I thought so too, until I got the idea to have a budget-friendly birthday party on Party Island. It turned out to be quite realistic. I will tell you what you can save money on in Ibiza without sacrificing the quality of your vacation.
The main trick is to come at the very beginning or end of the season, when prices are much lower and the parties are still going on. The club season starts in early May and lasts until mid-October.
Ibiza is comfortable all year round. The temperature in winter rises to +18°C. The climate is mild, with no harsh winds or sudden temperature changes, so there are many tourists on the island outside the beach season. In the summer months Ibiza belongs to the young, and the rest of the time it is a quiet retirement resort. Most of the restaurants and cafes are closed in the off-season, but the island still doesn’t seem extinct. Some clubs organize live music evenings even in winter.


Where to stay in Ibiza
The maximum choice of budget accommodation and clubs is in the towns of Eivissa and Sant Antoni de Portmani. These are the most popular resorts among young people.
Santa Eularia des Riu is more suitable for a vacation with children, away from the nightlife. This town is the most family-oriented, and it’s quiet even in the peak club season.
There are no problems with good beaches in Ibiza — all the resort towns are located on the coast. There are small villages hidden in the center of the island, but these places are not very touristy, there is almost nothing to see there.
Hotel, hostel or couch?
In Ibiza you can find a hotel for every budget. For example, in San Antonio for 50 € you can rent a nice apartment with pool and kitchen, and for 80 € — a double room with breakfast in the hotel 3 * Playasol Marco Polo I. There are also all-inclusive hotels in Ibiza: for example, a room in Alua Hawaii 4* on the first line, with its own beaches and premium service costs from 190 € for a room with breakfast to 256 € for «all inclusive».
Towards the end of the club season, room rates drop by at least 10—15 €. The same happens at the beginning of May, while the parties are not yet going on in all clubs.
An option for solo travelers is a hostel. In San Antonio (Sant Antoni de Portmani) I stayed at the Amistat Hostel, in the city center about the same distance from both the beaches and the train station. Accommodation costs from 30 € for a place in a shared room, with prices dropping to 19 € in the fall. The hostel is comfortable: there is a laundry room, a storage room, a computer corner with high-speed wi-fi. In the kitchen you can cook dinner, and in the common area — to play a console, chill on the sun beds and swim in the pool in the courtyard. There’s even a bar, and there are DJ parties a couple times a week. There are plenty of supermarkets nearby.
You can stay with locals for a couple of days through kuchsurfing, which is a completely free option. As a thank you, you can bring something delicious from your country or cook dinner. This option is more suitable for solo travelers for a couple of days. Staying for a week through couchsurfing is not very common.
- Find a hotel
- Checking in through couchsurfing.

What to do in Ibiza
Although the main points of attraction in Ibiza are the clubs and club hotels, there are also attractions.
You can have a photo shoot on the Portinatx promontory with stunning sea views. On Wednesday it is worth checking out the hippie market in Santa Eularia des Riu. Entrance to the market is free, but souvenirs cost from €20.
I’ll talk about Ibiza’s main treasure — beaches and parties — below.
Parties
The mecca of club parties is noticeably expensive. Tickets for mid-level DJs start at €25, and a bottle of plain water in the club itself costs €20. Therefore, going to the clubs every day is quite a costly idea. During one night, 3—4 DJs change in a club, and the most famous one — the headliner — starts playing around 3:00 am.
My advice is to research event lineups in advance and choose a night when several musicians you know are performing at once.



Sunset at Cafe del Mar
A must-do on a trip to Ibiza is to watch the sunset at the iconic Cafe del Mar in Sant Antoni de Portmani. Every evening, tourists gather on the terrace of the cafe to applaud the setting sun and listen to DJ mixes. The music each day is specially selected for the sunset.
Cocktails at the cafe start at 13 €. But you don’t have to reserve a table to enjoy the sunset. There is a wide strip of beach in front of the cafe, where there are almost more people sitting than on the terrace. This is no longer the territory of the cafe, and no one kicks you out. Everyone brings their own food and snacks. You’ll have to sit on the rocks, but that doesn’t bother anyone — you’ll have the best view of the sea and the setting sun, and everyone can hear the music.


