Trip Recap: Three Days in Ibiza
Ibiza Uniform: Oversized sun hat, heart sunnies (obv.) and chic coverups- this one is from a Portuguese brand I discovered in Newport, RI of all places- Sinesia Karol.
When Brian suggested we make a pit stop in Ibiza before heading to a wedding in the UK, I was initially skeptical. Well, maybe more confused than skeptical… Given that our days of partying until the sun came up are very much behind us, and neither of us are very into the club/DJ scene in general, what were we possibly going to do in Ibiza? Read on to find out… Spoiler alert: The trip was amazing, and Ibiza is SO MUCH MORE than sweaty all night dance parties.
We stayed at the Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay, it is absolutely beautiful and the staff couldn’t be nicer (without being annoyingly so, if that makes sense.) The location is great- about 5 minutes by taxi from the iconic Old Town where all the tourist and local shops are, and 10 minutes from The Marina Botafoch, which has great restaurants and high-end boutiques. It has 2 gorgeous pools- one is adult only, and the other is set to the side adjacent to the Kids Club and more family-oriented. There is a Nobu on site (of course), as well as a great little spot for breakfast (they do a really nice, clean buffet each morning which we loved- healthy options and indulgent ones, a nice balance). The on-site boutique is INCREDIBLE- a perfectly curated jewel box featuring local designers and international names, edited down to the most Ibiza-esque pieces- think bohemian meets beach glam.
Our first night we went to Lio, which is a cabaret/club/restaurant and it was the perfect introduction to the spirit of Ibiza- over the top indulgent but somehow not stuffy at all. The show featured all the songs you know and love, performed by Cirque de Soleil style dancers and singers, with many interactive elements that made it feel like even though we knew nobody else in the club, we were all in it together. After the show it turns into a club (around 1:30am)- we left around 2:30am to get some sleep.
The next day we went to El Chiringuito, which is a beautiful and very chill beach club. I was expecting sparklers and table dancing- and was very pleasantly surprised to see neither. The chair service on the beach is nothing fancy (we tried to get a reservation for one of the beds which looked significantly more luxe but were too late on it), but the people watching is still pretty awesome. The beach isn’t soft sand or anything like that , but the views out over the water are beautiful and again, we were much more interested in watching the other people (and notably, the local woman who apparently is there daily and sells gorgeous coverups and caftans right off her own back, parading up and down the sand and changing clothes like every 3 minutes) then walking along the shore, so it was fine by us. We sat down to lunch at 1:30- the food is clean, fresh and really really amazing, I especially loved the oysters and the whole roasted cauliflower- and a couple bottles of wine later, it was 4:30pm and we made our way back to the hotel.
That night we went to Blue Marlin for dinner- it was like 30 minutes from our hotel, and given that we were all pretty wiped out from the beach day, probably not the best call for a “low key” dinner. Blue Marlin is one of the more rowdy dance clubs on the island, and definitely not what we were in the mood for on that particular night! Oh well- it was still cool to see, and a place to add to your short list should want to go somewhere for a later dinner and then ease right into an all-night dance party without changing locations.
On our third (and sadly final) day in Ibiza, we rented a charter boat to go to Formentera, which is a small, very laid back island about an hour by boat from Ibiza. The water surrounding it is a color of blue that I have never seen before in my life- so gorgeous… We made a few stops along the way to swim, and then anchored for a late lunch at Juan Y Andrea. The food was amazing, and similar to El Chiringuito, the people watching was as well. The vibe was chill- we were actually surprised that there wasn’t any audible music playing out under the tent where everyone was dining- but as the afternoon went on, the crowds did get a bit more animated (yay for wine and cocktails!). Looking back, I wish we spent more time on Formentera exploring the little villages and such, but I hadn’t done my research enough beforehand to realize that there were things to see beyond the shore- so… an excuse to go back someday, I like to think.
We returned to Ibiza around 8:30pm and grabbed drinks at It Ibiza, a cool spot in the Marina Botofoch, where our boat was docked. Our friends who we traveled with had gone there for dinner on their first night and raved about it- I think it would have been a better choice than Blue Marlin for our crowd the night before- a cool, sophisticated scene with live music that evolves into a DJ. There isn’t a dance floor or fog machines or naked dancing ladies- but the music and the view still creates an energetic, festive vibe that makes for a fun dinner spot. We poured ourselves into a taxi and got back to the hotel by 10 or so, at which point I went right up to our room and got in bed.
The next morning, we headed off to London for our friend’s wedding. The flight from Ibiza to London was like 2 hours- quick and easy. Which makes Ibiza a top spot to keep on your radar should you be traveling to London (or really anywhere in Europe) and want to tack a few extra days on to your trip. I think it makes a great anti-dote to a city trip- especially if you are traveling with kids. Ibiza is VERY kid friendly (something I didn’t realize until spending time there)- and in our experience from our Paris/Provence trip, if you can split a vacation into 2 parts- one in a bustling city, and the other in a more laid back locale, it works really nicely to keep the kiddos from getting overstimulated/exhausted/cranky.
If you have been to Ibiza and have favorite spots, please share them in the comments. I really hope to go back one day with the girls! xx-JF