Some places never really leave you. Ibiza is one of them for me. I first discovered the White Isle almost 30 years ago, in my twenties, as a young journalist reporting on the late-90s Sky reality series Ibiza Uncovered: The Return.
Following British holidaymakers, reps and clubbers as they drank, flirted and partied their way around the island offered a close-up glimpse of an Ibiza that felt a little rough around the edges, but gloriously carefree.
I remember the feeling as much as the clubs: warm air on my skin as I danced on the open-air terrace at Space while planes tore across the sky overhead; salt drying on my shoulders after daytime swims in turquoise water; the way we simply followed the bassline after dark.
Fast-forward three decades and I found myself booking a trip to celebrate my birthday. This time, though, I wouldn’t be travelling alone. My teenage daughters, Ella and Amalie, were coming with me.
Ibiza for a new generation
I wanted to reconnect with the island that had made such an impression on me and was curious to see it through their eyes. What would they make of the Ibiza I had known, loved and danced my way through all those years ago?
There is no denying that the island has changed. Luxury hotels, designer boutiques, beach clubs and international DJs have turned it into a sophisticated, global destination.
And yet, beneath the glamour, the things I loved most remain: the low, insistent thump of Pacha’s sound system long before you reach the club’s entrance; sunsets that turn the sea molten and still make me stop mid-conversation.
Ibiza has grown up, but it hasn’t forgotten how to be itself.
Returning to Pacha to make new memories
Turning 54 in Ibiza, with my daughters beside me, felt quietly momentous. There is something about marking another year on an island that has witnessed so many versions of you. One of the highlights was our evening at Pacha.
Walking back into that club with my daughters felt almost like stepping into an old photograph I’d quietly updated.
Pacha has been part of Ibiza’s story since 1973, and its cherry logo still glows above the entrance like a promise.
The club is as popular as ever with the rich and famous, and this season has welcomed the likes of Hollywood actor Ryan Philippe, footballer Ruben Diaz, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and TV presenter Olivia Atwood.
I have so many memories of clubbing in Ibiza, but returning with Ella and Amalie layered the night with something new. The club has shifted over the years – different layout, sharper sound system, slicker production – but the feeling when the room moves as one is unchanged.
The biggest difference from my early visits? Back then, there were no phones held aloft, no feeds to curate. You danced because there was nothing else to do but be immersed in the moment.
Although if I’m honest, I probably took as many photos of my daughters as they did of themselves. Ella was beside herself when she spotted Love Island stars Charlene and Sophie Piper weaving through the crowd.
© NAISTIKKBoth girls loved the surge of the dancefloor, the confetti blasts, the sense that they’d walked into one of “those” Ibiza nights they’d only ever seen online.
We danced until 6am to DJ sets by Jodie Harsh, Robin Schulz and the Menendez Brothers, sweat-slicked and grinning, emerging into that pale, disorienting morning light that always feels a little like a reset.
A different kind of legacy
For me, the real joy was watching my daughters’ faces as they took it all in.
I remembered the electric jolt of my first nights out on the island, that sense that the world had cracked open a little. Now, I was standing beside them as they felt it too. And yes, a small part of me was quietly delighted to discover I could still keep up.
© NAISTIKKAlmost three decades after my first visit, Ibiza gave me something I hadn’t expected: the chance to hand over a place I loved and see it light up for the next generation.
A new, upmarket chapter
Our base for the trip was Destino Five Ibiza, a spectacular hillside hotel overlooking the Mediterranean at Cap Martinet.
Formerly Destino Pacha Resort, it entered a new chapter in 2025 following its transformation into a luxury five-star destination designed for the globally savvy, music-loving luxury traveller.
The setting makes you pause. From the resort, your gaze runs across Talamanca Bay to Dalt Vila and out towards Formentera – a reminder that, even with all the development, the sea and sky still run the show here.
© Adolf ComesThe resort has 159 rooms, suites and villa-style units surrounded by Mediterranean gardens. For those who like a little seclusion, there are private-pool options, including the Cherry Suites. But it’s the design that really catches your eye.
Our suite was effortlessly stylish with a playful, seductive streak. Ceiling mirrors above the beds add a wicked wink, while freestanding baths feel like an invitation to linger. The overall effect was glamorous without being stiff – a room you could actually relax in after you’d posed for the inevitable mirror selfies.
And then there’s the entertainment. Music runs through the resort, with an open-air stage hosting some of electronic music’s biggest names, including Solomun Outdoors and Marco Carola Presents Music On.
© Getty ImagesMusic still rules in Ibiza
Having first discovered Ibiza through its club culture, I loved seeing how naturally music still anchors the experience.
For Ella and Amalie, the mix of sleek design, big-name DJs and the freedom to drift between pool, room and stage was a revelation.
And, naturally, they were far more interested in that night’s line-up than another story about what Ibiza was like when I was their age.
People-watching worth travelling for
The Playa Pacha Pool Club at Destino is the resort’s true centre. With wide sun decks, oversized loungers and a DJ booth set right by the water, it walks the line between day club and chilled retreat.
We spent hours stretched out in the heat, skin prickling from the sun and the occasional spray of pool water, listening to bass lines roll across the terrace, chatting and indulging in one of our favourite holiday pastimes: people-watching.
© Olivia BuxtonPools in Ibiza are theatre. Guests arrive in curated outfits, clutching iced drinks and tote bags, scanning for the right bed as if choosing seats at a show.
The resort’s connection with Pacha is another key part of its pull. Hotel guests have complimentary entry, which means you can be nursing a last drink by the pool one minute and under the cherries at Pacha not long after.
Much as I love the music and the late nights, I’ve reached a point where knowing I can be horizontal in a decent bed within 20 minutes of leaving the dancefloor feels like its own kind of luxury.
Being seen in a new way
I have to mention Paulo, one of the poolside waiters, whose easy humour and sharp eye genuinely stood out.
He remembered how Ella liked her mocktail, appeared with water before we realised we were thirsty, and somehow managed to make a busy pool service feel unhurried and personal.
In the end, it’s rarely the headline suite or the most expensive champagne that stays with you. It’s the small moments when someone makes you feel seen.
Under your skin
On the way to the airport, I spotted a billboard advertising Sonny Fodera. I turned to the girls, already plotting one more night. Their answer was instant. “No way, mum, we’re partied out!”
I laughed. They might have been ready for their own beds, but I could tell the island had slipped under their skin.
That, I think, is why I’ll keep coming back. Not just for the clubs or the hotels, but for the way Ibiza allows you to revisit old selves while making room for new ones.
© Olivia BuxtonIbiza isn’t just somewhere I go. It’s stitched into my memories, my friendships and the story of who I was – and who I still am.
Some places you pass through. Others stay lodged inside you. Ibiza, for me, has always done both.
How to book it: Destino Five Ibiza, Cap Martinet closes for the season on October 10th, but next season is bookable with dates in April 2027 costing from £235. You can fly from London Gatwick to Ibiza with Vueling.
Olivia was a guest of Destino Five Ibiza. All hotels and experiences have been independently reviewed by our expert writers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis, but this never affects our review process.
