I’ve always loved Ibiza. The tiny white Balearic Island in the Mediterranean is a mecca for like-minded, dance music crazy people who love to throw themselves around under the sun to pumping dance tunes. But recently, the island has slid down my list of favourite places to go. Prices of accommodation, drinks and even flights have escalated to astronomical levels, meaning that to properly enjoy your week in Ibiza you have to remortgage your house – twice. San Antonio – granted, a town never particularly celebrated for its class or style – is now sleazier and dirtier than ever, with raucous hen and stag parties and money-hungry touts resorting to almost violent measures to ensure that punters drink in their grubby establishments.
It’s not all bad. Parts of Ibiza are still as beautiful as they were ten years ago. Ibiza town is fascinating – full of the eccentricities and colour that the island is renowned for. There are the infamous hidden beaches (although more and more are being discovered and given the tacky tourist makeover) and the sunsets are still breathtaking.
Ibiza has always been a sanctuary for dance music aficionados the world over. But with the onslaught of tourism, inflated prices and the bonus of the tacky San Antonio west end, the island is dangerously close to becoming like other islands in the Med – tired and depressing. If you’re still yearning for the yesteryear of Ibiza – with its beach parties, clear waters and bohemian bonding – but don’t fancy spending half your weeks spending money on a club ticket, then why don’t you think outside of the White Isle. Here are my top alternative Ibiza destinations…
Croatia
Discovering Croatia is like finding twenty quid in the street. You wonder how many people walked past the note, unnoticed on the floor, before you stumbled and tripped over it. You wonder how long the note had been lying there, or why you hadn’t found it sooner. You stoop down – trying not to bring anyone’s attention to it – in case someone turns around and realises they’d just dropped it.
Let me explain. The country itself is beautiful – all untouched coastline and dotted islands that litter the crystal clear waters. Growing in popularity, Croatia is getting the much-talked-about hype for festivals such as Outlook (a bass-heavy celebration of sound), The Garden festival (think gorgeous girls and dancing under the stars) and the famous Soundwave festival. Tickets are cheap – roughly under £100 for at least three days festival entry – and the drinks are even cheaper. The music selection is eclectic – you can expect to hear a whole spectrum of music, from Roots Manuva, UK hip hop legends, to Phonetics, a dubstep, grime and UK garage DJ. Widely touted as ‘the most beautiful sites in the world’, Croatia has something for everyone who loves dancing in the sunshine to great music. And who doesn’t? In fact, hundreds of you will be heading out to Hideout Festival on Pag Island this coming weekend.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Cafe del Mar in San Antonio used to be one of my favourite spots in Ibiza. Unfortunately, what with the invasion of tourists and the popularity of the venue, the area around Cafe del Mar now gets packed to the brim and you’re lucky to get a seat inside while the sun is going down, let alone see anything of the view. So it was with some trepidation I visited Singapore’s version of the sunset bar – but boy, I’m glad I did. Balearic house booms sexily from speakers and you don’t have to fight for a seat to see the sun drop beneath the waves. Alright, so the beach isn’t real but the vibe is, and that’s all that matters.
Ever fancied being able to party for four weeks solid, outdoors and under the stars, to some of the best DJ’s in the world? Well, in Ukraine you can! If ever you needed a reason to blow a whole year’s holiday allowance in one go, you do now, at kaZantip festival. The ethos is simple: there are no fixed line-ups, no fixed dates, and no confirmed or unconfirmed artists – there is just the promise that whatever happens, it’ll be mad, messy, hot and above all else, great fun.
Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
As with all good things, I’ve saved the best until last. The island of Gili Trawangan is a tiny, tropical paradise off the coast of Lombok, an island in Indonesia – a real backpacker’s hidden gem. It’s a typical desert island cliché – white beaches, clear waters and thatched-roofed huts that house a mixture of travellers, Australian surfers and scuba divers, and the newer crowd that are visiting from the buzzing Asian cities of Hong Kong and Tokyo.
It’s impossible not to enjoy the calmed hush of a desert island, especially one like Gili Trawangan, where cars are shunned in favour of the old-fashioned horse and cart. But it’s when the sun goes down that the Ibiza spirit is evoked, as beachfront bars pump out chilled electro tunes to lazy sun-bleached visitors. Superstar DJ’s occasionally drop in – Timo Maas played there a couple of years ago – for free, for the pleasure of visiting.
Tiny Gili Trawangan is over 7,000 miles away from the island of Ibiza. It’s also miles away from the Ibiza of today. But it’s closer than anything at present to the Ibiza we all remember fondly – the one that is in our hearts.
Published by Data Transmission.
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