Ibiza - Introduction

The Mediterranean island of Ibiza (Eivissa to the locals) is situated half way between the coast of mainland Spain and the larger island of Mallorca, approximately 100 kilometres from each

Ibiza is the liveliest of the three islands, famous worldwide for it’s nightlife, but there’s far more to Ibiza that sadly is not so publicised.  The fabulous beaches, the historical ‘Old Town’ and the protected nature reserves ensure that your stay here can be full and varied, it’s not just all about the ‘Night Life’ !!

Ibiza is a truly beautiful island and is genuinely full of beautiful, trendyl cool people of all ages and cultures, which is great for ‘people spotting’ in the many bars and cafes that align the Port in Ibiza Town.

Night Life

It goes almost without saying that, on Ibiza, the nightlife is what it's all about. During the high season, the number of tourists visiting the island in order to go clubbing and have a wild time surpasses those coming for a relaxing escape to the sun, and this fact is reflected in the hundreds of roadside billboards across the island advertising clubnights and DJs. In the towns themselves, you can hardly move after midnight for club promoters, club advertisements, club parades and clubbers.

The clubs are, of course, the prime attraction. The larger ones are mainly based in Ibiza Town and San Antonio, although Space, fast becoming the most notorious, is located in Platja d'en Bossa, just south of Ibiza Town, and Privilege and Amnesia are located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, along the highway that connects Ibiza Town with San Antonio. Ibiza's larger clubs are open from early in the season until September, and there are always spectacularly hedonistic opening and closing parties. Doors open at midnight, and the party continues until dawn; or, in the case of Space, doors open at dawn and stay open all day.

The idea of only starting your night out at midnight can seem daunting to the unseasoned clubber, and some retire to their rooms after dinner to catch a couple of hours' sleep before heading out. This, frankly, is a little too sensible for Ibiza, and means missing out on the fantastic pre-club scene. The main towns are full of vibrant barsthat lure punters in with special drinks offers and resident DJs. These bars range from the fabulous to the undesirable, but all are united in their mission to gear people up for a great night out. The evening session essentially begins at sunset, when the world's best DJs play chillout tunes to the crowds on the beaches, after which the real Balearic anthems are played at full volume until dawn. San Antonio does a good line in disco-bars, which combine bar prices and club tunes. Most of these are in the notorious West End, and are either free or relatively cheap to get into.

For a tamer pre-club venue, have a late dinner at one of Ibiza's many great restaurants. Those on the portside strips of Ibiza Town and San Antonio are particularly atmospheric, and are ideally located for the clubs and bars. Many of the island's restaurants specialise in traditional Ibicenco food - mainly fish - and are excellent value for money. Top of Form

History

The earliest known settlement on Ibiza was in around 4500 BC, when Neolithic settlers crossed from the mainland to tend their animals on Ibiza's fertile terrain. The first settlers to make a real impact, however, were the Phoenicians in around 650 BC. With what can only be described as a tremendous sense of foresight, they named their settlement - modern-day Ibiza Town - Ibosim, after Bes, their god of dance. Ibosim's ideal location on the trade route between Europe and North Africa had attracted the Phoenicians, and, after them, the Carthaginians. The main product they traded was salt, which remained the main source of income until tourism took over.

Ibosim became Ebesus when the Roman Empire superseded the Carthaginian Empire in 146 BC, and later Yebisah under the Moors, who came to the island in the tenth century AD and brought with them Arabic and Islam. In 1235, when the Catholic King Jaume I of Catalunya conquered what he called Eivissa (today still the Catalan name for Ibiza), Spain finally staked its claim on the island. This claim was enforced far more ruthlessly after the War of the Spanish Succession in the early eighteenth century, when Castilian customs were forced upon the island, and it was renamed for the final time, to Ibiza. Spain, in commandeering this tiny island, had unwittingly acquired one of its greatest assets.

Accommodation

If it is a hotel you are after, the choice is huge. Ibiza's largest hotel complexes are located on the beachfront areas of Ibiza Town (Eivissa), San Antonio and Santa Eularia. In Ibiza Town, a large number of the bigger hotels are in the Marina Botafoc area, which is neatly positioned between the glamorous extravagance of the harbour and the sophisticated chic of nightclubs Pacha and El Divino. For something less fabulous but less hassle, the larger resort complexes favoured by package holiday tour operators, where everything you need is on one site, might be suitable. Cala Llonga is one example of this.

There are, however, numerous quieter and cheaper hotels to be found on Ibiza, especially in the area around Cala d'Hort and in the north of the island. A little investigation will show you the number of delightful family-run hotels on offer, most of them with a private pool and spectacular sea views.  

Ibiza has a wide variety of hostels, some of which cater for the backpacker generation, and others for a less cash-strapped clientele. Many of the island's hostels are furnished to a very high quality and located close to beaches, nightlife and/ or transport links.  

You may, however, prefer to get away from all the other tourists by choosing self catering accommodation, which comes in a number of different guises. The most popular are the villas. Set above the island's beautiful pine valleys, Ibiza's whitewashed villas generally come with their own private pool and offer an incredible level of seclusion from the beats and lights of the main towns. Cheap villas are more tricky to come by than the luxurious variety, but some astute investigation will find you something affordable.