My trip to Ibiza was one that I can safely say I will never forget (and neither will my bank balance). I went with certain expectations on how I could spend a long weekend in Ibiza, and I was not left disappointed. Sunshine, a beautiful town, lots of drinking, ridiculous clubs, pool parties, women dressed in nothing more than a shoelace, late nights (or I should say early mornings) incredible food, wonderful wine and lazy days. I loved Ibiza. The clubbing was great of course, but the town and the culture was actually just as good.

Getting To Ibiza

As most of us do, we booked a flight at some awful time in the morning, which meant getting to the airport before the birds start singing. I arrived at the airport, got my caffeine fix, and made my way to the departures lounge to look in the shops, not buy anything and of course, cut it fine at the gate.

Now, this time I flew with Thomas Cook. All budget airlines seem to be the same, but Thomas Cook decided that weighing hand luggage would now be a thing, and to only be allowed 6kg was a shock. With the iPad, a UE Boom speaker, decks of cards, makeup and everything else, it was a little overweight (My bag weighed 10kg!). A friendly chap at Costa said that if I bought something in the airport I could transfer some of the stuff from my own bag into a duty-free carrier bag and be fine! BEST ADVICE! Thank you Greg in Costa Coffee! I am only telling you this, (or having a small rant) so you are aware of this if you are flying with Thomas Cook at some point.

After a slightly disorganised start, we got on with the journey and arrived in Ibiza around mid-morning. Stepping off the plane all I felt was glorious heat, it sort of hit me like a brick wall. We arrived at the villa and WOW it was spectacular, like something out of MTV Cribs.

After dumping the bags, jumping in the pool and popping to the supermarket for the essentials (Gin, tonic, pink grapefruits, some salad and a pizza) the fun began.

The Clubbing

Well, you can’t really go to Ibiza without sampling the clubs – it would be rude not to. I went to several of the main clubs while I was there, each having a very different vibe which was nice.

Ushuaia

On Saturday night we went to Ushuaia for their ANTS event. I was skeptical as I am not a huge House music fan but thought I would give it a go – YOLO and all.

Tickets for Ushuaia were not cheap, but it was more than just a club I suppose. You got a whole show and experience. There were live DJs, dancers, a huge stage with a proper light show, so it did feel like it was worth the money.

It was so so much better than I expected. The venue had a nice vibe, it was busy without being so packed you couldn’t move and everyone was having a great time. There were huge swimming pools in the middle, as it’s linked to the hotel, but these were closed off for the evening so you couldn’t go in, (probably a wise decision).

The drinks though! Prepare to take out a mortgage to buy a round of drinks. I ordered 2 single vodka and lemonades and got a bill for €42! That was the only drink I bought there that night and vowed I would pre-drink heavily before going out in the future.

What I liked about Ibiza was that you could dress up and wear heels and a nice dress or just whack on a pair of Nikes and off you go. There were definitely themes going on though with each club, and at ANTS for example, black was the thing to wear. This suited me as I am a bit of a black clothing fiend. I wore a black bodysuit from Bluebella, it was actually technically lingerie but I wore it with black, denim, high-waisted shorts, and Grey, Nike Roche Run trainers.

Ocean Beach Club

Ocean Beach has a reputation all of its own. Sky-high wedges, glamourous swimwear, orange cups and overpriced cabanas, and although all of that was the case, I really enjoyed the Kisstory Day Party I went to. We arrived about 3pm ish, having had a few pre-drinks, no queuing to get In, no faff and tickets were really cheap at €20 pp.

We hadn’t booked an area or a table or anything as they were really expensive, so as soon as we got in, we found a little area by the bar to use as a ‘base’ to leave bags and shoes. Trip number 1 to the bar – I was expecting to wait forever to be served and to gulp when I was told the price, however, Ocean Beach was actually pretty reasonably priced. I ordered a couple of cocktails each costing €13, which really isn’t bad at all, and both were delicious.

We were so lucky with the weather for Ocean Beach, beautiful blue skies and brilliant sunshine which really made a difference! The music was on point and there was plenty of space to dance and enjoy the day. 

Amnesia

Amnesia was probably one of my favourite nights out of the whole trip. We went there on Tuesday night after a day at Ocean Beach Club. When I say Tuesday night, it was more like Wednesday morning as we didn’t actually get to Amnesia until about 1am.

