Ibiza Clubbing Holiday Guide
When to come?
The
tourist season generally starts in May and runs through to October.
The
clubbing season starts at the beginning of June and run to the end of
September.
The
only club open throughout the whole tourist season is Pacha.
Es Paradis is usually the
first big club to open at the end of May. Following this is Space in the
first week of June, then Amnesia one week after, and so on.
Popular club nights such as Cream and Cocoon
don’t start until the third or fourth week of June.
Towards the end of the clubbing season the clubs close
one by one, the last ones being Space leaving Pacha as the only
one left. September closing parties run throughout the whole month and are
definitely highlights of the clubbing season!
The ideal times to go to Ibiza are June, July
and September. In addition there are fabulous parties on during New
Years Eve, Easter and October.
If you are coming out of season and the larger clubs
are shut, venues such as KM5, Underground, Guarana and Grial are always open
offering the essential Ibiza clubbing experience.
August is a mixed bag as some of the
club nights are a truly awesome spectacle and without doubt a sight to behold,
but the island can get incredibly busy. This makes everything much harder work,
finding space on the beach, parking, places at restaurants, plus club tickets
are at peak prices.
Where to go?
Ibiza has a wealth of sights, attractions, and things
to do, but it’s up to you to work out which ones you want to include on your
trip. For help in planning your trip, Skiddle.com offers:
Guides
on all major resorts
The
low down on the best beaches
Backgrounds
on all the Ibiza super-clubs and resident DJs
The locals are friendly and happy to help so if you
get stuck while out there, just ask around. Free clubbing guards are handed out
all over the major resorts and will tell you everything you need to know on
what’s coming up and where you have to be.
Where to stay?
There
are 3 main resorts you should be looking at staying for a clubbing holiday.
These, and the clubs within them, are: Ibiza Town, featuring Pacha and El
Divino, Playa D’en Bossa which contains Space, and San Antonio which has Es
Paradis and Eden. The other 2 main clubs Amnesia and Privilege can be found on
the road between Ibiza Town and San Antonio, near San Rafael.
You
must be aware that Ibiza is also a hugely popular family holiday destination,
and some hotels will be more geared towards this type of customer. It’s up to
you to research if your hotel is more family-friendly, or happy for you to
dance back to your room in the wee small hours of the morning.
Before
you collapse under a palm tree for that magical night on the sand under the
stars…be aware that it is ILLEGAL to sleep on the beaches in Ibiza! There are
regular police patrols, you have been warned…
Tickets and Clubs
Buy your clubbing tickets before you travel wherever
possible!! You’ll pay less, at British prices, and have your holiday a lot more
sorted and stress-free. Tickets can be bought a various sites online and
usually give you guest list entry, meaning you jump the queues, definitely
worth doing eh?
Dress codes
Generally the dress code in Ibiza clubs is very laid
back. Dress up, dress down, but look good either way. It has been known for the
best dressed guys and girls to get let in for free, so when you’re getting
ready remember you’re making them want you in their club ok!
For anyone hoping to the hang with the jet set, VIP
areas don’t usually admit guys wearing shorts.
Avoiding the queue!
BUY TICKETS BEFORE YOU GO. Quite simply the easiest
way to avoid huge queues when in Ibiza. By doing this you are usually put on to
a separate guest list, making entry to the clubs quick and easy. Although be
prepared that you are probably not the only one to be doing this, some parties
are just too big for their not to be a queue.
The timings are:
All
clubs open at midnight, 12.00am (although Space sometimes open earlier)
Closing
time is (supposed to be…) 6am
Peak
queuing times are 1.30am to 3.00am, so if you haven’t bought your ticket
already, try to avoid going at these times
Club
opening parties are always going to be the busiest nights, along with any
special events such as Space Birthday or Radio 1 parties
During
August pretty much everywhere will end up with queues at some point each night
Drinking
As you might expect, the legal age to drink alcohol
and gain entry to clubs in Ibiza is 18, to buy tobacco is 16. It is illegal to
drink in the streets, so don’t do it. Also a huge no-no, DO NOT drink and
drive. The penalties are hard and a horrific accident will not make a great
holiday memory will it?
The laws behind possessing drugs in Spain are not
particularly clear, Technically, it is not illegal to be in possession of any
drug, which is in an amount classed as only for personal use. It is illegal to
use drugs in public i.e. no smoking spliffs on the beach. However, in 2000 a
man was sentenced to 3 years in prison so possession of 6 ecstasy tablets.
As you can see, the line between dealing and personal use is very blurred, so
be extremely sensible.
Obviously avoid the school boy error of not drinking
enough water! It’s in your own interests to keep an eye on the water to alcohol
ratio…
Price
There’s no getting round it, tickets to the big club nights
are not cheap. Average prices are around €30 - €60 for a ticket to a night
like Cream, We Love Space or Cocoon. This again highlights why it’s a good
idea to purchase tickets before you go. Obviously entry to the smaller clubs in
Ibiza Town say, are considerably less.
Drinking-wise, a Vodka Lemonade will cost up to €15 in
a club, €10 in Ibiza Town or one of the pre-club bars. A Beer or Water, expect
to pay to €10 in a club, or €6 to €8 elsewhere. Basically, it all adds up
pretty quickly, so save your spending money wisely!
But on the plus side, the measures are large, and many
bars and hotels offer happy-hours so having drinks before you head out may be a
good idea. Disco buses will take you to all the major clubs on the island, and
taxis are fair and relatively cheap.
Island Transport
Hiring a car will be the easiest way to get yourself
around the island. Being only 45km long and 25km wide, no journey will ever
take more than an hour, and pretty much everywhere you might want to go is
accessible buy car.
Regular buses, including the disco buses between
resorts and clubs at night, run throughout the island and are easy to get your
head round.
If that doesn’t suit, Taxis are definitely a
convenient and affordable way to travel while you’re out there. All carry a taximeter and are very fairly
priced, especially when splitting the cost between some friends.
Some example fares are: Ibiza Town - San Antonio €15,
Ibiza Town - Airport €11, and Santa Eulalie - Airport €18.




















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