Most serenity-seekers decamp to the lesser-developed Balearic isles of Formentera and Menorca. But Ibiza also has a quiet side, with pristine secluded beaches, a pastoral countryside, and small inland villages with a bohemian soul that harks back to the island’s hippie past. One of its best-known natural areas is the UNESCO-listed Ses Salines Natural Park, a vast ecological sanctuary with salt flats and roughly 200 species of birds. The island is also known for its dense meadows of water-cleaning Posidonia seagrass, which are among the best preserved in the Mediterranean. The once-sleepy town of Santa Gertrudis is now one of the island’s hotspots, with trendy boutiques like Es Cucons, lively restaurants including an outpost of New York-born Il Buco, and an all-seasons Parra & Romero gallery. Not far from that is the village of Sant Mateu d’Albarca, where you’ll find the farm-to-table restaurant Juntos, which serves vegetable-centric dishes with ingredients sourced from the 173-acre farm. (Don’t leave without perusing ceramics, botanical-dyed robes, and other goodies at the expertly edited on-site boutique). Even the island’s famous party scene has grown up; today, the hardest rope in town is arguably the gastronomic chiringuito Jondal, helmed by El Bulli alum Rafa Zafra.
Stay Here: Founded in 1999 by Barcelona native Margaret Von Korff and her Ibiza-born husband Luis Trigueros, Cas Gasi is one of the island’s original agroturismos. A 19th-century finca is at the heart of the sprawling estate, which comprises four hectares of fruit orchards and vegetable gardens along with two pools, an open-air-yoga platform, and a revamped spa offering reiki and Ayurvedic massages. Â
Catalonia Beyond Barcelona
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