I have always wanted to spend some holidays in Ibiza. I know Mallorca quite well, another of the 4 Balearic Islands. I have been there several times and even lived there for 4 months. But when it comes to Ibiza, it’s not the festive side of the island that attracted me the most. I was convinced that this small island hid so many surprises, beauty and magnificent beaches. After anoter lockdown and the cancellation of our trip to Fuerteventura, we finally decided to organize a trip to Ibiza and spend a week to discover this small beautiful island.
To be honest, I was very happy with the cancellation of the trip to Fuerteventura, because we had already been there last year. And besides, I wanted to discover a new place. So here is a #cityguide that I hope will help you plan your trip or give you ideas for your stay in Ibiza. Here you will find useful information about how to organize your trip in this particular Covid pandemic but also the #goodaddresses that we have tested and those we will test next time because for sure, we will be back soon.
The best time to go to Ibiza
The best time to go to Ibiza depends on your travel goals. Do you want to go with friends to party and experience the nightlife that Ibiza has to offer? Or do you simply want to discover the wild beauty of the island, the beaches and rather spend a peaceful holiday? If you are in the first category, you will have to go there during the high season or between mid-June and the end of August, beginning of September. If you dream of peace and sun, with friends or family, you should go between the end of April and the beginning of June or between the beginning of September and the end of October.
However, remember to check the weather forecast because even in May and June there may be some rainy days. We spent one week on the island, from May 25 to June 1st. And we were lucky because we arrived under the sun, with 25 ° C. We had only one morning with rain and the rest of our stay was full of sun. The surprise was that the day we got back, June 1, when we got on the plane, it was raining cats and gods. But we were lucky with the weather and were able to enjoy our week in Ibiza.
How to prepare your trip with the Covid pandemic?
It is true that with the Covid pandemic, everything has become difficult, even traveling. For exemple, you have to remember to wear the mask with you all the time, the hydro alcoholic gel. As a reminder, on plane, you must wear a surgical mask because they don’t accept the cloth ones.
All airlines require a negative PCR test, done no later than 72 hours before departure. Our departure was on Tuesday, so we made an appointment at Charles de Gaulle airport to do the PCR test on Sunday morning. We got the results on Sunday evening.
In addition to the negative PCR test, Spain requires a form to be completed before your trip. You have to show the form once you get off the plane and pass the controls, along with the negative PCR test. You can fill it out for people you are travelling with and yourself. I did it for the 3 of us. However, please note that you must present one QR code per person. Once the form has been completed, you will therefore receive 3 emails with 3 separate QR codes, for each person in the group or family.
Where to stay in Ibiza?
Ibiza offers a multitude of choices when it comes to accommodation during your stay. Hotels, Air B&Bs, rural hotels with a unique charm. Several years ago, we used to prepare our trips by choosing separately, on different platforms the flight, the hotel, and the rental car at the airport. However, since we are the 3 of us, we prefer to opt for a half-board or all-inclusive package trip. Most often, we opt for half board because it allows us to travel and discover the place between the breakfast and the dinner time.
This time we found a great deal on Leclerc Voyages at the beginning of May. 7-day stay, half-board, with airport-hotel transfer included. When it comes to the accommodation, it was in a very nice hotel in Puerto de San Miguel, with a wonderful view and the beach only 5-minutes-walk from the hotel. The name of the hotel is Esmeralda Park. The hotel staff were just super nice. They are apartment-hotels, with one bedroom and another room with kitchen. It is a very good solution for families and when traveling with baby.
The other places which are very pretty and offer magnificent views and ambiance are: Cubanito (a very instagrammable place), Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel and Xereca Ibiza which is a rural hotel. Along the same lines, you have Agroturismo Atzaro. We did the restaurant which is really great. In addition, it was a 5 minute drive from our hotel (or about 5 km).
Where to rent a car in Ibiza?
Once you have your hotel and flight tickets, you need to book a car in order to explore the island. You have several companies having their offices directly on the airport. So you can rent one easily and very quickly. For our part, we had the transfer from the airport to the hotel. And as I mentioned before, this is our way of travelling for the past 3 years. Having said that, we prefer to rest 2 days at the hotel, discover the place in 3 or 4 days and then rest another 2 days before getting back home.
So we asked the hotel for advice about where to find a car. They recommended an agency which was 3-minutes walk from the hotel so it was very convenient. In other places, such as Portugal, in Algarve for example, they had come directly to the hotel to leave the car for us. Be aware that prices vary depending on the season. For example, in Ibiza there was a difference of 10 or 15 euros per day between the high season and the low season. For the agency where we rented the car the low season was between January 1st and June 1st and high season, between September 20th and December 31st.
