Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
Here are some other great money-saving ideas for doing Ibiza on a budget without missing out on a thing.
Take a hike
It might come as a surprise to many, but Ibiza is excellent walking terrain.
The island is criss-crossed with a network of fabulous hikes, many taking in secret, isolated beaches that can only be accessed via Shanks’s pony.
The walks are well mapped out, particularly the ones in the north, and the excellent website and app Wikiloc provides plenty of easy-to-follow maps.
One of my favourites, short and sweet at under 8km, is the amazing circular walk which takes in Playa es Portitxol, a stunning cove with a few boat houses and nothing else.
Park up by the Urbanizacion Isla Blanca and, my advice, take the inland route downhill first, skirting around an incredibly unspoilt pine forest.
History tour
Many wrongly assume that Ibiza is lacking in culture, being full of footballers and Love Island types.
In fact the island has a rich history dating back to the Romans and Phoenicians before them.
One of the best places to appreciate this is Ibiza Town, also known as Eivissa.
Beautifully preserved behind formidable fortifications, the historic core is known as Dalt Vila, a UNESCO protected World Heritage site and once one of the most important trading centres in the Med.
Heavily fortified during the reigns of Kings Charles I and Felipe II to defend it against the French and the Ottomans, you enter on foot via the dramatic slope up to the drawbridge and gateway of Portal de Ses Taules.
From here you pass an ancient cobbled courtyard into a maze of narrow, winding streets full of rather overpriced restaurants and boutiques.
You’re better off shopping in the grid of streets below the old town, home to one of the island’s oldest restaurants, Comidas Bar San Juan, or the nearby Santa Rita Ibiza, which has some great value tapas and wines by the glass.
Beach life
Ibiza is famous for its huge variety of beaches, ultra clean water and lush undersea Poseidon grass meadows.
Don’t miss Cala Bonita, a great city beach near Eivissa with its own excellent chiringuito, Cala Nova, which rustles up great surf waves and fodder too at the hip Atzaro Beach club.
Cala de Sant Vicent is another must visit, as are the beaches east of Portinatx including Cala Xucla, Cala Xarraca and, if you like to dive in from the rocks, S’Illot des Rencli.
Another excellent beach for underwater exploration in the south is Cala Tarida, with its superb, good value beach restaurant Ses Eufabies.
Breathtaking Benirras
This gorgeous beach deserves special mention. It’s where the cool crowd go to strip off (often entirely, so be warned) and listen to the sunset bongo drums, particularly on a Sunday which is an all-dayer (although you now have to get bussed down as it gets very busy).
Super Santa
Santa Eulalia is probably Ibiza’s only year-round resort. It’s great value for families, well looked after with a historic core and a friendly vibe.
The polar opposite of rowdy ‘San An’, make sure to visit the charming Puig de Missa church which dates back to the 16th century before strolling along the promenade to the pretty marina.
There are some excellent restaurants dotted along the seafront and a couple have live jazz in the evenings. But this is not a party town so by midnight most of the locals and tourists have gone to bed.
The beaches are darned good too and the historic Hotel Buenavista, the island’s second oldest, has gorgeous gardens – paradise for cocktails or an evening meal.
You should also take a look at the recently opened W Hotel which architecturally takes some beating.
