If you were to come to the White Isle and not visit Las Salinas Ibiza, you would be doing yourself a massive disservice.
And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?
Known for being super-cool and incredibly picturesque, there is more to Las Salinas Ibiza than may initially meet the eye.
- It’s one of the most spectacularly beautiful beaches in Ibiza, with lush views over to Formentera
- It’s a World Heritage site
- It has some 2 of Ibiza’s most iconic beach bars with legendary resident DJs spinning classic Balearic grooves
- It’s a protected nature reserve that’s home to the World’s oldest living organism
Not bad, huh?!
Your Boats Ibiza bloggers, as always, want you to have the best possible experience so we’ve got right down to the nitty-gritty so you have all you need to know in one easy read.
Jam-packed with our best suggestions, along with some fascinating history and fun facts that you can amaze and impress your friends with, we proudly present our 2018 bluffer’s guide to Las Salinas Ibiza.
Read on…and enjoy!
The weather in Las Salinas
The microclimate of Ibiza is something of a phenomenon.
It’s not unusual for rain to be pelting down at one side of the island, whilst bright sunshine blesses the other.
But, as unbelievable as it may sound, it’s a well-known fact amongst residents and long-standing visitors that the sun pretty much always shines in Las Salinas.
How weird is that?
Maybe it’s because the salt pans make this area so flat that clouds don’t collect above it like other places on the island.
Or maybe it’s just an urban myth.
Who knows?
What I do know, though, is that a friend of mine recently celebrated her birthday on a particularly cloudy and grey-skied day.
Checking in with various friends dotted around the island, it seemed that everywhere was experiencing the same dull weather conditions.
On a whim, she decided to head to Las Salinas to check out this theory.
And guess what?
Bright and sunny!
Must be something in it, right?
Getting to Las Salinas
Las Salinas can be reached by car, taxi, bicycle or bus.
Or boat!
If you are part of a group, then you can charter your own boat from Ibiza Town and take the southern route to Las Salinas. Although this is naturally the luxury option, prices do start from as little as €160 per person + fuel for full day boat rental when you split the cost between the group. The price, in this case for our 49ft Sunseeker Portofino, often includes a free bar too.
We assure you it’s money well spent, just check out some TripAdvisor reviews!
But if you’re on a budget…
Buses run every 30 minutes during summer from Ibiza Town and there is a less frequent service via Playa d’en Bossa. Fast, cheap and no parking hassles.
If you decide to drive in, just be aware that there is very little free parking at Las Salinas. There is one small area where the locals tend to park but we’d exercise caution trying your luck there. It’s always rammed and the last thing you want is a bump on your rental car.
That said, there is a big car park with covered bays where you can leave your vehicle. This will cost you €5 whether you stay for 10 minutes or all day.
Alternatively, at just 6km from Playa d’en Bossa and 10km from Ibiza Town, a taxi ride in isn’t going to break the bank. You’d be looking at around €15 – €20.
Getting back, you’ll find the bars and restaurants happy to give you the number for the local taxi…or maybe to even phone for you if you’ve left a decent tip! 😉
Best places to go for lunch at Las Salinas
Las Salinas boasts a veritable plethora of top quality bars and restaurants.
Whilst it may not the cheapest place to lunch, we say it’s well worth it for the amazing gourmet food, breathtaking views and sophisticated, chilled vibe.
Let’s have a look at some of the most popular restaurants at Las Salinas.
Jockey Club Ibiza
Located in the middle of Salinas beach, Jockey Club Ibiza is easily recognisable by the emblematic blue horse prancing on the roof.
Opening its doors in 1993, the concept behind Jockey Club was to create a place where people from all walks of life, and from all over the world, could meet in a carefree and friendly environment, surrounded by beauty.
Twenty-five years later and they are still succeeding with that!
Jockey Club is the epitome of a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Friendly, professional and stylish, when it comes to great hospitality, this restaurant has got it all going on.
Boasting a tasty Mediterranean menu and exclusive wine list, the cuisine here is based on the concept of slow food.
There is a good number of sun loungers and parasols for hire and, should walking to the restaurant seem too much like hard work, you can stay put and be served right there on your bed.
Oh, and if you’re arriving by sea, Jockey Club also offers a boat transfer service.
With DJs spinning chilled Balearic tunes and a few cute shops selling branded clothes and jewellery, Jockey Club ticks all the boxes for a perfect Ibiza lunch experience.
Psst: The amazing Melon Bomb boys hold the occasional day-time funk-a-thon down at the Jockey Club. 100% recommend!
Sa Trinxa
Located on the sand at the far end of Salinas beach, Sa Trinxa is something of an Ibiza institution.
Whilst certainly not a full-on club, the restaurant’s consistently great soundtrack spills out onto the beach creating a lovely party vibe…and often resulting in people getting on down to the tunes right there on the sandy dance floor!
With sweeping and bright coastal views, colourful decor and relaxed, social atmosphere, Sa Trinxa has been oozing its unique energy out onto Salinas since 1978. Check out the Ibiza Balearic Maestro himself, Jon Sa Trinxa, spinning one of his sublime sunset sessions.
The food is fresh, the menu varied and you can choose between dining in the restaurant or being served on the beach.
Last year, Boats Ibiza’s guest restaurant reviewer, Louise Nealon had the pleasure of dining at Sa Trinxa and had a ball. You can take a look at what she has to say right here.
Las Salinas Beach
Las Salinas is arguably one of the best-known and iconic of Ibiza’s beaches.
A firm favourite amongst the international jet set and many an A-lister, the silky soft white sand stretches out in a long, wide curve from Ses Portes watchtower to the little village of Sa Canal.
