this crowd has a lot more money to spend + is the most opulent club you’ll visit on the island. However, that being said, it was absolutely rammed and there were hands EVERYWHERE trying to get in your pockets. I even had one close call with someone trying to steal the watch off of my wrist as I was dancing. We were sober and aware, so thankfully nothing happened but if you were pissed I could see how easy it is to get pickpocketed in an atmosphere like this. I was also shocked by the 10+ hookers waiting right outside the front entrance. Aside from one haggard hooker who hassled us outside the San Ant strip, I hadn’t noticed them elsewhere.

I mentioned before that we were mostly sober before, and that’s because we were headed to the airport straight from Pacha. We ran back to the hotel at nearly 6am to grab our bags and head for our flight bound for Germany. One last Ibiza Moment waited for us at the airport when we met Tchami boarding his flight next to ours.

It had been nearly a week since we arrived and we had an insane time in Ibiza, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ready for my own bed and some home cooked meals back in the States. A great bonus for us was getting upgraded to first class on the way home from Germany where we were able to get a proper rest.

Where We Stayed:
The Hotel Algarb. The room was literally just a place to crash for us but we were very surprised at how nice it was - very clean and recently renovated. The pool area was also a nice chill out spot away from the craziness down the PDB beach. Really a pleasant stay for us. The customer service is horrendous, particularly at the front desk, but that doesn’t seem to be unique to this hotel. I’d recommend it if you’re a small group or a couple of friends on holiday but not for a big group of rabble rousers. There also seemed to be a couple of families + some older folks here, too, and they fit right in to the chilled out atmosphere.


Top Tips:
- To weigh in on the San Antonio vs. PDB debate, for me it’s San Antonio and not even close. PDB, while close to the clubs, is pretty much a cesspool. You walk from one end to the other on the beach side and it smells like raw sewerage a good amount of the way - the smell is worst by Atlantida Beach/the ferries, then again by Bora Bora, and one last time by the Ushuaia complex. The disco bus situation trying to get out to the clubs and then back to PDB is also less than ideal. The Avenida also just has this sketchiness you can’t shake - I’m from NYC and can deal with overzealous PRs/drug dealers/looky looky men, but it doesn’t mean I want to be asked if I want to buy gear every 10 steps.

- Meals: Highly recommend La Dispensa (Dalt Villa) and Vrida (San Antonio) for some great food. We also ate a few tapas spots in Ibiza Town that were all good as well. We were super bummed as Ginger was on our list but after the Chopstiqs food poisoning, we decided to skip anything that might have similar flavors. Another strike against PDB - I was also surprised by the lack of decent places to eat aside from Buena Onda and Passion Café, both of which were really good.

- We ordered money belts for the trip and they came in handy - for guys, great way to keep some cash stashed away. Just go in the bathroom and go in the stall to take out your money.

- If your hotel has a breakfast plan, don’t bother! We went exactly one day because the Hotel Algarb stopped serving it at 10am. In Ibiza, you can’t really be serious with that.

- People aren’t kidding about that walk to-from the disco buses to Privilege/Amnesia, it’s very sketchy! Splurge for a taxi - you’re worth it.

- We were thrilled to have visited Formentera but our only real regret from the trip was not getting away from PDB one day for a proper beach day somewhere else on Ibiza. We thought every day we just simply didn’t wake up early enough from clubbing to do it and we’d do it the next day - though we should’ve just said f*** it and made it work.


Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! Fire away if you have any questions.
 
baseballman said:
.. Rumors at Destino. Wow, this was a great setting - the party had a really amazing vibe and Destino has such beautiful views of the harbor. The crowd here was a little older than anticipated and the people watching was fantastic - everything from beautiful women with flowing designer dresses to gnarly dudes who looked like they just woke up in the gutter ...
Click to expand...
:cool: :twisted:
 
baseballman said:
...
Top Tips:
- To weigh in on the San Antonio vs. PDB debate, for me it’s San Antonio and not even close. PDB, while close to the clubs, is pretty much a cesspool. You walk from one end to the other on the beach side and it smells like raw sewerage a good amount of the way - the smell is worst by Atlantida Beach/the ferries, then again by Bora Bora, and one last time by the Ushuaia complex ...
Click to expand...
:)
 
baseballman said:
... Pacha is a very interesting venue, you can definitely sense that this crowd has a lot more money to spend + is the most opulent club you’ll visit on the island. However, that being said, it was absolutely rammed and there were hands EVERYWHERE trying to get in your pockets. I even had one close call with someone trying to steal the watch off of my wrist as I was dancing. We were sober and aware, so thankfully nothing happened but if you were pissed I could see how easy it is to get pickpocketed in an atmosphere like this. I was also shocked by the 10+ hookers waiting right outside ...
Click to expand...
the same "phenomenon" @ ushuaia regarding hands+hookers.
apart from that @ ush the hookers didn´t look like hookers. at least at first sight ...
 
baseballman said:
... we were able to score free admission wristbands to Privilege for what was supposed to be EDX & Nora En Pure’s party, so we thought the decision was made for us.

