The perfect birthday, expertly planned to wake up, get breakfast at our hotel’s cafeteria, and head out for a full-day, all-inclusive boating experience on the Mediterranean Sea. However, it didn’t start as smoothly as expected.

In reality, Mirabel woke up before me and asked what time our boarding was, while also telling me it was 10:30 AM, to which I jumped out of deep sleep because our boarding time was in 40 minutes. Someway, somehow, we managed to get ready in time to meet our Uber who brought us to our dock at exactly 11:15 AM. The birthday gods must have been looking down on us because, when we arrived, everyone was starting to line up for boarding.

We spent the night before, 11 PM – 4 AM, ringing in my birthday at Baloo Ibiza, clubbing at Hï Ibiza, and returning to our hotel room around 5 AM. If we missed our boat, I’d have a different story to tell you, but I can confidently say that spending my birthday with Ibiza Boat Party, sailing to Formentera, was the best way to celebrate turning 25.

We were greeted with espresso, juice, and pastries as we boarded the boat – much needed after missing breakfast and getting 5 hours of sleep. Luckily, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of misty seawater brushing up against your skin to wake you up.

It seemed like everyone on the boat was also just waking up. So the first portion of a boat trip consisted of looking out into the water, eating, chatting, and listening to chill music from the DJ. 

Docked in La Savina, Formentera’s port village, Mirabel and I followed the crowd to the bus that would bring us to Playa Illa des Conills. We walked an additional 10-15 minutes from the bus drop-off to get to the beach area. It was hot and dry like the Sahara Desert and the sand was strikingly white making the deep and bright blue hues of the water extra vibrant.

To my knowledge and experience, Formentera is a much chiller version of Ibiza. There isn’t much commercialization here and, to our surprise, on the beach, there weren’t any vendors to rent beach towels, chairs, or umbrellas from. As you can imagine, in our hurry to get out the door, we didn’t think to bring any of those beach essentials with us. 

The sun was high in the sky and hot as ever so instead of basking in the sun, we opted to eat lunch at the only restaurant on the beach, El Pirata. We started our lunch with white sangria. Mirabel and I were on the hunt to try every white sangria in Ibiza – El Pirata’s was delicious. We shared a king prawn salad with avocado and mango ginger mayonnaise for our first course. The second was spaghetti with Galician lobster, fresh tomato, and basil – we watched the chef take the lobster out of the tank next to us, fresh and alarming. 

The servers were very sweet and kept us entertained. I asked if they had any special plates for people celebrating birthdays. Our waiter returned with a firing sparkler on top of a cheesecake drizzled with a berry sauce and cinnamon-covered whipped cream. I was so happy and in the moment, that before I knew it, the sparkler was out. Our server relit it for me, so I could take pictures with it.

The last surprise of our meal was shots of Hierbas, a local drink in Formentera. It was strong and tasted like sweet licorice.

Before we knew it, we were rushing to return to our boat for our boarding time. We missed the last bus back to La Savina, so we called the number on the blue “Radio Taxi” sign and ended up getting into a taxi that almost passed us. The taxi was much faster than the bus so we made it back with plenty of time to explore the port village. There were a few boutiques, gift shops, and restaurants to check out. I bought a vibrantly tiled Formentera mug and almost purchased some jewelry. 

We were greeted with sangria and ice pops back on the boat. Our next stop was a relaxing snorkel in an exclusive swimming spot. I took swim lessons earlier in the summer, specifically, “to be able to jump off of a yacht” – verbatim what I told my swim instructor. Mirabel wasn’t planning on going in the water and going in solo wasn’t appealing. Although, one of the deckhands said he’d swim with me. I opted to dip my toes in the water, holding onto the ladder. The water looked a little too deep for my first solo adventure.

The one positive of not going in the water is that we got first dibs on the mixed chicken and seafood paella. It was delicious. 

I ordered a bottle of MOET champagne to celebrate my birthday on the boat – thanks to my boyfriend for sponsoring that happy moment. They brought it over to me while playing Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday song. Everyone on the boat said Happy Birthday to me afterward. It felt like a magical, communal, and loving experience. I shared my champagne with our daybed neighbors and someone celebrating her birthday too. 

I will never forget looking out at the views of the Mediterranean Sea while dancing on the boat. It’s one of those moments where you’re like this is a once-in-a-lifetime. But maybe I’ll return to Ibiza, sail on this party boat tour again, and jump into the water. 

The energy on the boat was electric during the second half of our trip. The DJ was playing the best songs, people were dancing and syncing their movements with the bumps of the waves, and a round of Hierbas was passed around – Mirabel and I were primed and prepared to take these shots.

It was 10 PM by the time we got back to the shore of Ibiza. After all that dancing, Mirabel and I stopped into The Bull Restaurant. We talked with the chef, he made us a sweet birthday treat, and sang happy birthday to me. Other people at the restaurant clapped and were joyous with me. 

Back at our hotel, Vibra Bossa Flow, we were greeted with a present of champagne, flowered almonds, and sweets in our room. It was so sweet. 

To think that was the end of our night, we got ready to go out again, and as veteran Ibiza partiers, we started our night out at 2 AM. Stopped at our regular pregame spot, and danced the night away at Pacha for Masquerade where Hugel was DJing. 

Celebrating my birthday in Ibiza and Formentera with Ibiza Boat Party was so special! I recommend it to anyone considering it. The people are so friendly here, and they celebrate with you. It felt like my birthday was never-ending. I felt so present and in the moment. We were up all night and up all day, and no minute was wasted Although this lifestyle is not easy to maintain for an extended time, for a short trip, extended weekend, or a few days, celebrate your birthday in Playa d’en Bossa, Ibiza. Then, relax on some other part of the beautiful island.  

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