The entire coastline is surrounded by thick forests of pine and juniper trees, and gorgeous, undulating sand-dunes.
Simply put, it’s stunning, ladies and gents.
Needless to say, during the summer, Las Salinas gets pretty busy but heading to the southern end of the beach, you’ll find a very rocky coastline.
The further along you walk, the more dramatic and craggy the rock formations become. But, lo and behold, dotted here and there are some spectacular little sandy coves, hidden from view. Some contain mysterious carvings in the rocks…
If you’re very lucky and time it right (early morning is the best) you might even be able to bag yourself your own private beach.
Especially good if nudie sunbathing is your thing!
The sea
The sea at Las Salinas is strikingly blue and crystal clear. The water is shallow, the seabed gently sloping, all which make for good, safe bathing, especially for the kiddies. Perhaps not surprisingly, the sea here is particularly salty which makes it incredibly easy to stay afloat when swimming.
You will find amphibious wheelchairs and walker-rollators available, giving the disabled access into the sea, under the watchful eye of the lifeguards.
Lots of water sports are available at Las Salinas, including SUP, kayaking, windsurfing and paddle boarding. The big breakers here on windy days make it perfect for a good body-surf.
Naturally ladies and gents, most of these toys (with the exception of wind-surfing) are included in our Top 10 boat packages. Go ahead, check ’em out right here! 😉
Most of our speedboats come with watersports options too, so if water-skiing, wake-surfing, mono-boarding and other high-adrenaline sports are your thing, you can check out options and prices right here.
If sailing and wind-based sports are your thing, then Salinas Sailing Club offer options for all ages and also organise uber-cool full moon excursions during the summer.
Undoubtedly, Las Salinas is one of Ibiza’s coolest beaches; vibrant, classy and surrounded by raw, natural beauty.
What more could you possibly ask for?
History of the salt plains at Las Salinas Ibiza
The visually spectacular and historically significant salt pans at Las Salinas Ibiza, or Ses Salines (to use the local Catalan variation), date back some 2000 years.
The salt flats were first exploited by the Carthaginians around the 5th century B.C. and were successively improved up by the following civilisations who inhabited Ibiza.
For centuries, the extraction of salt was the most important industry in Ibiza. The location of the island was a strategic spot in the Mediterranean Sea and the importance of salt was the basis of Ibiza’s economic survival over several hundred years.
Not only was it traded to season and preserve food, but it also served as currency and this is what raised Ibiza’s significance in the networks of international merchantry.
Warlords & pirates
In 1235, Ibiza was conquered by warlords, Guillem de Montgri, Pedro of Portugal and the Count of Rosello, and they aspired to re-build the industry. They figured out that the production of salt would probably be the only way to generate income or public revenue.
To the warlords’ credit, they established Las Salinas as a “summum bonum” or a collective good. In other words, all proceeds (minus 10% that Montgri kept back for himself and his knights) were given back to the people of Ibiza, being mainly used for military defence against the constant threat of pirates.
Harvesting the salt was gruelling work to say the least. Men would travel from all parts of Ibiza to rake out the salt and carry it in tightly wound baskets on top of their heads to the waiting boats at the shore.
They would be in searing agony as, despite protective towelling, a mixture of seawater and salt would run out of the baskets, down their faces and into their eyes.
Ouch.
Gruelling
And if this wasn’t bad enough, harvesting took place during the hottest months of the year and the poor men didn’t even have the comfort of returning home after they finished their hard day’s work. Travel around the island in days of yore was restricted to foot or horse, and so the workers would stay in barracks until the end of the season.
In the 18th century, the tiny church of San Francisco was built for the salt-workers and the impressive statue in the churchyard today pays homage to those hardworking men of old.
When the Industrial Revolution arrived in Ibiza, around 1885, the salt works were radically upgraded and expanded. Furnished now with locomotives, steam-powered mills, a tug-boat and telephone, the installations were highly complex for the time.
Their main purpose was – and continues to be – allowing a controlled amount of seawater to enter the pans, and also to control the degree of salinity.
In the 19th century, a new dock was built and remains at its present-day location of Sa Cova Llarga or, as it is better known, La Canal.
The Natural Park of Ses Salines
The Parque Natural de Ses Salines is an eco-system that stretches from the south-east coast of Ibiza right the way over to Formentera.
It is home to a whopping 210 catalogued birds, including herons, ospreys, black-winged stilts, shelduck, ringed plovers, peregrine falcons and…best of all…flamingos! Literally hundreds of flamingos arrive between August and October and stay for the entire winter. Others use the park as a stop-over to build their energy on their migration to warmer climes.
With salt production activity being carried out here for centuries, a unique and impressive landscape has been formed…all presided over by the magnificent “salt mountain” which twinkles and towers majestically over the salt pans.
TIP!
This is a great place to head for an unforgettable Ibiza sunset. As the light reflects in the water, the salt flats turn mystical shades of glimmering orange and pink.
It’s special.
Interestingly enough, about 75% of the park’s total area lies beneath the surface the sea. The incredible seagrass, Posidonia Oceanic, recognised as the best preserved in the whole Mediterranean basin, calls this coastline home.
It’s also the oldest living being in the entire world. Living right here on Las Salinas Ibiza (who can blame it?) 😉
The seabeds here shelter over 200 different species that form the marine sea life.
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Parque de Ses Salines is truly one of Ibiza’s natural treasures.
So, there you have it. All you could possibly want to know about Las Salinas Ibiza, in one easy read.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our bluffer’s guide and do let us know if you visit there yourself!
Tell us all about it.
We’d love to hear from you!
Words | Jinny Throup Images | Mostly Cat Milton with the odd contribution from Jane C 🙂
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