Tell us how it was - Ibiza 2024

[Hogimuzik]

>>

SA

No great secret that I only go to SA when needs must and the plan was to dump the car in the huge sandpit on Carrer de Cala Gracio to retrieve the following day after Pikes and a smacked out dawn swim, only for it not to happen…We had time for a bite before the party and found ourselves on Carrer de Cervantes facing a (short-lived) dilemma between Donde Paco Tapería on one side of the street and Fatsos on the other. (Calling a dining establishment Fatsos is certainly a novel marketing strategy. We crossed the street.)

At one point we also popped over to Cala de Bou too which in truth did nothing to win me over. We stopped off somewhere which IIRC offered

Burger and Chips
Pizza and Chips
Curry and Chips
Fish and Chips
Cyanide, Morphine, Arsenic and Chips

Who am I to sneer though? Nobody cares what I think. Who the f*ck am I to judge? You come to realise in middle age that everyone has different lives, expectations, diets, ideas. It just ain’t for me.

Of course, our main reason for heading to SA was Pikes and over the week we put in 3 visits in total. I already evangelised enough in the Pikes thread. I was nervous beforehand. I did wonder if I would enjoy it this time but when all the elements come together it is such good fun being around wiser heads who just want to be silly for a few days. Musically there is very little on the island I give a shit about so you cannot be too picky about venues, though of course there are aspects of Pikes which are annoying. The hype is irritating and the smugness at times is just ugh + could do with a more diverse crowd although was good to see a strong global contingent at DJ Harvey and a lot of Spanish at Homies. We popped in for an hour on the last night. [Shout to @Anselmi K . Nice to finally meet you!] We didn’t stay too long - were pretty exhausted and rave flu was kicking in by then. Gutted to miss il capo Leo Mas. I might also have caught a glimpse of FGP nonchalantly perched on a garden wall. I had ten years of searching questions but where do you even start? Inexplicably, we lost him in the crowd before I could even fire off one. The Harvey night of course is the one that will live long in the memory. I get that it won’t appeal to everyone, and if you want solid prog, organic house or panel beater techno it certainly isn’t for you. I just gradually got bored of continuous 4/4 about 15 years ago and he and various other beards I follow gradually filled that void. I know my clubbing days are limited now and I need to treasure these moments.

At some point I reached an age where my priorities shifted a lot. The music still matters but not like it did. Reality, people, life all get in the way. Indeed, my favourite moment of the week wasn’t music, food, dirty afters or sunset-related but actually a chat in Catalan with the guy who runs the Insula bar at the far end of Carrer des Riu (SE). He has lived in Ibiza for 24 years and originally came from the town of Granollers just outside Barcelona. He told me that the famous greixonera dessert (a guilty pleasure) is as unique to Ibiza as hierbas and way superior to the ‘pudin’ options on the mainland which are just glorified flans. With a nostalgic beam, he told me how he used to knock about in the same BCN clubs I remembered as an Erasmus student like Luz de Gas back in the 90s, which totally floored me! Those family bars are the ones I treasure, and as cool as the music is at somewhere like The Standard, those swanky places are evidently set up for posing not socialising.

At times, it was a week of real emotional extremes. The euphoria of reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones, versus the heartbreaking scene I described on Cala Llonga beach which makes you realise how quickly life can be snuffed out. I chatted with various people over the week, locals, expats, DJs and I guess I feel slightly more tuned into the Ibiza ecosystem. For all the marketing, the island is ultimately a deeply emotional experience for all of us even if not all us yet fully understand why.

Dates: 20-28 Sept
Money spent? weeps
Will I go back? Oh yes
Top tips? Don’t believe every internet chinese whisper...
Regrets? would like to have run into a few more faces off here but sadly was not to be

Hasta la pasta!

Great storytelling sir.. I hear you re the 4/4 beat and too much good music other there to hear from various genres... Bai Bai is a cracking little spot we dined at also a couple of weeks back. Caught a Homies party also, and enjoyed the crowd.. Roll on next year for more discoveries

 

[Hogimuzik]

Combination of not pushing too hard (bar Pikes) and it worked a lot better this time. 4:30am seems to be my sweet spot along with less alcomohol added to the mix too!

