Regions
Sant Antoni de Portmany
This town is well known for its reputation abroad, especially in the UK. Many English tourists travel here. There are many nightclubs and bars with plenty of drink and entertainment on offer. The legendary Cafe del Mar is located here as well. San Antonio area has a lot more to offer than meets the eye, with some of the most beatifull beaches on Ibiza. Watch this spot for up to the minute info on whats going on and where...
Sant Joan de Labritja
San Juan is located in the north side of Ibiza, this area boasts plenty of authentic vegetation and is relatively unspoilt by tourism. Great area to go for some peace and quiet, beaches in this area tend to boast flat, cristal clear waters. The coast tends to be higher in altitude than the rest of the island, with many great sightseeing areas and natural walks through ibiza's unique medditeranean vegetation. Local customs are conserved and followed much more around here. Visit if you want a real taste of the old real ibiza that attracted so many people in the 60s and 70s.
Sant Josep de sa Talaia
The municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia (named after the mountain located in its geographic center, which is the highest peak of the territory) occupies 154 km2 in the south of Ibiza. Located 15 kms away from the capital of the island and 9 kms away from Sant Antoni de Portmany .
With a population of around 13,000 people, including natives, people from the Peninsula and International residents (mainly from the U.K., Germany and Italy). During the summer, its population almost triples thanks to tourists and to many second-home owners who visit this idyllic area.
It is the largest of the five municipalities on Ibiza and the one with the most beaches and coves along its 80 kms of coastline. Visitors can enjoy the diversity of this world famous coastline, from hidden coves of clear and turquoise-blue waters (Cala Comte, Cala Bassa and Cala Vadella, awarded by the European Union with Blue Flags), to large beaches located in marvelous natural environments (some of them Natural Parks) where naturalists can enjoy themselves among the great variety of conifer and pine trees. An Ideal area to enjoy the beach, hike, ride bicycles or even go horse riding. There are several stables in the area.
Sant Josep (or San Jose) also has great historical heritage. History lovers should visit the Punic-Roman rural settlement in Ses Païses de cala d'Hort and the Phoenician village in sa Caleta. One not too miss is the Cova Santa, a 25 m deep, natural cave where they can admire the surprising formations of stalactites and stalagmites created by the water over thousands of years.
For more information on the municipality of San Josep de Sa Talaia fee free to visit their official homepage www.sanjose-ibiza.net
Santa Eulària des Riu
Situated on the South-Eastern side of Ibiza, Santa Eularia is the richest area of the island. Inlcudes the towns of Santa Eularia, San Carlos, Port des Torrent, Santa Gertrudis and a wide extension of countryside. Many of the islands favourite beaches are located here. Also you can find two of the most popular hippy markets ( Punta Arabi and las Dalias).
Copyright Information kindly provided by Ibizaextra.com...more information on regions and towns of ibiza on http://www.ibizaextra.com/contents/areas.php
Cities
Talk
Though Catalan is the official language of the Balearic Islands, and all sign posts etc are in Catalan, Castilian is the main language of the island, with most natives speaking either English or German.
Get in
Easyjet - start direct flights in mid-July
travelsupermarket.com - Useful site for finding flights from UK airports.
cheapflights.co.uk - useful in high season, but recommend expensive alternatives in the winter through competing Multi-flight search engines e.g. Opodo & Thomas Cook
thomascook.com - will always find a way to get you there, but if it involves 3 or 4 different airlines you'll probably decide it's not worth the expense or the hassle?
britishairways.com - it costs nothing to compare their rates with the chasing pack. It might make you feel good whichever way it goes?
flymonarch.com - direct flights from many UK airports
kelkoo.co.uk - offer all of the options, even the most obscure
airberlin.com - they start running direct flights from May this year, by which time the main season competition will be cutting in.
firstchoice.co.uk - fly direct from most British airports but, being largely dependent on their own tour operator traffic, they're probably worth checking for late deals / stand-by offers.
jet2.com - serve most of the airports in the north of England e.g. Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Blackpool, Edinburgh & Belfast.
flyglobespan.com - if you live in Scotland there are the boys in the kilts flying only from Edinburgh & Glasgow.
mytravellite.com - operate throughout the summer season.
iberia.com - the major Spanish carrier, adapting to the competitive dot.com airline world. Worth checking if you can cope with unusual hours and booking on the internet.
spanair.com - useful for flights within Spain and to and from Scandinavia?
priceline.com - if your stateside these are likely to be your best bet...
www.vueling.com - cheap airline from Spain
You can also book a boat trip if you have nine hours to kill (from Barcelona, Valencia or Denia)...
Get around
You can use taxies to get around the island (€20-30 to travel between cities). There are also bus lines.
Cities are small enough not to require any locomotion—you can simply take a walk.
If renting a car take extra care driving, for the locals are horrible drivers. Many tourists have been run off the road trying to avoid deadly head-on collisions. New road construction has led to the temporary development of detour roads which are poorly marked and dangerous. During the summer months many tourist drivers under the influence of alcohol, pose a potential threat.
