Simbad

Our holiday in Ibiza - a trip report - week 1

by glamourprincess

"Day 1: Woah, we're going to Ibiza!"

My boyfriend and I have always talked about going to Ibiza. We both love the Mediterrnean sea and we like clubbing. The thought of getting to see the world's top DJs on holiday was tempting! The Norwegian airline 'Norwegian' offered flights to Ibiza in 2007 and this year the travel agency Apollo offered complete packages with hotel and flights. This was it! We booked our trip in February 08 and we were very excited!

Finally the day arrived, we had packed our bags and arrived at the airport. We were curious to see who would join us on our flight, and it seemed to be a mix of couples, groups of friends and families with kids.
It was very exciting to see the island of Ibiza at night from the air, lots of sparkling lights. We arrived late so the airport was fairly quiet and peaceful. Our luggage was wet , but fortunately all of our clothes were still dry. We met our travel rep outside who told us to wait for a van who would take us and some other guests to our hotel. The other guests were sent off to a bus. Our driver was delayed and when he finally arrived (20-30 minutes late) we understood why! The vehicle was covered in confetti, baloons and there were still plastic bags with party favors and alcohol left in the car. Oh well, we just thought it was funny!
As we were driving it was thrilling to see the signs of Pacha, Space and El Divino. Wow - we're finally here!
Our hotel seemed to be in a remote part of Ibiza town, the road seemed to be a dirt track and it was spooky quiet and dark. We got on to a narrow street with houses and hotels, and suddenly we were at the entrance of the Simbad. As the first guests arrived and checked in we understood that there was a bit of problem - the hotel clerk was checking his lists, asking lots of questions, checking his computer and then calling his boss and we overheard the word "catastrophico". No good! It was 12 AM and we were tired and thirsty.. this was not promising! He explained to us that the hotel was overbooked. He had no rooms for any of us. Maybe tomorrow but he didn't know for sure. The twelve of us were very frustrated. We managed to get in contact with our travel rep who told us to wait and she'd come back to us. So we waited.. about 30 min later we got a phone call telling us that our travel rep had booked us into another hotel, which was just as good but at the other side of Ibiza town. A few minutes later we were driven to Hotel Torre del Mar in Playa d'en Bossa. It was a nice, but very different hotel. Simbad was renovated and trendy, Torre del Mar outdated but more classy. We were given keys and found our room. Thirsty we robbed the minibar. Then we went out to see if there were any shops open. We walked a few blocks in the pitch dark - and as we were new to the area - we got lost pretty quickly and headed to a bar/restaurant to grab a few bottles of soda before heading back. Finally went to bed!!

"Day 2: Unknown destiny"

We wake up and get down in the dining room to eat breakfast. We get there early so it is not too crowded. The room is large with windows with sea view. The buffet was nice, I liked the pain au chocolat, the fresh fruit, eggs and bacon, and the musli cereal.. The juice machine was sad though.
When we were feeling satisfied we went outside to check out the pool. It was a round pool with a tower in the middle - how brilliant! Sun chairs and umbrellas were free of charge. We went to get towels, sun cream and books, and then we parked ourselves on a sunbed. Ahh it was nice! A few hours later we were told that we had to stay at Torre del Mar for another week, and then for the second week we would be transferred to Simbad. We would also get a refund later in the week.
We were quite happy with the solution! I mean, we got to explore two different resorts and the pool was nice (a lot nicer than the pool at Simbad). Finally we could relax and enjoy our holiday!

After a few hours relaxing by the pool we packed our bags and headed to Playa d'en Bossa to check out the beach and to see if we could find something to eat. It was very hot walking along the beach and we ended up at an outdoor cafe where the menu was very standard and people sat there mainly because of the cheap drinks. Nothing memorable! Service was slooooow (I know it's Spain!-..but still) I ordered a baked potato and my sweetheart had a burger. It was good allright. Then we headed home to our hotel to relax and take a shower, before going out and this time heading for Ibiza town. The sun was still up so it was very hot. We walked along the promenade in Figueretas until we were at the end, and then we headed up some steep stairs to get a better view, but we were still lost! We met another dead end! We climbed some more stairs. And then when we were at the very top, we could see something that looked like a town underneath us. Shops, bars, restaurants.. We had found Ibiza town!
We walked around taking it all in and trying to figure out the town and locations. We saw some of the restaurants we had read about in a guide book and decided to eat there later.. because all of the restaurants were empty! Some of them even seemed closed. I read somewhere that people in Spain don't eat until 10-12 pm but I thought it would be different in typical tourist areas. We walked around town until 9:30 pm, and when the restaurants still were deserted I gave up! I was tired and hungry, and I knew I had seen a Mc Donald's somewhere! Yes I am ashamed... Probably my biggest regret during our holiday! Went straight home afterwards and found the proper way to get back to Playa d'en Bossa - there were even signs!

"Day 3: In search of sunrise.."

