If you think about visiting Ibiza, you need to see our guide to Ibiza ’s best beaches and restaurants.
This article is about Ibiza the island and not the clubs as most of you already know about those. I will give you my honest reviews of the beaches and restaurants that I’ve been to when I visited Ibiza.
It’s best known as the island that never sleeps. And for good reason.
As I was watching the sunset in Cala Compte, I once heard a man explaining to his very young son that there are two Ibizas: one that lives through the day and one that lives through the night.
And with these few words, that man described Ibiza best.
The reason why I can’t get enough of this island it’s not about the parties, as most of you would expect (although they’re great).
I actually spent three holidays there and I’ve only been clubbing twice.
Oh, and both times the party closed at midnight, which is good for me because I like going to sleep early 🙂
But why do I love Ibiza and keep coming back?
Because it offers everything.
Sunny beaches with beautiful blue waters, nice people, great parties, amazing sunsets, delicious Mediterranean food, luxury and hippie.
Yes, it has it all. Whether you’re a beach passionate, a family traveler or a clubber, there’s something for each of you.
Now let’s get more into details. For beach passionates and foodies like myself, I have some wonderful suggestions.
The best one and probably best in Europe is the beach of Ses Illetes in Formentera.
Ses Illetes Beach, Formentera
This is a separate island which you can only reach by boat. You will have to take a boat from the port in the center of Ibiza, or from Figueretes Beach or Playa D’en Bossa.
If you stay in or near San Antoni, there are boats from that port as well.
A small tip would be to take the one that is the fastest because you will surely want to spend as much time on the beach as possible, not on a boat.
If you are a large group it might be worth renting a private boat to take you there, which is probably the fastest way.
Once you arrive there, it’s probably worth to rent a scooter like I did. It’s a good way to visit the island and its beautiful beaches.
The best beach is Ses Illetes, but keep in mind that is the most popular and it can get very crowded in August. But don’t worry, as I found a spot with fewer people and I’ll share this secret with you.
You have to go by scooter (or car) up until the last parking of Ses Illetes. Then continue your journey by foot for about 600m until the beach becomes just a thin strip of sand surrounded by beautiful blue water.
That’s where the beach is not that crowded and you can enjoy calm waters on the left side of it and some huge waves on the right. So you get the best of everything a beach has to offer.
There are a few restaurants on the beach and they all offer some great Mediterranean food.
In my 3 years of going there, I tried all 3 of them, Kiosko Pirata, Juan y Andrea and the Es Ministre. Juan y Andrea is the most popular one, so you will have to make an early booking for it.
But you won’t go wrong with any of the other two, as they offer similar types of food.
Some other beaches that impressed me are Sa Caleta, Cala Benirras, Cala D’hort, Punta Galera, Cala Compte, Cala Bassa.
Sa Caleta Beach, Ibiza
Sa Caleta is a beautiful bay with crystal clear water, and although it’s quite popular, I found some beautiful secluded boat houses. Here you can lie in the sun without anybody bothering you, or hide in the shade of some reeds.
There’s also a nice restaurant called Sa Caleta Restaurant, if you get hungry from all that swimming. The most interesting part of the restaurant is its chill-out area.
On the right-hand side of the restaurant (as you face it), you will see an entrance to the chill-out area, which is hidden in the shade of small Mediterranean trees.
Most people often miss it and they form queues to wait for a table in the restaurant when they could simply go in the chill out (which is way more beautiful) and have their food there.
I’ve tried their seafood paella which was fantastic and their coffee was the best I ever had. You can see a video of it on my Facebook page. It’s with cognac, oranges, and cinnamon.
And their way of serving it quite unique as I’ve never seen it before.
Cala Jondal, Ibiza
Our next stop is Cala Jondal. Here, I’ve tried the Blue Marlin beach which is more like a posh beach with DJs and great parties in the evenings. The beach itself is rocky so renting a lounger would probably be a good idea.
Food at Blue Marlin is great but it will come for a bit of a premium.
The DJ parties in the evenings are crazy, so if you’re a clubber than this should certainly be on your list. The best day for a party at Blue Marlin is Sunday after 6-7pm
Cala d’Hort, Ibiza
The next beach on our list is Cala d’Hort. This is another clear blue water beach from which you can see the rock Es Vedra. It’s said that this rock is a special magnetic place, where people get their positive energy.
The area is also excellent for snorkeling as it’s got some huge rocks around it where you can see a range a colored fish and that’s where I’ve actually seen a live octopus in its habitat. That was so interesting.
There’s only one restaurant at Cala d’Hort, called El Carmen. I can’t say much about their food because this year was a bit disappointing.
It used to be better in the past years, but now I’ve tried the Paella with Lobster and I wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. Maybe other dishes are better, but just don’t waste your money on this one.
As you leave Cala d’Hort, for about 500m on the main street, you will see a small dirt road on your right-hand side that points to Torre de Savinar. Take that road and go until you get to the end of it, where you’ll have to park your car.
This is a great spot to see the sunset and few people know about it. This year I actually saw a wedding there. The whole scene was just like in the movies.
There was only the bride, groom, minister and two guys filming the whole thing. It all happened on a cliff, with a sea view, facing Es Vedra, during the sunset. After seeing this, I told my husband that we have to have to remarry and have a wedding like this :)))
If you’re into trekking and trips like that, you can go all the way to the tower of Savinar as the view is probably a lot better from there. If you go even further you will get to Atlantis of Cala d’Hort.
