Before we continue, Ses Salines beach is where you go to get discounted wristbands for entry into most of the major clubs & parties. We left Ses Salines until later in our stay because of the freebies we got with the Magic Boat Party folks. But I’ll definitely still cover Ses Sasilnes off in a coming post.
Now Ibiza is known for crazy, non-stop parties. People start from the afternoon and party all the way through to sunrise the next day… and they do this pretty much every day that they are there. Hectic. I must say, my party stamina hasn’t been that impressive since I hit my 30s, but I gave it a good shot at least. 😉
Two venues I quite liked for those late afternoon into evening sessions were the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel which is in the Playa d’en Bossa area and the Blue Marlin which is closer to the airport area. (we actually took a bus to the airport and then a taxi from there)
Let’s start with Ushuaïa – in essence it’s like a party hotel. If you’re brave enough, you can actually stay here and be right in the thick of things. Every Saturday they host these “Ants parties” which kick off at 3pm and end at midnight. Tickets cost 30 euros per person (but remember we got in for free – yay!) and if you think you really need it, I see on their website you can also buy an Ibiza recharge pack at an additional 4.99 euros which includes the following:
Ibiza Recharge, everything you need after a long day at the beach and partying. Contains deodorant, vitamins, chewing gum, sun tan, foldable UV sun glasses, refreshing wipe and condom, all in a useful pouch
“and condom” – goodness, after all that partying, who still has energy for sex?? Haha. Anyways, moving on.
Drinks will set you back 15 euros for a simple vodka & sprite, or 12 euros for a beer. That’s right, convert that into Rands and that’s R160 – R200 for just ONE DRINK. Insanity I tell you. How anyone ever gets drunk at these parties, I seriously don’t know. And just to note: this isn’t pricing specific to Ushuaïa, this is general drinks pricing at any of the clubs and party venues in Ibiza… sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Let’s rather focus on the good things. It was a very cool party. Poolside, great music, fun vibe. I would definitely recommend it. Things start of slow early on, but then as each hour passes the crowd gets bigger and bigger. We had to be there at 4pm to make the guest list, so you’ll see it looks a little empty in my early pics. But let me show you around:
The dance floor of choice…
As with any good Ibiza party, there are always seriously hot, model type promo girls around, in interesting outfits to boot. The Ants party had some ladies doing ant tattoos, but mine would stick because I was wearing “protection” (that was her words)… I was still feeling a bit sensitive from the boat party sun the previous day, so ja, protection I definitely needed. But at least she was willing to pose for a quick piccie with me:
For the record – I am not a midget. She was wearing crazy, platformed stilettos and I was bare foot at that stage…
Ooh and they were nice enough to give me a “Join the ant colony” fan to help with the heat. I dunno what it is with handheld fans, but it just always seems like it needs an accompanying pout, doesn’t it?
Or is that just me?
The pouting continued pretty much the rest of the day…
It’s like a bloody nervous tick I tell ya! Poor D… he had to put up with that face… he’s a good friend, that’s for sure.
Here’s a little video clip which also gives you a tiny taste of the music:
We didn’t stay until midnight, so can’t tell you what this party gets like once the sun sets (which is around 10pm), but from what I’ve seen online, it’s looks pretty insane. We needed to head back to ours to change, catch the “Discobus” and hit Amnesia (more about that one later though).
Now Blue Marlin I was told by a few people was the place to be on a Sunday, but they didn’t really elaborate why. So I assumed it was just a casual bar kinda place. We got there around 9pm, which was clearly way too late, because as I discovered, this is less of just a Sunday nights drinks place and more of a cross between The Grand Beach and Caprice in Cape Town. So it’s better to get their early and enjoy the sun & sand. Otherwise it gets way too packed as the night goes on.
Entry is FREE (bonus) and they close at 4am, but they need to move the music inside at midnight. Just a tip though – if you need a taxi home (and you likely will), don’t wait until midnight. We ended up standing in a taxi queue for over an hour. Not fun. Leave earlier (as in earlier that evening, or even earlier the next morning if you wish).
My camera really battled with all the UV lights, lasers and stuff. So excuse the poor quality of the pics, but here’s a quick tour:
The front entrance…
The main building as you enter…
You can eat there too…
It stretches all the way down to the beach… white umbrellas, couches, etc and a wooden walkway all the way down. Very cool.
And it looked like you could even take a dip in the water…
That’s the dance floor & DJ box in the background, with the big screen.
On the dance floor…
What’s the music like? Here’s a little taste:
Like I said though, I’d rather get there much earlier next time. But from what I saw, it looked like a really great spot. So definitely add that to your Ibiza to do list.
Right, that was my experience with spots going from day to night. Now what about those spots which only kick off after midnight? Wait and see…
xxx