addicted to ibiza

how much money to take to ibiza

The most common question Addicted gets asked by Ibiza first-timers is: how much money should I take? There is no doubt about it, Ibiza is an expensive island. The only real answer is: how much do you want to spend? The Balearics have always been the playground of the rich and famous, and prices are higher than in much of mainland Spain. You'll also noticed that on the whole, Ibiza Town and the surrounding area is a bit more expensive than San Antonio and the surrounding area.

Here is Addicted's rough guide to what prices you can expect. Add them up to get a rough idea about what is right for you. It is possible to do Ibiza on a budget but prices are starting to creep upwards again after a slight fall over the past couple of years. Help us out if we've missed anything important by posting your experiences.

Restaurant (local). Lunch plus one drink. €10
Restaurant (local). Dinner plus one drink. €15-20
Restaurant (quality). Food plus one drink. €40-60
Taxi (short trip). €10
Taxi (San Antonio - Ibiza Town). €30
Beer - supermarket (large bottle). €1
Wine - supermarket (bottle). €5+
Beer or wine (glass) in bar. €5
Mixed drink (bar). €10
Mixed drink (club). €15
Club entry (avoid buying on the door). €20-50
Car hire (week). €400

Exchange rates on 29th May 2011: €1 = £0.87 = $1.43

how to score a cheap flight to ibiza

Let's face it, Ibiza is an expensive place. In order to spend freely on the island, it makes sense to spend as little as possible getting there. Furthermore, there isn't a single person who goes to Ibiza for a week who doesn't want to return later in the season for a cheeky weekend. But more often than not, the biggest obstacle to making this a reality is flight prices. Flights can eat up a sizable percentage of your travel budget, but it doesn't have to be that way. Here are Addicted's tips for saving some cash:

1. Think about when to buy: get your tickets on a Tuesday or Wednesday

Airline prices fluctuate frequently according to how much demand there is for flights on a particular day, but there are some patterns to these fluctuations that you can take advantage of. Airlines mostly make decisions to discount flights with low demand on a Monday. These reduced prices go live on a Monday night and competitors match these prices on Tuesday. You need to buy quickly - by Wednesday night the cheapest fares have often sold out. The Wall Street Journal did research proving this strategy could save you 15-25%. 

2. Think about when to fly: travel mid-week for cheaper seats

People want to fly to Ibiza on a Friday night after work and fly back home on a Sunday evening, meaning all flights in that 48-hour period will be ridiculously expensive. If you are going to Ibiza for a week, consider Wednesday to Wednesday rather than Saturday to Saturday and you could save over 50% on your flights.

Thinking more specifically about Ibiza, all villas have Saturday changeover days. This means demand for Saturday flights will be huge, giving airlines the power to increase prices. Fewer people want to fly on a Thursday night, so if you are staying in a villa consider going early and staying in a hotel. The amount you save on the flight could cover your accommodation.

3. Compare all airlines and check multiple weekend 

Budget airlines aren't always the cheapest, so be sure to check full-service and charter carriers too. Addicted always looks at Skyscanner before flying to Ibiza, as you can search across all airlines and dates to find the best time and price in a given month to fly. Click here to check for yourself.

With all the money you save for your trip, you'll have even more to spend on pre-ibiza champagne in the airport bar. Addicted might fly budget, but we are certainly not cheap.

top 3 tips to get in shape for ibiza this summer

With only a few weeks to go until the opening parties, here are Addicted's top tips for the body-conscious among who want to get in shape for Salinas beach.

1. Want a flat stomach to look great in your bikini or swimming trunks? Sit-ups and other ab exercises won't shift any excess pounds on your belly - even although it helps make them more visible. Therefore we is cardio.

Do 4 x 25-30 minutes of running, cross training or cycling each week to shift those excess pounds and help tone your abs.




2. Diet is key: eating the right food in preparation for Bora Bora beach is essential. Keep those fat levels low and try to shift towards a Hugh protein low carb diet to get that lean look.

Avoid chips/french fries, chocolate, cakes and fried foods. Attempt to reduce simple carbs like white bread or white pasta and replace with brown rice.

Increase levels of the good stuff such as high-protein foods like chicken breast, fish, turkey and sushi. Snack on almonds, fruit and protein shakes.

3. Get your rest: training hard and eating well is important, but it is also crucial that you don't neglect your body. That means plenty of rest and aiming for 8 hours sleep every night.

Addicted to Ibiza exclusive:

For those of you who live in London, we have an extra special treat. Courtesy of Soho Gyms, we've managed to get hold of free 3 day passes for our Addicted readers. Yes get a free 3 day trial to any of the Soho Gyms clubs - Borough, Camden, Clapham, Covent Garden, Earls Court and Waterloo. Soho Gyms not only boasts an awesome range of equipment, but also an excellent range of classes and live DJs to workout to!

Get your free Soho Gyms London 3 day pass now 

free addicted to ibiza mix by jason bye (we love space, cafe mambo)

Here's something to get your iPod ready for summer 2011 - the first Addicted to Ibiza free mp3 download of the year! Click the link to download an exclusive mix from Jason Bye, resident DJ at Cafe Mambo, recorded live in Ibiza on 20 May 2011.

Stay tuned for more throughout the season and sign up to our e-mail list on the right hand side of this page to find out about new mixes to download as soon as they happen.

Click here to listen and download.

 

live music takes over ibiza as mtv comes to the island

Ibiza is the spirtual home of all types of electronic music, from house to techno and every sub-genre in-between. But since 2005, Ibiza Rocks has been serving up a different type of sound, holding weekly parties with live music from rock and indie bands in the courtyard next to the pool in their San Antonio hotel. Understanding that rock kids want to dance and that club kids like to rock, Ibiza Rocks has grown to become one of the island's biggest success stories over the past couple of years.

This summer, Ibiza Rocks won't be the only destination for live music on the island. 'I want my MTV Ibiza' launches on July 1st at Amnesia and continues every Friday until September 2nd. Shaking up what you might expect from an Ibiza party, Snoop Dogg will perform on opening night - his first ever gig in Ibiza. Later in the season, the club will host acts as diverse as Duran Duran, Robyn, Richie Hawtin presents Plastikman and Mark Ronson.

Could the live music bug catch on and become an even bigger part of the island's music scene? Let us know what you think.

 

bob sinclair returns to defected at pacha

Defected have announced that house music legend Bob Sinclair will return to Pacha to host five nights this summer. The London-based label will be orchestrating Saturday nights at Pacha for another year, featuring big names such as Frankie Knuckles, Sandy Rivera and David Morales. The biggest of all these names is French DJ Bob Sinclair, who will host the opening party on 4th June and the closing night on 24th September, among others.

This kicks off a stream of line-up announcements for this summer's opening parties. F*** Me I'm Famous opens at Pacha the previous week on 26th May and We Love Space 2011 kicks off the following weekend on June 12th. The summer is coming!