Ibiza is the busiest charter market in the western Mediterranean. In a single August week, more than four hundred yachts move through the marinas of Marina Botafoch, Marina Ibiza, Santa Eulària and San Antonio. Most clients we speak to have already received three or four broker quotes by the time they call — and most of those quotes are for the wrong boat.

This guide explains how to choose well. It covers group size, duration, the difference between a tender and a superyacht, what is included in a charter rate and what is added on top, and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.

1. Start with the group, not the boat

The single most common mistake is to pick a yacht based on photos. Photos flatter; layouts decide the day. Six adults on a sport flybridge feels generous. Eight feels tight. Twelve on a 100ft superyacht feels like a private floor. Twelve on a 60ft sport boat feels like a commute.

We use a simple rule: for a day charter, count one square metre of deck space per guest as the absolute minimum, two as the comfortable number. For an overnight, count the beds plus the bathrooms — a yacht with six cabins and three heads sleeps six well, ten badly.

2. Day charter or week?

The break-even point is around four nights. For shorter stays a day charter from your villa, repeated as often as you want, is usually better value than a full weekly booking — and it lets you change the boat for different days (a fast RIB for Formentera, a flybridge for a slower coastal lunch).

From five nights up, the weekly charter compounds: fuel is included, the crew knows the group, and the cost-per-day on most yachts falls by 15–25%. Our current Ibiza fleet runs from a 21ft Sacs Strider RIB at the day-tender end through to a 115ft Benetti superyacht for full multi-day passages — fourteen vessels covering every step in between.

3. RIB, flybridge, sport, or superyacht

RIB tenders (21–32ft)

Fast, dry, small. Right for two to six guests who want to do Formentera in the morning, Cala Conta for lunch, and Es Vedrà for sunset — all on the same day. Wrong for groups that want shade, a chef, or a salon to retreat to.

Sport boats (40–60ft)

The Ibiza workhorse. Twin or triple outboards, sun-pad layouts, enough range to do Formentera comfortably with a stop or two. Typical group: six to ten adults for the day, two to four overnight.

Sport flybridge (60–100ft)

The format most weekly charters book. Big main deck, flybridge for sunset, three to five cabins, full-time crew of two to four. Right for ten guests with a real week ahead — Formentera, Mallorca cliffs, maybe Cabrera if the weather holds.

Superyachts (100ft+)

A different category. Tender on board, dedicated chef, captain plus three to six crew, a full master suite and four to six guest cabins. Right for ten to twelve guests for a week. Plan for €60–250k a week plus expenses, depending on hull and season.

4. What's included — and what isn't

Day charters in Ibiza typically include captain, crew, the boat for the day, basic drinks and water, and sometimes a light lunch. Fuel is almost always extra, billed at cost. So is the mooring (Formentera marinas charge daily on top), VAT, and any catering beyond the basic package.

For weekly charters, the standard structure is the rate plus an APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance) of 25–35% of the charter fee, held against fuel, food, marina fees and crew tips. Anything unspent comes back at the end. A good office walks you through the APA line by line before the week starts.

Our concierge desk handles everything beyond the boat itself — chefs, photographers, DJs, helicopter transfers, restaurant tables, beach club cabanas, jet skis, paddleboards — billed in one place and settled at the end.

5. Owner-direct rates vs broker quotes

A broker quote and an owner-direct rate for the same yacht can vary by 10–20% in Ibiza, sometimes more. The difference isn't about haggling — it's about relationships. We've covered this in detail in our piece on owner-direct versus broker charter pricing. Worth reading before you commit.

6. The questions to ask before signing

Who owns the boat? If the answer is "a holding company", ask for the operator's direct contact.
Is the boat commercially registered? Required to charter legally in Spanish waters for non-EU residents to embark.
What's the cancellation policy? Industry standard is graduated, but the bands vary wildly.
Who is the captain — and have they done this route before? Critical for multi-day passages.
What's the fuel burn at cruise speed? Multiply by your day plan, multiply by spot diesel. That's your APA reality.

Next steps

The fastest way to get a realistic quote is to send us the group size, the dates, and one or two boats from the collection that interest you. We reply within the hour during working hours with three options across price points — and we'll tell you when none of the three is the right answer.

Ibiza Yacht Charter Guide 2026: How to Choose the Right Boat for Your Group