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Eight adults on Ibiza in July or August 2026 will pay between €4,500 and €18,000 for one day on a boat, before fuel, lunch, and gratuity. The right answer for most groups is an 18m to 22m motor yacht at €7,500 to €11,000, all-in for the day around €10,000 to €14,500. Almost nobody who asks us "we are eight, what should we book" needs the 30m motor yacht the operator wants to sell them. A handful do. We will tell you which group you are.
This post is for groups of eight (extendable to six or ten with the same logic). It covers what to spend, where to go, which operators handle Ibiza groups well, the boats and operators we have passed on, and the booking mistakes that cost groups €3,000 in extras they did not expect.
The Ibiza day-boat market in one paragraph
Day charter in Ibiza has consolidated since 2019 around a small number of professional operators running fleets of 15m to 30m motor yachts out of Marina Botafoch, Marina Ibiza, and (less often) Sant Antoni. Below that, there is a tier of single-boat owner-operators with one 14m to 17m hull. Below that, a tier of party-boat operators selling shared "boat parties" by the seat. For a private group of eight, the first tier is where you want to be. The owner-operator tier works for the right boat. The party-boat tier is not what you are looking for, even if the photographs suggest it might be.
The price bands for eight people, July to August 2026
Rates are full-day (typically 10am to 7pm), peak season, as of May 2026. Fuel is extra at €4 to €5 per nautical mile run for the size class. Lunch ashore at Beso Beach, Juan y Andrea, Es Cavallet, or Sa Trinxa runs €120 to €180 per head for a group of eight. Gratuity is 10-15% to the crew, distributed by the captain.
| LOA | Crew | Day rate | Fuel (typical) | Lunch ashore (8 pax) | All-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15m to 17m | 1 to 2 | €3,500 to €5,000 | €450 to €650 | €1,000 to €1,400 | €5,500 to €7,500 |
| 18m to 20m | 2 | €5,500 to €7,500 | €600 to €850 | €1,000 to €1,400 | €7,500 to €10,500 |
| 21m to 22m | 2 to 3 | €7,500 to €11,000 | €700 to €1,000 | €1,000 to €1,400 | €10,000 to €14,000 |
| 24m to 26m | 3 | €11,000 to €16,000 | €900 to €1,400 | €1,000 to €1,400 | €13,500 to €19,500 |
| 28m to 32m | 3 to 4 | €16,000 to €25,000 | €1,200 to €1,800 | €1,000 to €1,400 | €19,000 to €29,000 |
The Spanish day-charter licence caps guests on a commercial day charter at 12 for vessels under 24m and at 12 for many larger ones too (cap is per boat licence). Going above 8-10 on deck on anything under 22m is uncomfortable. Eight is the size we are speaking to.
The 18m to 22m boats we actually book for groups of eight
We are naming categories, not specific hulls, because the inventory turns over each season.
Used Princess V62, V65, V70 or Sunseeker 65-75. The mainstream British-built sportscruiser is the workhorse of the Ibiza day market. Two cabins (used as changing rooms more than sleeping), a real saloon, a flybridge with a wet bar, swim platform with a passerelle. Two crew (captain and a deckhand who runs the tender and serves drinks). Day rate €6,500 to €8,500. The yacht is comfortable for eight all day, has a tender for beach drops, and the kit (paddleboards, snorkels, two donut rings) is included. This is what we put 70% of groups on.
Azimut 60 Fly, 62S, 68 Fly or 22m Fairline Squadron. The Italian and British flybridge cruisers, two crew, same use case as the Princess. Slightly more deck space on the Azimuts, slightly better galley on the Fairline. €7,000 to €9,500 per day. Equivalent answer if the Princess fleet is booked out.
Mangusta 80 or Pershing 70. The open-style fast cruisers. €9,500 to €13,000 per day for the 21m to 24m size. These look like the photographs you have seen on Instagram. They are louder, faster, and have less shade than the flybridge boats. For a group of eight who specifically want the "open sportscruiser" feel and the speed run to Formentera (35 minutes vs 55), this is correct. For a group of eight who actually want the comfortable all-day boat, the Princess is better.