Amnesia was amazing! The venue was huge inside (It was a warehouse) which meant it never felt cramped or overcrowded and there was plenty of room to dance and have a great time. They also had these huge dry ice cannons on the dance floor which were a welcome relief when it got too hot.

We saw Chase and Status, who were incredible. I have seen them numerous times at lots of different festivals, but never in a club and I can safely say they were totally different but equally as good!

The only thing I didn’t like, was that they served all their beers in glass bottles, which in my opinion is utter madness. I know it’s more ‘high-end’ and gives a more luxurious feel to the club, however people didn’t throw them away, or hand them in at the bar when they were finished, instead, they just left them on the floor. They then got broken and glass went absolutely everywhere! I wore trainers that night luckily, but I could see so many girls in heels or sandals and I was really worried they would get glass in their feet.

Pacha

One the last night we went to Pacha. Now, I had heard very mixed reviews about Pacha, however I couldn’t go to Ibiza and not visit one of its most infamous super clubs. We pre-drank at the villa for a long time before we left, aiming to get to the club for about 1 or 2am. We had bought our tickets online, which saved a lot of time at the venue and it was relatively easy getting in. 

Once inside it was packed. The night we had chosen was the F**K Me I’m Famous night by David Guetta, so unsurprisingly it was very very busy inside. 

The venue its self was really cool. Lots of different little areas and bars, amazing mezzanine levels and VIP areas which all made for a really interesting venue. The music was good, a mixture of EDM, house, R&B and pop which was right up my street. 

David Guetta didn’t materialise until about 4am which was fine as we were not in a rush, however, the vibe of the people dramatically changed. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and really quite aggressive and bitchy behaviour which wasn’t nice. When he did eventually come on, he was more concerned with the vast number of female guests he had on stage with him than entertaining the crowd. His set as well was rather average, all pre-mixed and he did what he always does on stage… press play and fist pump.. 

Although the acrobatic acts and visuals at Pacha was great, I wouldn’t do it again or recommend it as a must-do night in Ibiza. I much preferred Amnesia or Ocean Beach Club. 

We all decided that we would wear sequins and all things sparkle for Pacha, but the dress code there was a huge mix. Some were in heals and dresses others like us we in denim shorts and a sparkly top and trainers. 

The Food

Going with a large group of people, on all different budgets, with all different tastes in food was a bit of a logistical nightmare. For the most part we found little restaurants in Old Town, eating mainly at tapas places as they provided the best variety and value for money. I mean, I’m not complaining – I love tapas. 

We did however one night go to this fantastic steak house, where I can safely say I had one of the best fillet steaks I have ever eaten. The restaurant was called Justo Enfrente and from the outside, really didn’t look like anything special. However this restaurant massively championed the phrase ‘ don’t judge a book by its cover’. The food was FANTASTIC, and the wine was equally as delicious. We actually had a red wine which was called ‘L10’, a Malbec by no other that Lionel Messi which went with our steaks perfectly.

Another night we went to a fabulous restaurant called Pikes which came highly recommended to me by multiple people. It is a bit out of the way, but once you get there it’s fabulous. The restaurant had a Mexican-themed night so I had a fantastic watermelon and goat’s cheese starter, fish tacos with quinoa and mango salsa for the main, and fresh churros for dessert. the food was absolutely first-class.

After we finished our meal, the bar in the back opened up. A huge dance floor, 2-4-1 drinks before 11.30pm and an enormous outside area = a fabulous night. The music was very 80’s but was just amazing, and I actually think it was one of my favourite nights out we went on. Pikes is somewhere I would definitely recommend going to anyone that goes to Ibiza. But a word of warning… you MUST BOOK a table if you want to eat there as it gets booked weeks in advance. 

Walk around Town

We took one day to recover, detox and have a wonder so decided to stroll around old town for the day.

The town itself was fabulous. The old town had some really beautiful buildings with quirky little cafes and great places to sit and take in the scenery.  We did a lovely walk to the top of old town where we found a spot to stand back and enjoy the view (with an ice cream in hand of course!) 

I would definitely recommend having a walk around as Ibiza is much much more than just it clubs are bars scene.

Overall, Ibiza was a fabulous, but very expensive holiday. I would recommend going to anyone looking for a holiday filled with nights out, glitz and sparkle and great food. All I will say… be prepared for late nights/early mornings, expensive drinks, and high leg swimsuits galore! 

X
Sophie – TFB

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