Traveling To Ibiza – Here’s The REAL Deal
While I was in Ibiza so many people had questions about the overall trip that this blog post was a must for me to do in order to save you all from making any mistakes + planning accordingly.
Travel Docs: You don’t need a visa to travel to Spain if you are an American Citizen. Just a valid US passport and you’re ready to go. Make sure to bring your driver’s license or state ID so that you can leave your passport back at the hotel while exploring.
Necessary Items: When packing make sure to bring European electrical adaptors since none of your US electrical items will fit in their european plugs. Bring a back up battery since your cell phone will be searching for service the whole time and will be drained before you leave your hotel. Also there’s really no CVS or Sephora stores at every corner to shop at so all your toiletries and makeup must come with you. You can also bring with you some snacks to throw in your bag or bring down to the pool if you’re not trying to order a full meal every time.
Flight: I flew from New York’s JFK into Madrid Spain and then took a second flight from Madrid to Ibiza. While I purchased a flight through American Airlines, they passed me on to Iberia and I’m glad they did. The Iberia flight to Madrid was my most comfy flight to date, a wide body 777 plane which was 10 seats across, the overhead compartments were huge AND we got dinner and breakfast. The second flight from Madrid to Ibiza was about one hour and thirty minutes in a small Iberia plane. Make sure that when booking your flight the layover gives you enough to time to make your next flight because the airport at Madrid is HUGE and it can easily take you a good half hour to get to your next terminal.
Money Exchange: I exchanged my US dollars at the airport in Madrid and later could not find any exchange places in town. Just take enough cash with you to exchange or you can also use an ATM which will dispense in Euros.
Accommodations: I stayed in what I can say was the nicest looking hotel when I searched online: Hotel Torre Del Mar. The entire building was brand new and in tip top shape, staff was friendly and you get an amazing view of the city and the ocean. My one complaint is that it is a bit removed from the city so you need a cab for everything and the pool water is not heated so it’s FREEZING!
Tipping: this may be one of the only places on earth were tipping is frowned upon. Apparently folks in Ibiza are very well paid for their jobs and find it offensive if you offer them a couple of bucks as a tip. They recommend that you DO NOT tip anybody, yes even cab drivers, unless the service is out of this world exceptional.
Internet: My hotel and all restaurants I visited had WiFi and I really didn’t feel like I struggled with phone service will there.
TV/Radio: I watched no television or listened to radio while I was in Ibiza. Most music I heard was played in taxi cabs and it was always EDM or dance music. Definitely bring a portable speaker and/or DVD player.
Food: The food in Ibiza was the best part of the trip. All meals I consumed there were A1 thanks to the freshness and it being non-GMO. We had an amazing Paella, the most delicious tapas and the desserts were rich and delicious. If you’re foodie this place will be heaven for you.
Restaurants: We kept going back to this one place Sa Punta which had three of the most exceptional restaurants I’ve ever visited. My favorite being Patchwork, a Lebanese restaurant which sits right on the water and allowed me to witness the most stunning sunset ever. There’s also your typical STK, Niki Beach and NoBu in Ibiza if you like to stick to what you know.
Clubs/Bars: There are plenty of clubs and bars in Ibiza, most play EDM and do stay open very late. I do suggest that you buy all your club tickets in advance since most of their popping spots will either have a celebrity performing or a just as famous celeb DJ handling music. We hit Pacha and it was an eclectic mix of nationalities, ages and race. Erick Morillo was set to DJ but by the time we left at 2AM he was yet to show up. In there defense, Pacha is open until 7AM.
Beaches: The beaches in Ibiza are absolutely beautiful. The water is clear, sand is soft, but some beaches I went to had tons of rocks in the water and shorelines. During my Memorial Day Weekend visit there was tons of jellyfish and the water was freezing so I did not get in the water at all. I would suggest you wait until mid summer to travel here.
Taxis: There’s no Uber or Lyft in Ibiza and in order to easily access a cab you need be at a hotel or a restaurant so that they can call one for you. They’re very organized when it comes to their taxi lines and you can easily wait a good 30 minutes in line before getting your turn at a cab.
Tours: We booked s couple of boat tours through Expedia and got to see Ibiza’s beautiful beaches on boat. One cute moment while traveling there was taking a water taxi to Ibiza’s “reggae beach” which is like a makeshift Jamaican beach set up.
Locals: The locals are reserved and at times indifferent as you may expect from Europeans. I got the feeling that they do not want to have any interaction with tourists or get to know any strangers as they do in some Caribbean islands.
Safety/Crime: The entire time I was in Ibiza I felt safe and had zero worries for my safety. Maybe it’s the New Yorker in me, but it felt quite comfortable despite being a foreign country.
Shopping: There are tons of stores to shop from, but I did notice that those Euro prices made it not worth it. There were absolutely no sales and most local stuff was overpriced. We did visit a local market that sells souvenirs to bring back home called Hippy Market which took us a good thirty minutes to get to from our hotel and a taxi ride which cost us a $60 USD. At the market prices were not negotiable and definitely not the outdoor market prices you would expect while traveling.
I could literally write pages about my trip to Ibiza, but I will leave you with this: this trip is more of experience and can be taken to hit the reset button in your life. You will find yourself deep in thought and actually absorbing the life around…LIVING.
Check out some of my IG travel posts below: