48 HOURS IN IBIZA

Our DJ friend got booked for Ibiza so me and my sis decided to come out to support him. We had a small window of time, so we did a flying visit - literally! Here’s how we packed a whole holiday into 2 days and 2 nights. We partied, ate great food, lounged by the pool, the beach, shopped til we dropped and rubbed shoulders with celebs at a bouji nightclub (if you like that sort of thing). All on a shoestring budget.

Flights

We booked our flights quite last minute, so the flights were already quite expensive. The cheapest way to travel was flying with EasyJet at unsociable hours and with a cabin bag only. And when I say cabin bag, I mean literally one bag that has to fit under the seat in front of you. If you want a bag in the overhead locker as well, you have to pay extra. So we had to be economical with our packing to fit everything in.

Airport Transfers & Getting Around

Arriving into Ibiza at 11pm, it was 25 degrees! There was a rank outside with plenty of taxis but we opted for the bus which takes you into town for 3.60 Euros. It runs every half hour through the summer period but you may have to wait longer as it fills up quickly.

We used the bus whenever we could and it was super easy. We didn’t even need to use a timetable or app, Google Maps calculated our journies for us and was really accurate about the times and location of bus stops. Make sure you have cash though as I didn’t see anyone paying with a card. There are free ATMs at the airport but in town you are likely to pay a surcharge.

A Hotel With A Great Location

We stayed at the Vibra Lei Hotel, part of a Spanish chain of Vibre hotels. The Lei is a lovely modern hotel with breakfast bar, a pool, clean and bright interiors, a good shower. It is located in Figuretes, which is in-between Ibiza Old Town (shopping & sight seeing) and Bossa Beach (beach clubs and nightclubs), both easily accessible by bus (we walked into old town). Figuretes beach is lined with restaurants and bars and is a 2 minute walk away.

The hotel has a mid-range price point, so the way that we saved money was by only booking two nights, when effectively we were there for three! So the last night we did an all nighter and slept for a few hours at the airport before our morning flight. It meant that we could spend a little bit more on a nicer hotel. After checking out on our last day, we were allowed to leave our bags in a secure area and they even gave us towels and a shower to change in! The Reception desk was manned 24 hours so you could check in and collect bags at all hours. The staff were friendly and efficient and I would definitely book again.

DAY ONE

Ibiza Town

After a good breakfast at the hotel (the fruit salad and freshly squeezed juice is a winner!) we took a stroll into Ibiza old town. It is gorgeous and so worth a visit. The streets are so pretty, and the castle looked very tempting but we decided not to climb it in 30 degree heat, although the views would have been amazing and I do recommend it. Also, I was not prepared for the shopping! Oh my goodness, next time I will budget for it. The boutiques in Ibiza are stunning and the clothes and accessories are like nothing you see anywhere else. Love love love! Some of my favourites were Marma with gorgeous silk dresses and Oseree with show stopping eveningwear.

Lunch at Fusion

The restaurants in ibiza marina port are super expensive and a tourist trap with people vying for your business. So we headed back to our hotel area, Figuretes beach which is a pretty shingle bay lined with restaurants and bars. We settled into comfy sofas overlooking the sea with delicious cocktails and lunch at Fusion. Food is expensive in Ibiza, but not too dissimilar to London. For 20 Euros you can have a filling main meal; and at Fusion the house cocktails were 10 Euros, and 7 Euros during happy hour. I had a nicely cooked fresh Sea Bass with tasty vegetable and roasted potatoes. My sister opted for the paella. Yum!

It is also worth mentioning that the night before, we also found a restaurant still serving food late into the night, Coolture. We enjoyed wood fired oven pizzas and a glass of wine. I mean, good food at 1am, that is impressive!

Hotel Pool

After shopping and being on our feet all day we rested by the pool in the hotel. It is totally under a canopy so you can’t catch a tan, but I enjoyed relief from the sun. It was a nice way to charge our batteries and chat with other hotel guests. The pool is small but totally adequate and it was nice to have an outdoor space to lounge in. We bought a pink gin in duty free on the flight in, so we cracked that open with some ice and tonic from the local spar.

Hi Ibiza

A quick disco nap and then we were dressed up and ready to go out out! We took the bus into Platja d'en Bossa which was so easy and quick with this bus stop also being a 5 minute walk. Our friend was djing at Hi Ibiza, so we were fortunate to be on the guest list and didn’t have to pay 50 Euros to get in. Jordan Peak did himself and us proud with his set and the club was so fun! I also loved Natasha Diggs with her soul set, but the rest of the night was mostly Tech House. The most surreal part of the night for me, was going into the toilets to find a full on DJ set. It was rammed with people partying, while others were going into cubicles (what they were doing in there I don’t know lol). The ceiling was like a kaleidoscope of colourful light shards, it was epic! There were outdoor spaces too, a garden and a rooftop that were decked out nicely with pretty lights, but it did feel hot compared to the air conditioned club. My only error was not eating dinner, so by 1am I was starving and the club did not serve any food whatsoever, not even crisps! So I ended up in McDonald’s of all places at 3am scoffing cheese bites (because they do not have vegetarian burgers by the way, just saying).

DAY TWO

Figuretes Beach

We may have been a bit hung over on this day! So a beach day seemed like the best way to sleep it off. We could have gone to another beach, but Figuretes beach was a 2 minute walk from our hotel, and we just decided to make life easy for ourselves and settle here. We hired sun loungers and a parasol for 10 Euros each, got take-away pizza for lunch from Coolture for 10 Euros. The water was warm and I swam a few times to cool off from the sun, it was not the clearest of water but it was refreshing and still felt really pleasant. My favourite part of the day was falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves. Total bliss!

Dinner at Principe

After showering back at the hotel and changing for dinner we ate at Principe. Me and my sis both had the pumpkin ravioli which was freshly made on the premises that morning. It was phenomenal and paired with an ice cold chardonnay, I was a happy lady! (You will have to forgive us for not choosing Spanish food, I am such an Italian food lover! I also am not a fan of Paella unfortunately, but next time promise to try the tapas and report back.) We took a stroll along the promenade and enjoyed the views of the bay one last time before heading off for the other side of the island.

Partying at Pikes

For our last night, we chose the iconic Pikes. It is the infamous and has been frequented by the rich and famous for decades, and known for being featured in Wham’s Club Tropicana music video. It is a hotel with a club attached and to be on the guest list does not guarantee entry. There is a dress code, you have to be over 27, and your phone camera is stickered upon arrival to ensure you stay present, don’t annoy the celebs who may be there, and to keep the mystery of the place alive. It really is beautiful and a little wonderland, and like going back in time. I highly recommend it. We got dressed up to the nines and took a taxi for around 30 Euros to the middle of nowhere down a dusty road. The hotel is set atop a hill with views of rolling hills and countryside. We were there for Fatboy Slim’s night; (Zoe Ball was there, as well as my dancing idol, Strictly’s Oti Mabuse!) it was packed inside the club though so I didn’t end up hearing him! The dj playing outside was good though, and I partied there instead, and met fun people to talk to all over the place. There are so many areas, a pool (you don’t go in the pool), restaurant, pizza corner, rooftop and it all meaders and leads to other areas so it feels like you are walking around a labyrinth, its lush! TOP TIP: The guest list is free, simply sign up on their website; but make sure you sign up individually because the guest list only accepts one guest per email address.

Taxi Transfer

Then with a nearly full moon in the sky, it was time to go home! (It is worth mentioning that I did download the ibiza taxi app but we found it was quicker to wait at a taxi rank.) There were plenty of taxis waiting outside Pikes. We went to the airport for about 40 Euros, via our hotel to collect our bags. After showing our boarding passes to security, we were let into the airport. We got dressed into travelling clothes, found a little bench to nap on (lots of other people were doing the same) and then flew home first thing in the morning!

What an incredible two days! We had a great time, and even though there is so much more to do there, we felt like we definitely had the Ibiza experience. I can’t wait to return to try more clubs, beaches and areas. I hope you found this useful, and if you want to see more content like this, please do sign up to my Travel with Coco newsletter, or follow me on socials.

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