Ibiza Beyond Summer: My Unique 5-Day Experience in the Offseason

Ibiza is well known for its wild partying and nightclubs starring world-renowned DJs. But there’s so much more to see on this 221-square-mile island than the nightlife. After finding a great deal on Iberia premium economy flights to Madrid, my girlfriend and I decided to visit for my early November birthday to see what the island offered.

Here’s what you need to know if you decide to take a trip to Ibiza during the offseason.

Offseason Ibiza Activities

As the nights turn longer, many tourists flock to Ibiza for some of the best partying in the world. The island’s world-renowned clubs are open from late April to mid-October. After October, as the weather shifts and clubs shut down, as does most of the island. Many hotels and restaurants shut their doors completely, while others have limited services. But that doesn’t mean there’s an absence of things to do.

We stayed on the island in the offseason for 5 days and busied ourselves with several excursions and other activities, including exploring and hiking, a city bike tour, shopping markets, incredible dining, and relaxing at spas.

4×4 Island Tour

The first thing we focused on was seeing the beauty of the island. We did a robust tour of the island, highlighting its good vibes and reputation. The tour included seeing many of the most beautiful parts of the island in a 4×4 vehicle.

One of the highlights was a moderate hike overlooking Isla de es Vedrà.

Another highlight was visiting an abandoned cave rave where we dipped in the Mediterranean Sea.

Bike Tour of Old Town

Another highlight of visiting Ibiza in the offseason was taking a bike tour through the Old Town portion of the city. This private 3-hour tour showed us how the locals live, taking us to famous graffiti murals throughout the city and secret beaches that locals frequent. The island has many hills, so I recommend upgrading to an e-bike.

Spa Day

We wanted one of our days to be spent relaxing, so we searched for a spa day. Most spas were already closed for the season, but we eventually found a great spa at the Can Curreu Hotel. It was on the opposite side of the island from where we were staying, so it was a bit of a drive (about 45 minutes). It was worth it to have a relaxing afternoon of decompression for our last full day.

For approximately $245 per person, our day included free reign to roam the thermal circuit room, which had multiple pools of varying temperatures, a steam room, a sauna, and relaxing heated chairs. We then went in for our couples treatment, which included a full body scrub, an aromatic massage, and a facial. When the pampering was finished, we enjoyed a 5-course tasting menu at the property’s restaurant, which featured fantastic local food, including a burrata salad, grilled octopus, lamb shoulder, and 2 desserts.

Shopping

Right around the corner from the hotel was the Las Dalias Hippy Market, which was well worth a visit. The market is open on Saturdays and Sundays, with good vibes, local crafts, fantastic food, and live music. It’s a perfect afternoon weekend activity available year-round, where you can grab a local bite, do some unique souvenir shopping, and feel the good vibes radiating into the island.

Wandering by Car

Lastly, Ibiza is the perfect place to get out and roam. We spent time exploring several towns and places throughout the island, including Santa Eularia, Old Town, and the beaches on the west coast. Since taxis and ride-share services can be expensive (and harder to coordinate in the offseason), I highly recommend renting a car, especially since they are so affordable this time of year. We scored a car for $39 for the entire trip, whereas during the high season, they can be over $100 per day.

Hot Tip:

At the rental car office, the staff tried to upsell me on rental car insurance. I declined it, as I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, which offers cardholders primary rental car insurance.

Cancelled Activities

With fewer tourists coming to the island, it’s unsurprising that businesses start to wind down their operations. Unfortunately, this can make preplanning activities more difficult than usual, as last-minute cancellations seem common.

We prebooked a few excursions through GetYourGuide and Viator, including a yoga class, a full-day excursion (with a boat, 4×4 ride, and sunset hike with picnic), and a bike tour.

A few days before arriving, we received a notice that the yoga class was canceled, with no option to rebook. The day before our full-day excursion, the tour operator contacted us to say the boat had technical difficulties and they would have to cancel. Thankfully, they offered an alternative 4×4 experience, which we booked and paid for in cash instead of rebooking through GetYourGuide.

We also tried booking a few last-minute boat trips once this one was canceled, and both that we booked were canceled the day of, citing “technical difficulties.”

