After all those years in full-time education, it’s finally over - well, for the time being at least. Yes, a few years in college or at university may well be on the horizon, but getting that final Leaving Certificate exam out of the way is still an enormous milestone and one that certainly deserves a little celebration.
The lead-up to the leaving exams can be a stressful period, not to mention the actual examinations themselves. Sweaty palms, a dry mouth, a pounding heart - sitting down to take an exam is rarely pleasant and the elation that follows the final leaving cert is perfectly understandable.
Whether you’ll be marching into the big bad world of real work after the summer, taking a gap year, or heading off to university, the months following the Leaving Cert are an important time in any young person’s life. A riteof passage, a time to blow off some steam - a final hurrah. However, you want to describe it, it’s the perfect time for you and your friends to head to a sunnier climate and toast the next stage of your life.
We’ve chosen the top 5 places to go this Summer to celebrate completing your Leaving Certificate.
1. Magaluf
Magaluf in Majorca never fails to deliver a fun party-packed holiday for you and your friends.
BH Mallorca is the place to be with a water park and stage that hosts multiple DJs every day located right inside the grounds of your hotel. BH Mallorca can be a little on the expensive side but nearby Santa Ponsa offers cheaper accommodation only 15 minutes away in a taxi.
Known as ‘The Strip’ Punta Ballena provides more bars and nightclubs than you’ll ever have time to fully enjoy and a heady variety of dance music, drink deals, and free shots await you.
Follow a torrent of people as they amble down the Punta Ballena hill to the premier destination, the world-famous BCM nightclub (The biggest Nightclub in Mallorca). With a capacity of 4000 people, BCM is considered one of the world’s super clubs and is an experience that shouldn’t be missed on any visit to Magaluf. Look out for BH Mallorca deals as you can get bundle discounts for concerts and a night in BCM.
2. Marbella
Marbella is a hugely popular holiday destination located on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. Famous for its long beaches, night clubs and luxury venues, there’s plenty for you and your friends to do - whether that’s relaxing after your exams or partying till you’ve to board your flight home.
Unlike Magaluf, Marbella isn’t all about the nightlife. Its 12 km long promenade is ideal for sports lovers and a popular place with locals running, cycling and skating from sunrise to sunset. We recommend walking to one of the best-known marinas in Europe, the glamorous Puerto Banus, one location that’s crying out to be included on your Instagram.
If you and your mates want a break from the beaches, take a canyoning trip to El Guadalmina, where you can spend the day jumping, sliding, and swimming through natural pools, with something for beginners or more experienced explorers.
If you’re looking to wind down and enjoy a few drinks, look no further than the Belvue Amàre Marbella Beach Hotel. This famous rooftop bar offers a 360-degree view of the city with excellent cocktails to match. On a clear day, you can see the African Coast and the Rock of Gibraltar from your recliner - an absolute must for any visit to Marbella.
3. Zante
Zante (commonly known as Zakynthos) is a Greek Island in the Ionian Sea that’s perfect for leaving cert students to head to after those stressful exams to let loose. Combining stunning scenery and a cheaper cost of living than other options on our list, Zante is the place you can let your hair down without worrying about your savings running out.
Zante has more than 1000 bars and is home to the Laganas Strip, considered one of the best clubbing strips in all of Europe without the high prices of Ibiza. We recommend chilling on the beach gazing out over the seductive Mediterranean Sea before warming up for your big night out.
Porto Vromi should be at the top of your bucket list. For €25/ person you can take a boat tour to Shipwreck Cove, a truly breath taking view that will surely be one of the highlights of the entire holiday.
Experience the famous beaches and reefs in Zante by swimming with some of the oldest lifeforms on Earth, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle - one of the best €30 you’ll ever spend. If you and your friends want to be independent and enjoy Zante without a tour guide you can rent out a boat and cruise around the island for around €150 (including the cost of boat rental/fuel/cooler for drinks etc).
4. Cancun
A little further afield, Cancun in Mexico continues to provide a world-class partying experience. Home to Spring Break and renowned for its beaches, numerous resorts and top-rated nightlife, Cancun is a true juggernaut and a wonderful place to celebrate completing the Leaving Cert.
Cancun is split into two parts; the Party Zone and the Cancun Hotel Zone. You’ll find Cancun’s nightlife in Punta Cancun also known as the Party Zone. The most popular club in Cancun is Coco Bongo which holds wild nights with the ’80s and 90’s music accompanied by circus and acrobat shows. Entry is a little steep at €75, but a hell of an experience, nonetheless.
For €90 per person, you can enjoy CunCrawl, a club and bar crawl experience like no other. Cuncrawl lasts for 6 and a half hours and includes entrance to 3 top clubs and bars in Cancun, a no-limit open bar for 5 hours, VIP access to Cancun clubs and private reserved tables and bottle service in selected venues.
Like Ibiza, Cancun has a lot to offer but at a high price. Not only will you pay much more for flights, but drinks and club’s prices are easily comparable to the highest prices in Europe. But don’t let that deter you, Cancun is a phenomenal destination and if you do choose to splash out a little, you certainly won’t regret it.
5. Ibiza
There is something eternally classic about our next destination. If you’re planning to go to Ibiza for your sixth-year holiday, then you’re doing it right. Ibiza is all about staying up all night enjoying music and getting handed free drinks on the San Antonio strip.
San Antonio on the west coast of the island is the world-famous sunset strip that offers bars and small nightclubs along the beach as well as daytime pool parties in Beach Ibiza & Ibiza Rocks Hotel.
If you and your mates are looking to live the Ibiza lifestyle, get yourselves in a taxi to San Rafael, where you’ll find the Number 1 Superclub in the world, Privilege. With a capacity of 10,000 people, standing (or dancing) in the midst of all is an experience you’ll never forget.
Playa d’en Bossa on the east coast boasts the longest beach in Ibiza, filled with restaurants, bars and small clubs like Sankeys - self-described as the best club in the universe. The east coast is home to the super-club Ushuaia with big names like Elrow, David Guetta and Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike all playing throughout July.
Everything about Ibiza is positive but this comes at a high cost, so we hope you’ve been saving well. Everybody should experience Ibiza at least once in their lives, so if not now, then when?
6. Travel Insurance
We know that in between choosing a destination and then plotting out your partying route of choice there probably won’t be much time for anything else - especially something as seemingly mundane as travel insurance - but these are the types of holidays that often come with at least one hiccup.
Whether it’s all that sun and sangria, Leaving Cert holidays have become synonymous with missed flights, sickness, and the odd lost item. It might not fit in with your idea of a carefree summer holiday to toast your new-found freedom, but getting some travel Insurance with 123.ie allows you to put all of those worrisome possibilities to one side and get on with enjoying the holiday that you’ve been waiting for for years.
