A Blend of Europe and North Africa Is Present in Ibiza

Greeks called Ibiza the Isle of Pines, which seems a bit too bucolic for a place that had been a staging area for armies of just about every country ringing the Mediterranean since seven centuries before Christ, a revolving door that only ended with the reconquest of Spain from the Moors in 1492.

That, unfortunately for Ibiza, was about the time Spain began devoting her energies to conquests and riches in the New World, abandoning these Balearic Islands to Barbary Coast pirates and other marauders.

On balance, it almost seems as if the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Normans and Moors were less bothersome; they at least left vestiges of their culture.

Ibiza is closer to Algiers than it is to Barcelona. That, along with the Moorish occupation, accounts for the island’s strong feeling of North Africa: the severe simplicity of blinding white, cube-like buildings; Arab water wheels and windmills; the convoluted alleyways of a medina, and spirited dancing to drums and castanets, so like the finger cymbals of Africa.

After all its difficulties with armies, brigands and such, Ibiza has emerged in the last several decades as one of Spain’s most relaxed resorts. The marvelous beaches, balmy climate and laissez-faire attitude of locals has targeted Ibiza as a utopian destination for free-spirited people of all ages.

To here: Iberia flies nonstop to Madrid and, along with Aviaco, on to Ibiza. British Airways, KLM and TWA also go to Madrid with stops.

How long/how much? Give the island a couple of days for a day trip over to sister-island Formentera. Dining is very reasonable, accommodations from moderate hotels to expensive resorts.

A few fast facts: Spain’s peseta recently traded at 118 to the dollar, about .0085 each. Weather is generally pleasant all year, without the torrid summers and harsh winters of central Spain. Ibiza’s towns and resorts are spotted around and through its 20-by-12-mile area, so use a rental car or motor scooter to get around, although taxis are available.

Getting settled in: Hotel La Cala (Calle Huesca 1, Santa Eulalia; $32 U.S. double low season, $68 high) is a modern place where 180 rooms each have a balcony, many overlooking the central pool and outdoor dining terrace. Rooms are handsomely appointed with contemporary furnishings. Good restaurant and bar. It’s at town center, a short walk from marina and main beach. Hotel Ses Roques (Calle del Mar 14; $26 double) also enjoys a good location on a quiet street near mid-town. Neat and spotless bedrooms are moderate size, some with wonderful views of the bay. This one has a modest restaurant with a pizza oven.

Hotel Hacienda (near San Miguel; $110 B&B; double low season, $179 high) is the best and most beautiful on the island, a truly gorgeous example of Ibizan-Moorish architecture built around a traditional Spanish patio, with a pool and dining terrace to the side. Hacienda is a member of the Relais et Chateau hotel group; it’s one of the finest we’ve seen. Breakfast is a sumptuous buffet. Other meals an imaginative selection of local, classic Spanish and continental fare.

Half-pension at Hacienda is $24 per person, full-pension is $45, almost a bargain considering the food, service and ambiance.

Regional food and drink: Balearic Islands cuisine relies heavily on a rich supply of seafood: langosta , a sea crayfish or small lobster; lenguado , sole; merluza , the cod-like hake and Spain’s most common fish; turbot, clams and prawn. Pork, chicken and rabbit are plentiful, all prepared in a variety of dishes or served simply a la plancha .

Local red wine is rather sturdy, approaching a Marsala in taste and bouquet. Palo is an aperitif made with locust beans and oranges that has a lovely taste and formidable kick; a limit of two is recommended. Frigola is an herbal drink served with ice and soda in summer. Hierbas is another herbal wine drink said to have an aphrodisiacal quality.

Moderate-cost dining: Sa Capella (half a mile from San Antonio) is a desanctified chapel a few steps from the underground Church of Santa Ines, used as a place of worship in the 14th Century. The medieval chapel’s nave is breathtaking in its austere beauty, with soaring ceiling and religious artifacts.

The menu is a compendium of just about everything good to eat on Ibiza, from shellfish soup to a mixed grill of seafood, tiny lamb chops to a rabbit grilled over charcoal with loads of garlic. One of the best meals we’ve had in Spain.

Dona Margarita (Paseo Maritimo, Santa Eulalia) looks out on the town’s main beach and is the namesake of its owner, a handsome and affable woman concerned with guest comfort and satisfaction. Traditional in menu and decor, this is the place to go for a sampling of Ibiza’s tempting array of entremeses, perhaps a fillet of fresh merluza served with garlic mayonnaise, or roast suckling pig.

We heard nothing but raves for the kitchen of Sa Punta (Calle Macabich 36, Santa Eulalia), some pronouncing it the best on the island. And the La Marina district of Ibiza City is a warren of restaurants and cafes with good food at moderate prices.

On your own: Start a tour in Ibiza City with a drive to the upper town surrounded by 16th-Century walls and battlements. The 13th-Century cathedral is there as well as the Archeological Museum, which has a selection of 7th-Century BC Punic, Greek and Roman artifacts, gathered from around the island. Most impressive. Views of the harbor and coast from the upper town are spellbinding.

The Sa Pensa fishermen’s district takes a bit of walking, but is well worth it for its impressions of Ibiza’s colorful past. The tumble of old houses in Sa Pensa is a photographer’s heaven, as is the town market on its edge.

The tourist office in Ibiza will give you a map of the town and island, the latter showing the way to such towns as Santa Eulalia, San Antonio and Puerta San Miguel. At Es Canar just outside Santa Eulalia, you’ll find a year-round flea market. But don’t get your hopes up for discovering an old santo or other priceless antique. Es Canar is noted more for the type of goods you find in “hippie markets” the world over, which are not exactly heirlooms.

Ibiza is also the disco capital of Spain, if not all of Europe, with enormous dance halls going full tilt until sunup. Many bizarre costumes make a Halloween gala look like a church social.

For more information: Call the National Tourist Office of Spain at (213) 658-7188, or write 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 960, Beverly Hills 90211 for a brochure on Ibiza and Formentera, another on the Balearic Islands, plus a list of accommodations and a map of Spain.