Travel review: Ibiza - space for everyone on the White Island.

Whether you’re after a fortnight of hedonism or a family holiday, Lisa Haynes finds there is space for everyone on the White Island.
A panoramic view of Ibiza.A panoramic view of Ibiza.
A panoramic view of Ibiza.

How to strike a balance between hedonism and family time in Ibiza? The new Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa is a happy mix – like a beach club mixed with a kids’ club.

Opened earlier this summer, with more than 400 rooms, this gleaming white five-star has a fresh and modern feel with white tile wet rooms and flashes of magenta and mosaic prints in bedrooms. Master suites with private roof terrace and Jacuzzi overlooking the sea are a wish-you-were-here highlight.

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Positioned next to its older sister hotel Grand Palladium Palace, and joined by a wooden bridge, the double act allows for more choice when it comes to picking a pool or one of the four themed all-inclusive restaurants. The union makes the hotel complex the largest resort in Ibiza – complete with mini-golf, spa, tennis courts and vast outdoor entertainment theatre to keep families, groups and couples entertained.

It’s possible to dip into all three large pools in the same afternoon (we know, we tried). Kick back on Balinese-style loungers around White Island’s lively pool with DJ-spun tunes; relax in cabanas at the wooden decked Bossa pool; or take little ones to the large family pool to splash in shallow waters. Huge sunken mosaic pool loungers at White Island prove especially popular in the searing midday sun.

The resort’s Playa d’en Bossa location puts it in prime position for guests to enjoy the white sand beach, set just behind the hotel. A quick stroll through the gate and you hit exclusive beach club restaurants like Nassau, but DJ beats are barely audible from the hotel grounds and there’s a strict midnight shutdown policy.

For parents who fancy a chilled daytime sangria minus distractions, the hotel’s Kids Club is on hand. There’s plenty to keep all ages occupied with shady indoor and outdoor spaces and different room ‘zones’ catering for toddlers, juniors and teens, with countless Wiis and PlayStations.

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The Zentropia spa is a must, minus kids (access approx. £14.50 for hotel guests) with treatments like aromatic balance body massages and Biologique Recherge oxygen facials. Apply a waterproof SPF and do a spa circuit of the sunny open-air thermal water pool with water jets, sensations shower and Jacuzzi beds, or relax at the dreamy indoor pool with overhead floating cloud lights, where you’ll find Hamman, Finnish sauna, hydro massage points and a cold plunge pool.

Double rooms from £168 (two sharing) on an all-inclusive basis. Visit www.palladiumhotelgroup.com.

Ushiaia Ibiza Beach Hotel, Playa D’en Bossa

When your only wish is to roll back into your bed after a night at a club, Ushuaia is your Ibiza nirvana.

This is the hotel for guests who live, eat and breathe music.

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There are two accommodation options: Club rooms with balconies and gardens that give you a bird’s eye view of the open-air main stage, or the newer neighbouring Tower Hotel for some respite from the decibels.

Clad in gargantuan bright flowers, the Tower is like a VIP area of a club. Think gourmet multi-coloured jelly shots served on check-in, bonkers art installations of giant ants climbing the ceilings and mini private pools overlooking the main pool (by reservation only).

VIP options continue with swish suites like ‘The Fashion Victim’, ‘The Anything Can Happen – With Stage View’ and ‘The I’m On Top of the World’ penthouse suite, where Leonardo DiCaprio once checked in to party.

Not for traditionalists, the Fashion Victim Suite is decked out with a circular space bed, club size vodka bottles at the not-so-mini bar, and see-through shower next to the bedside table.

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There are club nights virtually every day in peak-season with crowd-pullers like David Guetta playing on Mondays and Avicii on Sundays.

The hotel starts the party early with music gradually cranking up throughout the afternoon until the magic hour of 5pm, when the main DJ takes to the booth and you can feel the vibrations from your balcony.

At midnight – and not a minute
beyond – the lights and sound are pulled, leaving guests to after-party elsewhere... or sleep.

Find further serenity at breakfast time, when hangovers are soothed with chill-out tunes, tai chi moves and scrambled eggs laced with truffle shavings.

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Dinner options are just as luxurious with the Montauk steakhouse, or glass-front Minami Japanese restaurant, where you can overlook the main stage action as you tuck into luxury sushi rolls.

Doubles from £152 (two sharing) with breakfast. Visit www.ushuaiabeachhotel.com/en/

GETTING THERE

• British Airways (www.ba.com) offers over 20 summer departures to Ibiza from London City each week, with flights starting from £67 one way, including complimentary food and drinks on board