After doing a lot this year taking a low key approach next trip with just Tanit closing & Pikes on Monday scheduled. Dropped Pacha closing as decided the money and internal battery will cope better

Also allows a first trip across to Formentera to be included.

Sometimes less is more as they say.. Love a bit of Tanit, closing is good.. Formentera is a very special place, lucky to have visited / stayed there many times. Enjoy the contrast to the madness.. Es pujols is a nice little resort to mooch around.. Stay if you can

 

[Browny]

Dates you were there: 21st - 28th Sep

Where you stayed: Hotel Tagomago (san an/san an bay)

Club nights visited: harvey closing at pikes, cocoon at 528

Best night: enjoyed both! Obvs cocoon though

Worst night: N/A!

Best bar: pisco beach/golden buddha/kumharus

Best place to eat: didn’t go for any swanky meals but deffo pizzaman & mundos

Best beach and/or beach club: cala gracio

Money spent: not sure to be honest but not a lot really. Not ashamed to say we were on a bit of a budget this trip as we’d already been once this year then with moving into out first house recently we had to be more careful than normal

Biggest regret: say it everytime but i get too excited and ruin myself after the first few days. Go easy (ish) it’s a marathon not a sprint.

Being on a budget is a kinda regret too as you’re a little restricted on what you can and can’t do but hey being in Ibiza on a budget is better than not being there at all!

Not getting to Akasha


Going back?: of course but unfortunatley not until next year

Top tip: said it 100x before but rent a car. Again we didn’t this year and didn’t venture out an awful lot through the day.

Find smaller bars away from the crowds

Observations and/or conclusion:

Our flights were literally all families and people a lot older then us

San an bay reflected that too. A LOT mire family orientated this year than compared to normal (no complaints!)

A lot of the hotels didn’t seem near full? This was only observed by the countless empty balconies though so i could be wrong

Taxis wern’t a problem although there was one instance where we got turned away after saying where we wanted to go (can’t remember where it was maybe golden buddha). Taxis are another thing that are now cheaper than the uk!

I can’t believe im typing this but drinking in any ‘normal’ bar i.e away from the sunset strip etc is cheaper than drinking in the uk now. A pint and a glass of wine down the local where i live now you’re talking £12-£13 or so at least! Even kumharus wasn’t badly priced at all!

Quality of C was definitely down on this trip. Didn’t enjoy it at all. A little birdy told me via someone they knew that there had been big busts throughout summer and the C was getting cut as a result which giving how low qual it seemed and a side effect or two wouldn’t suprise me - i wont be bothering again. Md on other hand was the best ever!

Had no issues getting into pikes despite all the chit chatter

528 is such a good venue, the club where the afters were too! Why isn’t this place getting used more? It was expensive for drinks and be warned you do get searched going in (as i found out)

The island defs didn’t seem as busy as normal and for once i can agree that it was an older crowd on these dates compared to previous years

And lastly apart from the first day thats the best weather we’ve ever had in September

 

[craig79]

Dates you were there: 24/09/2024--26/09/2024

Where you stayed: Hostal Sunset ----cheap cheerful ...just what we wanted for our 2nd quick trip of the year

Club nights visited: Kevin and Perry (Amnesia) One More Time / Our House (Eden)

Best night: Super tuff ...K & P

Worst night: N/A

Best bar: This time Ibiza Rocks

Best place to eat:...Not sure of name but it was a kebab wrap each morning around 6 am ...ish lol

Best beach and/or beach club: N/A

Money spent: Lots but was worth ever single penny

Biggest regret: Non

Going back?:Yes

Top tip: Taxis were very good

Observations and/or conclusion: Mambo both Nights ...Lovely laura excellent / Ryan McDermont , Total brilliant 3 days , A bit more room in the two clubs a different vibe , lots of freindly happy people

Total winner

 

[Paul_the_Pigeon]

Dates you were there
28/9 - 2/10

Where you stayed
Vibra district all inclusive

Club nights visited
Trip @ Chinios, Woomoon @ Cova Santa, Mondays at Pikes

Best night
All very good and very different. First time at CS and was really impressed with the venue and Henrick Swartz was brilliant inside:

Worst night
None

Best bars
Went to the Space bar for the first time. Enjoyed, nice staff, good choons.

