The Best Hotels in Ibiza and Formentera, Spain
As havens for Haute hippies, the best hotels in Ibiza tend not to be just hotels. They’re elegant communes, agriturismo farmhouses, or hotels that double as house parties. The best addresses are hidden away, where the pace is slower, interiors are smarter, and hammocks are a mainstay. Farm-to-table dining, yoga retreats, and wellness programs are beloved buzzwords. The world’s big players have begun to make their mark on the islands too. Bento boxes are nibbled on bleached-wood sun loungers at the waterfront Nobu Ibiza Bay, set just behind Marina Botafoch. More recently, a sprawling Six Senses opened along northern Ibiza’s Cala Xarrac, attracting international attention.
Whether you seek the full infinity pool treatment or would prefer to hide away in a whitewashed bungalow, there’s plenty to choose from. To guide you in the right direction, we’ve selected the best hotels in Ibiza and Formentera—in no particular order–including the latest openings and revamped places to stay.
Georg Roske1. OKU Ibiza
If there is a place where you can find inner peace and connect with yourself, that place is OKU Ibiza. This laid-back luxury retreat is a small paradise within a paradise, and the best place to discover (or rediscover) the so-called White Island: Think wabi sabi–inspired design, two serene swimming pools, regular yoga sessions, and fusion cuisine. The hotel also has an exceptional location that gives you access to the most beautiful beach spots of the island, from large and sandy shores to hidden small coves, as well as popular beach clubs and restaurants with sea views.
Courtesy of Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay2. Nobu Ibiza Bay
The waterfront hotspot
Now that building anything from scratch in Ibiza is almost impossible, hotel groups have to hover around waiting for old holiday haunts to close down. So didn’t the owners of Nobu (a kick-ass get together of the MC collection – The Marbella Club, Puente Romano etc – and the Livingstone brothers – Cliveden, Chewton Glen) get lucky? They found a Talamanca hotel with on-the-water access, a sweeping stretch of beach, and bright blue waves. And despite the potentially intimidating Ibiza-ness of the hotel, with its chiringuito beach restaurant Chambao, boutiques selling €300 swimwear, and the sashimi-serving Nobu, this is a relaxed, pad-around-in-your-bikini kind of place.
Children disappear into the kids’ club while grown-ups sip fresh watermelon juice, subsist on bento boxes, and dip their toes into the warm sand from bleached-wood double sun loungers. Mellow music complements a constant tinkle of ice in glasses, while methuselahs of rosé are hurried around. Bedrooms are wafty with macramé and fringing in beiges, blues and whites. And here are some of the best views from bed: boats bobbing in Talamanca bay, the tips of palm trees, early risers jogging along the boardwalk that leads to The Fish Shack. This is a bouncy, boho addition that’s drawing in the committed south- and north-coast villa stalwarts.
Ibiza Gran Hotel3. Ibiza Gran Hotel
The art hotel
This is a new breed of Ibiza hotel. Designed for those who love the island’s hedonistic spoils, but are perhaps ready for a more laid-back escape, Ibiza Gran is a paradigm of serene luxury. Known for its ‘art hotel’ aesthetic, interiors are adorned with bespoke artwork from renowned international creatives, and the spa is becoming Ibiza’s go-to. Meanwhile, La Gaia, the hotel’s main restaurant, has just earned a Michelin star, making it the island’s first hotel to win the award. Those not yet convinced to book a stay, take a peek at the corner suites: each has a private infinity pool, stretching out towards the bay with uninterrupted views of Dalt Vila.
Read the full review of Ibiza Gran Hotel here.
Six Senses Ibiza4. Six Senses Ibiza
Featured on our 2022 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
It’s an apt nod to Ibiza’s unorthodox character that even the full bells and whistles, 116-room Six Senses resort is hidden away on a hillside and accessed only by a winding dirt track. Make the journey and you’ll be welcomed with a shamanic smoke cleansing ceremony–just a whiff of the range of wellness classes and courses on offer. The idea here is to rest, refuel and reset at an exceptional level. The attention to detail is unmatched, from the bamboo-clad roofs that resemble Ibiza’s traditional fisherman huts to the minibars stashed with ashwagandha and CBD-infused soft drinks.
Interiors are muted, tactile, and sophisticated, with pale wood, leather and stone. And while there are some rustic touches in keeping with the hotel’s earthy enclave, in reality, it’s a grown-up space that attracts an international crowd of bohemians. Some stay for a while, waking up to terrace, pool and sea views in junior suites before meandering down to paddle-board—ladders descend directly from the accommodations into the water. And some never leave—several Six Senses Residences are available to buy. Read more in our full Six Senses Ibiza review.
