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        •Ibiza and Formentera
        • Ibiza offers a healthy slice of the Mediterranean
        lifestyle infused with some of the spirit and architecture of North
        Africa. Although it is strictly a part of the Spanish archipelago known
        as the Islas Pitiusas, or pine-covered isles, Ibiza in fact displays
        many of the characteristics of the Islas Baleares, or Balearic Islands,
        of neighbouring Mallorca and Menorca, with which it is commonly
        grouped. In terms of government, it is part of the Spanish province of
        Baleares. Here you’ll find all the resorts, bars, and discos you could
        wish for, but there are also traditional villages, deserted beaches,
        secret coves, and quiet walks for when all you want to do is escape the
        fray.
        •Formentera, Ibiza’s diminutive neighbour just one hour’s
        ferry-boat ride (or 25 minutes by hydrofoil) to the south, is an island
        apart — in some ways more like a desert island than a satellite or
        outpost of Ibiza. During the supremacy of the Barbary Coast pirates in
        the 16th and 17th centuries, Formentera was so vulnerable it had to be
        abandoned, and it wasn’t resettled until the 18th century. Now it
        offers the perfect antidote to the stress of modern-day living, and is
        the ideal place to recharge yourself before another evening of
        exuberant nightlife back on “mainland” Ibiza. Alternatively, if you
        prefer to find an even quieter stretch of beach, the waters around
        Ibiza are dotted with a host of minor islets, most uninhabited but all
        eminently explorable.
        •One thing you’ll quickly realize about Ibiza is its
        laissez-faire attitude towards life. On this island paradise, tourists
        and expatriates coexist side by side with movie stars, artists, the
        young and trendy, ageing hippies, and, of course, locals, the total
        residential population being over 80,000. Despite the onset of tourism,
        in many parts the islanders still adhere to old traditions, living off
        the fruits (literally! ) of land and sea. Ibiza, small as it is, is not
        one of those barren Mediterranean rocks with an allure that begins and
        ends at the beach, and although it’s a part of Spain, it is not the
        usual bullfight-and-flamenco scene. The people are a distinct race:
        they have a unique, ancient heritage and a passionate folklore all
        their own. They also have their own language, Ibicenco, a dialect
        related to the mallorquí (Majorcan) branch of the Catalan language,
        though Castilian is spoken as well.
        •Ibiza lies nearer to the coast of North Africa than to the
        Catalonian city of Barcelona. With an area of just 541 sq km (209 sq
        miles), it is slightly smaller than the Isle of Man or twice Martha’s
        Vineyard in Massachusetts. It may not be much of a speck on the globe,
        but it is big enough to contain a modest mountain, verdant farms,
        and — that real Mediterranean novelty — a river. Likewise, the island’s
        highest peak, Mount Sa Talaia, or Atalaya (475 meters/1,558 feet),
        hardly ranks among the world’s most dramatic, but you can see Spain
        from the top.
        •The climate here is distinctly Mediterranean: temperature
        extremes are uncommon and days are warm throughout the year, with the
        heat of the summer usually tempered by sea breezes. This, combined with
        the island’s extraordinary underground water resources, assures the
        success of Ibiza’s agriculture. For the tourist, the olive, fig, and
        almond trees are objects of beauty and colour; for the farmer, they’re
        cash crops. So is the salt, drying in the huge, square pans at Las
        Salinas in the south.
        •The capital of Ibiza, called simply Ibiza, or Ibiza Town,
        has a population of almost 35,000. This is the island’s main city and
        financial, governmental, and administrative centre, and its charms
        match those of other Mediterranean “jewels. ” It is also a major
        entertainment spot with its own appeal, from the whitewashed houses of
        the ancient walled city clambering up the hillside to the hustle and
        bustle of the harbour area, with its bistros and boutiques. Its
        popularity is such that it has gained a reputation for being something
        of a trend-setters’ haven — post-modern or New Age, this is the place
        to be.
        •The busiest tourist town on the island lies 15 km (9
        miles) west of the capital. The Romans called it Portus Magnus (great
        port), which the Ibicencos adapted to Portmany. You might still come
        across both versions, but the official name of the boom town is Sant
        Antoni Abad (San Antonio in Castilian or Abbot St. Anthony in English).
        Skirting the bay, which has been transformed into a variation on Rio de
        Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, are high-rise hotels and apartment
        buildings. The resort is a centre not only for beach activities but for
        lively nightlife as well.
        •The second largest — as opposed to busiest — town on the
        island is Santa Eulària del Riu (or Río) on the east coast. Originally
        this was merely a hamlet on a hilltop crowned by a picturesque
        fortress-church. Now the tourist imperative has extended the town all
        the way down to the sea and far along the coast.
        •Other villages are much less developed, and therein lies
        the essence of many delights. If you head inland to the less populous
        centre of the island, you’ll find hamlets consisting of little more
        than a whitewashed church, a general store, and a bar. This is the time
        to relax over a glass of the locally made hierbas (an alcoholic drink
        made from herbs), listen to the crickets, and watch the world go
        by.