See
Do
Party in one of the big clubs. Some of the big clubs in Ibiza are Pacha, Privilege, Eden, Amnesia, El Divino, Es Paradis, and Space.
Chill out on the beaches and numerous beach bars.
Explore some of the traditional countryside of this beautiful island that few people take the time to enjoy.
Take boat or go parasailing.
Eat
Don't forget to try two local specialities; ensaimada, a sort of flat, soft pastry coil - what a Danish pastry would be if it was more like a doughnut - and flao, a sweet cheese and mint flan. Most pastelerias and many bars sell ensaimada - flao is a bit more difficult to track down.
Drink
The whole island of Ibiza is known as one of the great club capitals of the world.
Sleep
When it comes to choosing a place to stay on Ibiza it really depends on what type of holiday experience you are after. Unless you are from the UK and enjoy surrounding yourself with mainly large groups of rowdy drunk football hooligans who rarely leave their comforts in "San An", than avoid San Antonio at all costs except for the occasional sunset viewing at Cafe Mambo for the Pacha pre-parties, or the famous Cafe Del Mar next door. If you just want to relax and chill, visit nice un-spoilt beaches, then you are better of spending a little more on a nice Villa with Villas in Ibiza or Eurocasa Ibiza.
If you prefer a hotel, you have two examples here alongside the beach, Hotel Sol Ibiza or Hotel Sol s'Sargamassa
Both of these hotels are in Santa Eulalia, along with two new 5 star hotels....one has already opened....The
'Fenicia Prestige' and the other: 'Aguas de Ibiza' will open in late 2007.
However, there are more than 300 licensed accommodation possibilites on Ibiza, that cover the entire budget range, from hostels to exclusive and intimate rural hotels, and most are represented with webpages online and in numerous hotel and travel guides, but don't go there in August without a reservation.....you could wind up on the street or on the beach (also illegal). You can book online in ToIbiza.com with the best rates guaranteed.
:Ebusus redirects here. For the genus of grass skipper butterflies, see Ebusus (butterfly).
Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa) is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea (), belonging to Balearic Islands (Spain). With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands. Major cities are Ibiza, Santa Eulària des Riu and Sant Antoni de Portmany.
The name Ibiza is derived from the Original Arabic word "Yabisah" ("يابسة") meaning 'Land' or 'Landward' in English.
Eivissa is the official Catalan name pronounced ; but the name in Spanish is Ibiza (usually pronounced using the Castilian variation , often manifested by English speakers ).
The Island of Ibiza is most famously known for its summer parties, with thousands of people flooding in for the big summer club nights. Famous clubs include Space, Pacha, Privilege(ex Ku), Amnesia, Eden and Es Paradis. They are hosts to parties of international fame such as Cream, Manumission, etc. It is also home to the 'West End' party district of Sant Antoni, a rite of passage for many partygoers.
History
In 654 BC Phoenician settlers founded a port in the Balearic Islands, as Ibossim (from the Phoenician ibshim "island of pines"). It was later known to Romans as "Ebusus". The Greeks, who came to Ibiza during the time of the Phoenicians, were the first to call the two islands of Ibiza and Formentera the Pitiusas ("pine-covered islands"; a translation of the Phoenician name). With the decline of Phoenicia after the Assyrian invasions, Ibiza came under the control of Carthage, also a former Phoenician colony. The island produced dye, salt, fish sauce (garum), and wool. A shrine with offerings to the goddess Tanit was established in the cave at Es Culleram, and the rest of the Balearic Islands entered Eivissa's commercial orbit after 400 BC. Ibiza was a major trading post along the Mediterranean routes. Iberia began establishing its own trading stations along the nearby Balearic island of Mallorca, from which large quantities of renowned Balearic slingers were hired as mercenaries who fought for Carthage.
During the Second Punic War, the island was assaulted by the two Scipio brothers 209 BC but remained loyal to Carthage. With Carthaginian military luck running out on the Iberian mainland, Ibiza was last used by the fleeing Carthaginian General Mago to gather supplies and men before sailing to Menorca and then to Liguria. Ibiza negotiated a favorable treaty with the Romans, which spared Ibiza from further destruction and allowed it to continue its Carthaginian-Punic institutions well into the Empire days, when it became an official Roman municipality. For this reason, Ibiza today offers excellent examples of late Carthaginian-Punic civilization. During the Roman Empire, the island became a quiet imperial outpost, removed from the important trading routes of the time.
After the fall of the Roman empire and a brief period of Vandal first and then Byzantine rule, the island was conquered by the Moors, as much of the Iberian peninsula. Under the Islamic rule, Ibiza became in close contact with the city of Dénia (the closest port in the nearby Iberian peninsula, located in the Land of Valencia) as the two areas were administered jointly by the same taifa. Moreover the tribes who lived in Ibiza and Denia during that time 1060–1085 where Moorish tribes named Bno- Alaglab & Bano- Mujahed .
The island was put back in Christian hands by Catalan King James I of Aragon in 1235. Since then, the island has had its own self-government in several forms but in 1715 King Philip V of Spain abolished the local government's autonomy. The arrival of democracy in the late seventies led to the Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands. Today the island is part of the Balearic Autonomous Community, along with Mallorca, Minorca and Formentera.
