Review: W Hotel Ibiza (Spain)

Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.

Late September, I was supposed to travel to French Polynesia for a holiday of a lifetime. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pandemic, that trip was cancelled two weeks prior to departure, so I had to look for a last minute holiday elsewhere. In the end, I choose Spain as a travel destination, where I enjoyed a wonderful time, despite some unusually rainy and dreadful weather. You can read my trip reports here:

Review: Tui Boeing 737 MAX from Brussels to Ibiza
Review: W Ibiza Hotel (today)
Review: Six Senses Ibiza Resort
Review: Hacienda Na Xamena
Review: Mandarin Oriental Barcelona
Review: Hotel Arts Barcelona, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel
Review: Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

Today: Review of W Hotel Ibiza (Spain)

Location: Google maps
Hotel website: W Ibiza
Tip: get complimentary VIP perks when booking via Classic Travel

Located off the beaten track yet close to all the action that the island has to offer, W Hotel Ibiza strikes a pose on the palm-fringed beachfront of Santa Eulalia, the island’s third largest city. The design-oriented property features 162 rooms and suites, all of them coming with city, pool or beach views. Guests can enjoy a stylish pool deck, a rooftop with views over Santa Eulalia Beach, a full-service spa with six private treatment rooms, a trendy nightclub, several restaurants, and a training area. W Hotel Ibiza is where you get to stay and play with a brand that was made for the White Isle.

W Ibiza features in my top 10 list of the best hotels on the island of Ibiza.

Have you ever stayed at W Ibiza ? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.

In this review (more info and photos below my Youtube clip & slideshow):

Pros & things I like
Cons & things to know
My verdict
Tips for future guests & save money
Best time to visit
How to get there
Photos

PROS & THINGS I LIKE

With its playful energy and bohemian spirit, W Ibiza is a perfect match for Spain’s most famous island, Ibiza. Ibiza is a heavenly Mediterranean destination, a place where you can enjoy the laid-back hippy atmosphere of its fashion and street markets; chill out on a Bali bed next to the sea; or watch the sunset surrounded by beautiful scenery. Ibiza is mainly known as the clubbing capital of the world, with the world’s best DJs (David Guetta, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, et al) descending on the island each summer. But the island is so much more than that, offering UNESCO World Heritage sites, sleepy villages full of rural charm, and Biodiversity Reserves.

W Ibiza is located along the beautiful, palm-lined, beachfront promenade of Santa Eulalia, the third largest town of Ibiza. Centrally located to Ibiza’s famous beaches, nightclubs and rural-chic inland attractions, Santa Eulalia totally owns its relaxed pace and cosmopolitan attitude. The town has a long-established reputation as the island’s gastronomic and cultural center. Art galleries, an exclusive yacht marina, some of the island’s best restaurants, great shopping, and a thriving all-year community, ensure that life in Santa Eulalia is led at a rather slower and more relaxing pace. Located just 21 km (13 mi) from Ibiza Airport, guests of the W Hotel can style it out among the chic marina and hotspots in no time.

The decor of W Ibiza perfectly embodies Ibiza’s famous bohemian style. Previously a beach front Balearic structure from the 1980s, Amsterdam-based architectural studio Baranowitz + Kronenberg converted the property into a vibrant social hub that sets the scene and sparks imagination, while incorporating the bold design themes of W Hotels. The playful decor is characterized by minimal, subdued materials paired with colors and textures inspired by the local culture – all with the goal of letting the sunshine in and having light and shade play upon the architecture and the interiors. The decor is at its most impressive in the light-filled lobby lounge, where dramatically ascending amphitheater platforms are outfitted with a variety of seating options sprinkled with colorful throw pillows.

W Ibiza features 162 contemporary guestrooms and suites, which are spread over 4 floors and come in 14 categories. During my holiday, I stayed in a Cozy Room, the hotel’s entrance room category. Overlooking the pool deck, the room featured a kingsize bed, an in-room sink, and a separate toilet cabin with shower. Mixing modern, clean lines and Ibizenco craftsmanship, the room’s flower-power themed decoration was characterized by a vibrant color palette inspired by the hues of Ibiza – vibrant turquoise, soft blues, happy yellows, a sandy beige, gold and burnt orange. A beautiful Jackson Pollock-inspired headboard represented the island’s free spirit. While the Cozy Room was small, some of the higher and more expensive room categories come with private balconies, separate living areas, and plunge pools.

The V-shaped property embraces a triangular pool deck on its ground floor. Surrounded by palm trees and comfortable loungers (some of them located in the pool itself), the deck offers direct access to Santa Eulalia’s beachfront promenade. The pool comprises two separate sections, divided by a walkway that connects the lobby with the beachfront promenade. One especially unique feature of the pool deck is that it looks out over the hotel’s many colorful sunshades, which – according to the W Ibiza’s architects – resonate with the sails of ships and the colors of the island. The shades offer guests privacy in their rooms while providing a streamlined design element for the building exterior – those enjoying the pool look up to see the multi-colored shades rather than exposed guest room windows.

In addition to the ground floor pool deck, W Ibiza also features a second pool deck on its rooftop. Called Glow Bar, the adult-only rooftop offers beautiful views over Santa Eulalia town and the Mediterranean sea. Guests can relax on a sun lounger, take a dip in the infinity plunge pool, and attend yoga and meditation classes with the best practitioners on the island. In the evenings, the rooftop hosts a myriad of music events from around the globe, from chilled Balearic vibes to electronic beats. Hotel guests have free access to the rooftop (including sunbed and towel service), while visitors can buy a day pass to enjoy this amazing location for 100€ per person, including a 70€ credit for food and beverage, sun lounger and towel.

