Springs and wells in Ibiza

In Ibiza there are many wells and fountains, with predominant architectural features, widespread throughout the Sant Joan de Labritja municipality. Here is where the “ballades pageses” used to take place which were traditional pagan dances. During special events and fiestas they put on displays of “ballades pageses” so that this beautiful traditional dance doesn’t get forgotten.

The Pou d Aubarqueta in San Miguel is one of the most famous wells, formerly known as" abeurada“ (water trough). This was where the villagers used to get their water. The most famous wells are: Pou des Baladre (Sant Vicent), Pou de Labritja (Sant Joan) and the Verger spring. This spring is located in the south of downtown San Jose, at the end of a ravine, called "de ses Fonts. " This construction is a masonry wall without mortar, covered with limestone on the outside. A channel of water flows our of the spring which draws the water into a bowl or tank.

Dalt Vila’s – Archaeological Museum.

The Archaeological Museum of Dalt Vila, is located in one of Ibiza’s medieval buildings,
The Plaza de la Catedral, the Archaeological Museum displays historical remnants of Ibiza and Formentera from over three thousand years and is divided into six sections categorized into specific time periods, dating back to prehistoric times as well as the 5th and 7th centuries BC

In 1979 the Museum buildings were reformed, connecting them with each other and with the House of the Curia and el Baluarte de Santa Tecla, as part of the ramparts of Ibiza.
The tour of the museum allows a visit out on to the platform of el Baluarte de Santa Tecla from which you receive a spectacular view of the Ibiza bay.

Sant Llorenc de Balàfia

Sant Llorenc is a quaint little town. It’s main attraction is a 17th century church which is perched on top of a hill in the village. The town is known for its agriculture and Mediterranean culture, and has stunning views. From here you can take a short 100m walk to Balàfia, a defensive town from the fifteenth century.

It has three towers, which were used in the dangerous pirate times in Ibiza; villagers climbed the tower, which had no doors, with ladders to get to safety, now you can only see the towers from the outside.

Villagers today, sometimes feel annoyed by tourists, especially those with cameras, they want to protect their surroundings and not feel as if they lived into an open museum. Because of this we ask that visitors leave with discretion and making the least disturbance, so that people can continue to discover the history and adventure of this place.

Pont Vell

The Pont Vell bridge is located above Santa Eulalia River. This is one of the most famous landmarks of Santa Eulalia and was declared "Bien de Interés Cultural", which is a Spanish heritage title. This bridge was formerly used as the main path between Ibiza and Santa Eulalia. Nobody knows what year it was built in, but it has been thought to have been built between XIII and XIV. In its earlier years, the bridge had three arches, today, after its reformation in 1997, it has four.

This landmark is surrounded by legends and myths. The most famous tradition states that at the first light of on the day of Sant Joan, grows a magical herb which cover the spirit of the Fameliars, these are rather ugly dwarves, to capture a Fameliar you must take a black bottle and leave it on the ground amongst these herbs, all night, and just as the first light cracks the dawn, cover the bottle carefully carry a black bottle, make it appear as herbs fast as they disappear, and cover it with care, this spirit can be as good as it is deadly, so you have to know exaclty when to open the bottle, when the Fameliar is freed, it will cry: ´Sóm es fameliar, vull feina o menjar´. This means that if you do not give it work to do, it will eat you out of house and home.

The beaches of Ibiza

Ibiza has more than 60 beaches and bays with a total length of 18km. This is a lot of beach for an island which is only 572km²!
No matter where you are on Ibiza, you can reach the sea within less than half an hour. In 2008, 18 Ibiza beaches gained the blue flag, which means its waters are of high quality, environmentally friendly and with a high level of security and services.

You can find all sorts of different beaches in Ibiza for all different kinds of needs: whether you like nice long beaches with lots of activities like Platja d’en Bossa or natural beaches like SAigua Blanca. The water temperatures during the summer season are: May: 18,5 °C, June: 21,5°C, July-August-September: 26°C and October: 24,5°C.

