Everything you hear about Ibiza is only PARTIES, PARTIES and more PARTIES. We decided to explore the island as a couple by ourselves and try to prove this misconception wrong. We were actually very sceptical about our decision because we did our research on the internet before going and honestly there is not much shown and written about other than party Ibiza. We are very happy that this didn’t stop us from exploring this beautiful island that has SO MUCH MORE to offer than just great parties.

TRANSPORTATION

Ok. Let’s start with the hardest part of the trip for us.

You can either rent a car or a scooter but prepare yourself to spend quite a bit of money or you can go around with a bus. If you just need to get to your hotel and stay there without going around you can definitely take the bus (one way tickets around the island cost around 2-4 EUR), however if you want to go around and explore the island you should definitely rent a car or a scooter. There are some buses going to the most famous beaches like Cala Bassa or Cala Comte (from Sant Antony) but they are not running very often and we wouldn’t rely on them! Once again remember that this is our own experience. Last option is going around with a taxi, which is also quite expensive and there are not as many taxis as you would expect. We had a problem to get ourselves a taxi.

Our plan was to take the bus from the airport to Sant Antony where our hotel was and rent a scooter there. There is a direct bus going to Sant Antony from the airport – L9, but we didn’t know it as it doesn’t show up on google maps. We wanted to take the bus to Ibiza town (L10) and change there for the one that goes to Sant Antony from Ibiza town (L8). Unfortunately the bus to Sant Antony never arrived so we got stuck in Ibiza town for like 2 hours as they only run on hourly intervals and in the end we gave up and called a taxi, which cost us around 30 EUR from Ibiza town to Sant Antony. Another weird thing about the buses in Ibiza is that they don’t announce the stops nor they are written anywhere, so basically you don’t know where you are and where you need to get off unless you are a local!

In other words: We don’t recommend to rely on buses if you want to explore the island.

When we finally arrived to Sant Antony with the taxi we started to look for a scooter to rent but all the rental shops asked 50 EUR/day for a SCOOTER which seems a bit ridiculous. After we gave up on looking for a scooter and started to walk back to our hotel we found a scooter rental shop that was renting scooters for 25 EUR/day so we took it immediately!

Here is their contact:

CHEAP SCOOTER RENTAL IN SANT ANTONY – https://www.madelife.es/prodotto/scooter-test-rent/

ACCOMMODATION

BUDGET-UNDER 100 EUR PER NIGHT HOTEL

We were deciding whether to stay in Ibiza old town or somewhere else. As it was our first time in Ibiza we couldn’t tell from our own experience what would be a better choice so the price decided for us and in the end we are happy with the choice. We booked the hotel only one day before going so it was super last minute and there was not much choice as it was July.

HOSTAL MALLORCA

The cheapest choice we found last minute was Hostal Mallorca in Sant Antony so we booked it and we were so happy that we did! It was cheap (for Ibiza standards) – 75EUR/night for a private room with a bathroom and a balcony. We highly recommend this place if you are on a budget. It was clean, in the centre of Sant Antony and the staff was very nice.

SPECIAL/UNIQUE HOTELS

We definitely want to come back to Ibiza as 3 days was simply not enough and we have our eyes on some very special hotels that were fully booked now.

HOTEL CUBANITO IBIZA

“Cubanito hotel” looks like it was cut out straight from Cuban capital Havana postcard and the retro interior design trends magazine at the same time.

The beautiful and iconic retro Cuban cadillac parked right in front of the reception will make you feel like you are in Cuba before even entering the hotel.

Recently they started to sell Day-Passes for their lounge and pool area so if you are spending nights somewhere else, you can come and enjoy Cuba at least for a day 🙂

For more informations visit their website: https://www.cubanitoibiza.com

PARADISO IBIZA ART HOTEL

Another very unique hotel to stay at which is already quite popular in Ibiza. The pink vibes get me every time I see a picture from this place!

