Petunia Ibiza

Petunia Ibiza

The southwest of Ibiza is the least visited and most dramatic part of the island. The coastline here is rugged, the roads narrow and winding, and the development comparatively sparse in a way that gives the landscape back to itself. The defining feature of this coast is Es Vedrà, a sheer limestone islet rising 382 metres from the sea about two kilometres offshore, a geological formation of such commanding presence that it has accumulated legends in proportion to its scale: Phoenician sailors worshipped it, navigational instruments are said to malfunction in its proximity, and the island appears in more mythologies than almost any other formation in the Mediterranean. Whether or not you believe any of that, the experience of watching the sun set behind it from the southwest coast of Ibiza is one of those visual events that people return to the island specifically to repeat. Cala d'Hort, five minutes' drive from the hotel, is the beach most directly facing it. Cala Carbó, a small pebbled cove where the hotel has direct access, is a few minutes' walk down a dusty track. Petunia is a Beaumier hotel perched on the hillside above Cala Carbó, its whitewashed terraces and bougainvillaea-draped walls orienting everything toward Es Vedrà and the sea. The property, redesigned by Atelier Saint-Lazare in a collaboration with New York-based Argentine architect Lula Valdés, has 17 rooms and 25 suites, all designed around the philosophy of restraint: whitewashed walls, traditional masonry furniture, natural fabrics, understated woodwork, the palette of whites and earth tones interrupted only by photographs from Ibiza's golden years and sculptures by local artists. Private terraces and rooftops face the sea throughout. The rooms that directly face Es Vedrà are the ones to book, and watching the rock change colour in the last light from a private terrace with a drink is the experience the hotel is built around. The kitchen garden supplies the three restaurants on site, with what cannot be grown locally sourced daily from island producers. La Mesa d'Es Vedrà is the flagship dining space, La Mirada a rooftop crudo bar with raw seafood and panoramic views, and Los Olivos a more relaxed poolside option. Complimentary daily activities include yoga, pilates, and outdoor cinema. The guests are those who came to Ibiza for the landscape rather than the nightlife, who want the kind of quiet that comes from being on the southwest coast with that particular view, and who find the combination of serious natural beauty and a hotel that does not compete with it more compelling than anything closer to the clubs. You will need a car. Ibiza Town is thirty minutes. The airport is twenty-two kilometres away. None of this is a problem if you came specifically for this. The short version: A 42-room Beaumier hotel on the hillside above Cala Carbó on Ibiza's quiet southwest coast, facing Es Vedrà directly. Whitewashed walls and natural materials throughout, three restaurants including a rooftop crudo bar, a kitchen garden, daily yoga and pilates, and a private track to the beach. The best sunset on the island is five minutes' drive away. Twenty minutes from the airport, thirty from Ibiza Town. For people who came for the landscape.