However, once we turned up, we found out that both EDX and Nora En Pure were not a part of the night’s lineup after all and the only room that would be open was the small Vista Club that was depressingly empty.
Turns out the entire crowd who came up was outside of the club arguing with the staff there :lol: - many of who paid at least 30 euros for wristbands/tickets and were rightly mad at the whole scene.
A sad state of affairs for sure, made all the more depressing by the fact that Privilege is essentially a crumbling shell of its former self ...
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hahah ... what a nightmare :twisted:. an undead zombie is more alive than privilege.
 
icebaer69 said:
the same "phenomenon" @ ushuaia regarding hands+hookers.
apart from that @ ush the hookers didn´t look like hookers. at least at first sight ...
Click to expand...

I was absolutely amazed that I had more close calls getting things stolen in 4+ hours at Pacha than I have years of living and working in NYC. The hookers were standing so close to the exit I thought they could be club employees - well until they offered up some...o_O
 
Sounds like good trip!

Was it worth the travelling aNd did it live up to expectation?

Agree with your opinion on Space and Bossa v San An

Shed any light on the Ibiza v VEGAS debate :confused::)
 
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claretclubber said:
Was it worth the travelling aNd did it live up to expectation?

Shed any light on the Ibiza v VEGAS debate :confused::)
Click to expand...

Absolutely 100% worth the traveling - there's truly no place like Ibiza in the world. Take it or leave it, good and the bad. That definitely makes it worth the trip and I had a blast to boot.

Ibiza vs. Vegas - aside from both having a ton of clubs, there is really no comparison between the two places in mostly any other way of looking at them. Here's a brief rundown of the Vegas experience:

- It's in the middle of the desert. In Summer it's 40-45 degrees C in the heat of the day.
- Clubbing isn't the #1 draw. Gambling destination first, entertainment (including clubbing) second. I will say there's a ton more to do there than Ibiza, and the food is very, very good.
- Clubs host top EDM and Hip Hop talent (which is fine, as you can tell from my review, I like that). Every once in a while Daylight/Light (Mandalay Bay Casino) will bring in someone a little more off the beaten path, i.e. Coxy and Above & Beyond. Otherwise there is absolutely no underground/techno scene to speak of.
- Vegas is most known in the states for the pool parties - that's kind of the unique experience there. Think Ushuaia but a bigger pool that you're actually allowed to swim in. Pool parties run from 11am-7pm.
- Vegas clubs shut down between 430-5, for the most part. Most of the time you have to find an "afterhours" (strip club, smaller lounge) to have a true dusk-dawn experience.
- All about the glitz/glamour/VIP. Clubs like Marquee and Omnia leave very little room for people who aren't bottle service.

I liken Ibiza more to Playa Del Carmen/Cancun, Mexico or even Miami than Vegas, really.
 
You certainly pushed though and that's a very decent effort for a first trip. !!! Did you go to Ses Illetes on Formentera as well ? Definitely takes the crown as far as beaches there are concerned.

Willpower it takes to get out and about when you sleep till gone 1pm is huge and gets harder not easier ! No amount of proximity to Ibiza Town or clubs etc could persuade me to stay in PDB. Agree with your summary of the place 100%, to me despite the isolated nice venue along the beach it's otherwise a sh!tpit of the highest order largely because of the number of pushers & petty criminals but also because it's a purpose-built tourist strip and soulless as a result.

San An can take a bit more effort and organization as a base and you really need to pick your hotel / area carefully - but it's where I prefer to wake up and where I like to end up. Stayed there every trip for years now. The beach isn't great but as long as you make a point of getting out to a nice one every day instead that's no biggie. It's also nicely placed for trips up North.

Space is definitely the nicest club by miles imo, its closure will probably be just about the final nail in the big club coffin for me now. Almost ditching big club nights meant I got out and about by 10.30am this year every day except one (for which the West End and much drinking were to blame haha) and the difference it makes to what you can see and do is incredible :D. Just depends what you want out of your trip.
 
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