Courtesy 7Pines Resort Ibiza/Tomas Alonso Salvador5. 7Pines Resort Ibiza
The all-suite oasis
Atop a cliff among verdant pine groves, this gorgeous hotel enjoys spectacular views from every angle. The designers clearly knew the key selling points–signature restaurant The View is deserving of its definite article, with infinite sea vistas and seafood-led tasting menus. Elsewhere, sunset rituals at Cone Club are nothing short of ethereal. Sink into plush chairs, take in 270-degree views, and sip on mixologist-made cocktails as the sun casts ambers and oranges across the sky.
Wellness is as key to a stay as gin and tonics and multi-course meals. A holistic approach is adopted across the state-of-the-art center, where deep tissue massages ease post-party muscle knots, facials enhance vacation glows, and yoga sessions are paired with nutritional coaching sessions for optimal results. As an all-suite resort, every room has a balcony or terrace. Suites are categorized according to their location, with the most exclusive options in the cliff area. Here, panoramic views, open-plan living spaces, and a home-away-from-home (but better) feel come guaranteed–some even come with expansive terraces decked with sun loungers and private pools.
Ana Lui6. Atzaro, Ibiza
The spa revival
When it opened in 2004, this 24-bedroom working agriturismo kicked off the farm-to-fork ethos on the island, growing all its own fruit and vegetables within the surrounding hills. Now, the rural movement is booming and Atzaró has evolved again. Everyone finally agreed that the Asian-themed styling just wasn’t relevant. So, over the past four years, out went the shantung silks and deep grey walls, the stone Buddhas and black lacquer, and in came mother-of-pearl-inset doors, teak four-posters, polished terracotta tiling and whitewash, the traditional paint of the seven-generations-old family finca. Color now comes from the tumbling towers of bougainvillea outside every window.
This valley is in the heart of Ibiza, and the hotel feels rooted and authentic once again. In the middle of 13 hectares of orange groves, rooms are spread out like a village, with paths and archways, little houses, secret staircases, shaded pergolas, pencil-straight cypress trees, and immaculate gardens. Wood pigeons' coos and the rustle of the wind in the palms provide the soundtrack. Guests drift from pool to pool (there are four, plus plunge pools with many of the rooms too) and then to the open-air spa for rigorous massages and hypnotic facials in the carved wooden treatment rooms, vinyasa flow yoga in the temples, or a soapy scrub-clean in the hammam. Later in the year, when the beaches and bars and late-night hijinks have simmered down, more intensive, involved wellness programs appear on the schedule.
Courtesy Gran Hotel Montesol7. Gran Hotel Montesol, Ibiza
The urban crashpad
It’s been interesting to see how the rush and thrum of Ibiza Town’s main square, Vara del Rey, has changed since cars were diverted away last year. Certainly, it’s quieter, calmer, more sedate. One corner, though, is livelier than ever. The ice-cream-coloured façade of the Montesol remains a sunshine-bright beacon. When it opened in the 1930s, it was the island’s first proper hotel and it’s still going strong. Surprising new owner Hilton may have shaken things up by making it part of the Curio brand, but it has done so with deft sensitivity (the building is a UNESCO asset of cultural interest).
The 33 bedrooms have kept their original charm. Spanish interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán (Palma’s Hotel Cort, Soho House Barcelona) has gone for a contemporary-classic vibe: polished parquet, monogrammed linen, porthole mirrors and dark shutters on the French doors that overlook either the square or the harbor.
The ground-floor Art Deco-style café has a striking Picasso-esque ceramic mural and a huge central bar that’s always full late into the evening. A dinosaur skeleton sculpture sits in the lobby and Toni Riera’s black-and-white photography lines the walls, snapshots of how the island’s hedonistic nightlife has evolved. But best of all is a roof terrace restaurant that no one seems to know about, with a tasting menu (scallop ceviche with Santa Gertrudis olive oil, six-week-matured entrecôte) and knockout views of Dalt Vila. For a long weekend in autumn, this hotel makes Ibiza Town an in-the-know rival to Barcelona and Palma.
Courtesy Can Tres8. Can Tres, Formentera
The hippie hideaway
Just the sort of place you always wish you could stumble across, down a dusty track on the way to the bluest sea. Here are three hidden-away, architect-designed angular houses: Can Aire, Can Mar and Can Terra, each with a handful of rooms. They feel like small apartments in the smartest imagining, with shaded private terraces for hand-delivered breakfasts of freshly baked bread and sticky jams.
