Ibiza and Barcelona

How to get a boarding pass from someone dead set on not giving it to you: cry. The morning of our 7:55 am flight *WAIT JK REALIZES IT LEAVES AT 7:05 am IN THE CAB ON THE WAY THERE* was brutal and the worst flight experience I've had thus far. However, after being told that there was no way we were getting on this flight, Carly saves the day by breaking out the tears and receives a handwritten boarding pass, which I didn’t even know existed (for the record, Barcelona airport security – questionable).

When I say Ibiza is beautiful, I mean the beaches of Ibiza are beautiful. The town itself…not so much. Aside from the very Mediterranean look of the white buildings, it was like a tacky mix of New Orleans, Miami, & Atlantic City. The smell of urine wafted through the air essentially every time we stepped out of our AirBnb and the whole island seemed to run on some weird party driven schedule of no one getting up or opening their stores before noon. There’s also an insanely limited amount of Wifi on this island so when we finally found a restaurant with the strongest wifi signal possible, we basically set up camp (ate there two nights in a row, whipped out a laptop at one point and turned a one course meal into a 5 hour long endeavor). The waiter was our new BFF since nothing puts us in a good mood like a mix of wine, croquetas and strong wifi (and he also entered the 15 letter/digit password into 5 of our devices). Aside from the strange town, we managed to do three beaches in three days and the beaches made the trip there totally & completely worth it.

Cala Bassa beach: Our favorite beach of Ibiza. Located across the island outside of the town of San Antoni, which was literally one of the tackiest places I have ever seen. We just whizzed through it on a bus and even that was too much viewing time of the town. However, Cala Bassa beach was anything but tacky and we figured this out the hard way. Cala Bassa Beach Club & Restaurant seemed like a perfectly normal place to eat lunch, grab some paella and relax. Our thought process: “Wow a huge thing of seafood paella for only 35 euro, such a deal. Let’s get one plus an appetizer, plus a pitcher of sangria and for sure, keep the baskets of free bread coming!!!” Nope, nope, nope. It turned out to be way outside of our price range for the trip but it definitely was one of the best meals I've ever had. I might be eating pb&j for the rest of my life but a day at the Cala Bassa Beach Club was worth it. 

I would never describe Ibiza as somewhere easy to be. It can be loud, dirty, crowded and sweaty. If you’re a 14 year old boy, you’ll love it; lots of tacky shops, lots of house music and lots of naked boobs. If you are aiming for more of a tranquil beach weekend, either let the sangria, clear water and earplugs relax you or head elsewhere.

Barcelona: I did head to Barcelona directly after Ibiza but only for two days, and I truly wish I could’ve spent more time there. I got very welcoming vibes from Barcelona and the city feels passionate and alive. Even though Carly and I did get off one train, walk across the platform and get on the same train going to opposite way at one point, the metro was cheap and easy to figure out. Good public transportation in Barcelona and lots of sights to see.

If you have a limited time in Barcelona, here’s what I recommend:

(1) La Boqueria: The famous market just off the main stretch of La Rambla is absolutely amazing. It has any food you could imagine and the freshest form of each of these foods. We decided to make dinner the first night we got there with ingredients from the different vendors. Such a great decision and there are some interesting Spanish delicacies to look at.. Do not miss out on La Boqueria in Barcelona!

(2) Parc Güell: We were extremely tired when we went to Park Güell and the lines were insane to get into anything. The park itself is beautiful but something you must do at opening to miss the lines.

(3) El Cafe del Born: A perfect breakfast spot just a metro ride away from Park Guell and Sagrada Familia. Ate there two mornings in a row. Recommended to us as a locals favorite morning spot.

xx