Woke up, ate breakfast at the buffet and then placed our lazy slightly burned bodies by the pool. I really liked the pool. It never got too crowded, and it was relaxing as it was peaceful. And it had a view over Playa d'En Bossa. After a few hours we wanted to change chlorine with sea water. We bought snacks and drinks at the supermarket and made our way down Playa d'en Bossa. The day before we stopped and turned when the promenade ended, but this time we had flipflops and continued on the sand. First we headed to the cafe/bar/lounge Tantra which had a ticket stand and was an official outlet for the Tiesto party at Privilege later that night. It looked like a shack and smelled of incense. We were very careful about buying tickets from an official outlet as we'd heard so much about tickets with restrictions being sold. When we got our tickets we tried to check them thoroughly. Got a bit nervous when it said print date: may 12 08. But then we realized it was a general admission ticket so it didn't really matter. Just for fun we walked by Bora Bora and Space. Bora Bora was crowded and I didn't like the sheets they had thrown over the sun loungers. It looked grosse.
But it was time to hit the beach so we found a neat little place for our towels and licked sun and swam in the sea. Lovely! A few hours later we were feeling a bit hungry and found a new better supermarket with a larger selection and cheaper prices!
Then we headed back to our hotel room for a nap to charge our batteries for the night. Got dressed and walked into Ibiza town (the right way). This time we arrived in Ibiza town at 10:30 pm so now the town was buzzing. We went straight to El Pirata restaurant at the marina. This time it was almost full, we managed to get a table but a lot of them were reserved. It seemed to be popular with locals. We had to try the pizza and I ordered a pitcher of sangria as well. The pizza was lovely, served on a wooden board and the sangria -> perfect. Just the perfect blend. There was supposed to be free shuttle bus to Privilege but we didn't find it. So instead, we walked to the regular bus station. We waited for 35 minutes or so before the bus arrived. We were so lost that we got off at the wrong bus stop (along with 70% of the bus) so we had to walk a long the highway like nomades. When we arrived in front of Privilege there was a loooong line of drunk people. They sang christmas songs and were just being very annoying. I was almost next in line when I studied my ticket just to get a look at it before it was taken away when I noticed the fine print "not valid on mondays and fridays". I felt my heart sink when I realized that it was in fact a monday.. We'd been ripped off!! From an official ticket sale outlet! I decided to go ahead anyway and was about to hand over my ticket when this pensioned hippie stopped me and told me I didn't have a valid ticket. I tried to explain the situation (of course he wouldn't listen - he ahd nothing to do with it) and he asked me to leave.. I had to go and buy an additional ticket a 20 euro to get in.. So we swiped the card and paid the additional 2*20=40 euro. I was really mad but it would not ruin my night. Finally I was inside! I first noticed the heat - it was so hot in there. In a few minutes sweat would be dripping even from my fingertips. It was like a sauna in there. Despite being early July the club was packed. Wasn't too impressed with the sound. When there are so many people in one place there are bound to be some bad seeds. There were a few guys I would like to have seen kicked out, but you just have to move on and avoid the annoying creatures. It was hard to find a place in the club where you felt comfortable, had a view and were not pushed around. But around 3-4 am a lot of people seemed to leave so it was more space for the rest of us. . Tiesto played a 6 hour set and it was great. We didn't last very long and left at around 4:30 am. We were nervous about not getting home but there were taxis lined up outside. Grabbed a taxi and headed home!

"Day 4: Another day, another club"

Missed breakfast. Not a very clubber-friendly hotel when they end breakfast at 9:30 or so. Slept for a few extra hours and then went out and hang out by the pool. We were still pissed about the tickets from yesterday so we went to Playa d'en Bossa for a swim and for a complaint!
Fortunately they were understanding and offered new tickets/refund. We went for a refund, as some people can never be trusted! Went back home to get some more sleep. Got dressed and after a few red bulls we were good to go! Walked into Ibiza town, we were getting good at this! Went to the Amnesia shop in Ibiza town and looked around, and bought tickets for the night. And then we went out to eat. Chose Macao Cafe because we'd heard about it several places. We were the only guests, figured someone had to go first.. but apart from a couple grabbing a beer, we were the only guests that night?! Of course the service was good - we were the only guests ;) But the food was delicious. Home-made ravioli with ricotta and spinach. And some rosé wine. We didn't feel completely comfortable being alone in the restaurant so we moved on and sat down at the Amnesia bar, Delfin. We were entertained by an imitator and drag queens. The chairs were comfortable and we were given free snacks. After a couple of drinks we were ready for yet another night of clubbing. We went to the bus station but the line was so long so we gave up and took a taxi. It was almost the same price and much more comfortable! There was no line outside Amnesia but the club was still pretty full. The atmosphere was great. People were nice and there were no bullies. Lots of cool dancers dancing on a balcony over the dancefloor and there were ice cannons that blasted cold air now and then. There was a second room too, the terrace, which was almost empty. I felt bad for the dancers.. dancing on podiums with only a few clubbers in the room. And poor DJ! I did like the music in the terrace room, it's just that we came to see Armin Van Buuren.. We danced for a few hours, drank a few red bull and found a cab and then went home!

"Day 5: Old, beautiful Dalt Vila"

Missed another breakfast and slept until noon, then went to the pool to relax and take a swim. We were "terrorized" by a couple of lizards and a German chick singing along to the music from her cell phone. Being a little bit tired and exhausted after another night of partying. Went into Ibiza town to explore Dalt Vila - the old town. Climbed our way up to the old town and watched the beautiful view over Ibiza town. Was tempted by the nice restaurants in Dalt Vila. Decided on the Dalt Vila restaurant. Ordered a lamb-dish.. very yummy! Nice prices as well. There was a lot going on in Dalt Vila, good entertainment by street clowns and some annoying elements - painters selling their art at our table, a guitar-playing chlicé..etc Very nice meal though! Was still a bit tired after last night and after a bottle of rosé wine I was ready to go back to the hotel and get some sleep. Party-pooper!