San Antonio Town Holidays

A few decades ago, San Antonio Town – or Sant Antoni de Portmany, as the locals call it – was a sunny little fishing town, host to the odd hippie traveller. That all changed in the Eighties, though. Nowadays, this place is the loudest postcode in the Balearic Islands – with elegant dining spots and great shopping to top off its clubbing crown.

San Antonio’s huge natural harbour didn’t come with its own beach, so they put in a 500-metre stretch themselves. The soft, flat sands are right in the middle of town, fringed by trendy bars and sunloungers, and the sea is calm and shallow. Regular ferries run to a handful of Ibiza's other beaches if you fancy a change.

San Antonio’s nights gear up on the Sunset Strip, which is filled with chill-out clubs and café bars. And they end 10 minutes’ walk away in the lively West End part of town with its maze of boisterous discos, superclubs and bars. Low-key can be an option, too, with relaxing post-dinner cocktails on offer along the twinkling seafront.

The island’s capital is a 20-minute drive away. It’s the yin to San Antonio Town’s yang, with a walled old town bursting with Medieval alleys and time-worn churches, a 14th-century cathedral, and several museums. Downhill, the marina's the place to order a strawberry daiquiri and watch the super-rich moor their yachts. Clubbing goliaths Pacha, Amnesia and Space are just round the corner from here.