Ibiza for beginners!
If you have me on Instagram, you'll have been subject to my ongoing spam of Ibiza photos! I recently went on holiday there with my boyfriend, Jonny, and honestly I had such a good time.
Whilst Jonny has always, always wanted to go to Ibiza, it's never appealed to me - I've not really ever wanted to go and get smashed day after day and come home feeling crappy. To me, that didn't sound like a holiday. However, back in 2017 when Stormzy hosted the first ever Merky Festival at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel, I knew I wanted to go - so when the tickets for the 2018 festival went on sale, Jonny and I booked them straight away! The festival itself is only two days, so we decided to fly out the day before and add a couple of days afterwards too, to make it more of a holiday.
I was a little dubious for a number of reasons. First of all, at the time of booking the holiday, I had put on weight and didn't feel comfortable in my own skin, so I worried I'd feel horrible and unattractive next to the undoubtedly slim, gorgeous girls who would be there. Secondly, I wasn't that into drinking - I like a couple to make me buzzed but I don't really enjoy getting smashed. Would I really enjoy Ibiza? Thirdly, the money - everyone says that Ibiza is incredibly expensive and it actually made me feel sick that I could be spending 40 euros + on one drink! Lastly, I prefer city break holidays, so I just worried that aside from the festival, I just wouldn't enjoy the trip in general.
Well, I'd like to tell you all now that I was wrong about all those factors. If you've never been to Ibiza before and are going soon, or considering booking a trip there soon, let me share my experience with you...
The People
Everyone knows the Ibiza stereotype - skinny, tanned, gorgeous, wearing barely any clothes girls and lads lads LADS with six packs who pick up multiple girls a day.
Wrong, wrong and wrong again.
I felt so more at ease with the people I was surrounded with in Ibiza than I expected! Yes, I had lost some weight myself and so felt more comfortable in my own skin which definitely eased up any insecurities I may have had, but I was genuinely so surprised because everything I had thought about Ibiza-goers was wrong. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes, all ages (really- even people who were 'old'!), all kinds of backgrounds and all wearing whatever the hell they wanted and I absolutely loved it. It sounds bad to say but I just hadn't expected to see any girls bigger than a size 6 in bikinis. I saw women of all size, and I also saw women with all kinds of boobs too, and I revelled in it. It wasn't all just unrealistically perfect girls like I'd been dreading - it was all kinds of girls, all looking like absolute babes! It was so great to be surrounded by all these people who were owning their bodies and rocking fab outfits and just having a good time.
In terms of lads, I didn't come across any that struck me as the dickhead lads I expected to see. Basically, the Ibiza stereotypes I had expected to meet appeared to be totally wrong!
Drinking + The Prices
Because I'm quite a light weight, I don't have to drink much as it is. However, as it happens, the weekend before going away I had an alcohol related incident that went incredibly badly, and kind of put me off drinking too much ever again. I managed to get nicely buzzed every single day, particularly on alcoholic slushies and cocktail ice pops! I paced myself every day, about one drink an hour, and drunk about 3-5 bottles of water a day between drinks to a) stay hydrated (it is hot out there!) and b) make sure I didn't get absolutely paralytic!
It worked nicely. I wasn't sick once, didn't get so messy I embarrassed myself, didn't pass out and didn't get a hangover once! Better still, once I was home I didn't get a case of the "Ibiza flu" either! Jonny was the same, although he deffo drank more than me, but we both agreed we did it the "right way" - happily buzzed but not too much that we felt horrible every day!
In terms of the prices, it really wasn't expensive as I expected. I was told I would have to pay around 40 or 50 euros for one drink. This wasn't the case. We drank at Ibiza Rocks Hotel, Amnesia, Ushuaia and out at restaurants with our meals and never paid more than 20 euros for one drink.
We took 1100 euros to last four days and actually came home with money - we drank every day/night and went out for two or three meals a day too, so make of that what you will.
Things to Do
Ibiza is definitely a party island, but there is still plenty to do! There is the other side of the island, which is apparently lovely and not party orientated at all, but unfortunately we didn't have time on this trip to visit.
However if you're staying in one of the main areas, such as San Antonio, then there's lots to do. There's plenty of restaurants and bars for the days/evenings, you can hire quad bikes and mopeds, there's shops and there's also the beach, where you can sunbathe or hire a variety of boats (some of them are truly amazing with slides coming off of them!)
However, if you're partying every night, you are probably going to want to sleep for most of the next day! If you book a hotel, try and get one with a pool, so you can chill in there all day! There's a fairground nearby and a harbour where you can take ferry rides. There's also plenty of pool parties every day at Ibiza Rocks, which is good!
Tips and Tricks
So for any of you first timers going, here's what I'd say...
- Wear whatever you want because that's what literally everyone does.
- Bring glitter and gems for pool parties and club nights, people wear a lot of those!
- Drink plenty of water. Alcohol dehydrates you as it is but Ibiza is hot and you'll be out in the sun a lot, which can lead to you getting ill! Drink your water.
- Eat! I went to Ibiza with the mentality that I wasn't going to eat much because "I didn't want to look bloated in a bikini". That is a STUPID idea, especially if you're drinking. Enjoy some of the local food, like a delicious seafood paella!
- Think carefully about wearing heels. You'll be on your feet a LOT.
- Wear sun cream! It reached highs of about 32 degrees whilst I was out there (start of July), and people often forget to top up suncream, or forget that it washes off in the pool. The pool is where your skin is most vulnerable so don't think you're safe just because you're submerged in water!
- Take plenty of bikinis! If you're in a pool everyday you'll need at least three!
Have you been to Ibiza before? Share your tips below! Similarly, if you have any questions about Ibiza for me, feel free to ask away!
Love from,
Florence Grace
This is SUCH a good post Florence! You've covered every area and I know this post will ease any worries people have. I'm so glad that all yours melted away when you arrived and you had an amazing time xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm so glad you think so! I'm really looking forward to embarking into travel blogging a bit more!! Glad you enjoyed the post, thanks for your lovely comment! xx
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