Can Travel Bloggers Still ‘Go On Holiday’?

So far this year I have been incredibly fortunate to have gone Skiing in Tignes,  enjoyed a city break in Rome, seen the Grand Prix in Monaco and relaxed on a Spa Weekend in Gstaad. On all of these trips, I have either worn my ‘serious travel journalist’ or my ‘super keen travel blogger’ hats for. I’m so lucky to experience so much travel through my job, but a part of me was beginning to worry… 

“Can Travel Bloggers still go on Holiday?”

So when my friends suggested a holiday in Ibiza, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test the theory and set myself an Anti-Blogger challenge. I decided to embrace the trip as a real ‘Holiday’ rather than one of my working travel adventures.  I left my SLR camera at home, turned off Data Roaming and did a fraction of the pre-travel research I would usually do. Here’s how I got on…

Not many places in the world quite compare to the sun drenched island of Ibiza. Notorious for its relentless sunshine, glamorous beach clubs and an outrageously good party scene, it’s somewhere I have wanted to go for years. So my trip to Ibiza was eagerly anticipated to say the least. My friends and I had been honing the bikini bods since May and I had even lined up a Spa Weekend in Gstaad to get holiday ready. So there we were, a mixed group of 6 boys and 6 girls all best of friends, jetting off a la Easy Jet, into the unknown for a week of fun in the sun. With no article deadlines and no impending blogs to post, I was free to go offline and forget about the world of digital completely.

We rented a private villa up in the hills in the exclusive Sa Carroca area of Ibiza. Sa Carroca is located inland and is equidistant from main party towns Playa den Bossa and San Antonio. It’s a little off the off the beaten path, but allowed us to escape from the crowds and combine partying with relaxation throughout the day (however trying to direct a taxi driver back in the dark after too much Sangria seemed to be our biggest hurdle). With a stunning panoramic view of the glittering Mediterranean sea, infinity pool, huge terrace area and beautifully Spanish interior, we definitely had an ‘MTV Cribs’ moment on arrival.

One thing that the Villa didn’t have was Wi-Fi. Now, normally when using my ‘Travel Blogger / Journalist’ hat, I could have quite easily gone into meltdown. But instead, I saw this as a sign to embrace my Anti-Blogger challenge. I wanted to prove to myself that travel bloggers can still switch off and go on holiday.

During the week we planned a rough itinerary of where we wanted to go during the week, which included a mix of day parties, exploring the island and of course, club nights. The Traveller in me wanted to get out and see as much of the Island as possible, but embracing my anti-blogger challenge, I was happy to go with the flow and embrace this trip as a real holiday and not as a working press trip. Here were my top 5 memories from the over the week.

1. Ocean Beach Club Day Party

In my opinion, the best thing (hands down) about Ibiza was the day parties. Who could ever get bored of a day at a gorgeous beach club with glorious sunshine, incredible house music and delicious cocktails? I for one cannot. This was certainly the state of play for our day at Ocean Beach Club. With some handy pre-planning, we booked out 12 sun loungers for the day which included towels and waitress service.

The sun loungers were 30 Euros each (they cost about 5 on the beach) and the cocktails certainly don’t come cheap, but for one day it is totally worth it. The day starts out super chilled and by mid-afternoon the music really picks up and people begin to really party. One thing I’d definitely recommend is getting down early and booking a sun bed in advance. You want to make sure your close to the action as possible! The food offerings are also amazing and endless options for pool side snacking (including Sushi) – yum.

2. Ibiza’s Super Clubs: Pacha and Ushuaia

Of course, being in Ibiza we dabbled in a few club nights and Pacha and Ushuaia were my favourite nights. The best Ibiza clubs are very much a case of your taste in music, so don’t take my word for it. Do your research before you go and check out the club nights on Ibiza Spotlight before you go. This is your club night bible. Pacha has a huge dance floor space and has a Parisian theme running through. There is an R’n’B room as well as well as the main dance floor which plays mainstream and house music.

Ushuaia Club is within the 5* Ushusia Beach Hotel which is also home to chic Japanese restaurant Minami. Ushuaia welcomes day guests and is wall to wall with glamorous white interiors and chic pool side sun loungers. Come nightfall the hotel’s pool transforms into a dance floor and amazing light and stage shows compliment the incredible music. It’s famous for it’s afternoon parties and internationally known DJ’s such as David Guetta. Being the luxury travel lover that I am, I definitely want to stay at Ushuaia next time I return to Ibzia.

3. Playa d’en Bossa Beach Front

For a day at the beach, I absolutely loved Playa d’en Bossa. A long golden sandy beach is fringed with endless beach bars playing ideal music to suit the type of day. In the morning, you’ll sunbathe to a chill out soundtrack and by mid-afternoon the beats pick up and you. With pool parties, water sports and endless bars, it’s a hedonists playground.

4. Exploring Ibiza Old Town

For a real taste of Spanish culture, I loved the Ibiza Old Town. Think winding cobbled streets, quaint boutiques, al fresco tapas bars and traditional ‘Helado’ (ice cream) stands. It’s the sort of place you could happily get lost in. Glamorous Super-Yachts line the port as well as a number of stylish sea-food restaurants. We visited Ibiza Old Town for an evening meal and stumbled across a gorgeous seafood restaurant called El Faro which has been running since the 1960’s. Serving delicious Paella and fresh salads with great service and perfect evening ambience, I would thoroughly recommend El Faro as a great restaurant in Ibiza Old Town.

5. Sunset at Cafe del Mar – San Antonio

One of the most memorable moments of the trip was seeing the sun go down on Ibiza’s famous ‘Sunset Strip’ in San Antonio. We didn’t venture over to San Antonio much during the week, but boy was I glad I did. On the last night we decided to round off the holiday in style by having dinner overlooking the bay. Cafe del Mar is right next door to Cafe Mambo and are both great options for a sunset dinner – be sure to reserve your table in advance though.

We ordered a bunch of huge mix of tapas and nachos and just chilled out as the sun slowly sank into the ocean. The sky lit with oranges and pinks and huge crowds gathered on the rocks below. With a refreshing evening breeze, great company and , we soaked in the atmosphere and really made the most of our last night in Ibiza.

My week in Ibiza was an amazing escape from reality. Being a travel blogger and writer, at times I felt like I need to be ‘seeing’ and ‘doing’ more than just drinking a cocktail by the pool. But actually, it was a refreshing change from most of my trips. For once, I didn’t feel the pressure to see every inch of a city and dig my teeth into the culture. I simply went with the flow and took things at a slow pace.  I don’t think I can remember a week where I have used my phone, social media accounts and emails less, but it felt bloody good. My week in Ibiza made me realise that you can travel the world’s most exotic destinations and stay in the most luxurious hotels, but never underestimate the amazing-ness of a week with your best friend filled with sun, sea, sand and serious tunes!

What did you think of my Ibiza post? Can travel bloggers still go on holiday? Perhaps you are a blogger too and have experienced something similar? If you enjoyed my post, I’d love to hear from you! So please comment in the box below. I reply to all comments, Thanks! Jess x