It was the middle of April and we decided a getaway was in order. A new adventure, a different trip. When I say we, I mean myself, my partner, Natasha, and our young son, Travis. We decided on a five day trip to Ibiza in the Balearic Islands. During this short trip, we saw many different towns and historical locations along with some beautiful white sandy beaches.

About Ibiza

Ibiza looks exactly like the other Balearic Islands. It has loads of hills and mountains and is a very dry island with Aloe Vera growing everywhere. The biggest difference between Ibiza and the rest of the Balearic Islands is the nightlife.

Ibiza is traditionally known for its wild party life and extremely famous music artists playing in top nightclub venues. Having said that, a few years ago the government of Ibiza and the Spanish Tourist Office started to try and promote more family orientated tourism. Police cracked down on nightclubs that played loud music into the early hours of the morning. This resulted in the closing of many clubs. The policy was reversed in 2015, restoring the Island back to its former glory of electronic music and partying. Now you will meet all kinds of people on Ibiza, from the hippies who love to party to families on a family holiday.

Bahia De San Antonio

After getting off the plane at the airport in Ibiza, the original plan was to take the public bus to Bahia de San Antonio. However, not being able to understand the complicated bus timetable and not knowing how long we would be waiting, we called a taxi. The taxi driver was very friendly and was happy to engage in conversation with Travis, who could not stop talking. I was massively appreciative as I have had bad experiences with taxi drivers, who have often been rude and non-communicative.

Ibiza – Travis on the Beach PIC: DM

On arrival at our hotel, San Remo, all I could think about was getting a bottle of water and a lie down. Luckily for me, the reception staff were very professional, enabling me to do exactly that. This hotel was all-inclusive, which I was excited about – mainly for the food. We went for dinner that evening and the food did not disappoint.

After getting a good night’s sleep, we explored the town the next day. I was expecting a high energy kind of vibe with loads of tourists as well as locals. However, this was not the case. To my amazement almost everything was shut down – like literally almost everything from small grocery shops to hotels. I couldn’t believe this and the only explanation I could think of is that it was the low season.

During our time in Bahia de San Antonio, we stumbled upon some beautiful beaches. The first of many was what looked like an abandoned beach with a few bars that were all shut down except for the sun loungers still laid out on the beach. There was only one other person there, who seemed to be a digital nomad working away in the sun.

Closer to our hotel was another beach that was Travis’ favourite and also had some of the famous ‘pink’ sand. This particular beach was much more entertaining as the sand was soft on your feet, and not pebbly and uncomfortable. Travis also discovered a cool wee stone hut at the side of the beach.

Ibiza – Stone Hut PIC: DM

The family we sat beside was very friendly and also had two kids roughly the same age as Travis, but did not speak a word of English. However, being of an age where communication didn’t matter as much as playing, the kids played peacefully together with their buckets and spade in the sand. It was quite a sight.

San Antonio

In the middle of our trip, we decided to walk to the nearby town of San Antonio. It was around two kilometres from the hotel, which was a great walk in the sun and gave us plenty of time to see some cool things. On the walk to San Antonio, we came across a concert being set up and a band rehearsing. It was a pretty cool site – the beach had been transformed into a concert with a bar about half a mile long.

Ibiza – Concert on the Beach PIC: DM

On our adventure to San Antonio, we came across a small secluded beach with beautiful turquoise water. From where we were standing, the railing was also covered in love padlocks that people had placed. A romantic sight.

Ibiza – Love Padlocks PIC: DM

During our walk, we also found some amazing street art painted on buildings and statues. A few of these pieces were really breathtaking. It was great to see beautiful art within a beautiful town.

Lastly, we found a football ground. This made me very happy as I am a football fanatic. It was interesting to see how different the stadium was compared to what I am used to back in Scotland. Seeing a football game in a different country while on holiday made my trip.

Ibiza Town

Ibiza Town is where we spent our last day in Ibiza. We had travelled here quite early in the morning so we could have the day there before flying home that evening. After getting some food and relaxing at an epic park, we spent the remainder of our day at another beach where Travis enjoyed more time in the ocean as well as playing football on the beach. One thing we missed out on during this trip was renting a yacht in Ibiza, we’ll have to come back!

Overall it was a great trip to relax and top up the tan at some amazing beaches. I’m just glad I didn’t go to party at this time of year.

For more great Spanish family vacations, look into luxury accommodation in Estepona.