With
house music and monster DJs on the wane, and a police crackdown on clubs,
Sam Lyster finds the new scene on Ibiza. Read her report here
Santa Eulalia, Ibiza’s third largest resort, has a thriving year-round
community and is traditionally the island’s second gastronomic, shopping and
cultural centre second only to Ibiza town. Highlights include a marina,
fabulous restaurants - and recent developments suggest it’s becoming hipper.
It recently hit the headlines with the opening of a five-star hotel and
another one, Auditorio, is being developed. Big news on such a little
island.
The Insotel Fenicia
Prestige Thalasso Spa sits by the side of the Balearic’s only river
commanding views across the sea and the bay of Santa Eulalia. Big and bold
from the outside, the six or seven floored hotel isn’t the coolest on the
island, but inside it’s modern and spacious with flat TVs, cool colours,
deluxe bathrooms and balconies.
Less aimed at partygoers than discerning couples and families, facilities
include several swanky pools but it’s the spa that is the big talk of town.
However, you’ll pay a premium. While most hotels in Ibiza (on a
bed-and-breakfast basis) are charged by room, this one charges per person
(£137 in high season). OK, if you’re single I suppose.
My preference is to stay in one of the serene and slick villas on the hillside
overlooking Santa Eulalia. I’ll never forget Finca Grande, a four-bed fancy
villa with turrets, a kidney-shaped pool, manicured lawns and ornamented
streams that spouted fountains when you walked around the garden.
Alternatively, if there’s only two of you, agrotourism has gone from
strength to strength with dilapidated old farmhouse fincas being neatly
converted into charming character hillside hideaways for tourists. Nearby,
the cool Les Terrasses was one of the first and offers around 10 rooms, an
outdoor pool and restaurant.
Like Ibiza town, Santa Eulalia has an exclusive Yacht Marina, and in recent
years it’s undergone a huge revival with trendy bars opening up alongside
the more traditional eateries. Lounge clubs, bars and restaurants are
synonymous with Ibiza and Santa Eulalia is beginning to get its fair share
of them. The cool Guarana Club is now firmly established as a favourite for
people who want to party but don’t want to pay a premium and visit one of
the big clubs in Ibiza Town, San Antonio or the centre of the island.
We liked Es Rickshaw for its cool cocktail lounge with lounge music and
visiting DJs, or to try its combination of Mediterranean and oriental
cuisine. Or for something more Spanish, Entre Dos Aguas with its courtyard.
Sit under pine trees and feast on Spanish cuisine including Iberian meats
and cheeses, seafood paella, suckling pig or monkfish a la basque.
But when it comes to affordable local food you still can’t go wrong if you
head to Calle San Vicente, often referred to as the Street of Restaurants.
Wander down this road when it’s closed to traffic in the early evening when
the restaurants have reclaimed the road with chairs and tables for guest to
dine alfresco. For fresh fish, my father and stepmum (long time residents of
the island) swear by Juanitos. Ran by Juanito and his wife it offers
friendly service and is inexpensive at less than £25 per couple with house
wine.
Nearby tree-lined Calle San Jaime was our preferred place to go late morning
for an expresso and to people watch. My guide books says that the Royalty is
preferred by local aristocracy, whereas the café opposite Bar Cosmi has a
slightly younger crowd. I couldn’t notice the difference. For an evening
drink as sun goes down, head for Sinatra’s on the promenade.
When the sun’s shining, slip on your flip flops and head for the beach. Forget
Santa Eulalia’s sandy shores and head instead to some of the nearby stunning
beaches and coves from Aqua Blanca in the north all the way down to Ibiza
Town. New roads and underpasses means it’s now pretty easy to get anywhere
on the island relatively quickly, even to the hippest beaches by the airport
at Playa de Ses Salines where bronzed, half-naked bodies dance on the hot
sand to the sounds of hip tunes from trendy the beach bars Jockey Club and
Sa Trinxa.
Alternatively, throw caution to the wind and charter a boat for the day and
head out from the marina to the nearby island of Formentera with its
Caribbean-clear waters and soft white sands.
If you’re a partygoer on a short break, you might want to be closer to the
action. The popular resorts of Antonio and Playa d’en Bossa can be a little
overwhelming, and, quite simply, tacky. For something more upmarket stay in
the Dalt Vila of Ibiza Town, around the marina or just on the outskirts in
an agrotourism hotel or villa.
Ibiza NOW magazine is now online at www.ibiza-now.com
nice article :)
ade, santa eulalia, ibiza
Ive just been to Turkey, alanya. Its was a grim experience never to be repeated. Dirty beach, hotel room never cleaned and a money grabing local population. Not relaxing at all. But at least is was hot and sunny for the whole week.
Nick, Hamar, Norway
ı prefer Turkey.sea and historical places.tourist prefer istanbul or antalya...
ÅŸeyma , Ä°stanbul, Turkey