Ibiza

Ibiza or Eivissa (the official name) is one of the Balearic Islands. The maximum length of the island by highway is 42 km.

Understand

Ibiza and Formentera are also known as the "Islas Pitiusas" (from the Greek word "pitys" meaning pine tree) because of the abundance of pines that cover their landscapes. Ibiza and Formentera are home to about 111,200 inhabitants.

Cities

• San Antonio

• Ibiza Town

• Santa Eulària des Riu

Other destinations

Cala Llonga, Es Cana, San Raphael, San Joan,

Getting there

By plane

• Aer Lingus - scheduled flights from Dublin.

• Transavia.com - daily scheduled flight from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Copenhagen.

• Easyjet

• British Airways - London only, premium rate scheduled flights.

• Monarch Airlines - fly to Ibiza from Manchester, Birmingham and London Gatwick.

• Air Berlin

• First Choice - fly direct from most British airports but, being largely dependent on their own tour operator traffic, they're probably worth checking for late deals / stand-by offers

• Jet2.com ­- serve most of the airports in the north of England e.g. Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Blackpool, Edinburgh & Belfast.

• Iberia.com - the major Spanish carrier, adapting to the competitive dot.com airline world - worth checking if you can cope with unusual hours and Internet booking.

• Spanair.com - useful for flights within Spain, and to and from Scandinavia.

• Vueling.com - cheap Spanish airline.

• Thomas Cook - Charter and Schedule flights.

• BeatTheBrochure - Cheap holiday flights to Ibiza

• Flyniki - cheap flights from Vienna to Ibiza during summer season.

• Ryanair - Barcelona, Birmingham, Bologna, Bournemouth, Brussels, Düsseldorf, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Trapani.

Other smaller airlines serving Ibiza are Air Baltic, Air Europa, BMI Baby, Condor, and Germanwings.

By boat

Boats to:

• Denia from Ibiza and St. Antoni with Iscomar

• Alicante (only in summer): Trasmediterranea

• Barcelona (all year): Trasmediterranea, Balearia , Iscomar

• Valencia (all year): Trasmediterranea

• Palma de jobbies: Trasmediterranea and

• Ibiza (only in summer):

• Ibiza (all year): Yates

• Formentera: (many boat companies, all year round)

Traveling around

Buses - Ibiza Bus Timetables

Rentals - require extra driving care, as the locals are terrible drivers. Many tourists have been run off the road trying to avoid deadly head-on collisions. New road construction has led to the temporary development of detour roads which are poorly marked and dangerous. During the summer months many tourist drivers under the influence of alcohol, pose a potential threat.

Taxis - can be used to get around the island and cost €20-30 to travel between cities.

Walking - the cities are small enough not to require any mechanical locomotion

See

• Es Vedra, the mystical island rock off Ibiza's west coast.

• Atlantis, a hidden cove, but only if you can find a local who'll tell you its secret location.

• Passeig de ses Fonts in San_Antonio.

• The old part of Ibiza Town.

• Visit nearby Formentera by boat.

• Explore the many beaches all along the coast.

• The famous Es Canar Hippy Market (held only on Wednesdays) on the east coast of the island and Las Dalias Hippie Market in San Carlos on Saturdays.

• Visit Bar Anita in San Carlos, the historical venue where the artists and writers of the 50s, 60s and 70s used to collect their cheques and stop for a drink.

• Visit Cova de Can Marçà in Puerto de San Miguel, the biggest natural caves in Ibiza. A must in Ibiza.

Things to do

Explore some of the traditional countryside of this beautiful island that few people take the time to enjoy.

Take a boat or go parasailing.

Learn Spanish in some of the language schools around the island. Some of them are specialised on teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Most of them are located in Ibiza town, where you also will be able to make use of your knowledge the best way and it also will be easier to stay in hostals near a school.

Take part in your own Professional Photoshoot.

Getting married

The combination of cheap flights from the UK and a large English speaking local population that migrated to the island in the 1960s and 1970s means that Ibiza is now becoming a very attractive proposition for those couples looking for an alternative location to host their wedding.

• Wedding Organizers, Telephone: +34 646418182/699119019. Provides wedding support services, catering and locations for getting married in Ibiza.

• Wedding Photographer, Telephone: +34 971 336 251. Established wedding and special occassions photographer from Ibiza.

• Ibiza Loves Me Photography, Telephone: +34 687 673 760. Wedding reportage style photography has always been central to "Ibizaloves.me" photography, so it is, that candid portraits are an important part of wedding photography with an even balance of traditional photography.

Eat

• El Pirata, the best pizza on the island bar none! Located in the port of Ibiza Town.

• Basil Thai, one of the best Thai joints around, located close to Ibiza Town in Jesus.

• La Brasa, the best place for grilled meats, seafood, and other local specialities.

• The Curry Club, Tucked behind the sunset strip in San Antonio, its beautiful inside, the staff are great and the food - amazing!

Don't forget to try two local specialities: ensaimada, a sort of flat, soft pastry coil - what a Danish pastry would be if it was more like a doughnut - and flao, a sweet cheese and mint flan. Most pastelerias and many bars sell ensaimada - flao is a bit more difficult to track down.

