Family Friendly Ibiza Spain
The only thing I knew about Ibiza, I learned from a friend who visited during his college days and what I heard in a pop song. My takeaway from both? The nightlife is CRAZY and don’t take a pill, it will make you look 10 years older. Heather and I made the decision and took the leap anyway not knowing what exactly to expect. A party island not suitable for families? Let’s see?!?!
Our flight from Paris to Ibiza was short, just under 2 hours. I was able to secure housing through trustedhousesitters.com and the family was kind enough to allow us use of their car for the week. In exchange, we needed to walk the dogs several times per day on trails near their house and ensure things went smoothly with their property.
First of all, Ibiza is beautiful with rollings hills and rocky outcroppings. As we drove around the island I could still see rock walls used many years earlier to separate farm land and crops. Reaching the coast is easy along the winding roads. There are more than 80 beaches on this small island. Ibiza is about 220 square miles. For size, the Hawaiian island Oahu is approximately 600 square miles. We were able to travel all over Ibiza and explore from north to south, “big towns” and small villages all on the same day. We made daily treks with our “adopted” dogs and explored a new beach each day. The kids had so much fun running along the beach with the dogs or climbing rocks and playing in the Mediterranean.
Meals were always good. Within walking distance of where we were staying, we found two businesses voted Top 12 Best Ice Cream in all of Spain and Best Pizza in Ibiza. We made nightly stops for ice cream trying many different flavors.
During the afternoon, while the kids enjoyed the surf, Heather and I were able to relax at the beach bars called chiringuitos. These are TRUE beach bars. Most are not fancy, just a few tables and chairs or bar stools and perhaps a dilapidated picnic table. The friendly bar staff serves reasonably priced cold beer plus maybe a snack size bag of chips available for purchase. The nice chiringuitos might have a small kitchen. We spent multiple lazy afternoons watching Bam dig in the sand and Keki play in the surf. I enjoyed the views and Heather’s company. A tip for those visiting, jellyfish are common at the beach. Keki became a pro at spotting jellys (tip 1 – few people in the water and tip 2 – what look like small sandwich bags floating back and forth along the shoreline). If she found any, it was easy for us to move on to another beach down the road.
Ibiza Town is a busy, bustling location. We toured the 14th-century fortress/castle which sits on the hill overlooking Ibiza Town and the Sea. It was a great free exploration day for us and we were able to get a history lesson as well. Another day we drove inland to a small village and had lunch. We walked the entire length of the village in about 3 minutes.
How can you miss the famous Hippy Markets? While there are several to choose from and we did visit multiple, we were just minutes away from the original hippy market. The unique atmosphere and creative expression that began in the early 60’s can still be felt today. The designers, clothiers, painters and artisans selling their handmade products or take time to enjoy the local cuisine. I could not resist the seafood paella while the kids kept it simple with burgers. So many people selling their wares, food and music. Speaking of music, how often have you visited a market with a DJ mixing music and people on the dance floor at 10 A.M? Make sure to set time aside for an afternoon wandering the various booths.
I was told visiting Ibiza in July and August isn’t advisable because of the heat and crowds. Outside of those 2 months and you will love the warm weather and the breezes. This is an island that is finding more families visiting and while I didn’t know what I was going to experience, it’s a location our entire family count as one of the best places we explored while traveling Europe this past summer. I hope to return and explore those 70+ other beaches!