Sanlorenzo SD96 or Custom Line 26m. The 28m+ semi-displacement option. €17,000 to €22,000 for the day. Three to four crew, real interior, real galley lunch on board if you want it, much more deck space. For a group of eight, this is overkill unless the day is a particular occasion (a 50th birthday, an engagement, a corporate hosting day). For most groups, the marginal experience is not worth the marginal €8,000.
The boats and operators we pass on
Any 24m+ boat sold to a group of eight as "the only boat that fits you all comfortably." It is the most common Ibiza day-charter upsell. Eight adults fit comfortably on an 18m. The 24m is a comfort upgrade and a budget question, not a fit question. If the operator will not quote you the 18m alongside, find a different operator.
The Sant Antoni "boat party" branded day charters. These market themselves as private to groups of six to ten, then load a DJ, a hostess, and a four-bottle Champagne ladder onto the deck before you board. €4,500 sounds reasonable until you realise you are paying for a stage set rather than a day. If your group wants the music-and-Champagne day, the right answer is a private boat plus your own playlist and a case of wine you chose. €1,000 cheaper, infinitely better.
Any operator who insists on a fuel package "for unlimited cruising." Ibiza day charters do not do unlimited cruising. The maximum useful run in one day is Marina Botafoch to Formentera (Espalmador or Cala Saona) and back, with two or three anchorage stops. That is 35 to 50 nautical miles total. Pay metered fuel. A "fuel package" of €1,200 is a markup on €600 of actual fuel.
The shared cruise "VIP upgrade." A handful of party-boat operators sell a "VIP private upper deck" on a shared cruise. You are buying a roped-off section of someone else's boat with 60 strangers below you. Do not do this for a private group of eight.
The day, anchorage by anchorage
Marina Botafoch pickup at 10am to 11am. Run to Formentera takes 45 to 70 minutes. The standard route is Espalmador first (the sandbank between Ibiza and Formentera, water hip-deep for 200m, swimmable from the yacht), Cala Saona for mid-morning swimming, lunch ashore at Beso Beach or Juan y Andrea (book in advance, both fill in July by 11am), afternoon at Es Pujols or back to Espalmador for the afternoon party scene at the sandbank, then the run back via Cala Salada or Cala Gracioneta on the Ibiza west coast if there is light left.
A meltemi-style westerly (the Ibiza version is the embat afternoon thermal plus the occasional sustained northwesterly) changes the day. The captain reads the wind at 9am and may swap to the east coast (Cala Llonga, Aigues Blanques, Tagomago) instead of Formentera. Trust the captain on this. Formentera in a 20-knot northwesterly is not Formentera at its best.
A run to Tagomago Island off the east coast is the better answer two to three days a week in July. Quieter, fewer boats, the same blue water. The captain will tell you if today is one of those days.
The lunch ashore decision
Lunch is the spine of the day. Three of the four good options book out by 11am for that lunchtime:
Juan y Andrea (Playa de Illetes, Formentera). The famous one. Seafood, fish, paella, beach service. €130 to €180 per head with wine, for eight that is €1,200 to €1,500. Book three to seven days ahead in peak season, ten days for August. Tender drop direct to the beach.
Beso Beach (Playa de Illetes, Formentera). The newer, more designed sister. Same beach, similar price, more polished service. Books out faster than Juan y Andrea.
Sa Trinxa (Salinas, Ibiza). The Ibiza-side classic. Lunch on the beach, no tender drop (anchor offshore, the yacht's tender takes you in), similar price. Available if Formentera is too rough.
Es Cavallet beach clubs (Chiringuito Es Cavallet, El Chiringuito). The Ibiza-side alternative. Less of a "destination lunch" than Juan y Andrea, more relaxed. €100 to €140 per head.
If lunch ashore is the wrong call (the captain reads the weather, the beach is too crowded, the group does not want to leave the yacht), lunch on board is a €60 to €120 per head cold platter the operator preorders. For most groups, lunch ashore is the better day.
