A traveler's guide to Ibiza
Pick a coast and a bedtime. Ibiza will sell you every version of the island. You only need one.
Ibiza's reputation arrives before the beach, and the beach is still the point for a lot of people. Cala Comte and the west-coast coves are the clear-water version. The north is quieter. The south is the famous night, which you can also decline.
When to go
June and September are the balanced months. July and August are hot, expensive, and the season the clubs mean. May and October still swim and cost less.
The beach
Cala Comte is the postcard and busy for a reason. Cala Bassa and Cala Tarida are the neighbors. Las Salinas is the south-coast scene. The far north has smaller bays and a slower lunch. Many of the best coves are easier by boat than by the last kilometer of road.
In the water
The west-coast water is the clear one. A small boat or a kayak is the local advantage. Swimming is a morning sport before the breeze and the arrivals. Formentera is a ferry, not a rumor, if you want a whole other sandbar.
If you only remember this
- A car or a scooter in the shoulder months. A taxi plan in August.
- Beach clubs charge for the bed and sometimes for the view. The sand in between is still there.
- Ferries to Formentera sell out on the pretty days.
- Eat inland once. The villages are the other island.