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Home / Travel

Bar/fly: Ibiza, Spain

By Sam McKeith
AAP·
22 Jan, 2015 02:00 AM3 mins to read

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One way to keep a lid on costs is to take a package tour to Ibiza that includes accommodation, meals, and entry to some of the biggest clubs. Photo / Rod Emmerson

One way to keep a lid on costs is to take a package tour to Ibiza that includes accommodation, meals, and entry to some of the biggest clubs. Photo / Rod Emmerson

In Ibiza's bars, young travellers pay big prices, but there are ways to avoid a budget blowout, writes Sam McKeith.

Ibiza is world famous for its beaches, bars, and nightclubs. What's less known about the Spanish party island is that for revellers on a budget it can get expensive - fast.

With drinks costing up to $30 at some clubs and entry price at venues set at up to $70, a finely-tuned backpacker budget can easily blow out.

Brad, 21, on holiday from Sydney, learned the hard way.

In just one night at Pacha nightclub, Brad says he spent around $400 on drinks for his mates and himself.

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"It's [$11] just for a bottle of water in there, and [$19] for a vodka and coke, so it adds up real quick," he tells me in the early hours of the morning outside the iconic club's closing party. While the high cost of clubbing means he may have to cut his holiday short, he's not complaining.

"What are you going to do? It's Ibiza and that's the way it goes over here. It's a once-in-a-lifetime holiday," he says.

"If I have to leave a few days earlier than planned, so be it."

Another visitor, Phil, paid $18 for a glass of orange juice at Space - another one of the island's big clubs.

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"That's the most expensive juice I'll ever have, I reckon," he says outside the club, which is owned by famous DJ Carl Cox.

Local tour guide Pablo Diaz says though the price of drinks inside the big nightspots is high, there are ways to avoid a budget blowout. One way, he says, is to buy tickets to clubs before going out, which can save you up to $35 or so.

In Ibiza town, he says the well-known parties at Space on Sundays are a good move for partiers on a budget because the venue makes for a great night out, and has half-price entry before 9pm.

In Ibiza's other party central, Sant Antoni, he recommends Pacha's big pre-parties where DJs perform for free - another good way to avoid the huge club costs.

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The other trick, he says, is to eat at the club restaurants, some of which enable you to get free entry to the club itself, before heading out.

Not taking taxis is another way to keep costs down. Buses around the island are cheap and run through the night in the summer season.

Diaz says it's also a good idea to read clubbing magazines which often have special deals and Ibiza tips through the party season.

Another way to keep a lid on costs can be to take a package tour to the island that includes a few days at Ibiza as well as accommodation, meals, and entry to some of the biggest clubs.

For a cheap day out, Diaz advises heading to one of the island's lesser-known beaches, like Cala Olivera, famous for its white sand and crystal clear water.

Restaurants near the beach can be pricey, so he advises stopping off somewhere along the way, buying a rustic takeaway meal, and eating on the sand.

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To wash it down, he advises one of the island's many varieties of cheap wine.

Back at Pacha, Brad says he's not so sure about Diaz's advice.

"I didn't come to Ibiza to lie on the beach."

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Topdeck's Spanish Fiesta tour visits Spain, Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo Valencia and Ibiza over 10 days. There are five weekly ferry crossings from Barcelona to Ibiza.

Accommodation: There are options for all budgets. Rates rise significantly during high season.

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Further information: See ibiza.travel/en.

The writer travelled as a guest of Topdeck.

- AAP

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