The mere mention of the word Ibiza conjures up banging, all-night superclubs and drunken Brits on a San Antonio stag-do. While the island’s party scene has long drawn A-list celebs to the island for a good reason – it’s truly world-class – fast forward to 2015, and it’s no longer simply the likes of Space, Pacha and Amnesia that are attracting millions of tourists each summer. The White Isle is in the midst of rebranding itself as a luxury destination – and it shows.

While there are still plenty of opportunities for good old-fashioned hedonism, Ibiza is now home to a healthy helping of world-class restaurants, an impressive cache of ultra-luxury hotels and villas (if they’re good enough for Kylie Minogue, they’re good enough for us), a huge array of high-end health and fitness retreats and even an all-singing, all-dancing new superyacht marina for those who really want to arrive on the island in style. Add to that Ibiza’s incredible weather and diverse scenery – from lush campos to hidden beaches, as well as the fact that despite all the development, tourism and hype, it still retains its own special, distinctly hippie vibe, and there’s no question: The island is a must-visit for luxury travellers in the Med.

Ushuaia Beach Club featuring Avicci

Hedonism

Hedonism is alive and well in Ibiza and if you’ve got cash to splash, there’s only one way to go: VIP. Madonna, P. Diddy and Jean Paul Gaultier love to party at Privilege (+34 971 19 81 60; www.privilegeibiza.com), the biggest club in the world, while everyone from Prince William to Mick Jagger have graced the dance floor at ultra-glamorous Pacha (+34 971 31 36 12; www.pacha.com). Not only are their VIP areas among the most exclusive, both clubs have managed to hold onto the White Isle’s original spirit. Head to a Tuesday Flower Power night at Pacha and you’ll literally feel like you’ve been thrown back to the 1960s and the venue’s hippy beginnings.

A trip to Ibiza wouldn’t be complete without a day spent at one of its ever-growing portfolio of beach clubs. An oldie but a goodie, Blue Marlin (+34 971 41 01 17; www.bluemarlinibiza.com)has become so popular with the international jet set that there’s a water taxi service to shuttle VIPs from their superyachts to the venue, located at beautiful, but pebbly, Cala Jondal Bay. Once there, guests can choose from the restaurant, which serves delicious Mediterranean fare, the bar, famed for its incredible Blue Marlin mojitos, or the venue’s famously exclusive daybeds, where Moët, Moët and more Moët tends to be the order of the day (and night).

Cotton Beach Club is an iconic place to grab a bite

For something even more laid back (the party at Blue Marlin doesn’t stop ‘til four), the all-white Cotton Beach Club (+34 971 80 61 80; www.cottonbeachclub.com) has put hidden Cala Tarida on the map with its glorious sunset views, standout Asian cuisine (a new addition for 2015) and a private sandy beach complete with chic, stylish daybeds. Private changing cabins and showers mean you can spend the entire day without building up a sweat, but if you do pick one time of day, go for sunset. Paired with a light Tanqueray No 10 cocktail, an exquisitely presented platter of Cala Tarida sushi rolls and textbook-Ibiza chilled-out sunset sessions, the experience will send shivers down your spine.

Healing

Long before the hippies discovered Ibiza in the 1950s and 60s, it was a centre for healing; back in 600BC, Ibiza Town was founded in its current location because it was believed to be holy and associated with healing, rebirth and resurrection. And today, although the island’s wellness offerings come more in the form of luxury retreats than the ritual dances that were performed hundreds of years ago, they’re just as plentiful as they ever were.

For healing inspiration, Soulshine Retreats (www.soulshineretreats.com) offers six-night yoga retreats for up to 10 guests every week of the summer season, and is the ideal mix of luxury, insouciance, learning and poolside lazing. Located in a beautiful villa in the high-end residential area Roca Llisa, retreats include yoga and meditation sessions, and workshops and talks on everything from Ayurveda to sleep enhancement.

Delicious vegan, gluten- and dairy-free meals are prepared by Soulshine’s in-house chef three times a day, while guests can enjoy massages, personal consultations and plenty of free time to enjoy the villa’s picture-perfect pool and views of neighbouring Formentera. Whether you just want to take a week out of your normal existence to relax, or start to make some changes to your diet or lifestyle, the lovely team at Soulshine – all of whom are incredibly passionate about their jobs – will do everything they can to help.

