48 Hours in Ibiza. Pacha’s New Icons and the Island’s Endless Pulse
Ibiza does not do moderation. Two days here demand precision. Sunlit luxury, open-air rituals, and nights that sustain the island’s mythology. Our base was Destino Five Ibiza, Pacha Group’s reimagined five-star hideout above Talamanca. The redesign leans into sleek minimalism infused with Balearic spirit. There are 159 rooms and suites, though the Cherry Suites, each with its own pool, are the genuine statement pieces.
Destino is more than a hotel. It is a stage. Pools double as social theatres, dining holds its own against the Mediterranean’s finest, and its programming dissolves the line between resort and club.
Day One. Playa Pacha and Blond:ish’s Final Spell
The landing was direct to Playa Pacha Pool. A cherry-shaped curve lined with loungers, cocktails in rotation, the kind of suspended calm that precedes the storm.
Next stop was Paradiso, Pacha’s in-club cocktail bar by Giacomo Giannotti. More than a bar, it is a surrealist lab where every drink is theatre, an overture before the night explodes.
And then the main act. Blond:ish closed her debut Abracadabra residency, the first female-led residency in Pacha’s history. More than a party, it felt like a manifesto. Sustainability, connection, and a global community wrapped in a sound that refuses to be confined by genre boxes. Joined by Maz and Malónec, Blond:ish seamlessly blended tribal percussion with cosmic house, creating hypnotic music with ease. Sequins, feathers, broad smiles, and zero pretence filled the room. As dawn painted Formentera, no one was ready to let go.
Day Two. ICONS in the Sun and Defected at Night
Thursday began softly, but by afternoon the pulse was back. Pacha ICONS turned Destino into an open-air arena, Marco Carola steering Music On. It is the daytime ritual everyone talks about. Crisp, rolling tech-house under an endless sky, five-star chaos in perfect balance.
Night shifted the axis to Defected’s residency at Pacha. With decades of house heritage, the brand’s return feels inevitable. The floor united old-school heads with a new wave of ravers. Dennis Ferrer deep and soulful, Themba layering Afro textures, LP Giobbi detonating piano-led bombs, and Sem Jacobs with Nasser Baker raising the tempo into sunrise. Pure house. Sweat, unity, and energy without gimmicks.
What’s Next
The season’s endgame is already mapped. Pacha’s closings stretch from late September into mid-October. Sonny Fodera, CamelPhat, Pure Pacha, Defected, Music On, Flower Power, and Solomun +1. The finale promises weight. Marco Carola is closing Music On across two nights, with Solomun going all night for his send-off. A Grand Closing Weekend will feature Rüfüs Du Sol on October 11 and Roger Sanchez on October 12.
After a record-breaking summer, Ibiza prepares to sign off 2025 in complete myth-making mode. Heavy names, iconic sets, and a floor that refuses to let the lights come up.
Destino Five is not just where you stay. It is the epicentre. Pools that feel like temples, sunsets over Dalt Vila, open-air arenas with Marco Carola, and nights etched into Ibiza’s collective memory: two days, no regrets.
