Sant Antoni de Portmany: The West Coast Base Camp in Ibiza

I still call it San Antonio. Most people do. The town wraps around a massive natural bay on the west coast, and before the 1980s club boom it was just a quiet fishing village. Now it is a sprawling concrete grid where ugly apartment blocks sit right across the water from three-million-euro yachts. But as a base for an Ibiza trip it absolutely works. The L2 bus from the airport drops you right at the egg roundabout in the center for exactly four euros, usually with the air conditioning barely fighting the afternoon heat. From there you can walk straight to the ferries or head over to the bars. Which is ideal.

The Sunset Strip

The sun drops into the water around 9:00 PM in July. People treat it like a scheduled event. They line up along the paved promenade they call the Passeig de ses Fonts well before dusk. Café del Mar started playing ambient music here back in 1980 to match the changing sky. You can still book a table on their white terraces. Expect to pay 18 euros for a gin and tonic for the privilege. Right next door is Café Mambo. They run louder pre-parties where big DJs play short sets before heading to the main clubs later that night. The crowds pack the boardwalk so tightly you can barely walk past without elbowing someone who is inevitably spilling a sticky drink down the front of their shirt. So skip the expensive tables. Walk five minutes south past the bars and find a spot on the rough rocks right by the water. Buy a cold San Miguel from a corner shop for two euros and watch the exact same sunset for free.

Getting to the West Coast Beaches

Staying in Sant Antoni makes a lot of sense logistically. You absolutely do not need a rental car to reach the best sand on the island.

Cala Bassa is just 15 minutes away. The sand is soft and old sabina trees grow right up to the tide line. The L41 bus runs there from the main station. But a better option is the ferry. Small wooden boats leave the main harbor every hour. The trip across the bay is completely flat and costs 9 euros each way, and you get to bypass the chaotic beach parking situation entirely while sitting on an open wooden deck.

Then there is Cala Comte. Locals argue this is the best beach in Ibiza. The L42 bus gets you there in 20 minutes and dumps you in a dusty parking lot that smells strongly of hot pine needles. Walk down the dirt path to find rocky coves facing the island of Conillera. The water gets intensely clear here because of the offshore currents. Get there by 10:00 AM in August. Otherwise you will not find a place to lay a towel.

Cala Tarida is the biggest sandy bay on this side of the coast. Families end up here because the water stays shallow for a long time. The same L42 bus stops there. There is an ATM near the pharmacy behind the beach that charges a ridiculous four-euro withdrawal fee. Bring cash from town.

Behind the Waterfront

Tourists spend almost all their time by the water. The recently updated Mercat Nou market sits a few blocks inland on Carrer del Progrés. It runs loud and busy with actual residents doing their shopping. You can buy cheap figs and cured meats here for beach picnics.

If you walk away from the sunset strip into the older backstreets you find normal Spanish restaurants. Look for places serving bullit de peix. It is a heavy fish and potato stew. Most places require you to order it for at least two people and you will wait an hour for it to cook. They bring the fish out first before the rice.

When booking a room, check the map carefully. Hotels right on the harbor are convenient for the morning ferry. They are also incredibly noisy until 4:00 AM when the bars finally kick everyone out onto the street. If you actually want to sleep, look at the family-run apartments on the hill behind the town. You have to walk up a steep incline at the end of the day past a row of closed souvenir shops. The quiet is completely worth it.

Photo: Leon petrosyan, via Wikimedia Commons