What to see in Ibiza?
Once you have your car, list the places you want to visit. For 2, 3 or 4 days, Ibiza is full of places to discover: beautiful beaches, unique places, restaurants. I will detail all of this in the following lines. If you want to rest on the beach for half a day or a day, in a festive atmosphere, you can book a deckchair at Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel or at Amante Ibiza. The ambiance there is a unique one.
You can also dedicate a day to discover Eivissa, the main town in Ibiza, its port, its city center with shops like Zara, Zara Home, Oysho, Stradivarius, Bershka etc. You can then have a coffee or lunch in one of the restaurants in Paseo Vara de Rey or Plaça des Parc. Then continue towards Dalt Vila, most known as the old town. In this walled part of Eivissa you will find very nice restaurants, small shops and of course a beautiful view of the city and the sea. You can also spend a day in Formentera. We have decided to leave this experience for the next time and explore the island of Ibiza as much as possible.
Another must-see on the island is the breathtaking view towards Es Vedra. For hiking enthusiasts this will be a fairly easy experience. Once the car is parked, you have a walk of around 15 or 20 minutes. The terrain is pretty flat and easy to walk, but despite that, think about wearing sneakers. We hiked the ride with the baby stroller and had to carry it to a few places that were a little harder to cross with a stroller. But it is still doable. Ses Salines Natural Park is another place for hikers, along with Torre de Ses Portes.
Where to eat in Ibiza?
As we took a half board trip, we were not able to do all the restaurants we would have liked to do. However the ones we did were just to recommend without any hesitation. Note that they are a little more expensive than the average in Spain, but you have to keep in mind that Ibiza is still a fairly popular place.
The restaurants we tested
- Restaurante Can Tothom (in Puerto de San Miquel), with a beautiful view on the beach
- Es Codolar Sa Caleta (right next to one of the most beautiful beaches: Sa Caleta)
- Amante Ibiza (you can have a sun lounger for the day)
- Aubergine Ibiza (in the lands and 5 minutes fromPuerto de San Miquel)
The ones we will test next time
- Workshop N 74
- El Olivo Moi (as well as the other nice restaurants in the old town)
- Shamarkanda
- La paloma Ibiza
- Can Mimosa Ibiza
- The Giri Ibiza
- At Mi Manera Ibiza
The most beautiful beaches in Ibiza
When we say Ibiza, it is obvious that we think about beaches and parties. We can also only think about beaches or only about the partes J. Most of the beaches are with sand, but you also have a few with pebbles. The one that I liked the most was Arenal Gran or also known as Portinatx beach. It is neither too big nor too small, with a beautiful color of the water. Another plus is that for people who don’t like the sun too much, there is shade under the beautiful trees that are on the beach. On the 2ndplace is the beach of Puerto de San Miguel, which was right next to our hotel. Then on third place I will put Sa Caleta beach. It is not a sand beach, but still very beautiful.
We also went to Ses Salines beach. While looking for it, you may come across a paid parking. But be aware that in low season you can easily find free places on the Carrer del Canal, right next to the beach. Another mythical place is Sa Pedrera de Cala d´Hort and its natural swimming pool. We couldn’t go because we weren’t too well prepared for the walk with our baby. Cala Xaraca and its swing is another beautiful place. After 2 minutes with the car, you have the mythical place with the swing. This is not a beach but some rocks where you can sit, swim and take a instagram photo on the swing.
And for the flight back, where to do your PCR test?
After having spent a wonderful week in Ibiza, we should do the PCR test to return to France. It can be the tedious part of your travel. This is why it is important to plan for it, even before you leave for your holidays. Indeed the price of the tests varies between 70 euros and 135 euros. You have a choice of 3 options:
- Take a test at the airport. This is indeed the cheapest solution, price is 70 euros. However, this is only with an appointment you should make on their website. We wanted to book one, but there were no slots available before 1 week. However, since we have planned to go to Eivissa, we decided to go straight to the airport and see if they can pick us up. We were lucky enought because they hadn’t a lot of work and were able to make the PCR test for us.
- Take the PCR test in a clinic: the one recommended to us by the travel agency was Dr Mari. Tey have several offices and the one in Eivissa is even open on Sunday. The price is quite reasonable: 75 euros for a test between Monday and Friday and if you do the test on Sunday, price is 95 euros.
- You can also ask at the reception of your hotel to help you and call a clinic. Some of them come directly at the hotel. This option is the most expensive considering the travel by car they should do for the service.
I hope this article was helpful and gave you some ideas about your next trip to Ibiza.
Follow me on : Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter
