Spain: The Ibiza (Party-Free) Travel Guide

ibiza: an island off the coast of spain

More than just a party destination

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getting to ibiza

Cheap flights to Ibiza from all over Europe

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currency in ibiza

Euros & Payment Methods

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getting around Ibiza

Renting a car in Ibiza and driving on the island

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Where to stay in ibiza

Two hotels in Ibiza we loved

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three days in ibiza

How to spend three days in Ibiza and the beaches we visited

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Bonjour! If this is your first time on The Weithouse - welcome! My name is Taylor and I’m the girl behind the screen and camera bringing you resources to help you plan the trip of your dreams.

In January of 2022, my husband and I left our home in Atlanta, packed our bags and moved to Paris! Every day we wake up in disbelief that we get to call this incredible city our home, a city full of rich history, world-renowned food, and beauty hidden around every corner.

In this Ibiza Travel Guide, we’re sharing everything you need to know to plan your trip to the Balearic Island of Ibiza off the coast of Spain. It was our first time on the island and we fell in love with every corner!

ibiza: an island off the coast of spain

Ibiza is one of four main Balearic Islands sitting off the Eastern coast of Spain. The islands include Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands and boasts more than 100 miles of coastlines and over 50 beaches.

Ibiza: More than a Party Island

Odds are you’ve heard of Ibiza due to its party culture, but the Spanish island has so much to offer beyond its world-famous parties. I’m not a big party nor concert person, so when planning a visit to the island, I was hesitant that it would be an enjoyable experience. However, when I stumbled upon a stunning agrotourism hotel removed from Ibiza’s party-scene, I felt like it was worth giving the island a shot.

We spent three days in Ibiza and throughout our entire time on the island, we didn’t once run into a party or any excitement (other than a small nude beach). In contrast, we discovered stunning beaches, tranquil hotels and the vacation we were looking for.

So if you have ruled out Ibiza in the past because you were concerned the entire island would be one big party, let the remainder of this post convince you otherwise.

getting to ibiza

Once in Europe, getting to Ibiza is relatively easy and cheap, with direct flights from major European cities like London, Paris and Amsterdam coming in under 100 euros.

For our trip, we were already in Madrid, so we booked an early morning flight from Madrid to Ibiza on Iberia express for under 50 euros per person.

CURRENCY: EUROS

The currency in Spain is the Euro, and Ibiza utilizes the same currency system. We paid with our card everywhere on the island, and mostly used our phones outfitted with Apple pay when checking out.

getting around ibiza by car

Unless you plan to stay in one spot the entire time you’re on the island, you will want to rent a car while in Ibiza. Renting a car gives you the flexibility to drive across the island and to visit some of the more remote and more beautiful beaches.

It might be common sense, but I always include this section in my posts because it seems that driving internationally is a big concern for most people. In Ibiza, the rules of the road are identical to those in the US, and most of the roads are paved. You might encounter a gravel road when approaching a more remote hotel or beach, but we didn’t experience any stressful car encounters when driving across the island.

Where to stay in ibiza

I essentially planned our entire trip to Ibiza based on two beautiful hotels I came across during my research across all the Balearic Islands. Initially, I was leaning towards Menorca or Mallorca, but these hotels are the reason we ended up in Ibiza instead.

I was really searching for places where we could be immersed in nature (because Paris lacks most things green), and the two hotels below are a great fit if you’re needing to do the same or are looking for a romantic island getaway.

can domo ibiza

The first hotel we stayed at in Ibiza was the small boutique hotel of Can Domo Ibiza. Can Domo Ibiza is an agrotourism hotel situated on the south eastern seaboard of Ibiza. The hotel’s location is in a very rural setting, and we immediately felt immersed in the nature we were so desiring upon arrival.

We booked the lovely studio suite, which was perfect for our short two night stay. The studio suite is housed in an old barn from the seventeenth century and has a cave-like feel. The room comes with a private terrace overlooking the pool and the rolling hills of Ibiza.

With only 8 rooms total on the property, Can Domo Ibiza was the perfect oasis we were looking for. I always prefer hotels will less rooms to a larger resort because they really allow for the privacy you’ll likely looking for.

Although surrounded by nature, the property itself feels luxurious, and lacked no ammenities. There is an onsite restaurant, a larger pool with lounge chairs, a smaller dipping pool, and some of the rooms have private plunge pools. The landscaping and surrounding nature is incredibly therapeutic and I spent every moment possible outside.

finca can marti: RURAL ECO-HOTEL IN IBIZA

For the last night in Ibiza, we stayed at the rural eco-hotel of Finca Can Marti. The hotel is nestled in some of Ibiza’s protected nature reserve and is on 42 acres of agricultural land.

We loved our room in the Ibicencan main house, and thoroughly enjoyed a day soaking up the gardens and land the property sits on, which is home to chickens and donkeys. We spent most of our time by the nature pool listening to the frogs and dipping into the cool water.

Compared to Can Domo Ibiza, Finca Can Marti definitely had more of a rural feeling. If you prefer strolling through vegetable gardens, hearing animals off in the distance, and that countryside farm vibe, then Finca Can Marti is a great option for your Ibizan vacation.

three days in ibiza

With the goal of our trip to Ibiza being to spend time in nature, we didn’t do all the things, or visit every beach on the island. However, below is an itinerary for how we spent our time balancing exploration and rest.

Day One

We took the earliest flight from Madrid to Ibiza, which left Madrid around 6AM (don’t recommend ever flying this early), meaning we landed in Ibiza around 7AM. After getting through airport security, we picked up our rental car and drove to the old town of Ibiza, also known as Ibiza Town.

We wanted to use this first morning to explore the old town, as both of our hotels were a bit further into the island and we knew we likely wouldn’t be back in the area. We first grabbed breakfast and coffee at the adorable Jara Restaurant on the ground floor of The Standard Hotel Ibiza.

After our morning fuel, we wandered around the old town, which was essentially empty I suppose due to the early hours of the day. But I was perfectly content with the vacant streets as it meant I could photograph all of the white-washed buildings, covered in bougainvillea without any interruptions.

If you’re looking to visit the old town, there are a few paid parking spaces surrounding the town, which I imagine become very full later in the day and into the evenings.

After our wanderings in Ibiza Town, it was still a bit too early to check in to our first hotel, so we drove off to spend some time at Playa de S’Estanyol. Playa de S’Estanyol is a small beach only 15-minutes driving from Ibiza Town. The beach itself was a tiny little hideaway, outfitted with old fishing shacks and a small restaurant. Unfortunately, there was a lot of seaweed the day we visited, so we decided not to lay out on the rocky beach.

Instead, we saw a few people hiking up a hill nearby which piqued our curiosity, and we ended up discovering a path leading to a rocky cliff overlooking the water. The view was so beautiful and empty of people, and we were so sleepy from our early morning travels, that we decided to lay on top of the rock and soak up the warm, Mediterranean sun on our pale, Parisian skin.

As soon as it was time to check in, we headed to our first hotel in Ibiza, Can Domo Ibiza. We spent the rest of day one enjoying the property and lounging by the stunning pool. We ended the day by having dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, which is run by award-winning chefs and received a Michelin Guide award in 2019.

Even if you aren’t staying at the property, you can book a reservation at the restaurant for dinner, which would be a great way to enjoy the beautiful setting of the property! Book your table here. The food was absolutely delicious.

Day Two

On day two in Ibiza, we woke up and had more amazing food from the hotel restaurant for breakfast at Can Domo Ibiza, then headed out to have a beach day on the island. We chose a more remote beach for the day, Cala Xarraca which is in the north of the island.

Cala Xarraca beach was full of locals snorkeling and jumping off rocks and we enjoyed swimming in the cold waters and watching everyone enjoying their day.

As Cala Xarraca is a less touristy beach, there were a good number of topless sunbathers, but mostly grandmas and more mature women, which truthfully just helped me feel some body positivity! Thankfully not everyone was topless, so I didn’t feel out of place in my one-piece.

Around the corner from the main beach was an even smaller, more private little alcove you had to hike to, and that was where anyone who wanted to swim in his or her “birthday suit” gathered.

Regardless of the dress code, there was little drinking on the beach itself, and we didn’t experience any sort of rowdiness or partying. Just friends and families enjoying their day at the beach.

If you like snorkeling, I would recommend bringing some snorkeling gear to this island, as it seemed that’s what the majority of people were doing when in the water.

We had lunch at the beach restaurant onsite, which was an open-air space overlooking the beach.

For dinner that evening, we drove to the stunning property of Petunia Hotel Ibiza to watch the sunset over the famous Es Vedra.

Es Vedra is a small rocky island off the south western seaboard of the Spanish island of Ibiza (seen in the image below), and glows in the sun at sunset.

Petunia Hotel Ibiza has a restaurant facing Es Vedra, La Mirada Rooftop, and we had a delicious dinner of sushi (covered in pop rocks) overlooking the hotel’s pool and Es Vedra off in the distance. After dinner, we walked to the end of a dirt road nearby and continued to watch the glowing light of the sun fade into the horizon.

You can make your dinner reservation at La Mirada Rooftop here or book your stay at Petunia Hotel Ibiza using the button below.

Day three

On day three in Ibiza, we enjoyed our last morning at Can Domo Ibiza with a breakfast and a walk around the property, and then checked out to head to our second hotel. Since we would only have one night at Finca Can Marti, I wanted to spend most of the day enjoying the property, and we decided to try to arrive before check in so we could go ahead and enjoy the pool and the surrounding nature.

On our way to Finca Can Marti, we stopped for lunch at the beautiful Aubergine Ibiza and sat under a terrace enjoying the healthy, fresh and local cuisine. You can book a reservation at Aubergine Ibiza here.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of walking through the vegetable gardens and around the property of Finca Can Marti. We had a delicious dinner onsite at the property, made from vegetables grown in the garden and we watched the sunset from the natural pool and the terrace on our room.

final thoughts

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Ibiza. I’m so glad that I didn’t let a stereotype of the island prevent me from experiencing the beautiful landscape and people of Ibiza. Both hotels were exactly the type of nature retreat we were desiring, and we savored the nature and beaches the island had to offer.

If you have questions about anything we did or experienced in Ibiza, you can ask them in the comment box below. We only had a few days to enjoy Ibiza, but I’m happy to help share any travel tips and advice that I did learn from our personal travels to the Balearic Island.

— Tay

STICK AROUND FOR A WHILE

Need help planning the rest of your trip?

If you’re exploring more of Spain, be sure to check out our guide to visiting Seville, Spain. Or if you’re exploring more of Europe, be sure to check out our guides to some of our favorite cities like Paris, Rome and Amsterdam.

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