If you’ve been to Ibiza, you know that it doesn’t take much time for the island to feel like an old friend. Although it has long been known for its party scene, Ibiza’s rustic charms run far and deep, and summer is the perfect time to discover all it has to offer. No matter what your vacation preferences, we’ve dug up the best and the brightest for a well-rounded summer exploration of the White Island.
THE WELLNESS ESCAPE
Extreme Yoga
Yoga Weeks offers week-long Vinyasa-based yoga retreats in a villa above Sant Carles in the northeast of Ibiza. Its courses include three hours of yoga per day, guided meditation and breathing exercises, a wellness evaluation, healthy vegetarian fare and free time to explore the island and its beaches. Guests can relax by the pool, visit the local hippie market Las Dalias, or tour the island by car. For the more adventurous, it also runs yoga boat retreats, where you complete the same programme aboard a 50-foot yacht. The yacht anchors each morning so yoga classes can be held on different beaches, but sunsets seen from the deck as you sail around Ibiza and the pristine shores of Formentera might prove even more memorable.
Yoga land retreats start at €825 and yoga boat retreats are €1,290.
Spa Daze
One of the finest names in luxury on the island is the Agroturismo Atzaró, which is located in the centre of the island, surrounded by all the beauty nature has to offer. Atzaró provides many wellness rituals, from saunas, a hammam (a Turkish bath), spa treatments and massages to fitness instruction, yoga and Pilates. There are also Balinese beds in the sand, a pool and a bubbles bar for further relaxation. It’s nice to combine a day at the spa with healthy eating at one of its terrace bars or La Veranda Restaurant, which offers light, seasonal cuisine.
THE FITNESS ESCAPE
Roaming Ibiza
Toby Clarke founded Walking Ibiza with one simple goal in mind: to show visitors the unparalleled beauty of the island from a rarely seen perspective. He leads a number of different walks, from two-hour open community walks to private walks of various durations and levels of difficulty. He teaches eager foodies how to forage for the wild herbs used in Hierbas, the herb-based local liqueur. And he offers retreats that combine walking with yoga or mindfulness training. Enthusiasts can sign up for a four-day tour of the island, which combines walking, kayaking and biking, or the original 12-day circumnavigation walk, which initially began Toby’s adventure.
Luxury Fitness Holiday
Those wanting a holiday with a fitness focus should look no further than 38 Degrees North, a holistic workout programme that addresses mind and body wellness. Its intensive approach means you’ll attend up to five small group classes of supportive and tailored instruction per day, and be held accountable for goal setting and tracking. However, you’ll also get to dine on delicious, nutritious food, which is more of an indulgence. Owners James and Claire offer week-long as well as long weekend courses designed to help you meet your fitness goals through diverse activities such as HIIT cardio sessions, kettle bell workouts, yoga, stand up paddle surfing and sunrise hikes. All courses include luxury accommodation at the five star ME Ibiza hotel.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ESCAPE
Horseback riding
Most visitors to Ibiza view the island by car or by foot, but for a different experience consider a horse ride along the coast. There’s no better host for the experience than Ibiza Horse Valley, a nonprofit organisation devoted to saving abandoned and mistreated horses from a bleak future. Founded in 2010, the sanctuary is run by David and Monique, who work closely with the horses to help rehabilitate them. They do not resell or release the horses, but instead maintain them through donations. They invite guests aged 12 and up to get to know, care for and ride their horses in small groups. Riders can choose either a half-day trot in the mountains or a full-day ride along the beach.
Organic Farm Workshops
Can Musón is a 16-acre organic farm filled to the brim with fruit trees, veggie gardens and local breeds of animals, which visitors can see for a small fee. It offers tours and tastings of the food made from the gardens, as well as workshops where guests can learn how to make ecological breads and flaó, the local fresh cheese dessert.
Sustainable Living
At the end of a rough track near Sant Antonio lies Green Heart Ibiza, an off the grid farm begun in 1996 with the goal of teaching sustainable living. The house, Casita Verde, is open every Sunday, from 2pm to 7pm. For a €10 donation, visitors can take a two-hour tour of the centre, try natural body and skin care products made from aloe vera and carob (native to the island), indulge in a massage and sample vegetarian cooking. There’s a play area and entertainment for children, and Green Heart Ibiza also has a stand at the Forada market every Saturday.
THE FOODIE ESCAPE
What to Drink
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Cultivated for its medicinal properties, Hierbas is made by locals from closely guarded secret recipes that have been passed down for generations. Luckily Drink Workshop, a programme run by the talented Phillip Thomas, teaches participants all the tricks to make this divine island drink in a fun, one-and-a-half hour workshop starting at €34. If you fancy yourself more as a distiller, you can check out his gin-making workshops as well.
Although they often get lost in the larger lexicon of Spanish vinos, Balearic wines have plenty to offer. While Ibiza has its own vineyards, it’s worth taking the 30-minute ferry ride to Formentera, a paradise of its own. Terra Moll is one of two vineyards on the island that take advantage of old vines and ideal weather to produce excellent boutique wines. It offers guided tours of the vineyards, with a sneak peek at the cellar, three wine tastings and traditional snacks from the Balearic Islands for €12, which serve as a nice respite from the summer sun. Reservations are essential.
Where to Eat
With all there is to see and do on the island, it might better suit to pack a picnic and just go. El Picnic will make sure you have everything you need in your basket. You can choose from one of its pre-filled picnic baskets (€50), or select individual items from the menu and fill your own (minimum order €40). There are three pick up spots in top picnic locations around the island, or you can have your meal delivered right to you.
If you’ve been lucky enough to discover Anne Sijmonsbergen’s gorgeous cookbook Eivissa, you’ll be pleased to know she has finally opened her kitchen to the world. The much-anticipated El Portalón, located above the old port in a historic building in Ibiza Town, is a cosy restaurant that features pan-European cuisine. Think European brasserie heavy on the French and Italian accents, with dishes such as tortellini in butter sauce with creamy potato and sage mash—although the new Ibicencan cuisine for which Sijmonsbergen is best known appears too in dishes such as her superfood salad loaded with the island’s vibrant veggies.
5 Must-Try Ibicencan Specialities
Borrida de Ratjada: Don’t be put off by the idea of ray stew. This is a humble dish, but a delicious one. Not unlike squid, ray is a bit of a blank slate, which soaks up the sofrito of garlic, onions and green peppers that it’s simmered in, before being dressed in a layer of crispy breadcrumbs. Try it at Sa Nansa.
Bullit de peix: As close as you’ll get to traditional fisherman’s stew, bullit de peix usually features whatever freshly caught fish and crab is on hand, along with potatoes, onions, saffron and white wine cooked in a beautiful fume. Try it at Tropicana Beach Club in Cala Jondal.
Greixonera: Made from day-old ensaimadas, greixonera is a bread pudding-style dessert in which the already tasty pastries are soaked overnight in a creamy concoction of eggs, milk, sugar, lemon, cinnamon and butter, and then baked. Try it at Es Torrent, right on the water.
Flaó: Flaó sounds like flan, but it’s more like cheesecake, made from fresh sheep’s and goat’s cheese blended with eggs, sugar, lemon, butter and anise seeds and baked like a quiche. Try it at Es Pi Verd in Sant Miquel de Balansat.
Hierbas: After dinner, indulge in a tipple of the bright yellow local anisette liqueur, distilled from the island’s wild herbs. It’s a little sharp on the tongue but excellent for digestion. Trust me, it’ll grow on you. Try it at Bar Anita in Sant Carles.