What they say about their hotel:

Art comes to life in our most media-friendly hotel. An art gallery curated by ADDA GALLERY PARIS, exhibitions in the lobby, a tattoo studio, the colour pink and the type of Art Deco normally found on Ocean Drive in Miami are the essence of this hotel. The cherry on the cake is the Zero Suite where you can spend a night for free in the middle of the hotel’s lobby, a glass room where the absolute star of the show is you. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Sounds pretty cool right? They also offer day passes so you can explore and enjoy their pool area, bar and the restaurant.

Check out their website for more info: https://paradisoibiza.com/en/

TROPICANA HOTEL IBIZA

And last but not least on our list is the extraordinary “Tropicana Hotel Ibiza“. It looks super cool and colourful. We would love to visit it next time.

What they say about their beautiful suites:

80’s Miami, Ocean Drive and Art Deco provide the inspiration for this hotel whose colours evoke summer. The rooms are named after some of the most famous cocktails ever: Piña Colada, Copacabana, Sex on the beach… and the fun doesn’t stop there – your room has a cocktail shaker, cocktail making guides and everything you need to prepare your own. Another cocktail, Flanagan!

For more information about the hotel and also day passes you can visit their website: https://tropicanaibizacoastsuites.com

LUXURY HOTELS

OKU IBIZA

This bohemian minimalistic hotel stole my heart! It reminds me of some places we stayed in Tulum. It is exactly my style of a luxury hotel!

How they describe themselves:

OKU Ibiza is a stylish hotel for those who want the best of Ibiza’s lifestyle on their doorstep with high-quality food, drink and stylish design at home. Our rooms include penthouse suites with expansive views; swim-up pool rooms and a private four-bedroom villa for exclusive hire.

You can find more informations about the hotel on their website: https://www.okuhotels.com/oku-ibiza/

AGUAS DE IBIZA

Another beautiful and luxury hotel on the island is the “Aguas de Ibiza”. It looks so incredible from both in and out.

How they describe themselves:

Soulful Mediterranean style featuring sleek and modern design full of Ibiza magic light. Aguas de Ibiza Grand Luxe Hotel is a luxury design hotel with a free spa and outdoor pool. The rooftop bar-terrace offers views of Santa Eulalia Marina and the island of Formentera.

For more informations visit their website: https://aguasdeibiza.com

WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO GO

1. VISIT IBIZA OLD TOWN (DALT VILA)

Even though we don’t recommend to stay in Ibiza town, we do recommend to visit the old town called Dalt Vila! I would describe this town as “the beautiful old town set on the hill with white-washed streets, colourful decorations, amazing boutiques, fun bars and stunning views”.

One day is completely enough to explore this town and suck up all the beauty it has to offer. Walk up to the top of the “Castillo de Ibiza” (Castle of Ibiza) and you can admire the town and the port from the top! The view is so worth to see! After that you can have some drinks in the most iconic bar of Ibiza town – S’Escalinata. This bar is set on the stairs overlooking the port.

Once you finished your drinks, stroll around the entire old town and visit all the exclusive boutiques with luxury or handcrafted clothes, jewellery, home decor and souvenirs. After that walk your way down until you end up in the port (Eivissa Harbour). From here you can see the town from the different perspective. If you want to stay for dinner, there are some nice restaurants around the port aswell as in the old town. Keep in mind that the town gets way more crowded in the evening.

2. VISIT SOME OF THE BEST BEACHES

CALA TARIDA

Cala Tarida was the beach that probably surprised us the most! We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful beach with amazing surroundings. I have to say that we have visited it very early in the morning when there were no people at all which makes a lot of difference for us, but we really loved it! Unfortunately we didn’t stay long enough to experience it with crowds so can’t speak about how it feels normally but we definitely recommend you to check it out. We also really liked the area around this beach so you might consider to take a hotel here! It had more of a perfect holiday vibe than for example Sant Antony.

Another tip from us is to visit a nearby spot called “Embarcadores de Cala Tarida”. It is a little “bay” with many “boat garages” around which looks amazing!