From speaking with other people who frequent Ibiza, this can be a common occurrence, even during the high season. As you build your itinerary, remember that your trip may not go as planned.

Restaurants and Dining Tips

The food in Ibiza was outstanding, and we found it relatively affordable (as a couple who split their time between Chicago and Miami). Spain is known for its tapas, paella, and croquettes; we consumed them all often, none of which were disappointing. Even during the offseason, we could check out some amazing restaurants, even though many were already closed. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Bistro Del Mar
• La Brasa
• La Esquina
• Pantastic LAB

If you plan on dining out consistently in Ibiza, keep these few points in mind:

Don’t Trust Google Maps

We love searching for great restaurants and regularly use Google Maps. However, if a restaurant says it’s open, it may not be. During the Ibiza offseason, have a few restaurants in mind when you go out so you aren’t disappointed if you find them closed despite their “open” status on Google Maps.

Observe Siesta Hour

The people of Spain love to relax, especially from 2 to 4:30 or 5 p.m. If you need a midday snack, you may have few options, as many restaurants shut their doors during these times, reopening for dinner hours. Another thing to note is that in Spain, dinner is much later than Americans may be used to. Most restaurants start dinner reservations around 8 p.m., with 9 or 10 p.m. being the most common hours for dinner.

Pay in Euros

In Europe, most restaurants will bring a payment terminal to your table so you can scan your card. Using a credit card, you will be asked to pay in your local currency or euros. Be sure to choose euros, as this selection will ensure that your bank does the conversion at a much better rate than a credit card terminal processor would. As long as you use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, you won’t pay any additional fees on top of the conversion.

Hire a Private Chef

Since we had an Airbnb with a full kitchen, we hired a private chef to come to the house to cook dinner for my birthday. This was perfect for our first night in Ibiza, as we were exhausted from our overnight travels from Chicago.

We used TakeAChef to find a local chef, and it was an outstanding experience. Ahead of our trip, we used the site to request a private chef, and a few reached out with their proposals. We selected the one we liked best and arranged details directly through the website with our chosen chef, Franco Montaldo.

We feasted on an array of Spanish tapas, homemade browned butter pasta, and beef cheek, and finished it with homemade tiramisu.

Airbnb Is the Best Offseason Option

As we started researching accommodation options, we consistently encountered hotels shuttered for the offseason. The Standard, Ibiza, was the only open and centrally located hotel. During peak tourist season, there are plenty of opportunities to use hotel points at properties from major brands like the W Ibiza on the east side and the Cala San Miguel Hotel Ibiza, Curio Collection by Hilton, on the north side.

Since our options were limited, we decided to go with an Airbnb on the southwest part of the island, and we had a fantastic time. It gave us room to breathe, privacy, space to park our car, and a tranquil backyard where we could enjoy the stars at night from our private hot tub. And we were only a short drive from the main sites of the island. We’d highly recommend an Airbnb for anyone visiting in the offseason.

It Was Shockingly Affordable

We were expecting real sticker stock on the island but found it quite the opposite. Generally speaking, restaurants were less than they are in the U.S., especially when you account for not having to tip. For example, a bottle of wine at a restaurant would be the equivalent of $30. In the U.S., it’s closer to $60. Coffee is also substantially cheaper, with a double espresso or latte being around $2.

The rental car was wildly cheap, and we spent more on gas (about $45 total) and parking than on the rental car itself.

My girlfriend also did some shopping and found it to be cheaper than at home. On our way out of Spain, she was able to collect roughly $30 back through VAT refunds.

Hot Tip:

If you decide to shop in Europe and get your VAT refunds, have the provider (i.e., Global Blue, Planet) refund your debit card or give you cash rather than refunding your original payment method. This lets you keep the credit card points used for the purchase, even while receiving a refund for the tax portion of the purchase.

Final Thoughts

Ibiza was a fantastic birthday trip, even with it being significantly quieter since we visited during the offseason. The topography, food, beaches, and activities were plenty to enjoy for my 31st birthday and the 26th country I’ve visited.

While we loved our offseason tranquility, we plan to return during the high season to experience the club scene, especially when the world’s biggest nightclub is expected to reopen in 2025.