Best restaurants
Just used the all inclusive which did the job.

Best beach
Only hung about San An beach in the day which tbh is fine end of September as fairly peaceful

Money spent
Not exactly sure but definitely the least I’ve spent in a very long time over there.

Going back
IMS in April

Top tip
If you want to do Ibiza on a budget, go all inclusive. I saved a load of cash this time round.

Observations / conclusion
Not stayed in San A for about 20 years and only did as was on stag do but was absolutely fine and served a purpose. Probably wouldn’t go back with a smaller group but good to bring back some old memories.

Minimal review as head still a bit

 

[Browny]

Dates you were there
28/9 - 2/10

Where you stayed
Vibra district all inclusive

Club nights visited
Trip @ Chinios, Woomoon @ Cova Santa, Mondays at Pikes

Best night
All very good and very different. First time at CS and was really impressed with the venue and Henrick Swartz was brilliant inside:

Worst night
None

Best bars
Went to the Space bar for the first time. Enjoyed, nice staff, good choons.

Best restaurants
Just used the all inclusive which did the job.

Best beach
Only hung about San An beach in the day which tbh is fine end of September as fairly peaceful

Money spent
Not exactly sure but definitely the least I’ve spent in a very long time over there.

Going back
IMS in April

Top tip
If you want to do Ibiza on a budget, go all inclusive. I saved a load of cash this time round.

Observations / conclusion
Not stayed in San A for about 20 years and only did as was on stag do but was absolutely fine and served a purpose. Probably wouldn’t go back with a smaller group but good to bring back some old memories.

Minimal review but head still a bit

Henrik’s unbelievable!

 

[Buckley]

D

Club nights visited
Trip @ Chinios, Woomoon @ Cova Santa, Mondays at Pikes

Not stayed in San A for about 20 years and only did as was on stag

That's impressive on a stag! Could have done with you as a wingman on my last Ibiza stag:

From Solihull To San An - Flight Of The Trevors*

*See the stag party thread for title explanation: http://forum.ibiza-spotlight.com/threads/stag-party-vip-club-plan.73150/ We were a 14 man stag party of now middle-aged amateur footballer Trevors - we arrived Saturday afternoon, drank around the hotel pool, went to Buddha Bar for sunset...

forum.ibiza-spotlight.com

Even the review title is right up your air lane!

 

[Sheffrb]

Dates you were there:
21st Sept - 5th October

Where you stayed:
Sol Bahia - second time staying here and I think it’s great here, a bit of a pain to walk into the centre of San A but I like how it’s away from the madness.

Club nights visited:
Armin @ Ushuaia
Pikes on Monday
Kevin & Perry @ Amnesia
Paul Van Dyk @ Eden
Clubland @ Eden (Someone I know got us 2 free tickets)


Best night:
I’d probably go with Kevin & Perry. The main room was too busy and still feeling rough from the previous night didn’t help. Seb Fontaine played an amazing set. Agnelli & Nelson - El Niño & PVD - Avenue were the tunes of the night for me. I left at 4:30.

Loads of tunes got played a second time which was a bit rubbish. Really hoping they freshen it up a bit. Maybe get dj’s / producers to play producers sets (Ferry, Matt Darey etc)


Worst night:
Armin @ Ushuaia - Really enjoyed it last year but the total opposite this year. It didn’t help with it being our first proper night out there. We ended up drinking all day and then getting on it with no food, not the best idea.


Best place to eat:
Alayoun


Best beach and/or beach club:
Cala Bassa


Biggest regret:
Feeling shit from getting too messed up at times and it ruining the following day.


Going back?:
Of course. (50 weeks to go!)


Top tip:
We won’t be pre-booking tickets other than Kevin & Perry and are planning on just going with the flow. We felt like we over booked and could quite easily have f***ed a few nights off and done other stuff.

