Last week, we took off on one final trip as just us two. The very last time we could travel before I pop and a destination I've wanted to visit for a long time, especially after our first venture to a Balearic island last year to Mallorca. It might sound like an oxymoron to some, a babymoon in Ibiza of all places, and it definitely made a few people laugh when they asked where we were going. It has a reputation for being a party island, but Ibiza is about far more than the clubbing scene and is in fact such a beautiful island with plenty of quiet parts. The week was a total dream and I'd love to share some photos and the places we loved below, if you'd like to see... 

Getting there // 

First up, flights. We booked flights with BA, I never normally think of checking BA for short haul flights, in my head I automatically turn to Easyjet or Ryanair for short European trips, but the flight times were awful with them {I guess because Ibiza is known for partying, a lot of them seem to go out or return really late which we didn't want, and we didn't really want to be surrounded by hangovers or party groups either!}. In the end, BA had perfect times for us flying out early on a Sunday morning and coming back on Friday afternoon, it wasn't anymore expensive {we did hand luggage only} and as a real bonus it was Heathrow T5 - my favourite airport and terminal in the UK which made it feel like more of a treat. The flight was full of families and older couples which suited us perfectly! 

We booked car hire in advance, we were staying in a bit of a remote location and wanted the freedom to explore the island. Car hire in Ibiza seemed stupidly cheap, as in too good to be true at about £20 for 5 days? I read some reviews and discovered that most of these had really bad ratings, and when we booked our hotel the booking confirmation email had said 'if you want to rent a car without the queues at Ibiza airport then book direct with us'. So I did a bit more reading and it seems like there's a shortage of hire cars on the island and you can end up queuing for an hour or more to get one on arrival. I'm sure most are fine? But we just didn't want to take the risk. In the end I found a company called Autos Mari who had been recommended a lot online and although it wasn't the cheapest, it was £120 for our trip, it was a really great service and we didn't have any worries about picking it up. 

Flying with a bump - the limit for flying is 36 weeks with most airlines but do check in case anything changes, I also needed a fit to fly letter from my GP which I had to pay for, I think it was £18 to get the letter written, in reality BA didn't ask to see it or know how far along I was but I wanted to have it for peace of mind and especially in case we'd had to use travel insurance or something. I also wore flight socks and took my hospital notes, looking up a local hospital just in case! But it was all fine and the flight short enough not to feel too uncomfortable.

The last time we travel with just two passports for a while! 

Where we stayed // 

I spent hours googling accommodation last Autumn across the island, comparing airbnbs to hotels and different locations. I wanted somewhere quiet to completely relax, as I knew I'd be heavily pregnant by then and in a good location so we didn't have to always drive a long way to get to beaches/restaurants/towns etc. I quickly realised that Ibiza is an expensive island, and although we were going in May which is still fairly early in the season, there wasn't tonnes of availability. In the end, a friend who had got married in Ibiza and knows the island well, recommended Pure House Ibiza to us and it was exactly what I'd been picturing in my head and wanted to find! A small, boutique adults only hotel with just five rooms and a beautiful pool area. It looked like heaven. It was heaven. Again, it just wasn't that cheap but we went for the cheapest room and decided to splurge a little as our last special trip {in the future with a baby we'll be doing tonnes of self catering budget airbnbs I'm sure!}. We knew we'd made the right decision the second we arrived and wowed at that view of the hammock and the pool!

It was also in a really great location, just a ten minute drive from the airport {don't you just hate a long journey after a flight?}, and ten minutes from Ibiza town, set up in the pine forests. 

A complete oasis, in parts it felt more like we were in Bali {the owners are French but travel out to Bali every year on a furniture buying mission!} and have planted tropical palms, cactus and banana palms all around to contrast with the traditional Ibizan pine trees. 

The five rooms were full the whole time during our stay, yet the pool was never crowded and we loved the mix of sun all day yet with plenty of shade and comfy day beds for lounging around. 

Our room came with a little outdoor terrace.

Blending in with the decor.

Whilst we had a list of places we really wanted to visit around the island, and top of the list was a day over on Formentera {more on that in a separate post}, we made sure we had plenty of time just here by the pool too to swim and sunbathe and shade bathe and read books and think about the next few weeks and beyond with the baby! It was also a really nice time for us to practice some hypnobirthing without all the distractions of work/chores back home, and spend time writing our birth preferences sheet together. In the evenings, after it got dark, we'd binge watch This is Us.

Hi bump! At this point in my pregnancy I've never longed for days with my feet up on a sun-lounger more. It was so relaxing and just the kind of trip we'd craved.

My very favourite part of the hotel.

It felt so much more tropical than Ibiza.

We walked out from the hotel a couple of times, one evening with this pretty light coming through the wild flowers.

Breakfast was included and served from 9am every morning {late for us haha, but it enforced lazy mornings} with the most delicious freshly baked croissants and homemade jams before a menu you could choose from one item from. I was just so sad that I couldn't eat the iberico ham that's so famous and prevalent out here, I did actually ask for them to cook it a couple of times so I could get my fix! 

// What to do;

Ibiza town was just ten minutes down the hill and we found free parking next to Ikea {there's both on street and a free tourist car park here} which was just a ten/fifteen minute walk max walk around to the main harbour and town. 

