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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.
