There are many types of holidays to cater to the needs and tastes of everyone anytime. That can mean rest, discover new places and cultures, make friends or spend more time with the family, renew energy or spend the one we have left.
As an experienced traveller, and for some years, an experienced traveller with children I believe that something very important when planning a holiday is to predetermine what we want during our holiday time.
And depending on this we can choose the accommodation that best suits what we want.
A hotel, an apartment, a hostel, a campsite, a mansion, a boat?
In Ibiza we are lucky to have all of these options, but I’m going to focus on the most appropriate, in my experience, for a family holiday: the hotel and the apartment.
Our stay at the hotels on the island is quite positive but, like everything, has its pros and cons.
It is a kind of holidays for those seeking to ‘not think,’ because you get it all done, from meals and entertainment to the cleaning of the room.
In addition the hotel team becomes part of your family, ensuring that you are well cared for and entertained all the time. And the children’s entertainment is a luxury, because you can also disconnect from the children for a few minutes.
The downside is that everything is set and you have to adapt to the times and the quality of the meals and the entertainment they offer. If you don’t like the food or it’s not varied enough, or the animation is poor … if the cleaning is not very thorough or they don’t change towels regularly enough… there’s not much more than you can do about it, you have to enjoy what you can and as I said before … not think.
That’s why I prefer to play it safe and stay in an apartment. Because you’re the one who sets the schedule or you don’t even set any. Aren’t we on holiday?
As for the meals, we prepare what we like and depending on what we’re going to do: food to go to the beach, sandwiches to take on excursions, light dinners or a breakfast fit for a king. And as we love eating out when we’re on holidays, there are many days when we forget about cooking. At the end you have more freedom.
The holidays for us are very different, in the hotel you’re more a tourist (you don’t think, you just let yourself be) while in the apartment you’re more of a traveller (you do what you want and discover more places).
Although there is an intermediate option that’s just perfect for us. The aparthotel, with the freedom of living in your apartment and with the advantages of the hotel. At the reception they inform you of things to do around the island, you have cleaning service and entertainment for the children or pool activities for seniors.
We discovered the Marina Palace apartments in the west of the island and since then we’ve no doubt. Aparthotel in Ibiza!