Beaches of Ibiza
The public beaches in Ibiza are free and organized: they are sandy, clean and regularly cleaned of seaweed. Each beach has a lifeguard, sun lounger and umbrella rentals, and beach mini-bars. There are several nudist beaches, such as Las Salinas, which are also comfortable and accessible to everyone.
You don’t have to pay a penny to visit the most beautiful beaches in the bays and coves. For example, the beach in the pine-covered bay of Cala Salada or the salt lakes of Ses Salinas.
The hotels of the first strip have their own beach and swimming pool, their visit is included in the price of accommodation.





Old Town of Eivissa
In between partying and sleeping on the beach, you can visit some museums and attractions, especially since it won’t cost anything to visit them.
Ivis has preserved a white-washed old town — Dalt vila. Its territory is like a huge open-air museum. There are ruins of the Moorish wall, ancient Roman statues, picturesque houses painted in white. From almost any point in the old town there is a picturesque view of the city, the bay and the neighboring island of Formentera.




Museu Puget (Museu Puget)
The museum is housed in a 15th century manor house built in the Moorish style. It displays paintings by two local artists, father and son Puiget. Their works depict views of the town and its people in the early 20th century. Compare the views in the paintings with how the streets look now.
Open from 10:00. Closed on Monday.

Museum of Archaeology (Museo Arqueológico de Ibiza y Formentera)
There are exhibits from the founding of the city 2000 years ago, as well as artifacts from the necropolis of Puig des Molins. The museum’s exposition covers the history and after the Catalan conquest of the area in the early 13th century.
Monday is a day off. Free admission on Sundays.
The museum is closed for restoration in early 2020, so check the schedule on the website before traveling.
Contemporary Art Museum
The 18th century building features art and engravings from the 1960s by natives of the Balearic Islands.
Open from 10:00 a.m. Monday is a day off.

How things work in Ibiza
Transportation
Within any town on the island, public transportation is unnecessary — everything is located fairly compactly and can be walked.
There are buses between towns and to the natural attractions of the island. The traffic is not very heavy and you have to stick to the timetable.
At night, discobus (discobus) run between the cities, especially for those who can’t spend the whole night in one club. They stop at all the clubs and run from June to the end of September. Alcohol is allowed on the bus, but only in plastic containers.
There is a relatively inexpensive cab service on the island. A trip from the club to the hotel will cost an average of €10—15. You can catch a cab right on the street or call it through an iOS and Android app.
If you come in a group of 3—4 people, rent a car. This way you will see the beaches and bays that are difficult to reach by bus because the stops are far away. By car you will travel around the mountain villages for 1—2 days and see the non-touristy Ibiza and its locals. Rental costs from 13 € per day.
On an island where alcohol pours in rivers, it takes a special kind of willpower not to drink and drive. According to stories, the police often stop rental cars and mercilessly fine tourists for drunk driving. Spaniards themselves are often not averse to a glass of wine or sangria at lunch, but I would not risk getting behind the wheel after a glass of beer.

Where to eat?
The standard advice applies here: to save money, choose a café not on the seafront, where prices are inflated for the beautiful view. In a neighboring street, a bit in the back of the island, dishes will be cheaper by 2—5 €.
You can also buy groceries and cook your own food, if your hotel or apartment has such an option. On the beach you constantly want to drink beer, snack on chips or fruit, and cocktail vendors are on the beach all day long. A glass of beer in a beach café costs at least €5, while a can of beer in a store costs half as much.
It is convenient to buy groceries in SPAR supermarkets — they are on almost every street. Wine for a couple of euros, cheeses, jamon, baguette, fruit — a romantic picnic on the beach for two will cost about 10 €.



Wi-Fi
Open and unlimited wi-fi is available at the island’s airport. Hotels provide a password for internet connection upon check-in — no extra charges, fast and uninterrupted.
You can also connect to wi-fi in cafes and restaurants. In most establishments, access to the network is free, in some places you will need to make an order.
Ibiza is for everyone
During a week of vacation in Ibiza I spent about 20,000 rubles. — Hostels in Ivis and San Antoni, transportation around the island, meals, lots of alcohol, souvenirs. This does not include flights — S7 offers tickets from 4,000 roubles on sale; and a ticket to the Pacha club — I was given it as a present.
Ibiza is worth going to for 5—7 days. You will have time to hang out a couple of nights in the clubs, lay your sides on all the beaches, go to the eastern part of the island to the bays and rocks, compare sunsets in Cafe Del Mar and on the beaches. And decide to come back!