Cala Xarraca: The Quiet Side of Northern Ibiza

I completely avoid Ibiza’s south coast in August. You spend half your trip sitting behind a delivery truck in traffic. The other half is just shouting over someone’s beach club speakers. Drive up the C-733 road past Portinatx instead and things quiet down fast. Cala Xarraca sits right at the bottom of a steeply graded dirt turnoff that most rental drivers miss entirely. Down here nobody hands out party flyers. It is simply a small horseshoe bay with incredibly clear water. Dry pine needles blow around the flat rocks while you try to lay out your towel.

Down by the Water

The actual beach consists of coarse sand and smooth stones that will absolutely punish bare feet if you try to walk gracefully into the surf. Go buy a cheap pair of water shoes from a corner shop for four euros before you drive up. The shape of the bay naturally blocks the wind coming off the Mediterranean. That keeps the surface flat. It makes this a fantastic spot to snorkel right from the shore and look around the rocky drop-offs where the fish congregate.

They put out a few sunbeds for rent. Most people do not bother with them. Just take your towel further out onto the flat rocks flanking the bay and claim a spot. And yes, people actually read physical paperbacks here. You see very few phones out.

The Mud Pools on the West Side

Walk over to the far left edge of the bay. A small natural spring leaks directly out of the rock face. This turns the surrounding red clay into a thick mud. People scoop it up and cover themselves in it and wait for the clay to bake dry in the intense afternoon sun before jumping into the sea to wash it all off. Locals swear it fixes muscle aches. I am not entirely sure how the science works on that. It does make your skin feel ridiculously soft afterwards though.

Bring an ugly bathing suit for this part of the day. The clay permanently stains light fabrics a rusty orange color that never really comes out in the wash. Try to get there before 4 PM on a weekend. The tiny patch of mud gets crowded quickly when the late afternoon crowd shows up carrying their cooler bags.

Restaurante Cala Xarraca

There is exactly one place to eat down here. Restaurante Cala Xarraca sits right on the edge of the rocks. It started as a tiny shack decades ago and slowly grew into a proper restaurant over the years. They kept the cheap plastic chairs. The attitude remains completely casual.

Order the bullit de peix. It is a traditional Ibizan fish stew that costs around 28 euros a person and literally takes up half the table when the waiter sets it down. They also grill whatever fish came off the boats that morning with extremely heavy amounts of garlic and parsley. You absolutely need to call ahead for a lunch table on a Thursday in July. The terrace is small and people tend to sit for hours drinking hierbas after they finish eating.

Getting There and Parking

You have to drive. The public buses simply do not run down this far north. A scooter works perfectly fine if you don’t mind navigating the rutted dirt access road back up the hill when you leave.

There is a small dirt parking area at the very top. It holds maybe thirty cars and fills up completely by 11 AM in the summer months. Arrive late and you will have to wedge your rental car somewhere along the shoulder of the main road. Then you get to hike down the steep path with all your beach gear in the midday heat.

Bring plenty of drinking water. The restaurant charges a premium for cold bottles and there are zero kiosks anywhere near the sand. October really is the best time to go. The water stays warm from the summer sun. You can usually pull your car right up to the stairs on a Tuesday morning without thinking about it twice.