 Ibiza can surprise you: although it’s best known as a clubbing capital, it also has many quiet coves and beaches where the locals go, particularly in the northeast, as well as lots of unspoilt areas in the interior where you can see a variety of wildlife.
During the summer solstice Green Ibiza Tours runs a guided walking tour to some of the island’s hidden gems, organized by volunteers from Casita Verde. You’ll go on natural history walks inland, visit Las Salinas nature reserve where you can see storks, herons and flamingos, and explore some of the island’s most remote coves. The base for the week is the Campsiteat Camping La Playa near Es Canar on the east coast, where you’ll start the day with yoga, Pilates or tai chi in the shade of the forest by the sea.
If you’ve ever dreamt of escaping to the Med and buying a farmhouse, a stay at Can Marti will show you how it can be done successfully. Swiss owners Peter and Isabelle have spent over a decade transforming their Ibizian finca into an idyllic country home and the island’s first genuinely eco-friendly accommodation.
Couples can choose between three self-catering studio apartments (individually themed: Mexican, Indian and Spanish rustic) in the old stone farmhouse, while up to four can stay in a separate arabesque, clay plastered stone house that overlooks the estate’s sloping terraces of almond, carob, olive, pistachio and walnut trees.
For breakfast, there’s homemade wholemeal bread, local jam and honey, and you can stock up on groceries and wine at the on-site organic shop. There’s no shortage of sun on Ibiza, so Can Marti’s electricity is run off solar panels, but since water is a precious resource there’s no swimming pool and rainwater is harvested. Wastewater is also reused in the estate’s permaculture gardens.
If you’re able to stir yourself away from this country idyll, there are plenty of swimming spots at the coves and beaches along the northeast coast. One of the best, close to Portinatx, is Cala d’en Serra – an arching sandy bay (with excellent snorkelling) where you can have a drink and grilled fish at a chiringuito (snack bar) among the pine trees behind the beach. After a few days at Can Marti, dipping in the clear-blue waters along this less-visited side of the island, you’ll have to pinch yourself that this is the same island that thousands of the world’s clubbers descend upon each summer. It’s another world.
Read the full article in our November 2009 issue. |