Observations and/or conclusion:
Still my favourite place to go and we all had a great holiday. I’ve got to the stage where going out clubbing most nights is definitely too much but I don’t see that as a bad thing. Hoping to see more of the island next year.

 

[ohmygod]

Dates you were there:
Sat 28 Sept - Mon 30 Sept
Was a v short trip this time. We were in Denia so gor the 2 hr ferry over and stayed a couple of nights before heading back over the water

Where you stayed:
El Puerto Ibiza Hotel
Such a great location - right on the port in Ibiza Town - so much is just a short walk away.
Hotel is 4* but i feel like it just scrapes in - it's clean and tidy but is lacking any frills.
Case in point - the bar on the roof had crappy speakers playing bad rock. Terrible....unsurprisingly there were about 4 people up there.
If you think about The Standard round the corner which is similarly located and has a pool on the roof with a great view, they are worlds apart. Having said that, it was almost half the price and you can always drink on The Standard's roof if you like.

Club nights visited:
Elrow closing at Amnesia.
Not my choice (i would gone to Apollonia at Chinois but you can't win them all).....

Best night:
Elrow - successfully avoided the way-too-bright Terrace which was rammed. I'm too old for that shit.
Happily, my friends were ok to spend the night in the main room. Eats Everything and Andres Campo all night long. Lots of chopped up vocals and repetitive stuff that I kind of like but not a fan of dropping the more obvious stuff like Insomnia etc...Yawn.
The crowd was, of course, pretty young but generally ok. I have opinions but can't think of a way of talking about them on here without getting into a huge debate.

Worst night:
The night after. Feeling delicate and knowing there was way worse to come

Best bar:
I think it was called Bar 140 or something near S'Escalinata in Ibiza Town - nice French guy looked after us and they served decent cocktails

Best place to eat:
Booked La Torreta in Ibiza Town was GREAT.
Fab, buzzy location, excellent welcoming and friendly service and the food was very good too. Thank you to @Hogimuzik for recommending when i asked on the forum.

Best beach and/or beach club:
Did not make any....

Money spent:
About a grand incl. hotel and stuff...

Biggest regret:
Not going to bed until 2pm on Sunday after our Saturday night out. f***ING HELL I felt so bad on Mon/Tues

Going back?:
27 years and counting but i might be done with the big clubs i think and 'certain' substances

Top tip:
Choose your nights carefully. Go to Pikes now probably - feels like it is already starting to lose its status as a bit of a secret find.
Go to Denia for your holiday and Ibiza for 1 or 2 night out. Eat like a king - it's one of the foodiest places in Spain and it is SO cheap considering it's a brilliant 2 hour ferry from Ibiza

Observations and/or conclusion:
I'm so sad Underground has gone.
Oh - 1 x vodka coke, 1 beer and 2 waters in Amnesia was 75 euros ffs.

 

[elmooreo]

Dates you were there:

Weds 2nd Oct-Sat 5th Oct

Where you stayed:

Hyde - Cala Llonga...

We booked early and ended up getting a really good rate. Hotel deffo suited the make-up of our group, and we wanted to try and base ourselves somewhere new...that side of the island suited as we had booked the trip around Sven closing at Akasha on Thursday. It was a little quiet mid week when we arrived but busier later...there were a few things that were running low and they didnt want to replace as hotel closing soon like draft beer but didnt effect us too much. Rooms were good, bed very comfy and air con good. Choice of 3 pools 1 was pretty loud but there was another on the Mondrian side that was quieter if you wanted that. Right on the beach too which is gorgeous. Breakfast was annoyingly expensive if you didnt book as part of your rate - 25per person per day if you booked, 40 if you just went ad-hoc...It is a higher end hotel so guess its never going to be cheap. Would go again if we could lock in a cheaper rate again. Also @stivi picks up hikes from there so deffo would like to take advantage of that next time.

Club nights visited:
Sven closing at Akasha.
Gozo @ Cova Santa with Paula Tape, Gabrielle Kwarteng and Marcel Dettmann

Best night:
Sven closing...this was my favourite Ibiza clubbing experience for years. Crowd was brilliant - on the older side and very mixed nationalities - lots of Belgian, German, Dutch, as well as Spanish, French and Brits. All very friendly. Music was on point and once you move inside, Akasha is a brilliant club. Great to see @stivi @W_I_C @Bucko08 @lee111s and a few others. I was absolutely flying for most of the night so sorry for bending a few ears off!