Located on the golden sands of Santa Eulalia bay – just a hop from the hotel across the promenade – is a rustic chic beach club, called Chiringuito Blue. The venue is mainly a restaurant where you can dine in style on dishes made from fresh local ingredients in cool and colorful surroundings while looking out over the sparkling sea. In front of the restaurant are several rows of sunbeds, which are free for guests of the W Hotel Ibiza (with towels and umbrellas provided), although the beach club is run separately from the hotel. Make sure the reserve your sunbed at least one day before you plan to hit the beach, as the number of sunbeds is limited and they sell out well in advance (as I experienced myself).

W Ibiza offers four dining concepts:
- La Llama is the gastronomic heart of W Ibiza. Each morning (7:30 to 11:30 am), an excellent breakfast buffet is displayed around the venue’s open kitchen. At night, the La Llama transforms into a glamorous steakhouse, offering world cuts of meat alongside an exclusive selection of seafood.
- Chiringuito Blue is a relaxed beach restaurant where the east of the Mediterranean meets Ibiza. Offering modern cuisine, the venue emphasizes on fresh, organic and local produce from the island’s fantastic huertos and surrounding sea.
- Ve Cafe is a plant-based health food bar located along the hotel’s seaside, which is perfect for a relaxed lunch while enjoying great sea views or to pick up a healthy takeaway.
- During the day, Glow Bar offers delicious cocktails and light pool-side snacks; at night, it serves Japanese cuisine with a wide variety of sushi and sashimi.

Additional high-end facilities at W Hotel Ibiza include the elegant Away Spa, where you can be pampered from top to toe in a minimalist decor. Located in the hotel’s cellar, just behind the pool deck, the wellness center offers 6 futuristic looking treatment cabins, where guest can relax and get ready for whatever comes next. Services include waxing, manicures/pedicures, massages, makeup, facials, and eye treatment. The spa is also home to a boutique, a detox bar, and a large gym. The latter features colorful murals that capture the vibrant culture of the island.

W Hotel Ibiza is managed by the world-famous W brand. W was born in 1998 from the bold attitude and 24/7 culture of New York City when the first W Hotel opened on Lexington Avenue in midtown Manhattan. Trailblazing its way around the globe, with nearly 60 hotels, the brand has a large following among the younger demographic and breaks the norms of traditional luxury wherever its iconic W sign lands. Now part of the Marriott Hotel Group, the W brand’s provocative design identity and well-known Whatever/Whenever service create an experience that is often copied but never matched. W has also gotten a lot of credit over the years for creating the social lobby, even insisting on calling it the living room at each of its hotels.

CONS & THINGS TO KNOW

The beach club – which is operated by a separate company – is accessible to both guests of W Ibiza (who can get a sunbed and towels on a complimentary basis) and non-guests (who need to pay €25 for a sunbed and towel service). Although it’s a lovely place, it’s always busy at the beach club and sunbeds are very hard to come by. I recommend to book your sunbed at least one day in advance to avoid any disappointment.

The lower-end category rooms at the hotel are small. Also, the open-plan bathroom with a shower inside the toilet is a quircky design concept which will not be to the liking of all. In addition, most rooms don’t offer a lot of privacy as they look out over the rooms across the pool (due to the V shape of the building).

W Ibiza’s main pool area – which comprises one deep and one shallow pool – is located on the ground floor. Due to its location between the two fingers of the V shaped building, the pool only enjoys a few hours of sunshine during the day. But once it’s in the shade, you can always move to the rooftop pool deck, which enjoys sunshine till sunset.

There’s loud music playing throughout the hotel all day long (this is a W Hotel after all). And it gets louder and louder as the day progresses. The music plays until around midnight and sometimes beyond. If you’re there to party then you’ll love it. If you’re not, it might annoy you. And if you want to get to sleep before midnight or 1am, bring some earplugs.

MY VERDICT

Location: 8/10
Design: 8/10
Pool: 8/10
Rooms: 7/10
Food: 9/10
Breakfast: 8/10
Spa: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Value for money: 9/10
Overall experience: very good 8/10

TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS & SAVE MONEY

Save money: get complimentary VIP perks when booking via Classic Travel (e.g. upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and VIP status granted).

Save money: Marriott Bonvoy elite members are well treated here, with – among other benefits – free WiFi, a room upgrade (when available), early check-in or late check-out (when available), and complementary breakfast (for top tier members). Read my review of Marriott Bonvoy here.

Save money: book your room with an additional 25% off making use of a Best Rate Guarantee.

Room tip: request a room away from the main pool area or on a higher floor if you are a light sleeper.

Read my tips for preparing your trip in time.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The best time to visit Ibiza is during the summer months, from late May through early October, when temperatures are hot and the parties are even hotter. Expect lots of action, plenty of tourists, and expensive hotel rates. Visit late spring or early fall to avoid the biggest crowds and the hottest temperatures.

HOW TO GET THERE

W Ibiza is located 30 minutes from the airport. Check the Wikipedia page of Ibiza Airport for an updated list of airlines that offer direct flights to Ibiza.