The old part is up on the hill called Dalt Vila, and it's well worth a walk around the pretty streets and the castle walls. 

We first visited on our first day, a Sunday, so it was really quiet. When we came back later in the week we realised just how many gorgeous shops and restaurants there were here!

Our first view of the beautiful coastline around the island, from the top of the castle!

Dream doorway, covered in hibiscus flowers and bougainvillaea. 

Wandering the pretty streets.

We were surprised by the lack of other pretty towns on the island, compared to say Mallorca where we'd been last year which seemed a lot older and with more impressive crumbly buildings/beautiful shutters etc. Ibiza seems a lot newer architecture wise? 

But where it may lack some old towns, it sure makes up for it in glorious beaches. There are so many to choose between. We spent a morning hopping between Cala Bassa, Cala Comte, Cala Tarida and Cala d'Hort which are all fairly close to each other across the other side of the island.

San Miguel and Portinax are meant to be stunning in the North, and Cala Gracioneta along with Es Cavallet. 

Parking is mainly free at the beaches, on the sides of the roads or unofficial car parks, but it was pretty full even in May so go early in peak times! 

Such a beautiful bay, this was Cala Bassa. 

^ This guy. Toooo much love. 

There are lots of beach clubs around Ibiza - some more exclusive than others, we didn't use any of them in the end but I imagine it's nice to spend a day at one, get lunch and use their sunloungers for the day.  

We used an actual stick stuck into the sand as a tripod for these photos! 

This beach was Cala Tarida, with the famous Cotton Beach Club sitting above it. Again, that incredible water and sheltered little bay. 

I'd been craving a really good paella and so I spent a while researching the best on the island, we found one at Es Boldado, a gorgeous restaurant perched on the cliffs looking out over Es Vedra {the rock in the sea known for it's special magnetic energy}. We were lucky to turn up and get a table, I'd book ahead in peak times to guarantee a spot. In the summer it's super popular with those mooring up from boats in the bay and coming across. 

The paella was exactly what we wanted, so so delicious. We started ordering them blind on this trip, meaning that you don't have to peel any of the shellfish! 

A few other restaurants that we loved;

La Paloma Cafe, set in a charming little village in the centre of the island, this popular spot is a farm to table spot set in a garden. The food was insanely good - a mix of healthy middle eastern kind of dishes, the menu changes all the time and is written on blackboards. Again, make reservations if you can. We were so lucky to get one of the last walk in spots when we arrived around 12.30, it soon filled up! 

We shared a soba noodle salad, which had me dreaming of making this at home regularly, and one of their famous foccacia breads with lamb and houmous. Everything is organic and most of it locally sourced with a hugeee fresh juice and smoothie menu too.

En route, we stopped at the town of Santa Gertrudis which is well worth a stop on a cloudy day, or when you've had enough of the beach/pool for a while. Conde Nast traveller called it Ibiza's Notting Hill with it's kind of upmarket village feel, lots of restaurants and cute shops. 

I wanted to buy everythinggg from Es Cucons la tienda. 

And if you're into interiors, Sluiz Ibiza just outside Santa Gertrudis is a MUST visit in a huge container building {and with crazy cow sculptures up trees in the grounds!}. 

Also, there are the famous hippy markets across the island, one on a Wednesday and one at the weekend. We didn't make it to either in the end as had been out at Formentera all day on the Wednesday. I've heard mixed reviews about them, we'd have probably gone if we'd have had longer just to have a browse.

Ibiza on the whole was fairly pricey for food, especially if you're eating by the coast which is understandable I guess. We also loved Passion Cafe for healthy, reasonable food {there are a few around the island}.

If we'd have had more time, and meals, we would have also eaten at Giri Cafe and Aubergine {a similar concept to La Paloma}. For a special dinner, Amante looked really romantic.

We tended to eat out once a day and then pick up supplies from a supermarket {Mercadona or Lidl} for a little picnic lunch or dinner before getting an ice cream.

On our last night, craving paella once more, we ate at Sa Caleta which we'd really recommend for seafood and a pretty setting by a little bay. It was packed with locals too which is always a good sign.

For gelato, Vivi's Creamery in Ibiza Town was a favourite.

A truly special, totally beautiful, five nights away. Our last as just us two for a while. It felt like the end of an era in so many ways, and I wrote similar on an Instagram post whilst we were there;

'the end of an era in many ways. We've been so, so lucky to travel as much as we have done over the past decade, it's been one of our biggest shared passions together. But the greatest adventure is now right ahead of us, starting in just a few short weeks. The final countdown as just us two. We still plan to travel with a baby, to see the world through a child's eyes will be magical in a whole new way. It won't be the same, as often, as carefree, as full of boutique hotels or as easy to pack light for but we're so ready for that and excited for this new chapter. And oh baby, we'd trade allll of these trips for you'. 

Will share our day trip to Formentera in a separate blog post later this week.

But Ibiza, you were everything we wanted and more!

You can find more on Pure House Ibiza here. 

R <3 xx

Have you been? Would you recommend anywhere else food/beach wise out there?

We'd love to try Menorca at some point, I think it's really baby friendly too.