Where to swim, walk and eat in Cala Llonga, Ibiza

The beach and the shallows

Platja de Cala Llonga is the bay the resort was built around: a free public beach of pale golden sand, the turquoise shallows shelving away so gradually that the water stays calm. That knee-deep water, so far out, makes it the most family-proof bay on Ibiza's east coast. Large family and friend groups are normal on the sand. Sunbeds come through the beach concession, which books rows in blocks: two loungers and a parasol cost €20 to €25.

Flippers has stood at the beach edge for two decades, open-fronted under sun-faded awnings, with stools along a long bar, cold beer taps, and the sea running the width of the bay in front of you. Tex-Mex and international plates arrive from 10:00 to 00:00, mains €12 to €20. No booking needed. It closes Mondays.

The mirador on the ridge

Mirador de Cala Llonga is a cliff-edge lookout on the pine-covered ridge above the bay. There is a low stone wall, and then the whole horseshoe and its turquoise shallows several hundred feet below. It is free, unstaffed and open at all hours. Steps climb to it from the resort. The drive up the Munt Kilimanjaro hillside roads ends at space for a handful of cars, so a group should split across vehicles or go up on foot.

South to Sol d'en Serra

Sol d'en Serra lies a kilometre south of the resort, at the end of a dirt track. The strand is pebble and shingle, 300 m long and a few metres wide at the foot of a sheer ochre cliff, with a stone staircase dropping from the clifftop. The water is clear and deep, which is what brings the snorkellers and divers, though currents can run. Nothing shades the stones, and the only facilities are at the restaurant above.

Amante Ibiza is that restaurant. Its terraces step down the cliff under white parasols and olive trees, and a Josper charcoal oven stands open to the room. The view is the best in the district, and mains run €30 to €50. It opens May to late October, and peak summer books out weeks ahead, so reserve several days before you want a table or a lounger. The stone stairway down to the cove runs through the restaurant.

The coast path to Cala Olivera

The Cala Llonga – Cap des Llibrell – Cala Olivera coast path starts at the Sol d'en Serra car park and loops 7 km to the small cove of Cala Olivera, passing the Punic-era remains excavated on Cap des Llibrell. It is free and unticketed. The red dirt track runs through low pine and juniper, dry-stone ruins sit on the Llibrell headland, and Formentera shows on the horizon. A rope swing hangs from a pine above a sheer drop to the sea, and that is the spot walkers photograph. The path narrows to single file in places, and the loose rock means proper shoes.

Paddleboards and the ferry jetty

Ibiza Crystal SUP keeps its main base at the quiet end of the bay, where bright boards stack on the sand and the instructors work in rash vests. The water there is shallow and clear over pale sand and seagrass, flat and sheltered enough for a first attempt. An hour's rental is €25, two hours €40. A guided tour costs €55 a person and paddles out of the cove to caves and snorkel spots you cannot reach on foot. Each guide takes up to six people, so guides split a larger party between them.

The Santa Eulalia Ferry noses onto a short concrete jetty at the north end of the sand, a small blue-and-white open-deck boat you board straight off the beach. It is the best way out of the bay. The coastal run into Ibiza Town docks below the Dalt Vila walls, and a return costs €20 to €30. Santa Eulària, Cala Pada and Es Canar sit on the same network, and Formentera day trips are added July to September. You can book online or turn up at the jetty. Seating is not reserved.

Golf in the hills at Roca Llisa

Golf Ibiza (Roca Llisa) is the only golf on the island, five minutes inland by car. Its fairways are cut through dense pine and carob on red soil below a low whitewashed clubhouse, and the hills open on sea glimpses between the holes. The nine-hole course dates from 1972; the 18-hole par 72 was added in 1992. A round of 18 is €97, nine holes €64. It stays open all year to non-members, hires out buggies, clubs and lessons, and takes tee times by phone or online.

Thursday nights on the promenade

Cala Llonga Market sets up on the seafront promenade every Thursday from 18:00 to 22:30, early May to the end of October. White-canopied stalls run under fairy lights, with hand-tooled leather and silver jewellery laid out and a live band at one end, the dark bay behind it all. Entry is free and stalls start at €10. It is smaller and calmer than Las Dalias, there are children's activities, and a pushchair goes through it easily. You can put dinner on the promenade either side of a walk through.

Eating in the resort

Altravia Ibiza (Sol y Mar building) keeps a compact terrace on the pedestrian promenade: white tablecloths, rattan chairs, and the beach path and pines a few steps away. The cooking is Italian-led Mediterranean with vegetarian and vegan dishes, mains €16 to €26. It opens evenings only, Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays. It takes reservations, and the parking nearby is free.

Can Nuts (Carrer Valle de Roncal) is a street-corner bar a block back from the tourist frontage, with pavement tables out front, a chalkboard tapas list, and hams and cold cuts behind the counter. Tapas run €5 to €12, and the kitchen covers breakfast through to late tapas and burgers, vegetarian plates included. No booking needed. It closes Tuesdays.

Dinner up the hill and inland

The Wild Asparagus has been cooking above the resort since 1968 and is still the local answer for home cooking with a view. Wooden tables sit on a small hillside terrace under a vine-shaded pergola, the bay and both cliffs framed below. Mains are €18 to €28, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. The walk up is steep, which is part of the appeal. Ring ahead: the terrace fills fast at sunset.

Casa Piedra is an old Ibicenco farmhouse two kilometres inland on the Cala Llonga road, rough dry-stone walls, candlelit tables among the olive and citrus trees, lanterns hung in the branches. It cooks Mediterranean and Vietnamese over charcoal, dinner only, and closes Tuesdays. The tasting menu is €70 a person and the wine pairing adds €40. Book a table.

Where to stay

Mondrian Ibiza terraces low whitewashed cubist blocks into the pine hillside above the bay, with cactus and olive planting between them and infinity pool decks looking straight down the cove. Rooms run €300 to €600 a night in season. Three of its kitchens take non-residents by reservation: Cuyo for Mexican, Niko al Fresco for Japanese and the Sonrojo chiringuito on the sand.

Palladium Hotel Cala Llonga is adults only, strictly 18 and over, so under-18s cannot stay. The four-storey white hotel stands directly behind the beach, with a large terraced pool deck, palms and loungers, a spa, a gym and tennis. Half-board through to premium all-inclusive runs €180 to €320 a night in season, and the hotel opens April to October.

Planning around the closed days

Flippers and Altravia close Mondays, Can Nuts and Casa Piedra close Tuesdays, and Amante and the Thursday market run the summer season only. The clifftop tables, the guided paddleboard slots and the inland dinner all need booking ahead.

See the Ibiza guide and the Ibiza hotel search.