Cova Santa was also very good, didn't touch Sven though. First time at Cova Santa and was very impressed. Crowd was very different, - younger and a little more trendy/less friendly but still a nice crowd overall. Music was good - Paula Tape brilliant outside.

Worst night:
None

Best bar:
Didn't really drink in a bar - kept it to balcony drinks and lunches.

Best place to eat:
Chiringuito Pou D'es Lleo - posted on the restaurant thread. Tiny place, no reservations but the food was brilliant and it was excellent value. We had various dishes to share between 6, probably 4 starters, 4 mains, and then 3 bottles of wine, canas and affogatos. Came to 50 euros each.

Ate at Nun on Cala LLonga day after...was still nice, but double the price of the meal the day before, and food was not twice as good. Still a nice, long, boozy lunch though so can't complain.

Final meal was at Cala Bonita. Again we did lots of dishes to share to start and then a main each - everything was amazing, especially the fish. Service was friendly but they needed us out as they had a wedding later in the day but they didn't really rush us too much and they had already made that clear when we booked. Came to same price as the meal at Nun, but I'd say much better overall.

Best beach and/or beach club:
Cala LLonga beach was nice - didnt spend loads of time there, just a few swims here and there.

Money spent:
Lots, but no regrets.

Biggest regret:
Coming home

Going back?:
Next year we want to do something special to celebrate 10th wedding. Not arranged yet, but we'll be there.

Top tip:
Explore! Always try something new.

Observations and/or conclusion:
Best clubbing trip for a long time, just one of those trips where everything clicked and we all had such an amazing time. Ibiza will never die!

 

[Hogimuzik]

Dates you were there:
Sat 28 Sept - Mon 30 Sept
Was a v short trip this time. We were in Denia so gor the 2 hr ferry over and stayed a couple of nights before heading back over the water

Where you stayed:
El Puerto Ibiza Hotel
Such a great location - right on the port in Ibiza Town - so much is just a short walk away.
Hotel is 4* but i feel like it just scrapes in - it's clean and tidy but is lacking any frills.
Case in point - the bar on the roof had crappy speakers playing bad rock. Terrible....unsurprisingly there were about 4 people up there.
If you think about The Standard round the corner which is similarly located and has a pool on the roof with a great view, they are worlds apart. Having said that, it was almost half the price and you can always drink on The Standard's roof if you like.

Club nights visited:
Elrow closing at Amnesia.
Not my choice (i would gone to Apollonia at Chinois but you can't win them all).....

Best night:
Elrow - successfully avoided the way-too-bright Terrace which was rammed. I'm too old for that shit.
Happily, my friends were ok to spend the night in the main room. Eats Everything and Andres Campo all night long. Lots of chopped up vocals and repetitive stuff that I kind of like but not a fan of dropping the more obvious stuff like Insomnia etc...Yawn.
The crowd was, of course, pretty young but generally ok. I have opinions but can't think of a way of talking about them on here without getting into a huge debate.

Worst night:
The night after. Feeling delicate and knowing there was way worse to come

Best bar:
I think it was called Bar 140 or something near S'Escalinata in Ibiza Town - nice French guy looked after us and they served decent cocktails

Best place to eat:
Booked La Torreta in Ibiza Town was GREAT.
Fab, buzzy location, excellent welcoming and friendly service and the food was very good too. Thank you to @Hogimuzik for recommending when i asked on the forum.

Best beach and/or beach club:
Did not make any....

Money spent:
About a grand incl. hotel and stuff...

Biggest regret:
Not going to bed until 2pm on Sunday after our Saturday night out. f***ING HELL I felt so bad on Mon/Tues

Going back?:
27 years and counting but i might be done with the big clubs i think and 'certain' substances

Top tip:
Choose your nights carefully. Go to Pikes now probably - feels like it is already starting to lose its status as a bit of a secret find.
Go to Denia for your holiday and Ibiza for 1 or 2 night out. Eat like a king - it's one of the foodiest places in Spain and it is SO cheap considering it's a brilliant 2 hour ferry from Ibiza

Observations and/or conclusion:
I'm so sad Underground has gone.
Oh - 1 x vodka coke, 1 beer and 2 waters in Amnesia was 75 euros ffs.

