Do you feel like dancing until the sun rises in Ibiza this summer? Then you better have plenty of money, as the White Isle’s famous party spots have increasingly eye-watering prices, with a small bottle of water costing around £12.
The Balearic island, once famed for its idyllic hidden coves and laid-back bohemian vibe, is increasingly boujee – a tourist draw for those looking to splash out on chic restaurants, hotels and bars – with outposts of five-star brands such as Nobu and The Standard moving in.
The 2024 clubbing season, marked by a series of “opening” parties at the island’s biggest clubs last month, is not even a month old yet, but those who have gone out already admit they have been left “broke” by the price of just one night of partying at Amnesia, Pacha and Club Chinois, let alone a whole week.
The Balearic Islands have long been a tourist hotspot for Brits… but prices on the White Isle, particularly at its famous clubs, have reached another level, visitors say, with £11-£12 now the standard for a small bottle of water in the clubs.
Once a sleepy enclave in the Spanish Balearic Islands, Ibiza has long been Europe’s party hub, but prices have soared significantly in recent years. In the photo: San Antonio festival center
The current star of Ibiza’s clubbing scene, Ushuaïa, an open-air poolside venue with a glitzy hotel attached, is among the nightspots where revellers report some of the highest prices.
The club, which features big-name resident DJs this summer including Calvin Harris and David Guetta, currently charges €24 (about £20) for a vodka and cola, while teetotalers face a €14 (about £12) charge for a 500ml bottle of water.
And that is after having paid for the tickets to enter the venue.
At Amnesia, in the party centre of San Antonio, the cheapest entry this summer is €40 (£34) and the most expensive is €100 (£85), although you do get a free drink if you get to the club before 1.30am. Afterwards, it’s €24 for a shot of liquor and a soft drink, or €20 (£17) for a glass of wine.
Pacha, opened in 1973, is one of the most famous clubs on the island, along with Amnesia, O Beach and Ushuaïa, which charge princely prices for drinks.
Drinks prices at the island’s main clubs, including Pacha, pictured, are now roughly the same wherever you go, with water at around £12 a bottle, a mixer and liqueur at £23 and glasses of wine around £17.
Café Mambo, on the island’s west coast, has long been the place to go for a cocktail and watch the sunset, but dinner with a view doesn’t come cheap.
Café Mambo, an Ibizan institution serving casual food and stunning sunsets on the east coast of the White Isle, charges €100 (£85) per person for larger groups, and a burger and fries costs €35 (around (£30).
Meanwhile at Pacha, which first opened in 1973, a ticket to Music On, a celebration of the “purest version of unadulterated techno house”, costs €100.
Go out to dinner? The thing is similar. Grab a table at Café Mambo, which now has branches all over the world and is famous for its relaxing sunsets and laid-back DJ sets. There is a minimum spend of €100 per person for larger groups.
A Mambo burger and chips is €35 (around £30), while grilled salmon with asparagus is €42 (£35). Drinks? Cocktails start at €19 (£16), while a bottle of Grey Goose vodka to share is €250 (£212) – a bottle at Waitrose is currently £35.
Celebrity fans and the impact of influencers have certainly helped club and venue owners increase prices.
Gary Lineker’s sister venue Wayne’s O Beach is packed throughout the summer (not always to the locals’ liking) with high-profile names including Maya Jama, Luis Capaldi and Jack Grealish All beach club fans.
Star power: Lewis Capaldi is one of many celebrities to have visited Wayne Lineker’s O Beach bar – the club’s famous fans have made it hugely popular with party-goers.
Party time! Opened in 2012 by Wayne, the beach club has welcomed thousands of revelers, including Manchester City star Jack Grealish.
The world’s most stylish brands, including Nobu, have arrived in recent years, cementing the island’s status as one of Europe’s most exclusive party spots.
Hiring a bed in the VIP section for ten people costs at least £1,450 – around £145 per person per day for access to the club’s famous pool parties.
Add to that hotel costs across the island, which skyrocket in the summer when families also arrive, and the only good news for those hoping to pack their glow sticks this summer?
A number of low-cost airlines fly to the Spanish island, and peak season prices, according to flight search aggregator Skyscanner, remain among the most reasonable in Spain, around £100 return.
British writer Rebecca Barnes has owned a flat on the island for many years. She says that there has been a “VIP culture” in Ibiza for “at least a decade”, but that it has intensified thanks to influencers.
Barnes told MailOnline: ‘Ibiza is increasingly seen as a playground for the rich, which has a knock-on effect on clubs, restaurants and bars.
Rebecca Barnes, a long-term visitor who has a flat in Ibiza, says that many of the locals can no longer rent or buy houses, but there are still affordable places to go as a tourist if you go off the beaten track.
“It has never been the cheapest destination: if you consider that in the 2000s people paid around 16 euros for a vodka lemonade and 8 euros for a bottle of water in some of the big clubs, you see that prices are only going in one direction.
According to her, the downside to this popularity is that locals cannot afford to live there: “Rental property prices have skyrocketed, and even residents are forced to leave the island due to high rents, especially during summer season. It’s a huge problem and is causing many long-term residents and even people born on the island to move.”
Can you still enjoy the island without spending a lot of money?Cafe Mambo? Those in the know take their store-bought drinks out onto the rocks and enjoy the experience for free! There are still places on the island that are great value for money, just get off the tourist trail.