BEACHES, Ibiza

I've been twice in Balearic Island, both of them in Majorca, only quickly passing by Ibiza. In my second visit, I tried to reserve some time to Ibiza, but we ended staying two weeks in different areas of Majorca.

Why?

Because I couldn't collect enough arguments to justify the extra costs of a trip between islands:
The beaches didn't seem to be better than in Majorca;
The prices were higher;
The complementary attractions were not better;
The only great difference noticeable in everything that we read was some extra tolerance to "sexual originality", not interesting at all for all of us.

Of course, if it there will be a third visit to Balearic it will probably be to Ibiza or Menorca. Just to see something (maybe) a little different.

Cala Sant Vicent is a small beach resort located in the east of Ibiza. It is a resort more for relaxing in than partying and the beach is lovely, even though the day we visited the weather wasn't perfect.

If you drive from Santa Eularia along the beach road, you approach Cala Sant Vicent along a spectacular cliff road through a pine forest.

Playa d'en Bossa is the longest stretch of beach on Ibiza. The sea floor is soft and sandy, so you don't have to worry about any hard surfaces while you're wading around.

Playa d'en Bossa is probabally the loudest and most crowded beach on Ibiza. So if you are looking for a more low key retreat then this beach may not be for you. This beach is dotted with cafes, resturants and bars and most of them are playing their music loud so people laying on the beach will have something to listen too. It's more of a party atmosphere, but you should be expecting that; you are afterall in Ibiza.

There are beach chairs that can lounge or lay flat. They are set up under the large umbrella tents on the beach. Laying on one of these chairs will cost you a small cover, (i think a few euros) but it is definitely worth it if you feel like laying around on the beach. Another benefit of using the chairs is that the waitresses that service the resturant that provided the chairs will also come serve you. It's nice to have Sangria brought out to you while you lounge around on the beach.

This is a picture of the "Bora Bora" Bar and restaurant. They play it loud and they do it all day long. Good island music, and guest DJ's. Other bars along the beach play music as well.

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In an attempt to find the hidden path to Torre del el pirata we stumbled upon Cala D'Hort. It's a beach on the western coast of Ibiza. The only way to get there is by car. There is a parking lot at the very bottom of the road leading to Cala D'Hort - be aware though it's extremly narrow and sharp turns.
The beach itself is nothing special, coarse sand and pebbles, but the water is clean and clear. Sunbeds for rent (all of them were taken at our arrival in the afternoon). The rest of the beach was pretty crowded too. I think most people go here for the magnificent view over to Es Vedra which is rising above the water. There was a cafe, restaurant and a shop as well, but no supermarket. It's a great place to get some good pictures of Es Vedra, but apart from that it's not that special.

Benirras is famous for it's bongo-drumming at sunsets (especially on Sundays) and is a favorite beach among the new hippies of Ibiza. It is a fjord like beach with rock cliffs surrounding the bay. Apparently it is beautiful to see the sunset from here (even though I didn't think the view for a sunset seemed that brilliant)
The sand is coarse with small pebbles, water is clean. There are sunbeds/umbrellas for rent and two cafes/restaurants/bars near the beach. The only way to get to Benirras is by car along the narrow roads of inland Ibiza. There are not that many parking lots available so I'd recommend getting there early.

We didn't spend much time here, just a stroll along the beach to see what it was like, and I was a little disappointing as I'd heard so much about this beach, but there are so many other beaches in Ibiza which are closer and easier to get to.
If I go back, it's back to hear the drums!

Talamanca bay is one of the closest beaches to Ibiza town. If you're staying in Talamanca, Jesus or Ibiza town this is an option if you want beach life.
The beach is fairly quiet compared to other beaches in Ibiza resorts. Talamanca is still fairly undeveloped being so close to the action of Ibiza town. There are a few hotels concentrated at the southern and northern end of Talamanca bay. One of the largest hotels in Talamanca closed down in 2008 leaving the beach nearly deserted.

There are sunbeds and umbrellas for rent at the southern end of the beach, which is where the beach is at the widest.

There are a few popular restaurants/bars in the bay as well. The informal Bar Flotante which is popular with the locals, Talamanca Club - a restaurant serving great pizzas where you dine directly at the beach, in the sand (Very popular place) and the Amnesia restaurant 'La Barraca'. There is a shop at the beach but its closed from 1 pm - 4 pm, but there's a supermarket (SPAR) right behind the hotels at the southern end of the beach.

The water is very warm in Talamanca! It must have been 28 degrees.
My only complain is that the sand is muddy and the area is kind of a swamp which is creating a rotten smell. There is also quite a lot of seaweed at times.

To get here from Ibiza town you can either walk (30-40 min), take a taxi or the ferry (Ibiza town-Marina at Talamanca, 2 euros).

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It's the cheapest thing you can do on the whole island, chill out, swim and visit the nearby bar (there is always a nearby bar) This is only Figurettas beach, not even in the islands top 10 but in early October it was still hot, the sea was warm and i had most of it to myself. If you come here for the nightlife then you will need to be here in the summer but if you fancy a quick and cheap break in the sun Ibiza should be considered.

Cala d'Hort is a lovely beach and has something for everyone. There are pedallo's for hire for the kids, and the adults, and there is a nice restaurant which overlooks the beach. The restaurant was really busy on the day that we were there and we saw several boats cruise into view, drop anchor and then come ashore for a leisurely lunch. We, however, arrived in our cheap hire-car.

Just out to sea is the island of Es Vedra which is almost a symbol of Ibiza. It is an imposing rock rising to a peak almost 400 metres high and is home to numerous types of sea bird and and even wild goats. Boat trips from San Antonio often circle the island before dropping anchor just offshore for a spot of 'champagne' diving. Bottles are thrown into the water for people to try to dive down to retrieve. Unfortunately the bottles aren't actually filled with Champagne but more like Vino Collapso a gassy Farto.

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The beach at S'Argamassa was great for all the family. The water was clean, calm and safe for non-swimmers. It was pretty quiet with plenty of room for everyone to enjoy themselves. The water was shallow quite a way out so the kids had loads of room to play but still not be in deep water.

There are a couple of bars which also serve food and it's possible to hire a jet-ski, have a ride on a banana boat or you can even get a speedboat to take you to Santa Eulalia.

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Maybe it is not the nicest beach because of the stony sand... better to wear some jellyshoes... but the water is great, there are 2 restaurants and a little bar at the beach, so everything you need. P.S.: This was the beach where Nina Hagen got married!