Ibiza 2012: A clubber's holiday guide

When to go?

• The tourist season generally starts in May and runs through to October.
• The clubbing season starts at the end of May and run to the end of September.
• Es Paradis is usually the first big club to open at the end of May. Following this is Sankeys and 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.

Dates for your diary - 2012 opening parties:

Es Paradis: 18th May

Sankeys Ibiza: 24th - 25th May

Space Ibiza: 27th May 

Circoloco @ DC10: 28th May 

Eden: 1st June

Hed Kandi @ Es Paradis: 2nd June

Renaissance @ Pacha: 5th June

Ibiza Rocks: 6th June

Amnesia: 9th June

Garlands: 10th June

We Love… Space: 10th June 

Cocoon @ Amnesia: 11th June

Cream Ibiza @ Amnesia: 14th June

The Zoo Project: 16th 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's Ibiza Guide offers:

• Line-ups for weekly events at all the major clubs
• Guides to 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 guides 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 three 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 two 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 club 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 usually give you guest list entry, meaning you jump the queues. Definitely worth doing, eh? Check out our Ibiza guide for tickets to major nights on the White Isle. 

Buy Ibiza club tickets

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 that you’re making them want you in their club.

For anyone hoping to the hang with the jet set, VIP areas don’t usually admit guys wearing shorts.

Avoiding the queues

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, and some parties are just too big for there not to be some sort of a queue.

Rough times that you need to be aware of 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

Buy tickets for Ibiza clubs here

Drinking and drugs

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 is drinking and driving. 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 three years in prison for possession of six ecstasy tablets. As you can see, the line between dealing and personal use is very blurred, so be extremely sensible.

Obviously avoid the schoolboy error of not drinking enough water. It’s in your own interests to keep an eye on the water to alcohol ratio.

How much? 

There’s no getting around 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. For 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 budget 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.

Getting around

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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