Eivissa in Spain

Ibiza-Eivissa in Catalan-is invaded every summer by a multinational force of hedonistic sunseekers. It has fine beaches, relentless sunshine, good food and wild nightlife. Inland, the landscape is harsh, dry and rocky. Beachside, discos, clubs and bars ensure the place never stops buzzing.

By plane

Easyjet-start direct flights in mid-May

British Airways-it costs nothing to compare their rates with the chasing pack, and it might make you feel good whichever way it goes?

Monarch Airlines-fly to Ibiza from Manchester, Birmingham and London Gatwick

Air Berlin-they start running direct flights from May this year, by which time the main season competition will be cutting in

First Choice-fly direct from most British airports but, being largely dependent on their own tour operator traffic, they're probably worth checking for late deals / stand-by offers

Jet2.com ­-serve most of the airports in the north of England e.g. Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Blackpool, Edinburgh & Belfast

Flyglobespan.com-if you live in Scotland there are the boys in the kilts flying only from Edinburgh & Glasgow

Iberia.com-the major Spanish carrier, adapting to the competitive dot.com airline world-worth checking if you can cope with unusual hours and Internet booking

Spanair.com-useful for flights within Spain, and to and from Scandinavia

Vueling.com-cheap Spanish airline

Thomas Cook-Charter and Schedule flights

Clickair-cheap flights between Barcelona and Ibiza year round

Other smaller airlines serving Ibiza are Air Baltic, Air Europa, BMI Baby, Condor, and Germanwings.

By boat

Boats to:

Denia from Ibiza and St. Antoni Alicante (only in summer) Trasmediterranea Barcelona (all year): Trasmediterranea and Balearia Valencia (all year): Trasmediterranea Palma de Mallorca: http://www.trasmediterranea.es Trasmediterranea] and Balearia Formentera (many boat companies, all year round)

Buses-Ibiza Bus Timetables

Rentals-require extra driving care, as the locals are terrible drivers. Many tourists have been run off the road trying to avoid deadly head-on collisions. New road construction has led to the temporary development of detour roads which are poorly marked and dangerous. During the summer months many tourist drivers under the influence of alcohol, pose a potential threat.

Taxis-can be used to get around the island and cost €20-30 to travel between cities.

Walking-the cities are small enough not to require any mechanical locomotion

Ibiza is part of the Balearic Islands, on which human habitation dates from at least 5000 BC. The Balearics were on Phoenician trade routes, and later the Carthaginians founded Ibiza City, which became one of the region's major ports. Then came, in turn, the Romans, Visigoths and Muslims-the latter leaving their imprint in the shape of the island's traditional costumes and architecture. They were turfed out during the Christian Reconquista in the 13th century. The islands became Catalan colonies but faded in importance, and Ibiza was under Bourbon control for much of the 18th century.

The decline of the Balearic Islands had dragged on for centuries, and brief periods of recovery proved illusory. The advent of jet propulsion in the 1950s turned things around once and for all. Ibiza's beaches and laid-back attitude first became a major drawcard in the flower-power heyday of the 1960s. While North America's hippies were 'California dreaming', their European counterparts were heading for Ibiza to tune in, turn on and drop out. It's hard to believe that in 1956 the island boasted 12 cars! Initially hip and fashionable, Ibiza soon discovered the financial rewards of bulk tourism and started shipping in sunseekers by the thousand.

Nowadays the small island populace watches more than a million visitors a year-a strange blend of hippies, fashion victims, nudists, nightclubbers and package tourists-pour through their home. Construction and hotel mafias have made a killing on the costas while farming and most other pillars of the economy have fallen by the wayside. Islanders now enjoy a good standard of living, although property prices are so inflated many of them can't afford to buy an apartment, even in inland villages.