Here are the coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/izoXjAb6ptRKQmgv6

CALA COMTE / CALA ESCONDIDA

Cala Comte is one of the most famous beaches in Ibiza and its popularity sure brings loads of tourists. It is a beautiful beach with crystal clear water but the shore is not very long so it gets immediately full. Otherwise you can stay a bit further on the rocks which isn’t as comfortable as staying on the sand but it’s way less crowded. On the shore there is a small stand where you can rent a JetSki (35min for 95 EUR).

There are two bars/restaurants on the beach – Restaurants S’Illa Des Bosc and Sunset Ashram which is a very popular spot for the sunset. They have almost all their tables facing the sea where the sun sets so you really get a great view. It’s a bit pricey but let’s be honest…You are in Ibiza so it shouldn’t surprise you.

At Cala Comte you can also find sun beds and umbrella rentals but unfortunately I don’t know the price as we haven’t taken one.

Walking probably 3 min away from Cala Comte you will find Cala Escondida which is basically like the same beach just on the different corner.

Access to both beaches is very easy and there is a parking which is for free. Otherwise there is also a bus (L4) running from Sant Antony 6 x day.

Here is the schedule: https://ibizabus.com/ibiza/lineas/?route=5

CALA LLENTIA

Cala Llentia is one of those beaches that don’t get so overcrowded because it has a hard access. You can come here with your car or scooter and park for free, however you have to hike down the rocks to get to this beach. It is more of a rocky beach rather than sandy but we totally loved it as it is way calmer than others.

Right next to this beach there are also two famous monuments. One is a huge sun clock called “Time & Space” built by the Australian Land Art artist Andrew Rogers and the other one is “Las Puertas de Can Sollei” which is an imaginary room without walls created only by wooden doors framed with beautiful Arabic engravings and charming mosaic floor of sand, stones, and tiles. Many refer to this place as the place where art meets architecture in an unconventional way. 

It is one of the best places you can watch the sunset from and experience both monuments and the beach at the same time.

CALA GRACIONETA (+ CALA GRACIO)

Cala Gració and Cala Gracioneta are the closest “calas” (bays) to the town of Sant Antony, which makes them very popular because of the easy and fast access. They are both next to each other (3 min walk apart) and they are a good choice if you don’t have a car/scooter and you are staying in Sant Antony. You can easily walk there which takes around 25 min or less (depending on where in Sant Antony you are staying) or you can always take a taxi. There is also a bus line (L1) running there however it is temporarily disabled because of Covid19.

Both beaches are quite small but they are quite nice. At Cala Gració there is a restaurant called “Sa Bresca” and at Cala Gracioneta there is a restaurant called “El Chiringuito”, where you can enjoy your lunch with some beach views.

CALA D’HORT

Cala D’Hort is mainly famous because it is right in front of Es Vedrá island which gives you beautiful and very different view.

To get to this beach you will definitely need a car or even better a scooter as the parking is very limited. Another option is to get there with a taxi.

There are two restaurants right on the beach – “Restaurant El Carmen” and “Restaurant Cala D’Hort” and you can also rent sun beds with umbrellas here. Cala D’Hort is also an amazing place to watch the sunset from.

CALA XARRACA

Maybe you have seen a picture from a beach in Ibiza with a big swing in the sea and wondered where it is? Well the answer is Cala Xarraca. Even though this became a very popular “instagram picture spot” it is not crowded as the beach is mainly made of just a bunch of big stones rather than sand and it’s very small. I would say it is not very suitable for elderly or families with kids but amazing for escaping crowds. Unfortunately we haven’t made it to this beach as our time was limited but we would love to come back to Ibiza and explore places that we’ve missed on now.

CALA BASSA

Another very famous and popular beach just like Cala Comte is Cala Bassa. We visited it only in the evening so can’t really say how is the vibe during the day but it definitely wasn’t our favourite beach on the island. There are a couple of restaurants in the area and also a very famous beach club – Cala Bassa beach club.

There is a parking available but you have to pay a fee of 5 EUR per day if you decide to come with a car otherwise there is a bus (L7) from Sant Antony that runs 6x a day. Here is the schedule: https://ibizabus.com/ibiza/lineas/?route=8

OTHERS

Other beaches to consider during your stay are: Benirras beach, San Miguel beach, Sol D’en Serra, Portinatx, Ses Salines, Sa Caleta, Cala Vadella, Cala Salada+Cala Saladeta.