The booking mistakes that cost money
Booking three days out in July. You will get whatever boat is left. The 18m to 22m good boats book three to six weeks out for August. Two weeks out for July. We have placed groups in 24m boats they did not want because the 18m fleet was gone.
Not specifying tender size and water toys. A 22m boat with a small RIB tender is not what you want for a group of eight wanting to be dropped at the beach. A 22m with a real 4.5m tender and two SeaDoos is. Specify before paying the deposit.
Underpaying the gratuity. 10-15% to the crew is the norm. Eight people on a €9,000 boat is €900 to €1,350 gratuity, distributed by the captain to the deckhand. Tip in cash in the end. Splitting eight ways at €130 each is the easy version.
Booking a 17m for eight. It fits, but it does not fit comfortably. The galley is small, the seating is for six, the swim platform is one-at-a-time. The 18m to 20m is the right floor for eight.
Not asking about return time flexibility. The standard day ends 7pm. A captain who will hold until sunset (8.45pm in July) for a stop at Cala Comte or sunset off the Es Vedra rock is delivering 90 minutes of the best part of the day for €0 extra in fuel and goodwill. The professional operators allow it. The party-boat operators do not.
Who we book through
We work with three Ibiza operators across the 15m to 26m range. They are listed on the day-charter Ibiza page with the affiliate route. The short version: all three name the hull and the captain in the booking confirmation, all three quote fuel and gratuity transparently, all three handle the lunch reservation at no markup, and all three have run the same fleet for at least four seasons. We will not list operators who rotate hulls without notice or sell the 24m as the only option for eight.
Where to stay before and after
The Ibiza hotels guide on HotelsForKings is the reference. For groups of eight on a day-charter trip, the practical bases are Talamanca (five-minute taxi to Marina Botafoch), Cala Jondal (boat pickup from the beach is possible by arrangement), and Marina Ibiza itself. Where to eat ashore on the non-boat days, the Ibiza restaurants guide on RestaurantsForKings is what we use.
Verdict
Eight adults on Ibiza for one day are best served by an 18m to 22m Princess, Azimut, or equivalent at €6,500 to €9,500 for the yacht, two crew, a run to Formentera, lunch ashore at Beso or Juan y Andrea, and an afternoon return via Tagomago or the Ibiza west coast. All-in, including fuel, lunch, and gratuity, lands between €9,500 and €13,500.
The 24m+ is the right answer for a particular-occasion day at a 30-50% premium. The party-boat "private VIP" is not a private charter. The 17m is half a meter short for eight. Book three weeks out for July, six for August, and put the lunch reservation on the booking from day one.
If you are weighing the day boat against a full week in the Balearics, the Ibiza Mallorca weekly itinerary is the comparison. For the Formentera-specific half-day, the Formentera day charter post covers what changes.
Frequently asked
Can we split eight across two smaller boats? Yes. Two 15m boats from the same operator, running in convoy, is €5,500 to €7,500 total instead of €8,000+ for one larger boat. Some groups prefer this for the privacy of two crews on two decks. The downside is logistics (two captains coordinate at lunch, two tenders, two bills). For most groups one boat is simpler. See the multi-yacht flotilla charter post for when this works.
Are drinks included on an Ibiza day charter? Bottled water and soft drinks usually. Wine, Champagne, and spirits almost never. Either provision yourself (cheaper) or ask the operator for a bar package (€500 to €1,200 for a day for eight, with markup).
Can the captain hold the yacht off a beach club we are not eating at? Yes. The captain anchors offshore from any usable beach. The constraint is the protected anchorage zones (parts of Salinas and Es Vedra are no-anchor) and the swing room for the yacht. Tell the captain the day before and he will plan it.
Is there a curfew on day charters in Ibiza? There is no statutory curfew, but most operators end at 7pm. Late returns to Marina Botafoch (after 9pm) attract a late-arrival fee with most operators (€200 to €500). Negotiate before the day.
Can we go to Mallorca for the day from Ibiza? No. Palma is 90 to 110 nautical miles from Ibiza. That is a four to five hour run each way at cruising speed. It is a full crossing day with no time at anchor. If Mallorca is on the list, charter for two days minimum.