Europe · 2019 and 2026
Ibiza
Twelve days in San Antonio in 2019, and back in August 2026 for the solar eclipse.
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The day-by-day diary, what we learned and what we packed.
Ibiza has a reputation as a party island, and we've danced in our fair share of superclubs over the years. Our two trips here were mostly about the rest of it: pool days, beaches, sunsets and, the second time, a solar eclipse.
The first trip was 12 days in 2019, based at Hotel Puchet in San Antonio. We split the time between the pool, the Ibiza Rocks and Kisstory day parties, dinner at Café del Mar for the sunset, a beach day at Cala Bassa, a day trip to Formentera by bus and ferry, and a tour round the island from the Las Salinas salt flats to the Caves of Can Marçà.
We went back for five days in August 2026, to the same hotel, to see the total solar eclipse. We watched from Cala Tarida on the west coast. Low cloud and haze on the horizon hid totality, which was a real disappointment, but we saw the partial phases through our eclipse glasses, the light went strange and dim, and the crescent sun set into the sea. The next night we caught Fatboy Slim's sunset set at Cafe Mambo.
We didn't hire a car on either trip. The buses from San Antonio got us to Ibiza Town, Cala Bassa and Cala Tarida, and a small bus tour covered the rest of the island. If you want to find the quieter coves on your own schedule, a hire car would give you more freedom. On busy nights, don't rely on one taxi: on eclipse night our pre-booked taxi cancelled and it took nearly three hours to get another.
Ibiza weather this week