The three Madrid-based owners hunted and hunted for a property in Formentera, having fallen for it on holiday, but it took them two years to find anything remotely workable. Fortuitously, the German owner of this plot decided to retire. Orange, lemon, and olive trees were planted to soften the surrounding fragrant scrubland, a swimming pool was put in, and they called on designer Paty Pombo for her modern-vintage take on island style. Rattan peacock chairs now sit alongside rough-hewn wooden swings, railway sleepers take shape as bed platforms, and woven-straw and rope-strung lamps decorate the corners. It’s a textural riot. Ferns pop out of mini planters and baskets of dried garden lavender make the air sweet. As in Puglia, prickly pear leaves hang like decorations against the outside walls. The white-white sand of Migjorn beach is a 10-minute walk away, and the path leads straight to Kiosko 62, a ramshackle beach shack with sensational sunsets and strong Mojitos. There’s no need to venture any further.
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Ana Lui9. Legado Ibiza Finca
The next-level B&B
Everyone said it couldn’t be done. But somehow Austrian owners Andreas Lackner and Andreas Oberkanins worked some wizardry and transformed the old Finca La Colina, in the hills outside of Santa Eularia, in just two months. The retro tiling, royal-blue bathrooms, low ceilings, and dark-stained pine woodwork were speedily ripped out. And in their place is what the Andreases describe as “pop-rustic style”. The tiles of the bright turquoise swimming pool have been painted anthracite grey, and the old wooden daybeds replaced by bespoke mattressed platforms that jut out above the water. The seven redone rooms (two more to follow) are cool, with original foot-thick walls keeping the searing high-summer sun out. Olive tree beams are on show wherever possible. Lackner designed the fabric for the spaces himself (artichoke wallpaper, screen prints of antique embroidery, and scans of delicate old lace are all reimagined as headboards and cushions).
A local welder whom Lackner befriended made those same headboards, along with the dining chairs and almost all of the outdoor furniture, in a rusted metal that runs throughout. The winter sitting room is full of curiosities, including gifts from friends (a painting of a Ken-doll torso). Knobbly lemon vases and knick-knacks come from the inimitable Sluiz interiors warehouse down the road. This is a hotel as house party. A help-yourself, no-rules villa where guests chatter over morning espressos, and swap tips about beach trips and restaurants for supper. It feels fresh and exciting, a new shift for Ibiza.
Liselore Chevalier10. Los Enamorados, Ibiza
The smart seaside hostel
This white-washed former hostel sits atop a row of blue-painted fishermen's huts, tickled by the gentlest of waves. The sprawling waterside terrace acts as bar, restaurant, and sun deck for guests–the type of well-travelled 30-somethings who have been told about this hotel's extraordinary mid-century-tropical aesthetic. They gather with clued-up locals feasting at long tables–Portinatx is a fishing village at heart, and the menu of fish tacos and seared pulpo relies heavily on the local catch. By evening, they'll be sipping Piña Coladas at the bar, which is thatched with faded palm fronds and lined with sheepskin-topped stools. The interiors are a collage of color, texture, and artful precision; each bamboo chair in just the right spot, each slatted line of shade falling just so. Off a long, open-sided corridor are nine jewel-colored bedrooms, where pile rugs and raffia wall hangings create a throwback-motel vibe. Rooms, which are on the small side but boast private sea-view balconies, are decked out with burnt-orange curtains, cornflower-blue tiles and huge triple-mattress CocoMat beds. Facelifts of the originals, the dinky bathrooms don't count colossal showers or fancy basins. But like all other things here, they're so chic you can't look away.
Etosoto11. Etosoto, Formentera
The creative hub
This project has been a labour of love for Parisian owners Grégory Labrousse and his brother Julien (he specializes in the creation and restoration of cultural venues such as Hôtel du Nord and Elysée Montmartre). Five years of toiling the land and cultivating their farm and two years of planning and rebuilding have resulted in a gentle, soulful place, run by the indomitable Noemie Thebaut. The original farmhouse is unrecognizable, the gardens now over-spilling with sweet jasmine, rosemary and fig trees. It is a villa, ostensibly, beautifully, effortlessly decorated by interior designer Elsa Kikoïne, with shell chandeliers and basket lights, rustic bamboo sunbeds and crochet hammocks. The nine bedrooms are tactile, whitewashed, polished-cement escapes, with windows looking out to shaded courtyards.
