Whatever you do, don’t hire a car or motorbike thinking that the authorities are slack and that traffic is non-existent in Ibiza. The Guardia Civil are notoriously unsympathetic when dealing with tourists, and the statistics of road accidents are high. Your holiday will be far from enjoyable if you end up; a) in a Spanish jail, b) in a hospital, or c) a statistic. Only hire a car if you plan to drive around the island on an Alcohol Free Day (AFD). The island is 45km long and 25km wide, so you can easily do a lap in a day. Only problem is, if you’re having an AFD you’ll probably be speaking into the porcelain telephone already, or you’ll be catching up on some much needed zzzz’s, so best not to plan too far ahead. You’ll just feel wretched for wasting money when the car remains uncollected at the depot.
Ibiza’s largest capacity clubs – Privilege and Amnesia – are located smack bang in the centre of the island, so noise restrictions don’t apply. This sensible planning also means the clubs are quite isolated. A taxi from San Antonio to Ibiza Town (from one side of the island to the other) should cost 15 euros (approx AU $24), so try to cram as many into them as possible. Spark up a conversation with other people waiting at cab ranks to ascertain their destination so you can cab-pool and split the fare. The roads are single lane and prone to traffic jams, so it’s wise to avoid cabs on your inward journey. Meters won’t be switched off when you’re stuck in a gridlock. Your precious Euros are better spent behind the bar!
Disco buses are a cheap alternative at just over 1 euro (approx AU $1.90). They leave hourly from town centres, including Ibiza Town, San Antonio and Playa d’en Bossa. Don’t be turned off by the idea these disco buses are public transport; even those leaving from depots get into the spirit of things with pumping tunes and half-baked punters. Grab a drink to take onboard to help pass the time, but remember, in the event of a traffic jam there aint no toilet facilities – make sure you’re good to go before you board! A lot of the superclubs have official pre-parties (eg. Bar M before Manumission), so you can synchronise your genres, groove to compatible beats and board a shuttle bus outside the venue. Be warned, though, you may have to queue for these shuttles, so once again the bottle-o will maximise your cheap drinking potential before you face the exorbitant beverage prices inside clubs.