That was a flying visit but any trip is a treat in life l think.. Glad you enjoyed La Torreta, its a super restaurant and one of the better in the area. We dined there ourselves a couple of weeks back, and have done so for past 20+ years or as long as l can remember.. Try La Plaza across the courtyard next time, so of the staff from La Torreta have moved over there.. Also brilliant service / food and value... Roll on next year!

 

[Hellraiser92]

Dates you were there: 21st Sep 7 nights
Me & wife ( no kids )

Where you stayed: playa bella ( lov this hotel ) £1050 for both us flights & accommodation from Belfast. Know the owner from going years so always get free upgrade & Seaview
Only sleeph at the hotel, so we just go to amare or paradisco every morning 11ish & get bed ( eat & drink 120e cover charge) better than spending 300e night in amare.

Club nights visited:
Villa party sun
Pikes mon
Amnesia Tues
Cocoon wed


Best night:
between kevin & perry / cocoon
lov hearing the old tunes ( im near 50 ) but love my dirty techno

Worst night:
Pikes
Kills me to say it but the cat outta the bag. Been loving pikes for years & loads happy memories but every fuker now knows about it. Was so busy ffs heartbreaking. Actually dont like talking about it
ps Harvey was slamming & free bar for 5mins club tropicana on

Best bar:
love optimist for football & 3euro pints

Best place to eat:
always Relish
great food & service

Best beach and/or beach club:
Khumaras

Money spent:
3k easily ( was the longest flight in history for me, was waiting on a bet pre flight 3 up, waiting on the 4th kick off was 30mins after take off ) No Internet on flights is ridiculous.... anyway landed and 4k in my paddy power yeoooooooooooo & people thought I was going crazy because we landed in ibizaaaaa

Biggest regret:
Thursday night honey dijon & derrick carter ( i didnt go & still hate myself over that )

Going back?:booked twice already next year. End of may & usual end September trip

Top tip: mosquito fuking wild, bring anti mosquito bands / cream

Observations and/or conclusion:
Ibiza is ibiza
Gonna cost arm & leg but we still love it. Yes it kills me no space Sundays on the terrace 10am like the good old days but the island has changed for the worst. I'm totally against all this vip shite but have a feeling I'm gonna have to dip my toes into it next year at universe next summer. Also wanna do Ants stage view room ( yes it's £600 for the night but just wanna be on that balcony with loads room )
Counting the days till next may
Ps if anyone contacts for a cheaper room ushuaia contact me

 

[james-king]

Dates you were there: 29sep - 3rd October

Where you stayed: Palladium Hotel Palmyra San An - great hotel, good food and great staff, little bit dated but think its getting a refurb over winter (have booked again for April)


Club nights visited: Pyramid @ amnesia , random night @ Es Paradis

Best night: Pyramid @ amnesia

Worst night: None

Best bar: mostly drank at the hotel but Ritas Cantina & la cantinas drinks were both very nice

Best place to eat: without a doubt best meal was at Puerto fino Ibiza food was amazing and great value for money.

Best beach and/or beach club: went to Formentera for the first time, My Spanish friend organised for us to go on his mates boat was a day to remember, we launched it from Talamanca and headed to Formentera had lunch on the boat & a bit of engine failure i got to drive most of the way back and into Talamanca best day by far .

Money spent: 1000/1500 spending didn't really keep track this time and got a taxi back from ibiza town a few times as was just to tierd for the bus and reminded myself i was on holiday haha.

Biggest regret: Not going for longer...only realy had 1 night out @amensia and didnt get into bed till 9am haha, was at my friends "social club" alot aswell great place to chil+ they have dogs!, but just didnt feel like i had enough time to do everything was time to leave again before i knew it, didnt chill alot either, but well happy with what i did get done!