3. VISIT THE HIPPIE MARKETS

One thing that I am really sad we missed are the Hippy markets of Ibiza. They are quite popular and they bring lots of tourists together.

The biggest hippy markets are “Las Dalias” and “Punta Arabí”.

You can possibly buy there anything you want! From handmade jewellery, cosmetics, clothes, art pieces, home decorations, accessories to food and everything else. During weekends there is a DJ playing music and they also offer dining options. Can’t wait to go back to Ibiza just to experience this! I am obsessed with all kinds of markets!

“Las Dalias” opens on Saturday at 10am and close at 8pm and then on Sunday/Monday/Tuesday from 7pm to 12.30am (Wednesday/Thursday/Friday is closed).

“Punta Arabí” is open every Wednesday from 10am-7pm (times change depending on the month).

There are many other small markets happening all around Ibiza. To learn more about it, visit their website: https://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/shopping/markets_i.htm

4. VISIT THE VIEWPOINT OF ES VEDRÁ + TORRE DE SAVINAR

You haven’t really been to Ibiza if you didn’t go to the viewpoint of Es Vedrá. The legend about this island says that it’s home to sirens and sea-nymphs, who tried to lure Odysseus from his ship in Homer’s Odyssey 🙂 .

To get to this viewpoint you will need a car or a scooter (or a taxi). There is a parking where you can park for free and then walk to the viewpoint for like 10-15min. The road is straight but a bit rocky so you might consider to take sneakers instead of some flip flops.

Nearby there is also a watchtower called “Torre de Savinar” where you can climb and see Es Vedrá and also a big part of Ibiza from above. We tried to hike up there but there is no path marked so we got lost, tried to find the right path but we couldn’t so in the end we gave up as we were so tired. Try to ask for directions some people that you see that are coming back from there.

5. GO ON A DAY TRIP TO FORMENTERA

If you are staying in Ibiza for a bit longer you should definitely take a boat trip to Formentera. It’s the smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands and it’s right in front of Ibiza. The speed boat/fast ferry takes around 30 min and cost 15-20 EUR one way (depending on the company). Formentera has some of the most pristine clear waters in the Mediterranean so we really do believe you should visit it! Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go there but hey…one more reason to come back 🙂 .

6. VISIT SA PEDRERA DE CALA D’HORT – ATLANTIS

A true hidden gem of Ibiza definitely is Sa Pedrara de Cala D’Hort or like some locals call it – Atlantis. In fact it’s so hidden that we couldn’t find it. We spend an hour trying to hike, change the path, the directions and still didn’t manage to find it. As we are truly obsessed with hidden gems around the world, it was a place that we were probably the most excited about. What is unique about this place is that it’s a secret cove with strangely symmetrical rock formations and natural pools.

We tried to get there following these directions:

Follow the directions for Cala d’Hort from Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, minutes from the beautiful town of Es Cubells. Just before you get to Cala d’Hort you’ll see signs for the Torre des Savinar and a branch off the road to take you to a car park. From there you can walk down a rough path (not for everyone!) and you’ll get to the magnificent cove of Atlantis in around half an hour. Remember to bring your comfy shoes!

Taken from: https://www.theushuaiaexperience.com/en/blog/ibiza-island/what-to-visit/atlantis-ibiza/

Atlantis…we are definitely coming back for you!

Check out also our “12 Best beaches in Mallorca, Spain” travel guide: http://borntotraveldiaries.com/12-best-beaches-in-mallorca/

We hope this blog post was helpful to you and you are gonna have a great time while exploring all the beautiful corners of Ibiza. We will update it after our next trip to Ibiza. For more pictures and videos check out our IG story highlight (Ibiza) and also our reels and feed posts. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment bellow or contact us via email or even better via Instagram @borntotraveldiaries. Thank you for your time and stay tuned for our next diary page 🙂.