24 Hour Party People

Ibiza
On our trip to San Francisco at the start of the year British Airways kindly mislaid my wife's case for nearly two months. The resulting compensation (in airmiles) meant we had free flights to use but a limited time to use them in. So we decided on a return to the Balearics to squeeze in a weekend trip to Ibiza.

Ibiza Town or Eivissa 

This would be our first-time visiting Ibiza and were pretty sure the famous party island had a more sedate side that we could warm to, although the girl sinking her own bottle of prosecco and vaping(!) on the plane seemed determined to prove me wrong. 

The calm before the storm. the famous Carrer de la Mare de Déu

But I needn't have been alarmed. A short taxi ride from the airport is the very beautiful and calm (during the day) Ibiza Town.  We were staying on the seafront and immediately felt at home amongst great looking restaurants, bars and shops. The serious mega-clubs are across on the Marina side of the port, or just out of town. This means Ibiza Town is only used as a preamble or warm-up for the big nights out. And whilst it was certainly lively in the early evening with the Balearic beat prolific almost everywhere, it certainly didn't intrude on a pleasant evening out for non-clubbers, of which there were lots.

It was also very quiet on the port front in the mornings as we concluded most folk were in in bed recovering from the night before. But then we would come across a favoured café, packed with young folk enjoying the last vestiges of a mammoth night out, tucking into coffee and breakfast. And that was quite refreshing through nostalgic glasses, reminding me of former all-nighters in the throws of my youth. Although when I say a young crowd, in some cases the sunglasses and cowboy hats were clearing masking some clubbing veterans who'd had a 'tough paper round' as the saying goes.

View of Ibiza Town from Dalt Vila (Upper Town)

An excellent starting point in Ibiza Town is the iconic port lighthouse, Far d’Eivissa. It really is a great looking light and benefits from having the perfect backdrop of the Old Town, which should be your next point of exploration. At one of the entrances to the Dalt Vila (Upper Town) ramparts was a tourist information stand and a lovely chap there shared a great walking plan for the Dalt Villa. We spent an hour walking the upper town in the sunshine exploring the narrow, cobbled streets taking in the Castle, the Cathedral and a host of miradors from the ramparts. 

From the numerous vantage points you can enjoy great views of the port and the more modern developments that line the Platja de ses Figueretes on the other side of the Ibiza headland. And for the lighthouse aficionados you can also get a decent view of the small island light of Far de s'Illa Negra.

The iconic Far d’Eivissa

On the opposite side of the harbour the marina of Ibiza is very pleasant and a great way to spend a couple of hours. You'll eventually end up at the Far de Botafoc, a spectacular lighthouse nestled amongst the ferry port and massive cruise ships. A short stroll around the corner is Playa de Talamanca, one of the main beaches of Ibiza. It's a long narrow beach, but nothing spectacular.

A great transport option is the city boat which zips between several locations around Ibiza. It was a lovely way to return to the centre of the town from Talamanca and gave us another view of the famous, red-topped Ibiza lighthouse.

Far de Botafoc, Ibiza

We found plenty of good restaurants and bars in Ibiza Town and within the fortified walls of the Dalt Villa. There are plenty of options to eat al fresco although I would recommend booking ahead for the more popular eateries. We had been given the head's up on La Bodega Eivissa and it was an excellent recommendation.  If it's too busy outside there is a large atmospheric interior and the service, wine and tapas were excellent. The food came out very quick despite how busy it was.

There are lots of drinking options around the plazas of the main town to either people watch during the afternoon or grab a post-dinner nightcap.

Colourful hotels on the Ibiza Marina

The island of Formentera is a short ferry journey from the main Ibiza Town port. There are several large companies ensuring there are services running at least every thirty minutes so it's a doddle to get there and back.

The ferry takes around 45 minutes and is a delightful journey for lighthouse enthusiasts. You'll first pass the two previously mentioned lights of Ibiza Town before you get up close to the fabulously stripey Far de s'illa des Penjats followed shortly by the smaller stripey light of Far d'en Pouen, all en route to Formentera.

Far de Savina, Formentera

And the lighthouses don't stop there, at the ferry terminal is the very cute Far de Savina.

The island of Formentera is the smallest of the Balearics but still a popular destination in its own right due to beautiful beaches, great walking routes and it's proximity to Ibiza. the compact nature also means its perfect for a day trip which was what we had planned. We picked up a car hire in the main port town of La Savina and drove the length of the island to Far de la Mola, a very beautiful lighthouse perched on steep cliffs. Then we retraced our steps and detoured south towards the second famous light of the island on the dramatic Cap de Barbaria. As it was out of season the path to the headland was open to traffic, but I'd thoroughly recommend parking up and enjoying the very nice twenty minute walk to the lighthouse.

Far de la Mola, Formentera

With the two lighthouses bagged by lunchtime we ditched the car and looked to get some lunch in La Savina. It was very quiet everywhere, so we opted for a tapas lunch at the excellent Bar La Mota which was busy with locals. Mission accomplished, we were on the 14.30pm ferry back to Ibiza. A highly recommended day out.

Far de Barbaria, Formentera

By now we'd got the measure of Ibiza Town and discovered it caters for the clubber and he non-clubber with equal respect, so respect due. On our final night we wandered along the famous Carrer de la Mare de Déu or the Virgin of Ibiza, a beacon for the LGBT+ community. Perched outside on a small table at the pleasant Il Gatto e La Volpe Osteria we enjoyed a great glass of red wine watching a young man and old lady (his grandmother?) perform as a highly entertaining musical duo. The young and old, side by side. It was great fun and a nicely summed up our trip to Ibiza.

Another view of Far d’Eivissa