19/05/2026
Great post from Knights Of The Turntable - is Ibiza sustainable as a genuine centre of club culture or are the prices going to drive clubbers towards a new mecca?
We’ve been going to Ibiza for nearly 30 years. Sometimes once a year. Sometimes two or three times. Like many of you, the island became more than just a holiday destination to us. It became part of our lives.
So over the last few days we went back through old booking emails, receipts and confirmations to compare what a fairly normal 7-night San Antonio self-catering holiday has cost us over the years compared to now.
And honestly… the jump is staggering.
What used to cost around £700–£1,000 for two people in the mid-to-late 2010s is now regularly landing somewhere between £2,200–£3,200+ in 2026 for a similar type of trip once flights, accommodation and the basics are factored in.
Yes, we understand the world has changed.
Fuel prices, inflation, staffing pressures, post-COVID tourism recovery, global instability and even the current Iran conflict affecting aviation costs and travel markets all play a role. We’re not blind to that.
But at the same time, it feels like something bigger has shifted in Ibiza itself.
The island increasingly feels like it’s moving away from the people who built its culture in the first place:
working class clubbers
music obsessives
DJs
seasonal workers
young people chasing freedom
repeat visitors who fell in love with the spirit of the island
If adult working professionals are now seriously questioning whether Ibiza still offers value for money… then how on earth are younger generations supposed to experience it?
Because whether people like it or not, young energy is part of what made Ibiza magical. The excitement. The spontaneity. The feeling that anybody could arrive on the island and become part of something.
Now? More and more it feels like Ibiza is becoming a luxury product.
VIP tables.
Premium pricing.
Boutique exclusivity.
£20 drinks.
Basic hotels at luxury prices.
Sunset bars charging what full meals used to cost.
And it raises a genuine question:
Is Ibiza still primarily about music and culture anymore… or has music become part of the marketing for a luxury tourism brand?
That doesn’t mean the magic has completely disappeared. Far from it. There are still incredible people, unforgettable moments, beautiful sunsets and pockets of the old spirit alive across the island.
But it does feel like Ibiza is standing at a crossroads.
Because if the people who gave the island its atmosphere, identity and soul slowly stop coming… what replaces them?
We’re genuinely interested to hear everybody’s thoughts on this because we know we can’t be the only long-time Ibiza lovers feeling it.
Has Ibiza become too expensive?
Or is this simply the unavoidable evolution of the island?