Going back?: april openings for 7 days....

Top tip: just enjoy it, there is still lots of cheap options for most things, as @Browny said the mandy was another level strong compared to April haha, busses aswell even if just 1 way saves a fortune.

Observations and/or conclusion:

THE HOUSING CRISIS IS OUT OF HAND

The biggest one for me and this wasn't something i expected, after the day on the boat we went to drop it off, was in the guys van with my friend headed for the industrial near IKEA in ibiza town, i thought to maby a boat storage or parking space, but the reality was more sobering.

we pulled into a field full of 100/200 tents/caravans/temporary structures, this was where my friends friend who owned the boat stayed in his van, my friend jamp out and instantly recognised one of the neighbours , we shared a estrella galicia and cigarettes as we walked around the camp i couldn't have felt less guilty for the 2 bedroom flat i had back in Scotland, the thing that made it hard to see was everyone there was working in hotels/bars/clubs/boats all sorts of normal people just with no where to stay, i also noticed a similar camp after the roundabouts in ibiza town aswell i dint take any photos when i was there out of respect.

I just hope some change will happen but it doesn't seem likely soon.


Great trip overall and was nice to have a more chilled one 7 days needed next time 100%

 

[Anselmi K]

Okay.. Let's start going through this year's journey..

• The departure for this year's trip began in exceptionally mixed moods. All the news I read about Ibiza and Spain in advance, such as rents and homelessness, tourist talk, rising prices, Rolex Mafia, corruption and everything related to it like the closing of the Underground.. I don't want to be a tourist who spoils the island and causes trouble for the locals.
• This time I tried to plan the trip in such a way that I would dare to come again sometime. There were of course many restaurants on the to-do list and I wanted to get to know the local food culture more thoroughly. Even though I'm not a big fan of fish, there's still a nice selection for me too... Unfortunately, some of the restaurants I previewed were closed for one reason or another.
• The trip included a road trip around the island twice. Twice because the first week I was with my friends and my wife came with me for the last 4 days. It's been 7 years since our last trip to Ibiza together. This was also a small gift for my wife, because we had our 15th wedding anniversary some time ago and soon we will have been together for 25 years.
• It was also in my mind that it would be nice to meet some Forum members on this trip. I met a few.. I met the sparkling #fhmsparkle in Harvey and we spent a while sweating together on Freddie's dance floor. #andrewthemod_78 also unexpectedly came to ask me if I'm a Bouncer and that made us laugh. The third one I met was the #Sun God and he and I wondered what was going on at the Pikes tennis court while we waited for our turn to go inside. It was nice to see you all and see you again sometime!

Dates you were there: 21.9.-3.10.


Where you stayed:

• Hostal Roca - yes, in the middle of the West End! This small family-run hostel has been on my list for a long time, but it has always been fully booked when I have tried to book a room. Since I already knew my vacation in March, I managed to get a room for 11 days at the price I paid at Hostal Mit Jorn 20 years ago..

Club nights visited:

• Several nights at Pikes, Cocoon 25v Ibiza and Flower Power with Roisin Murphy. Also on Friday and Saturday at Beat Hotel Swim Club, in Las Mimosas.

Best night:

• 23.9. Mercury Rising. I had been waiting for this evening since the last time was Harvey's closing party. We were there around half past eleven. When I got to Plaza Mayor, I wanted to pee my pants because I was so excited. We were trying to get drinks and for some reason the absolutely lovely lady on the other side of the counter dodged our order and we were wondering what is going on here? Then, a minute or two before 11 a.m. a familiar song started playing and I thought oh guys, it's Club Tropicana and I started telling my friends about the legend that during that song the drinks would be free.. And at the same time that sweet bartender turned towards us and happily smiling asked what should we have! Huhhuh.. Great Ibiza moment! The evening itself has been reviewed here and the heat has been talked about, but that evening was one that also ranked first for me out of all the evenings I have been able to visit over the decades. My own words (especially in English) are not enough to tell and describe that evening and feeling in its entirety. I loved every moment I was able to be in Freddie, where I ended up being for the last couple of hours, until the last track..
• I also really liked the Beat Hotel Swim Club. I had two memorable fanboy photo moments when I got to exchange a few words with Chris Coco and Belanuit. Unfortunately, CC DISCO did not play at Las Mimosas or Pikes at the Closin Party, contrary to previous information. Beat Hotel is indeed a great concept and I hope it continues for a long time!

