Casa Cook Ibiza

Last week we returned to our favourite holiday destination, Ibiza. 

When I found out that luxury boutique hotel brand Casa Cook were opening their highly anticipated Ibiza location this Summer I couldn’t wait to hop online and book up. I've been wanting to stay at a Casa Cook hotel for quite some time so I was really excited to find out that they were opening in Ibiza. 

Sadly this trip didn’t come without its difficulties. We booked to stay during the hotels opening week and we soon discovered that they weren’t quite ready for opening. This, along with some building delays, meant that our stay was rearranged 3 times! Not ideal but Casa Cook more than made up for this with a complimentary stay and some freebies along the way. 

If you like contemporary minimalism then this is the hotel for you. The styling and interiors are simply gorgeous and make this hotel very pleasing to the eye. Even though it’s minimal it’s also extremely comfortable, warm and inviting. Casa Cook have managed to achieve a level of rustic chic that fits its Ibiza location impeccably well. All of their hotels have a contemporary and cosmopolitan feel to them yet they're also extremely laid back and down to earth which I just love. 

We booked to stay in a swim up room which felt like a real treat! The room itself was beautiful and spacious and had everything we needed. We absolutely loved our outside area with access to a shared pool. This made us want to spend even more time at our room and it felt like such a luxury to have a pool right outside our room. 

The only downfall of these rooms for me is the locality of them within the hotel. Their positioning means that they see very little sunlight during the day so they're not great for catching rays and the pool consequently stays really cold. So cold that we didn't actually use it during our stay which was a real shame as this is what attracted us the most to staying in this room. 

Inside the room is gorgeous and so comfortable. I slept like a log all week and found the bed to be one of the best i've ever slept in. The shower was also excellent and very powerful which made a nice change as I am usually bitterly disappointed with the showers on holiday. I felt really at home in this room and found that it had everything we needed along with some welcomed little luxuries like complimentary toiletries, slippers and robes. 

If i'm being completely honest I feel that the price of this room is not good value for money purely because if you book to stay here you would be going with the expectation of spending a lot of time at your swim up pool and terrace. The fact that we saw no sunlight in this area would put me off booking this room again. If the pool was heated, or if it saw more sunshine, I would definitely recommend it but these two issues were a big deal for us and would ultimately put us off staying there again. 

Despite the fact that the hotel remains half finished (due to Ibiza building regulations during peak periods), we couldn’t really tell that it wasn’t complete. Across the road is the site of the remaining building works that are due to be completed this winter which they have disguised with some bamboo fencing. As we were in a ground level room this didn’t really impact on our stay but I don’t think the view from the higher rooms was very nice at all. This is definitely something to bare in mind if you're planning to stay here. I personally wouldn't recommend booking this hotel up until it is completely finished hopefully by Summer 2020. 

The one other thing that lets this hotel down for me is the location. Whenever we visit Ibiza we tend to steer away from busy party areas like San Antonio as we prefer to stay in more tranquil and picturesque locations. Casa Cook Ibiza is not in the nicest of locations and faces onto a really unattractive high rise hotel which sadly completely ruins the view. It’s such a shame because the hotel itself is stunning! But again, for the prices they are charging to stay here I would have expected to find this hotel in a much more attractive location and side of the island.  

The pro’s of this location are that you’re close to some of the best sunset viewing spots in Ibiza and only a short walk from the infamous Sunset Strip. There are also some beautiful beaches close by including Cala Gracio, Cala Gracioneta & Cala Salada which are all well worth checking out. If you're going to Ibiza to party then it's a good location but if you are hoping to see the more beautiful side to Ibiza then I would recommend looking for accommodation elsewhere.  

Casa Cook Ibiza is due to have a dedicated vegan restaurant once fully completed so I was disappointed we didn't get to experience that on this trip. I think because I knew of this information I maybe went in with some expectations of there being some excellent vegan and vegetarian food. In reality they have a few good choices on their menu for vegetarians but few vegan options. I also found that the staff seemed to struggle with understanding the differences between vegan and vegetarian. That being said they had a selection of plant based milks available and the kitchen were willing to cook us different things when we were struggling with the half board menu which sadly didn't detail any veggie main meal option. I think there's still some teething issues in this department which hopefully over time they will manage to get a grip on. 

The good news is that Ibiza itself is very forward thinking and has many great options for eating out. We enjoyed some excellent meals at some of our usual favourite spots including Passion Cafe, Skinny Kitchen and Keto Kitchen. I wouldn't advise any vegetarian or vegan to pay extra for half board at Casa Cook Ibiza, instead use that money more wisely and eat out elsewhere. 

Those difficulties aside, we actually had a really lovely stay at this hotel and I particularly enjoyed the different spaces, pools and areas to chill out. I found myself not really wanting to leave the hotel because it was just so comfortable and relaxing. The sun beds also have a service button so any time you want a drink you just press the button and someone appears to take your order. It was great to have the option of the main pool which had music or the quiet spa pool area. 

I honestly had so many mixed emotions staying at Casa Cook Ibiza. So much of it was excellent and completely what I look for in a hotel. Yet on the other hand there were a few elements which let it down for me and would make me think twice before staying there again. That being said I really love the look of some of their other locations, particularly in Greece which have rave reviews, so maybe we'll look to stay at one of them next time. 

Whenever I offer anyone recommendations on Ibiza I always say hire a car because this is an island well worth exploring. Taxi’s can work out really expensive and if you want the freedom to visit different areas, beaches and restaurants then having a car makes life so much easier. There is so much more to Ibiza than partying and nightlife so I always urge people to explore and experience the other side to the island. 

I’ve been coming to Ibiza for over ten years and it’s beauty never ceases to amaze me. I love that even after this many years there are still new places for me to discover and explore. It’s the island that keeps on giving and keeps us coming back year after year. 

Another thing that I really love about Ibiza, and which is definitely worth mentioning, is that I have never seen any neglected or mistreated animals on the island. This is something that has put me off returning to places like Greece in the past and is another reason why Ibiza keeps me coming back. 

On this trip we flew with Jet2 for the first time and were pretty impressed with their prices and how easy they made it to change our booking multiple times. The extra leg room seats are the most spacious I’ve ever experienced! We’ll definitely be choosing to fly with them again. 

Have you ever been to Ibiza? 

Maybe i've connived you!?

Have you stayed at a Casa Cook hotel before?

I'd love to hear about some of your own experiences and

 what hotels of theirs you would recommend to me.