Climate
The climate of Ibiza is Mediterranean and has milder winters and slightly cooler summers than Mallorca. The winters are mild with temperatures around 15° Celsius (60° Fahrenheit) and some rain. The hot summer season lasts from June to September inclusive with temperatures regularly reaching 30°C (85°F), lots of sunshine and very little rain. Frost and snow are very rare.
Tourism
Ibiza is a very popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightlife centered around two areas: Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the eastern shore and Sant Antoni to the West. Ibiza Town has become a popular destination for tourists. The most famous clubs include Privilege (the largest club in the world), Eden (the busiest nightclub in Sant Antoni), Es Paradís (noted for its water parties), Amnesia (known for foam parties), Space (an afterparty club), Pacha, and DC10. These clubs have become the centre of the worldwide electronic music movement. During the summer, world class DJs perform at the various clubs on weekly schedules, in between touring to other international destinations. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within the house and trance genres of electronic dance music. A typical schedule for clubbers going to Ibiza includes waking at noon, early evening naps, late night clubbing, and "disco sunrises". Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance toward misbehavior from young adult tourists, it has acquired the sobriquet "Gomorrah of the Med". It is also famous for Café del Mar, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by José Padilla. Café Mambo is situated next door, and has become an increasingly popular venue for club pre-parties after sunset, boasting big names such as Roger Sanchez, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Judge Jules, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Erick Morillo and David Guetta.
The island is not just known for its party scenes, though, as large portions of the island are registered as U.N. World Heritage Sites, and thus devoid of the commercialization of the main cities, for example, "God's Finger" in the Benirràs Bay, or more traditional Ibicenco cultural sites. Because of its purported natural beauty, companies and artists alike frequently use the island for photographic and film shoots. A monument ("The Egg") erected in honour of Christopher Columbus can be found in Sant Antoni: Ibiza is one of several places purporting to be his birthplace.
However, any time other than summer, the whole island is empty of tourists and most clubs are not open. Tourists who plan to travel to the island prior to July or after September should expect a quiet time with plenty of rain. The island is still considered to be beautiful, but tourists coming for the night life may be disappointed.
Spectacular sites can be seen from all over the island and this includes the wonderous Es Vedrà which is the 3rd most magnetic point on earth, behind the North Pole and The Bermuda Triangle.
Administration
Ibiza is administratively part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, whose capital is Palma, Mallorca. Ibiza comprises five of the community's 67 municipalities. Clockwise from the south coast, these are:
Music
There also exists a genre of dance music named for Ibiza dubbed Balearic Beat, similarly to the way Goa trance is named for Goa, India. The style tries to reflect the atmosphere of Ibiza, and listeners often say they can see a Mediterranean sunset when they hear its euphoric, uplifting melodies. The atmosphere is brought on with the use of synthesized string instruments, the sound of waves, mandolins and guitars, and wispy vocals. Popular tracks in this genre include:
Musician Michael Cretu, famous for his project ENIGMA and his wife Sandra, have their home and A.R.T. Studios on Ibiza. It is where albums (including MCMXC a.D. and Le Roi Est Mort, Vive le Roi!), selling 12 million copies, were recorded. They also own a small 16th century villa and Goya, a restaurant in Ibiza city.
A guitarist of ENIGMA and solo artist, Jens Gad also lives on Ibiza. He has his own Gad's Studios, where he has recorded 4 Ambient/New Age albums.
The Vengaboys re-wrote the lyrics of Typically Tropical's 1975 hit "Barbados", as We're Going to Ibiza in which they are travelling to a party on Ibiza by Venga Airways.
Mike Oldfield, a prominent British musician, owned a house on Ibiza, where he worked on a couple of his albums. After being exposed to the vibrant dance scene, he gradually incorporated dance-like elements into his subsequent works, such as Tubular Bells III.
Ibiza features prominently in several movies, including the 2004 fictional biopic movie It's All Gone Pete Tong about a world famous DJ who loses his hearing and the 2000 comedy movie Kevin & Perry Go Large. The latter, based upon the popular Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager, is about a young man who decides, along with best friend, that they need to lose their virginity and become, in Kevin's words, "top DJs".
New Order recorded its 1989 album Technique on the island, mixing influences from balearic beats to house, techno and a more classic 80s indie sound.
The dark side of all of this mindless Ibizian hedonism is addressed in the 1969 film More by Barbet Schroeder.
The films soundtrack, written by Pink Floyd, included a song titled Ibiza Bar.
Sparks recorded a song called "The Rhythm Thief" on their album Lil' Beethoven, which includes the lyric, "Lights out, Ibiza."
"Machine Gun Ibiza" is a song from the 1990 album by the British band Prefab Sprout, celebrating the art of hanging out with cool people.
Although it is not in the style mentioned above, Ibiza was also featured in the song "This Is Ibiza" by Sander Kleinenberg.
Also Nena, from Germany has a song titled "Ibiza" on her Definitive Collection album.
Andy Taylor (Formerly of Duran Duran) lives and works in his own studio in Ibiza
External links
References
