The mission today was simple. Head over to Es Caná from Santa Eulalia and check out the smaller, lesser known Ibiza beaches in-between. If you've not already done this, you might want to put a day aside...
Tootling along leisurely from Santa Eulalia at around 40km per hour due to the speed bumps,we nevertheless reached the tiny right hand turn to Cala Pada after about 3 minutes. We took advantage of the large (almost empty) car-park at the end of the road and in the blink of an eye, we found ourselves in heaven.
Cala Pada
Surrounded by rich, red coastline and swathes of emerald green forest, Cala Pada is small but oh so beautifully formed. There were mainly families and couples enjoying the beautifully clear water and shallow, sandy shoreline with its rickety but picturesque jetty. This Ibiza beach was blissfully quiet and relaxed and I counted 3 nice-looking restaurants along with a small boutique stuffed with lovely, floaty, Balearic style dresses.
It was midday but there was still plenty of shade provided by the pine trees and with just one line of sunbeds, plenty of space to stretch out.
With a full day's agenda and already in grave danger of abandoning the mission and ordering a Sangria, we fled, looking over our shoulders wistfully and vowing to return as soon as possible!
Jumping back into the Spotlight-mobile (yes, a bit like a bat-mobile but older. And slower. And not black. Heh) we got back onto the main Santa Eulalia - Es Caná road and took the very next (hard) right to S'Argamassa. Just look out, you'll see the signpost.
A few hundred metres up the road, right beside the beautiful Augusta Hotel Club we left the Spotlight-mobile beneath the shade of fragrant pine trees and headed down to the stunning beach below. We took a seat in Cesar's bar on the left and my friend gaped in astonishment that after 3 years in Ibiza he'd never discovered this beautiful Ibiza beach before!
S'Argamassa
There was a more adult crowd enjoying the beautiful, natural surroundings of S'Argamassa. A whole array of watersports were available and pssst! On Wednesdays and Sundays Cesar's bar offers a magnificent Paella deal, served with salad, bread, sangria and fruit for just €20!!
Languishing splendidly to the left of Cesar's, offering the most incredibly beautiful views was Nikki Beach Club. In sumptuously luxurious surroundings the staff were buzzing around, carrying huge bunches of balloons and brightly coloured swathes of cloth, clearly preparing for their next glamorous event. This was the view from their terrace.
Reluctantly moving on, we headed back down towards the main road again, but taking a sharp right towards Cala Martina just before we hit it. After 1 km or so we came upon the small right hand turn to that well-known bohemian beach hangout, La Chirincana, perched jauntily on the corner of Cala Martina.
Cala Martina
A word of warning here. Parking around Cala Martina is extremely limited, not to mention complicated. This writer would advise following the road around a bit further to Punta Arabi (where the original, famous hippy market is held) and parking there. There's plenty of space and it's a pleasant, 2 minute walk back to Cala Martina.
This pretty, sandy Ibiza beach, quite a bit larger than the previous two was full of a young, hippy-looking crowd. There were two, busy little beach bars, watersports, pedalos and a nice shady area. The popular ‘La Chirincana' campsite fringes the beach. Once again, the beautiful natural surroundings were just mesmerising. The gentle rhythms of Reggae music coming from the beach bar only added to the sense of complete and utter laid-backness.
Finally surrendering to a delicious jug of sangria, we sat and enjoyed the wonderful ambience for a while, before tearing ourselves away and walking the short distance (a 10 minute stroll) to Es Caná.
Waving a big hello to the friendly staff at Moes Sports Bar and Grill, then passing by the absolutely stunning Jacaranda Lounge with its Balinese beds, sushi and Ibiza pool parties, we hit our final destination - Es Caná beach.
Es Caná
By far the busiest beach we had encountered all day, Es Caná was buzzing with holiday-makers of all kinds, but UK visitors were without a doubt the majority!
The atmosphere of this Ibiza beach was just great. Full of families and perhaps the more mature visitor, enjoying the sunshine, soft sand, shallow seas and a range of water-sports. The pretty little harbour twinkled with small fishing boats bobbing up and down - you can get to a range of nearby destinations in classic Ibiza nautical style on the local ferry-boats that stop there.
We were starving by that point. My friend had noticed a café called Solimar on the way to the beach that boasted a gorgeous view and full (all-day) English breakfasts on the menu. The service was rapid and the food was great (nice UK style bacon, properly cooked, Heinz beans, eggs yolky and whites solid!). It cost me €5, including coffee, in Ibiza. Beat that!
We sat, chatting about all the gorgeous places we'd seen that day and agreed that the vibe completely changes once you've passed the ‘gateway to the north' which is Santa Eulalia. You start to discover that which is often referred to as ‘the real Ibiza' in its simple, unpretentious beauty.
Some of the most stunning villas are also in the area. Just check this ‘wow' villa known as Whitecaps that used to belong to a Hollywood movie mogul and has its own club inside!
And as we mentioned last week, there are some brilliant deals on several great hotels in the area too right now, not to mention that it's fiesta week until the 10th July.
Even if you're based elsewhere on the island, it really is a very cool day out beach surfing this area. Final words? Hire a car, bike or scooter and go forth! Explore the north!
WORDS | Jane Charilaou PHOTOS | Jane Charilaou
