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Flower power still rules on Ibiza

While Spain’s mainland suffered under the repressive regime of dictator Franco, Ibiza was known as a libertine flower power paradise with wild full moon parties, quiet beaches for nude sunbathing and widely available soft drugs. Even today, you can still find traces of the hippie lifestyle on the “White Island”. Check out these 3 hotspots for those who still relish the flower power.

Beach

Saturday hippie market at Las Dalias

The Las Dalias hippie market

Many of the hippies who came to Ibiza in the 1960s settled in the remote north of the island, in run-down fincas in small villages such as Sant Carles. Bar Las Dalias was hippie central: the place for new-age parties where drugs were brought in by the busload. Today, it’s tourists who are brought in by the busload. Flyers advertise the Saturday hippie market as a place where “authentic hippies sell colourful jewellery, bongos and handmade crafts”.

Hippie-hangout Bar Anita in Sant Carles

The magical mailboxes of Bar Anita

Bar Anita in the hippie village of Sant Carles is still one of the original hippie hangouts. The thick walls are whitewashed, delicious tapas dishes line the counter and the notice board is full of ads for yoga retreats, tai chi courses and holistic massages. On the patio under the vines, tables and chairs wobble on the cobblestone floor – sit carefully and enjoy a drink. This place attracts not only tourists but also locals, if only to empty their mailboxes. Nothing has changed since the sixties.

Sunday hippie party in Cala Benirràs

Sunday hippie beach: Cala Benirràs

On weekdays, Cala Benirràs is one of the most beautiful beaches on Ibiza, set on a protected cove and bordered by gently rustling pine trees. On sunny Sundays, around sunset, modern hippies flock here from far and wide to build camp fires on the beach and dance, eat, drum and dance the night away. Grab a table at the laid-back beach bar and watch the pink sun disappear behind a rocky island in the Mediterranean. Peace.

Beach

This iconic image graces practically every postcard: Es Vedrà, the uninhabited rocky island shrouded in myths, miracles, magnetism and magic – and the most beautiful Balearic sunset. This is perhaps the most stunning spot on Ibiza: no wonder the southwest coast is popular among nature lovers. Although not far from Ibiza Town, it feels like you are all alone in the world.