Worst night:

• I have to say Cocoon, although it was ok, especially the pre-party, it could have been better. IMO Sven Väth has come to a point in his artistic evolution where Katharsis and Akasha suits him better. The line up was good and every Dj was in good shape, but somehow the night fell short. It could be that I myself have moved musically in the opposite direction or even forward and grown out of my black techno uniform.. I don't know.. I liked Sven more in Akasha!

Best bar:

• We didn't spend much time in bars, but definitely Bar Anita, although the place is perhaps more of a restaurant than a bar..

Best place to eat:

• Rita's Cantina or Rincon de Pepe. Rita's is always reliable, affordable and familiar. Rincon de Pepe was my "local bar" this time because it was the closest to the hotel and there was a strong feeling that you are in a real Ibizan restaurant.

Best beach and/or beach club:

• Usually I don't get excited about these places. Maybe it's because they're almost always overpriced and overcrowded, so I don't go to beach bars or even beaches. But, this time I may be able to mention two besides Kumharas. One is Gració Beach - Chiringuito and the other is Elements in Benirras. We went to both just to enjoy the afternoon drinks and feel the atmosphere. Both places are absolutely great in their atmosphere, but unfortunately for my budget a little too expensive places to spend time longer. Somehow the staff at Grasió Beachin were incredibly friendly and professional. I had one of the best Mojitos there and I think I will go back for at least one drink there again.

Money spent:

• This time I surprised myself how inexpensively I managed to make the trip. I booked the flights, accommodation and car already in March, just before the Summer events were published.
• The car rental was about 22€/day (Moto Luis) and it included delivery to the airport and a small delivery fee after 6:00 p.m.
• Flights from Finland, (change in Amsterdam only 1h,15min) with a checked bag cost €285, which is a very acceptable price.
• This time the accommodation was almost perfect for a traveler like me. If someone had even suggested 15-20 years ago that I stay in the middle of the West End, I would have surely died laughing. Now that I stayed at Hostal Roca for 11 days, I can easily recommend it if you are looking for affordable, clean and safe hostel/hotel. I don't need a swimming pool, roof terrace or hotel breakfast from a vacation like this. Back in the day, I've stayed in hotels about 250 nights a year and I prefer to eat breakfast somewhere other than the hotel. Hostal Roca paid only 66€/night for two people!
• In total, the car, hotel and flights cost me €996.45. This summer's fixed expenses were €273.17 less, even though I stayed one night more and the flights were during the day and humanly long.
• I spent about €1200 in pocket money and €150 on advance tickets.

Biggest regret:

• Two things. 1. Pack a change of clothes for at least a couple of days in hand luggage. My suitcase did not come with me on the same flight, but arrived three days later. 2. Don't leave your rental car in a San Antonios big sand park where people are likely to pass. On the third day, the mirror on the driver's side of the car was broken, even though the mirrors were turned in. The price for the new mirror came to €43.12 and the great staff at Moto Luis took care of this really well. On the morning of departure, I immediately went to their office at nine to ask how things are going? They apologized for what happened, and I genuinely sympathized with it. We drove from the office to breakfast and I got a message asking if I could post a picture of the mirror. At eleven we were at the airport and I was told how much the mirror costs and that the deposit has been returned to my credit card... absolutely amazing service!

Going back?:

• Absolutely, but now it's not so sure if it will be next summer yet. There are so many conflicting things happening on the island that I would like to see the situation calm down a bit and stabilize before I decide on the next trip.

Top tip: Dig deeper, it's still there!

Observations and/or conclusion:

• I really don't want to travel to the island again before mid-September. Or if for some reason I go, I'll look for a nice and quiet place somewhere north of Santa Eulalia. I could even think of going more towards October. If, for example, Harvey leaves the Ibiza Line Ups, the reasons to go earlier will decrease even more.