The beaches can be reached easily by car which makes your stay more flexible, buses don’t run very often and are in need of improvement.

Stalagmites in the “Cova de Can Marçà” cove

After having settled into your rental home, you should make a trip to see the stalactites of the Can Marçà cave. The cave is near the tourist resort of Port de Sant Miquel and can be reached easily by foot.
The cave is at least 100,000 years old and today is almost completely fossilized except in the deepest passages, where the dripping water continues to form stalactites.

For years, the cave was used by smugglers to hide illegal goods. The path was marked very discretely to orient them toward the entrance. Many were afraid to enter the cave due to the entrance opening being only 80cm high, most were afraid that they would get caught on something and be trapped.

Today, the entrance is 40 meters high, so that tourists can enter easily. The cave has to be looked after with water so that the stalactites and stalagmites don’t dry out and break. The cave itself is decorated with dimmed bulbs to create a romantic mood and there is also an artificial waterfall with a show of music and lights. This attraction is definitely worth a visit with children or for people who are interested in geology.

Costa Blanca

The Mediterranean coast that borders the Alicante province, in Valencia, west of Spain is called Costa Blanca. The area attracts millions of tourists every year, for its beaches, its diverse range of rural tourism, sports and diversity, but the main reason is probably the nice warm weather all year round.

It has very elegant and beautiful beaches, cliffs and coves, a place chosen by many for a special holiday. Alicante does not only offer rental properties on the beach but also many rural tourism properties.

If you are interested in a holiday in the Alicante province, either on the beach or the mountains you can find accommodation in Costa Blanca.

Mirador d'es Savinar

The Mirador d'es Savinar is situated to the south of Cala Hort am Cap de Jueus. One of the most beautiful viewpoints of Ibiza, from which, you get a wonderful view of the coast.
Sometimes the view is so clear that you can see the islets of Es Vedra and Es Venadrell, and the coast of Spain.

The view point possesses a celestial tranquility, which captures an idyllic landscape, 200 m from the viewpoint, is the Pirate's Tower, which was once used as a watchtower and surveillance point, due to it’s brilliant view of the whole sea perfect for spotting pirates from afar and notifying the rest of the island in time by sending smoke and fire signals to other guard posts.

You can reach the Torre Del Pirata easily on foot from El Mirador. The way is well signposted and there is no chance of getting lost. This place is a must-visit during your travels in Ibiza. Here you experience an environment that retains its natural beauty, whose one side is very quiet and calm, but on the other side has a rough and adventurous presence. Allow yourself to get lost in the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This is not just a place for adults to enjoy but children too, as they are usually thrilled by the sense of adventure from tales of pirates and the Tower. After the tour you can go back to your holiday property to relax and reflect upon the day's events.

Formentera turism

Besides beautiful beaches and the wonders of nature Formentera has other places of value to visit. Two of these are the vacation spot Es Pujols and the La Savina harbour.

Es Pujols is a very cozy place with small hotels and Apartments and is the only vacation spot on Formentera. In spite of the touristen boom it has not developed into the “sleep industry” like so many other places on Ibiza or Majorca. Es Pujols bay lies in the northeast of the island on a 2 km long cove. The beautiful white beach is lined with boat cottages and the neighbouring promenade offers loads of possibilities for lounging in the restaurants and bars. Es Pujols also provides visitors with fantastic landscape panorama.

The narrow streets are lined with numerous bars and taverns that are opened until early hours of the morning. One should experience the view of a spectacular sunrise over the sea at least once enjoying a nap at the beach later in the day.

The harbour of La Savina is another interesting point on Formentera and is reached from Ibiza directly by ferry.

In the harbour one can admire numerous boats and yachts, and there are typical Baleraren Island style houses populating the area.

One should visit Formentera in two seasons - once in the spring and once in the autumn. Only from are the differences visible between the two seasons an undoubtable experience not to be missed.