As I arrived on the Balearic Island I was filled with excitement as I had meticulously planned every hour of the next 72 hours, I couldn’t help but feel slightly stressed wondering if this is actually going to work?
The moment I walked out of the airport I could feel the warm breeze and a sense of freedom, a indescribable ambiance – all worries, stress and thoughts were forgotten, IT WAS ON!
Let me tell you – Ibiza is definitely not what you see on TV! Far from it, with its beautiful white sandy beaches, and laid back atmosphere there’s something for everyone!
I arrived late on Saturday and started with a bar crawl all down Playa den Bossa , there were plenty of bars on the strip and on the beaches with DJ’s on rotation, it’s a house nation!
The following day we went to Lio’s to get the taste of how the other half of Ibiza live. This is an exclusive millionaires club on the swanky Marina. Surrounded by 2/3 storey yachts, designer boutiques, red carpets and men in silk shirts. You get a full view of the Old Town, over the ocean and the club itself is beautiful without a doubt. With great service and amazing cocktails, this venue is great for a special occasion dinner and pre clubbing drinks. It has a fun show and a DJ playing house and pop music all night. It does come at a price, but worth it.
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We then headed out to Pacha, where Solomun +1 was playing all night. A well respected underground DJ, nice mix and a great vibe, however having been to Ibiza before and knowing its full capabilities it’s wasn’t quite what were looking for.
In search of a hard rave, we hit “We Love Space” at the club Space. With two rooms and a terrace playing soulful and minimal house. Groove Armada, Paul Woolford, Jackmaster, Tristan Ingram to name a few of the 25 DJ’s lined up for the night. Ibiza is famed for the shows in the clubs with acrobats and dancers, however We Love Space had none of that, just pure music for music Lovers. I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed, I wasn’t wowed, but little did I know what lay ahead……
The following day we headed out to Circo Loco at DC-10, a 12 hour rave from 4pm-4am. We walked onto a huge terrace at around 11pm and everyone looked like they were in heaven. I made my way to the main entrance and boy, we had found what we were looking for! There were over 10 DJ’s on rotation over 12 hours; we had The Martinez Brothers, System of Survival, Clive Henry, Sossa but the truly special guest was Kevin Saunderson. He is a US DJ – if you haven’t heard of him – follow him now! He does what a DJ is meant to do; feels the crowd and takes you with him. You’re left in a bubble where you’re free and nothing else exists while you shuffle and fist pump like it’s your last day on earth. Everyone was in a trance and the thousands of people in that room felt like one big family. It was amazing! We were left in euporia.
On my last day in Ibiza with a night flight awaiting, there was only one place you could get your final hours of raving – Ushuaia; an outdoor pool party in a top notch hotel. Although you should leave your bikini at home and bring your dancing shoes instead as this is a show not to be missed. With Luciano headlining – we finally got our show! With fire, confetti, acrobats, go-go dancers and amazing strobe lights, it’s an event where sunglasses need to be on, hands in the air and again we were lost in the music! With the warm Balearic breeze and planes flying over our heads it was the perfect way to end our amazing Ibiza Experience. There was also a Ushuaia tower if you wanted to carry on the party!
All in all Ibiza is a place where no matter your age, you need to experience. I went on a party weekend but if you have a family or are older there is a totally different side of Ibiza. With hippy local markets, the Ibiza Old Town – which contained in a Castle are lots of boutiques and amazing restaurants offering great food. Ibiza also offers white sandy beaches – Ses salina, es cavallet, Benirras to name a few and sea front restaurants. The clubs are mainly 2 strips, one in San Antonio and one in Playa Den Bossa. Ibiza is a massive Island where you don’t necessarily have to party hard and can avoid all heavy night life for a truly relaxing holiday in paradise.
* Jennifer Rodriguez – UK Review Team