Sunburn
After over-indulging on the wonderful food and wine of Ibiza, we know it can be very tempting to sleep it off in the sun. Our advice to you if you want to avoid painful and damaging sunburn is to avoid this at all costs.
Make sure you apply sunblock to raised areas, such as the tops of your feet, backs of calves, thighs, buttocks, breasts, lips, nose, forehead and shoulders. Regularly apply sun lotion every couple of hours and especially after swimming. No suncream is 100% waterproof.
If you do find yourself sunburnt, a good tip is to apply vinegar (the colder the better) to the affected area and this will soothe it and help prevent peeling.
Aloe vera gel is a great aid in soothing painful sunburn and is available all over the island. Try to get one with 90-100% aloe vera. Never scrub sunburnt skin.
Food and water
Drinking iced beverages in the blazing Ibiza sun will cause severe temperature clashes in your system which can lead to upset stomachs, sore throats and dizziness. It is best to stick to body-temperature drinks in the sun and leave the iced drinks until you are sitting cooler in the shade, or later in the evening when the sun is going down.
Although the local water is generally safe to drink on Ibiza, it is often not really drinkable, so we recommend buying bottled water. You will find it cheaper overall to buy the big 5-litre or 8-litre bottles. Find more information in our article Is the water on Ibiza safe to drink?
You can rest assured that all food establishments, and also the public swimming pools, are subject to spot checks by vigilant health and safety inspectors, who have the right to shut down those found infringing the stringent regulations in place.
Health centres and chemists
There are both Spanish national health system health centres (centro de salud) or private doctors and private health centres. The centros de salud accept the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), so if you come from an EU country, you can be treated there for free. You need to present your card, so make sure to take it with you. Find more information about the EHIC here.
If you go to a private doctor or health centre, you have to pay for the bill yourself, which you can reclaim if you have private health insurance. To make sure that you are reimbursed the whole amount and to cover against additional risks, such as transport back to your home country in case of severe illness or death, we recommend that you take out full travel insurance.
There is always a chemist (farmacia) open 24-hours and the duty roster is posted on the doors of all other chemists. You will find that the chemists are excellent at recommending the equivalent of the medicine you take at home and offer good general advice.
Passport and safety
Your accommodation will require your passport or identity card for a maximum of 24 hours for registration purposes.
In the event of you breaking any local law, the police will take your passport so that it may be produced in court. No one else has the right to take possession of your passport.
Ibiza has a very low crime rate, but it is always a good idea to take some basic safety measures.
We recommend the following:
- Make a note of your passport number and details, as well as any traveller's cheques' numbers, if using
- We recommend taking out a holiday insurance. Make a note of your insurance details, including the name of the insurance company, where to claim, and whom you need to contact etc.
- Keep the above information separate from the original documents, so that you can produce it in the event of theft or loss
- Never leave belongings unattended whether it's while you're out, on the beach or in the car, especially not in hire cars. So don't leave your luggage in the car and go shopping, for example.
- Take only what you need when going out and leave all important documents and valuables in a safety deposit box. These are offered by most hotels and apartments.
- Don't take much cash with you, you can pay almost everywhere by card, even on the hippy markets.
- Look after your bag while out - don't leave it on the chair next to you, where it can easily be snatched. Best wear one with a strap around your shoulder or a bum bag.
- Keep a special eye on your belongings when a stranger approaches you with questions - this is a trick often used by pickpockets.
Theft and robbery
If anything is stolen, you should report this to the Guardia Civil as you will need a copy of the police report if you are going to make a claim on your holiday insurance.
The easiest thing to do if you do not speak Spanish is to call 902 102 112 (between 09:00 and 21:00) and ask for someone who speaks English. If you say 'English please', this will be understood and you should get an English speaker. If all operators are busy, you will hear a Spanish announcement followed by music, so just hold on the line until you are put through.
The interpreter, who is trained by the police, will take the details of your incident and translate it into Spanish. You will be given a reference number and advised which police station to go to in order to collect your copy of the report. When you present your reference number to the police, they will download the report and you will be given the certified copy for your insurers.
This does not cost you anything, you only pay for the telephone call.
In the case of theft, you can also file a complaint to the police online or go to the next police station (ask the reception of your hotel where is the nearest one).
Alertcops App
Alertcops is a free app that allows two-way communication between you and the security forces.
In the event of being a victim of or a witness to a crime, or if you find yourself in any way endangered, you can use your smartphone to send an alert that will be attended to rapidly and efficiently.
The Alertcops app is available for iOS and Android devices. For more information see this page
HEADER PHOTO | by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels
The above information is correct to the best of our knowledge, but may be subject to change.