Chasing sunset
Summer may be almost over, but Ibiza’s sunsets come into their own in the autumn months. L’OFFICIEL IBIZA has the lowdown on the finest dusk destinations.
For hipsters: Experimental Beach
Way out across the salt flats of Las Salinas, this ultra-cool cocktail club and restaurant from the Parisian Experimental Group – think Paris’ Grand Pigalle Hotel, London’s DA Henrietta and Menorca’s Experimental Bar - is just out of the way enough to give it a real sense of place. Tucked into the nook at the end of curving, pebbly Playa Es Codolar, it’s a haven of permissiveness, where slinky couples in Isabel Marant pareos and Apnée swim shorts lounge on rattan daybeds, sip extraordinary cocktails and dance to up-and-coming DJs.
For adventurers: Cap de Barbaría
The wildest point of Formentera and the closest spot in the Balearics to Africa, Cap de Barbaría has a weird and wonderful energy all its own. Its exotic name comes from the Barbary Coast pirates from North Africa who plundered the island centuries ago. Sunset here is the witching hour, when cliff-dwelling seabirds wheel and squawk overhead, lazy lizards soak up the last of the sun’s rays and a straggly crowd of pilgrims (or not, you may be alone) watch the sun sink beneath the Mediterranean. For true island vibes, arrive by bicycle with a picnic basket, a bottle of wine and the obligatory pack of UNO cards and settle in beneath the iconic lighthouse.
For hippies: Sunset Ashram
Manel Aragones, the mystical blue-eyed owner of Sunset Ashram, is one of Ibiza’s true icons. In his book-worthy life he has been painted by Salvador Dali, partied at Studio54 and spent several years living in a cave overlooking Es Vedrà. Sunset Ashram is his hippy-chic kingdom, a stucco palace clinging to the rocks of otherworldly Cala Conta, where crowds of bohemian beauties gather each evening to pay homage to the dying sun. The music is amazing, the food - mainly vegetarian – is delightful and the atmosphere, as the last rays make the entire rock glow pink, is unforgettable. An island classic and for good reason.
For Instagrammers: Es Vedrà
Despite what Instagram may have you believe, you cannot in fact watch the sun set at Es Vedrà. The offshore rock formation is both protected and inaccessible. What you can do, however, is pitch up at the clifftop viewpoint that overlooks the natural monument. Ten years ago, this spot was barely known but for the locals and regulars who kept it to themselves. Since the advent of Instagram, it’s has become something of a high-summer tick-box for the influencers who flood the island, which has of course detracted from its magical natural energy. In the off-season, however, the viewpoint and its surroundings adopt the calm and tranquil energy of years gone by, and the location is unbeatable for a winter sunset a deux. Restaurant El Carmen, at nearby Cala d’Hort, serves some of the best paella on the island.
For romantics: Hacienda Na Xamena
Once the north’s most glamorous hotel – it was shot by Slim Aarons in the 1980s – then interior of Na Xamena has undergone many incarnations in its decades of existence. The outdoor terraces, however, remain one of the most dramatic locations in Ibiza, with tumbling terraces drifting southwards past waterfall pools towards an immense cliff surrounding by inky black waters. The sunset up here is quite literally jaw-dropping, so bring a date, grab a table on the palm-peppered deck and watch as the fiery sun turns the surrounding cliffs an impossible shade of magenta.