It feels Grecian, at times Provençal, with a wild edge. The mood is eco and elegant, and mirrors reflect the turquoise hit of sea at Cala En Baster, just beyond the low stone walls. Ahead-of-the-curve families book it out for July and August, others sneak in for weeks when the rooms can be taken separately. The rest of the time, it’s an ideas lab—an artistic, imaginative whirlwind of wellness weeks and fasting, music workshops and filmmaking sessions. Jax Lysycia runs full-moon yin yoga retreats alongside American rolfing expert Ossian Macdonald, whose bodywork focuses on deep-tissue manipulation. For those in pain, this is a transformational experience. For those who are not, Etosoto is just as impactful. Its peaceful, slow pace acts as an automatic wind down, falling asleep to the sound and smell of the sea.
JF Wiens12. Hotel Riomar, Ibiza, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
This is a key player in transforming long-held beliefs about the White Isle. Debauchery and international DJs lie just a short journey away, but the emphasis here is on wellness–at least until the sun goes down. Complimentary yoga sessions ease tanned vacationers into their mornings before groups set off on hiking tours. All that stretching and striding can cause aching muscles. The pool deck, with its stunning sea views, acts as the ultimate crash pad for lazy afternoons.
The building is a mid-20th-century gem. Interiors are classically minimalist–whites, creams, and earthy tones are a calming antidote to some more recent openings that cater to Instagram-and-go crowds (the 2021 refurbishment came from the same team that oversaw the build of Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch). Food is anything but an afterthought. At Ocean Brasserie & Bar, a laid-back hangout favored by locals and visitors alike, breakfasts are devoured by guests after morning activities. Meanwhile TRIBE, one of the island’s coolest new destination bars, is home to sunset sessions. As the sun bids farewell, soak up the low beats and acoustic music, cocktail in hand.
The Standard Ibiza13. The Standard Ibiza
Not just an island for non-stop partying or wellness retreats, the opening of The Standard, Ibiza on the main square of bustling Ibiza Town, has signaled the growing appetite for louche and sophisticated boltholes in this lively and cobbled-stone part of town. Frequented by in-the-know sneaker clad guests and jet-set music industry crowd; you might be having a late dinner next to a DJ about to hit the decks at a nearby club or hang out with fashionable locals having discreet meetings on the sun-drenched rooftop.
The bright-white hotel in its clean-cut neutral colors feels like a tranquil but cool city-escape. There are deeply comfortable rooms for various type of traveller from the neat and small-ish to the sprawling suites and mammoth plush private residence around the corner. During the day in Jara, the street-level restaurant and bar, it’s a tranquil haven with guests drinking cortados and tapping on keyboards before heading upstairs to the rooftop to enjoy zesty poolside cocktails under pretty parasols and sprawling views across town. As the sun sets and the Balearic beat starts to hum, a sultry mood takes over. It’s the kind of place where sundowners lead to dinners and dinners to late-night suppers. This is a well-balanced and perfectly-placed hotel for the traveler who wants a bit of buzz in the center of town, without being catapulted into the thumping scene.
Can Sastre14. Can Sastre, Ibiza
The boutique hideaway
Ten minutes from cool Santa Gertrudis, Can Sastre describes itself as an agriturismo. While there isn’t much sign of farm life, this five-room hotel feels like you’re stepping into the home of owner Bibi and her husband Ray. Their beautiful blonde children dash about (silently) underfoot in towel capes while their parents ask after your night out, or help with dinner reservations, but otherwise leave you to your own devices. The Dutch couple bought and revamped the space in summer 2018, with white finca exteriors draped in bougainvillea and hammocks slung in shady corners. In the bedrooms, things are simple, with whitewashed walls and wicker baskets alongside palm-fringed lampshades. There are organic Meraki lotions from Denmark in the bathroom, which you can also buy to take home from the hotel boutique.
At sundown, help yourself to an enormous glass of blush rosé at the poolside honesty bar and order the just-cooked edamame doused in salt. For breakfast, there are scooped-out wooden bowls of cool acai topped with candied fruit and nuts and beetroot juice for sipping through a bamboo straw. Ask ahead and platters of fresh bread, Iberico ham and manchego cheese can be arranged for lunch. Things here feel homespun and instantly relaxing–it’s as good a spot to hide entirely from the rest of the island as it is a launchpad from which to explore Ibiza’s farm-to-table restaurants, beach clubs, or mega-club scene.
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
