You drive about 45 minutes up the winding PM-811 road from the airport. The massive club billboards finally stop. That is usually your first sign you are getting close to Portinatx. This northern resort sits right at the edge of the Sant Joan municipality. It is a quiet spot for British and German families looking to completely avoid the southern party scene. And it works perfectly. You get steep cliffs covered in pine trees and water that stays clear all the way to the sandy bottom. The drive up here has tight hairpin turns that catch tourists off guard in rental cars if they are busy fiddling with the air conditioning instead of watching the road.
The Main Beaches and Coves
There are a few places to swim right in town. Playa Portinatx is the biggest. It has a wide curve of soft sand and shallow water where little kids paddle around for hours while parents sit nearby. You can walk west along the coastal path to reach S’Arenal Petit. It is smaller. The sand feels a bit more enclosed. Then there is S’Illot des Renclí on the eastern side where people go snorkeling in the thick seagrass beds.
Cala Xarraca is a short drive away if you want to leave the immediate resort limits. It has rougher scenery and some natural mud patches people rub on their skin. Parking there gets completely chaotic by 11 AM in August. You will end up leaving your car half in a ditch on the main road and walking the rest of the way down a steep incline just praying nobody swipes your side mirror. We went out to Platja des Figueral once to escape the midday rush entirely.
Walking the Northern Cliffs
The trails around the north coast are mostly unpaved dirt tracks. You need real shoes for the walk out to the Punta de Moscarter lighthouse. It’s the tallest lighthouse on the island. You see its black and white spiral stripes long before you actually reach the cliff edge. The walk takes about 40 minutes each way in the direct sun. Bring a large bottle of water. There is absolutely nothing to buy once you leave the resort center and head up into the rocks.
Driving inland takes you to the village of Sant Joan where the pace drops off completely. You can sit outside a cafe on a Thursday morning and just watch the older locals buy bread.
Food and Rooms
The restaurants right on the sand mostly stick to standard holiday menus. But a few places specialize in traditional Ibizan cooking. Order the bullit de peix if you have the time. It is a local fish stew that costs around 35 euros a person and takes at least forty minutes for the kitchen to prepare. They serve the fish first. Then they bring out a massive pan of rice cooked in the leftover broth.
Hotels here range from big family resorts with loud kids at the pool to quiet apartments you rent by the week. We prefer the self-catering options to save money on breakfast since coffee at a hotel buffet adds up quickly over seven days.
Getting Around
You really need a rental car for this side of the island. The public bus from Ibiza Town runs up here. The schedule is thin though. Waiting an hour for a late bus in the afternoon heat gets old fast.
Most businesses in Portinatx board up their windows for the winter. The hotels and shops only operate from late April to early October. The water is warm in May and September but you avoid the peak summer crowds. The standalone ATM near the main supermarket charges a flat 4 euro fee for cash withdrawals regardless of your bank. We always stop at an actual bank branch in Santa Eulària on the drive up to get euros instead.
Recommended experiences
A few bookable experiences related to this topic:
Photo: Biblioteca de la Facultad de Empresa y Gestión Pública Universidad de Zaragoza from Huesca, España, via Wikimedia Commons