Day 8 – Ibiza: Ses Salines & Dancing to Diplo Until Dawn
Stelios woke up before me this morning and I slept in until 9:45am. It was a beautiful morning in Ibiza, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We got ready for a beach day, hopped on our bike and drove 15 minutes to El Chiringuito – a beachside restaurant in Ses Salines. On the way there we passed what looked like some type of flooded farming system which we later found out was a salt marsh and owned by Sal de Ibiza, the same company that owns the potato chips I snacked on last night (which later became my go to late night snack). Once we got to El Chiringuito we ordered an excellent breakfast spread. We were hungry after all of the dancing last night! We ordered 2 cafe con leches,, 2 fresh squeezed juices, eggs, avocado tomato and ham toast, and Stelios enjoyed the Greek yogurt bowl with fresh fruit, nuts, and honey. After breakfast we grabbed 2 front row lounge chairs for 30€ on the beach to lay out and relax.
Travel Tip: if you reserve beach chairs in Ibiza through the restaurant/beach club they are priced quite high (75-150€) and require an additional minimum food and beverage spend (€200 +) but there are often other lounge chairs on the beach not associated with the restaurant that are much cheaper and you can still eat at the restaurant for breakfast or lunch.
The sand at this beach is so soft and spongelike as you walk towards the water which is super interesting. So far, I think Ibiza is beautiful and while it’s known for the clubs and the nightlife, which is ultimately what brought us here, the island has so much more to offer. There’s a balance of energy and serenity. We are loving it so much that after talking it over, we officially decided to extend our stay here by 1 night! Typically when I arrive to a destination I know how I feel about it in the first 24 hours. I felt the same way at the Jumeriah in Mallorca and regretted not extending there 1 night, so I wasn’t about to make the same mistake in Ibiza. This will give us an extra 24 hours to soak up the Ibiza magic.
While at the beach, we realized the section a few meters over from us was actually a full nude beach. I thought it was pretty hilarious that they have these beachfront restaurants and lounge areas but then a couple meters over it’s a fully nude situation. Around lunch time we went back to El Chiringuito and shared a lobster salad, Shwarma and pita, and a chocolate brownie for dessert. We somehow missed the fine print at the bottom of the menu that the lobster salad was €60 – YIKES! After lunch we continued to soak up the sun and swim around in the ocean. After a full day of lounging at the beach we decided to head back to the hotel at 4pm. Even though all we did was lay around the beach, the sun takes a lot of out of you and we needed a nap in the cold AC because we had a long night ahead of us.
Tonight we were going to see the closing party of Diplo, my favorite DJ, at Pacha. We had booked a VIP table through Taste Ibiza and our goal was to stay out until 5am. For seasoned Ibiza clubbers that’s probably nothing, but when Stelios and I go to the clubs we just love to dance and are running on the beat of the music, tequila, and natural adrenaline (no additives if you know what I mean) so 5am was a lofty goal for us. The latest we’ve ever stayed out was 4am in Greece. Thus, the 2 hour post beach nap was much needed. At 7pm we awoke from our pre-club slumber and got ready for dinner and our night out on the town.
To start the night off we went to the rooftop SkyBar at our hotel for our first round of drinks. Then we had a 25 minute walk to dinner at Olivo Mio, a Mediterranean restaurant in Ibiza Town. Walking through the center of town you could feel the vibrant energy and the night was alive! Just what we needed going into this. There was a saxophonist playing in the street, Latin club music booming, and belly dancers. It was almost like a pre-dinner show before the main event of our night. We ordered the mango margaritas, grilled artichokes with jamón, veal cheeks, and spinach raviolis. The food was good, but not amazing which I think was expected in this busy section of the main town, but the ambiance, energy, and vibe made up for it.
By 11:30pm we got the check and still had an hour before getting to the club. We decided to wander around Ibiza Town. We popped into a cocktail bar that was playing upbeat house music but unfortunately the drinks weren’t very good so we left. A couple of storefronts down we were hit with the most delicious aroma of Italian pizza and a loud Italian man (whose name escapes me) with a thick accent, shouting out food orders. We decided to stop and check out what he was serving. He offered us shots of homemade Pistachiocello (similar to Limoncello but made with pistachios) but emphasized we should sip it not actually take it like a shot. It literally tasted like a pistachio milkshake. Even though we just finished dinner, the fresh Italian pizza smell had us wanting more so we split a pepperoni slice. It was a homemade slice of savory goodness.
At midnight we started walking towards Pacha and met up with Jess from Taste Ibiza. We went through the VIP entrance which was a cool mirrored wall with electronic displays and she brought us to our table. It was a lot bigger than I expected since we were just 2 people and she said that Pacha upgraded us because we were on our honeymoon. Another win! We ordered a bottle of Don Julio and danced the night away. Also a quick side note – the VIP service at Pacha was phenomenal. We had our own bartender and anytime Stelios and I went to grab even an ice cube to add to our drinks, the bartender appeared out of nowhere like a wizard and insisted he do it for us.
Diplo made a quick appearance to check out the crowd and the two tables next to us were still empty so I walked over across the ropes. I was so close to him that I had a full on fangirl moment. The openers were fire, and Diplo finally came on to DJ at 3am. At this point I was starting to crash but caught a 2nd wind when he switched up the vibe. It really is the rhythm of the music that keeps me going all night. The reason I love Diplo so much is because he was one of the first DJs I ever saw live when I turned 18, but also because he has such a wide range of music and his DJ style is so versatile. He played everything from old school house music, Afro house & some Major Lazer, his top hits like Lean On and Cold Water, and even Stelios’s favorite song from back in the day Freed from Desire. When Forever (our honeymoon anthem) came on Stelios was in the bathroom and I thought he was going to miss it but a minute in he ran up and hugged me from behind. He said he had to run back to dance to our song with me. We danced so much we didn’t sit down once the entire night. A part of me wishes I brought my Fitbit just to see how many steps we had done after dancing for 5 hours straight. By 5:30am we were exhausted and decided to call it a night. We hopped in a taxi and were back at the hotel and in bed by 6am. Time for a deep sleep.