Drink

Ibiza is famous for its nightlife. During the day most tourists are soaking up rays at one of the gorgeous beaches or sleeping off the past night's drinks. Bars do not get busy in Ibiza town or San Antonio until early evening, about 7PM.

Nearly every bar, particularly in the busier summer months, has "drink specials" that will be advertised (more like hawked) on the street outside the bar. These are good options to save some cash in a notoriously expensive destination. Usually this will be a beer and a shot for €5, but the terms vary depending on the area, the time of night, and the bar.

The West End, near San Antonio center, is a long, wide street packed with bars and revelers. The party shuts down at around 3 or 4AM here.

Ibiza is most known for its large clubs. Examples are Privilege, Space, Pacha, Eden, Amnesia, and El Divino. Most of these clubs have hefty entry fees and the drinks will be extremely expensive. Plan on paying €30-€50 for admission (unless you are able to find a special deal from one of the hawkers on the street) and from €7 per drink.

• Jockey Club and "Malibu" (both on Salinas beach) - perfect places to drink and watch the beautiful people lying in the sun while DJs spin deep house and chill out tunes.

• Pacha, . The island's most expensive, and arguably best club - plan on €50 entry and €10 for a beer though! Over recent years, Pacha has increasingly devoted a large proportion of its floorspace to VIP tables at the expense of areas for 'regular' clubgoers. If the VIP experience is your thing, Pacha will be your #1 choice on the island, but expect your credit card to glow red-hot.

• Space nightclub, . (Playa d´en Bossa) Attracts people from all over the world and has received many awards, such as Best Global Club.

• Es Paradis, . Located in downtown San Antonio, the pyramid shaped club is decorated in a roman theme and is most famous for its water party Fiesta Del Aqua.

• Eden, . Eden is also located in San Antonio, next door to Es Paradis. It is one of the newer clubs on the island, having travelled a long way in a short period of time, thanks to hosting nights by UK Radio One DJ's Judge Jules and Pete Tong.

• Amnesia.

• PrivilegeThe biggest club on the island and according to its promoters the largest dancefloor in the world. Hosts superstar DJ Tiesto as its headline act.

• El Divino

• DC10

• ECO & ACT (The Village) , Plaza de España 5, north of the island, Perfect REAL IBIZA lunch brunch snack dinner place!

Sleep

When it comes to choosing a place to stay on Ibiza, it really depends on what type of vacation experience you are after. Ibiza offers everything from basic hostel-style unmodernised accommodation to five star mega-bling, such as the Ibiza Grand Hotel in ibiza Town. Unless you are from the UK and enjoy surrounding yourself with mainly large groups of rowdy drunks who rarely leave their comforts in "San An", then avoid the central 'West End' bar strip of San Antonio, although its peripheries are far classier, offering sunset viewing at the hugely popular 'sunset strip', including Cafe Mambo for the Pacha pre-parties, the legendary Cafe Del Mar next door, plus a selection of other bayfront bars. If you just want to relax and chill, and visit nice unspoilt beaches, then it's better to spend a little more on a nice villa (and, of course, rent a car.)

The resort of Playa D'en Bossa has recently witnessed something of a reinvention, with upmarket beach bar/restaurants such as 'Nassau' and 'Tides' adding to a market that was once monopolised by the now rather passe 'Blue Marlin' in Cala Jondal. The resort has a wide range of hotels, with its proximity to Ibiza Town and the Airport being an advantage (although Ibiza is a small Island with a decent road network.)

If you prefer a hotel, you have plenty to choose from. There are more than 300 licensed accommodation possibilities on Ibiza, that cover the entire budget range, from hostels to exclusive and intimate rural hotels, and most are represented with web pages online and in numerous travel guides, but do not go there in August without a reservation. You could wind up on the street or on the beach (also illegal).

• Fiesta Hotel Group, . Ibiza's largest hotel group, has competitively priced options all over the island.

• Hotel Sol Ibiza, (Santa Eulalia)

• Hotel Sol s'Sargamassa, (Santa Eulalia)

• Sa Talaia, .

• San Miguel Park / Esmeralda Mar Apartment Resort, .

• Playa Den Bossa / Hotel Garbi, .

• Can Talaias , Can Talaias a privileged spot. Villa accommodation in Ibiza

Talk

Though Balearic Catalan (simply "Catalan" in the Autonomy Statute) is the official language of the Balearic Islands, and all sign posts etc. are in Catalan, Castilian (Spanish) is the main language of the island, with most natives speaking either English or German. English is very widely understood throughout the island.

Photography

Ibiza is a glorious place for photography. Artists come from all over the world to experience its exquisite light and scenery.Whether you have come to Ibiza for a holiday with the one you love, with friends, family or even for a wedding, an artistic portfolio of photographs is the perfect souvenir.

• Ibiza Loves Me Photography, Telephone: +34 687 673 760. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take part in your own professional photo shoot? That is what our team of professional photographers at "Ibizaloves.me" can offer you. It's probably not as expensive as you think and you'll have a lot of fun.

• Formentera - neighboring tranquil and unspoilt island set in some of the cleanest, most turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, and a beautiful boat ride to get there