I didn’t get there as it was already late but that is certainly a must on my next trip to Ibiza. It’s a great rocky beach and people say it’s one of Ibiza’s best-kept secrets. Oh and how I like uncovering secrets.
Now let’s leave Cala d’Hort behind and continue our journey down the coast towards San Antoni.
Down that road, you’ll find some other beautiful calas, like Cala Carbo, Cala Vedella, Cala Moli, Cala Tarida and finally, we get to Cala Compte.
Cala Compte, Ibiza
This small beach offers the best sunset view in Ibiza.
People gather on the beach and on the rocks waiting for the sun to set in the sea and when it does that everybody applauds and cheer. It’s a wonderful experience.
There’s a restaurant, Sunset Ashram, which has an authentic rocky design and it’s a great place to watch the sunset, sipping from a glass of wine of course.
The dishes at Sunset Ashram have Indian, Japanese and Mediterranean influences and they’re really good. Be sure to book a table a few days before, especially if you plan to go at 8 pm (when the sun starts its setting).
People are crazy about it and you’ll have a hard time finding a free seat without a booking.
Cala Bassa Beach
Leaving Cala Compte towards San Antoni, you will see signs to Cala Bassa on your left-hand side.
This is a sandy beach with crystal clear water, and a few rocks from which you can jump if you have the “cojones”.
There’s a very good restaurant there called Cala Bassa Beach Club (CBBC).
They also rent loungers and offer boat rentals. I haven’t been there this year, but I remember that their Gazpacho and Paella was amazing two years ago.
Punta Galera
Now let’s head to Punta Galera, a totally different and secret beach.
Again, not many people know about it so try to keep it to yourselves.
As you pass San Antoni, follow the route to Cala Salada. You will pass Cala Gracio and after that, you should see a sign on your left that points to Punta Galera. Follow that sign and then you will enter a dirt road.
Drive on it until it ends. Park your car there and continue on foot.
To descend, you will have to find a small path on the right side of the cliffs and follow it until you get near the sea.
This is not your typical sandy beach. It’s made of huge rocks on which people lie to get their tan. It’s also where a few brave people (like myself 🙂 ) take some terrifying cliff jumps.
According to my husband (who loves diving and all of those water sports), it’s also the best place for snorkeling on this island. You’ll have to be a good swimmer though as the water is quite deep.
Unfortunately, there’s no restaurant in the nearby. If you get hungry, you’ll have to take the car and go back to the main road. Drive for less than 1km and then take the left towards Cala Salada (there’s a sign on the street).
Right after that, you’ll see a small restaurant called Restaurante Can Pou. We’ve tried the Grilled Seabass and the Seabream in Salt with Pimientos de Padron and it was great.
They also serve their homemade Mandarinetto, which is like an appetizer drink, kind of like Limoncello. It was the first time I tried it and I loved it so much I bought a whole bottle to take home.
Our next stop should have been Cala Salada, which looks amazing in pictures, but we were so tired and decided to postpone it until our next trip to Ibiza.
Cala Benirras
And now we’ve got to the last beach of Ibiza that I strongly recommend. This is Cala Benirras and it’s probably one of the most iconic for Ibiza and its history, because of the hippies.
Hippie is a rare trend these days, but it’s one that’s so authentic and interesting. They gather on the beach at sunset and they sing with their drums as the sun sets in the sea.
All those talented guys create a wonderful experience and amazingly they don’t do it for money.
They’re just being themselves, putting up a great show, and lots of people gather around the fire to sing and dance with them.
I think it’s one of my most interesting experiences in Ibiza because this is something you won’t see anywhere else.
The best day to visit is on a Sunday and there are a few restaurants where you can grab a bite.
There’s one called Elements, where we’ve tried the sea bass fillet with quinoa and vegetables, and the grilled octopus. Both were great.
If you like the hippie trend, you might want to visit the hippy markets of Ibiza.
I’ve tried the one in San Juan and Las Dalias Market in Sant Carles. Both were very interesting with lots of great stuff to buy (what I enjoy doing most 😀 ).
Las Dalias is a bit larger and you will find more interesting stuff.
These markets are filled with hippie and boho-chic clothes, interesting decorations, handmade jewelry and art, local organic food and most importantly nice friendly people.
I think it’s something that nobody should miss while in Ibiza.
Now about clubbing in Ibiza, I’ve only tried Ushuaia on a Monday at David Guetta show. I can say that it was the most impressive DJ event I’ve ever been to.
The music, the lights, the people, everything there impressed me and I will most likely try it again when I get back.
There’s also Blue Marlin at Cala Jondal that offers some great beach parties on Sundays so you might want to check that out as well.
As for dining in Ibiza Town, I would say that the restaurants in the Marina Botafoch would be a great choice. They’ve got nice views of the port and the Dalt Villa of Ibiza.
If you’re lucky and there’s a fireworks show, those restaurants will offer the best view.
One more restaurant that I would recommend in Ibiza is Utopia Beach and it’s located in Cala des Moltons.
That’s in the north of the island right next to Port of Sant Miquel.
The reason why I was so impressed with it, is because of its dishes and because I didn’t find it in any of my researches about good restaurants of Ibiza.
I can honestly say that I stumbled upon it, as I was walking on a thin path in the woods, trying to find another interesting beach. There were no signs of it, nothing.
And the food… Oh, you should definitely try it. I tried the grilled sea bream with seafood and veggies in chimichurri sauce.
All paired with a nice local wine. Just take a look at it below. This is surely another one of Ibiza’s best-kept secrets.
Is there any other amazing beach in Ibiza that I should have included? Let me know in the comments
