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Chilled Ibiza: Experience the Ultimate Sunset Mix

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Arriving at the sweeping bay of Cala Xarraca, on the far tip of the island close to Portinatx, I cast my mind back 25 years to a summer weekend’s camping beside a freshwater spring that dribbled out of the cliff.

You might find a sparkly W hotel in a bustling little town never previously noted for its glamour (Santa Eulalia). Finally, the island gets the avant-garde coctelería it’s been wanting for years, set in the foodie hub of Santa Gertrudis. One of the first wave of agriturismos in Ibiza, Can Domo was recently taken over by the three Spanish partners behind Can Tres on Formentera. I stood on my balcony and took in the sight below: a beauteous pool, bright young things lounging in swimwear, the gentle thud of house music. I drove back west to a place that has lingered in a corner of my mind for a quarter of a century: Punta Galera, where the natural terraces of smooth rock act as shelves for sunbathing like a lizard.It’s a story I’ve told before: for 10 years I lived in an old casa payesa in Sant Vicent de sa Cala at a time (the 1990s) when rent was as cheap as chips, smartphones and the internet hadn’t happened yet, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a good hotel on the island.

My stomping ground was always the rural north: the hills and villages around Santa Inés, San Juan and Cala San Vicente. On a hot day it bustles with beautiful people who come for chef Rafa Zafra’s impeccably prepared fish and shellfish. Here, the reinvention effort was a labour of love, taking an Eighties, plain-Jane family hotel to the next level with a total overhaul, a fine, Italian-inflected restaurant in La Mesa Escondida, wonderful gardens and rooftop tables for soaking up the extraordinary panorama. Lying in bed the next morning with the dazzle of a flaming June day filtering through the shutters, I looked up at the ceiling of my bedroom at Can Domo. A moratorium by the Balearic government has halted the construction of new hotels on non-urban land, essentially forcing would-be developers to revamp old ones.The group has overhauled the house and its grounds, drawing on a deep knowledge of the area’s traditional architecture. Moving from its party-hard peak, Ibiza has gone through an introspective shift, with a desire to slow life down so it can hit its rhythm again.

The dark-green hillsides dotted with farmhouses in the typical white- washed, cuboid style; the tiendas selling everything from sandals to sardines; the clouds of chalky dust that billowed up on the bumpy tracks among the pines. As I traversed the island, I found plenty to confound my expectations as well as stir up long-dormant memories.Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. I committed it to memory as I set off to catch my flight with the salt still drying on my skin: ‘Accept, and let it go. Meanwhile, it’s drawn in more bohemian creatives such as Patricia Marañón, a floral designer working with organic and wild blooms, and her friend Laura de Grinyo, a ceramicist inspired by the forms of classic ibicenco pottery.

Meanwhile, the island continues to evolve, even if old-timers such as me sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the new realities. For 10 whole years, I reflected, something very similar to this view of beams and rough-hewn plaster was what I gazed at. Not to be missed are the multicoloured installation by artist Miranda Makaroff and chef Jean Imbert’s avocado dish – it’s oven-baked and delicious. She also knows about the loveliest new hotels, especially those low-key ones that open their doors quietly.In front of this impromptu shrine, a bearded fellow in the lotus position was doing something with a rolling paper. Another example of this is Petunia, where I stopped one evening for dinner on a terrace with mesmeric views of the rocky islet Es Vedrà.

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