Of course, yoga is just one form of healing available on the island. If you’d prefer to be put through your paces at a hard-core fitness boot camp, look no further than No 1 Boot Camp (+44 0208 504 4183; www.no1bootcamp.com), where cardio exercises and circuit training (in a five-star Ibizan country home, of course) are the name of the game. If you’re looking for something a little more unusual, Can Skye (+34 971 335 760; www.canskye.com), located in hippy village San Carlos, offers treatments including watsu (water shiatsu), water dance and dolphin improvisation, a stretching, massage, and dance technique inspired by the movements and lifestyle of dolphins.

Fresh fish carpaccio at Gran Hotel Ibiza

Haute cuisine

Foodies simply cannot visit Ibiza this summer without spending an evening at either Paco Roncero’s Sublimotion or HEART Ibiza, the latest concept by Spain’s most famous gastronomic duo, the Adrià brothers. Together, the Michelin-starred Spaniards take fine dining on the island to a whole new level.

Sublimotion (+34 618 891 358; www.sublimotionibiza.com), a one-room, one-table restaurant for only 12 diners that opened in June 2014 in Hard Rock Hotel, has since made the headlines worldwide for its hefty price tag. A 14-course tasting menu will set each diner back €1,500 (US$1,687). Not only is every course an intense, experimental delight, made entirely from only the best-quality Spanish raw ingredients, but during each the temperature and humidity of the space is altered, different aromas are piped into the room, the musical sequence has been specifically composed to match each meal, and the plain white (but super technologically advanced) walls, table, ceiling and floor come alive with projections individually created for each dish. This year, diners are being asked to don Samsung’s latest wearable technology, the Gear VR, to intensify Sublimotion’s “gastro-sensory experience” even more. 

Visitors to just-opened HEART Ibiza (www.heartibiza.com) won’t be any less wowed. At this creative space (the word “restaurant” doesn’t do the concept justice), which has been developed over 10 years by Ferran and Albert Adrià and Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, diners can pick between the Terrace, a street food market-cum-bohemian bazaar; Supper Heart, which offers world flavours in the Adrià brothers’ distinctive, experimental style; and Club Heart, the nightclub portion of the experience complete with sets by international DJs and bands as well as the unique stylings of Cirque du Soleil’s Ibiza crew. The whole experience is designed to explore what happens when gastronomy, music and art collide – and the results are well worth checking out. 

Dinner at Sublimotion costs €1,500 (US$1,687) per person

Hotels

Whatever luxury means to you, there will more than likely be a hotel or villa on the White Isle that suits. For clean white minimalist lines, the ME Ibiza situated in a secluded bay near laid-back seaside town, Santa Eulalia, is ideal. Ibiza’s first member in The Leading Hotels of the World portfolio also offers direct yacht access and is smack-bang next door to one of the island’s most exclusive beach clubs, Nikki Beach.

Meanwhile, art lovers should check into the Ibiza Gran Hotel, a living art space boasting more than 365 contemporary pieces, while those looking for somewhere to hole up in total tranquillity won’t do better than out-of-the-way Ibicencan villa Can Verru, Kylie Minogue’s favoured Ibizan hideaway.

For a real taste of authentic Ibiza, venture into the heart of the campo to agrotourism hotel Atzaró, which is set in a stunning orange tree orchard, and is now open all year. With the only open-air spa on the island (complete with sauna, hammam, gym, massage rooms and a pool so picturesque, it’s become almost iconic), it also has one of Ibiza’s best healthy restaurants, and surroundings so natural you could probably live off them.

Nowhere else on the island can compete when it comes to such natural luxury. You can even head to Atzaró just for the day; the hotel offers a great package including a delicious, healthy and locally-sourced three-course lunch at idyllic garden restaurant La Veranda (try the three mini-starters of foie gras, prawns and tomato, and gazpacho), and an afternoon at the open-air spa. Whether you opt to sweat it out in the sauna, laze around on comfy daybeds or indulge in a couple of glasses of vino from Bubbles Bar, it’ll be tough to find a more relaxing afternoon in Ibiza. 

A suite at Can Skye Ibiza

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