Sant Antoni de Portmany
Encyclopedia
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
. It is the second-largest town and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe". The town is situated on Sant Antoni Bay on the west coast of the island, part of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
autonomous community of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
.
History
For two thousand years, Sant Antoni was a small fishing village, but it began to grow in the late 1950s when many hotels and tourist resorts were built as part of a mass tourism initiative which took place across SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. As the number of tourists grew the development of bars, hotels and other tourist infrastructure spread right around to the other side of San Antonio bay, as far as Cala de Bou which actually lies in the adjacent municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia
Sant Josep de sa Talaia
Sant Josep de sa Talaia is a small town and municipality of the Balearic Islands in western Ibiza. The town is 10.7 miles west of the capital Eivissa and is Located on the PM803 highway between Eivissa town and Sant Antoni de Portmany. The town is 6.5 miles from the islands airport...
.
Since the 1980s British tourists have made up the majority of summertime visitors to San Antonio, many are attracted by programmes such as the Ibiza Uncovered series on Sky TV
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
as well as the laid-back Ibiza lifestyle. Due to the sheer number of noisy and drunken British tourists during the summer season many foreign language websites have begun to actively advise against staying in San Antonio, recommending quiter locations like Santa Eulària
Santa Eulària des Riu
Santa Eulària des Riu is a municipality on the eastern coast of Ibiza. The only river on the island flows through the town of Santa Eulària. The town was depicted, in the time before and up to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in Elliot Paul's Life and Death of a Spanish Town...
and Portinatx
Portinatx
Portinatx is a resort on the island of Ibiza. It is located 40 minutes from the island airport in the municipality of Sant Joan de Labritja and is the most northern resort on the island....
.
Since the global economic crisis
Credit crunch
A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates...
and the end of the Spanish property bubble
Spanish property bubble
The Spanish property bubble refers to the massive growth of real state prices observed, in various stages, from 1985 up to 2008 in Spain. The housing burst can be clearly divided in three periods: 1985-1991, in which the price nearly tripled, 1992-1996, in which the price remained somewhat stable,...
in 2008 the pace of development in San Antonio has slowed and a large number of construction projects remain partially completed. There has also been a dramatic fall in tourist revenue, as many potential visitors have less disposable income to spend on foreign holidays.
The Egg
The Egg is a statue erected in the early 1990s to commemorate the local claim of having been the birthplace of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
(there is a similar claim that Hannibal was born in the region). The statue is in the shape of an egg, containing at its centre a model of his ship; the Santa Maria
Santa María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
.
The choice of an egg comes from a story about Columbus, who when seeking funding for his Western route to the Indies, was told it was impossible. He then allegedly asked if standing an egg upright was impossible, and when told that it was, he cracked the base of an egg, thus making it possible for it to stand upright. He was then granted funding. See Egg of Columbus
Egg of Columbus
An egg of Columbus or Columbus's egg refers to a brilliant idea or discovery that seems simple or easy after the fact. The expression refers to a popular story of how Christopher Columbus, having been told that discovering the Americas was no great accomplishment, challenged his critics to make an...
.
Passeig de ses Fonts
Part of Sant Antoni's harbourside promenade, Passeig de ses Fonts is an area which was developed in the early 1990s to improve the appearance of the town. There are many plants, including palm trees and rubber plantRubber plant
Rubber plant may mean:* Para rubber tree - a major commercial source of natural rubber* Castilla elastica - a source of rubber for the ancient Maya people* Ficus elastica - common ornamental plant...
s, as well as massive fountains, which are illuminated by night. Across the square are a host of restaurants and cafes offering a view over Sant Antoni Bay. It is also the best place from which to watch the massive Fireworks Display which celebrates the fiesta of Saint Bartholomew
Bartholomew
Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel . He was introduced to Christ through St. Philip, another of the twelve apostles as per , where the name Nathaniel first appears. He is also mentioned as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” in...
on 24 August.
West End
West End, San Antonio, Ibiza
An area made up of a few streets and one long bar strip in the popular tourist destination of San Antonio, Ibiza is referred to as "The West End". This area is based around Calle Santa Ines....
' is an area of San Antonio. Only a couple of streets wide; the main street being the Carrer de Santa Agnès, it hosts a variety of bars ranging from the Dance and House music Ibiza is famed for to Rock and indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
music. The best known bars are: Bar Amsterdam, Viva, Hush, Koppas, Capone, Tropicana, Soul City and Play 2. PR staff line the street trying to attract tourists into any of the many bars on the strip with special deals on alcohol.
Sunset Strip
Café del Mar
Café del Mar is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It is known for its sunsets and chill-out music.- Beginning :The Café del Mar was founded by Ramón Guiral, Carlos Andrea, and José Les on 20 June 1980.- Decoration :...
, Savannah and Café Mambo
Café Mambo
Café Mambo is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It is most famous for being the official pre party point for Pacha Ibiza, and hosting some of the most famous DJs in the world including Carl Cox, David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia who have a weekly residency there during the...
are situated, where the likes of Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia is a Swedish House Music group consisting of the three disc jockeys and producers; Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008....
, Carl Cox
Carl Cox
Carl Cox is a British techno and house music DJ.-Biography:Cox grew up in Oldham, Lancashire, before attending Glastonbury High Boys secondary modern school on Glastonbury Road in Morden. Cox began his career as a hardcore and rave DJ in the mid 1980s...
, David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
and Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
DJ on a regular basis. The West facing strip of coastline means that visitors can enjoy beautiful sunsets. Slightly further up the coastline, Kanya, Sunsea Cafe and Coastline Cafe provide a newer generation of sunset bars, complete with swimming pools, and luxury apartments.
Nightclubs
Sant Antoni is home to two of the main Ibiza nightclubs: Eden and Es ParadisEs Paradis
Es Paradís Terrenal , commonly known as Es Paradís, is one of several clubs in Ibiza. It is located in a large pyramid-shaped building, near the egg in Sant Antoni . Its roof opens at times to let sunlight in for the plants inside. Es Paradis is known for its Fiesta Del Agua .-External links:** at...
. Eden is home to some of the world's biggest DJs and promoters and is open from the first weekend in June through to mid to late September. Regular DJs include: Judge Jules
Judge Jules
Judge Jules is a British dance music DJ and producer, known for his DJ activities and popular radio show which achieved global success.-Education:...
, Lisa Lashes, Eddie Haliwell, Alex Ellenger, Nathan Viva and more. Promoters include: Judgement Sundays, Garlands & Twice As Nice & Clubland (recently rebranded to be called - Ibiza Live).
Over the road from Eden is one of Ibiza's oldest Clubs, Es Paradis, established in 1975. Promoters are generally lower key than those across the road but do include the world renowned Hed Kandi
Hed Kandi
Hed Kandi is an UK-based record label and a music brand which was established in 1999 by Mark Doyle, specialising in funky, soulful house music. Hed Kandi's catalogue includes both artist albums and various genres of club compilations. As well as producing music albums and compilations, Hed Kandi...
, and it is famous for its water party held every Wednesday and Saturday nights.
A project to develop another superclub in San Antonio called "Idea" was started in the 1980s but remained partially completed until the much criticised seafront structure was eventually demolished in 2011.
External links
- The Town Hall website
- Local government website
- Google maps of Sant Antoni
- Sant Antoni Beaches
- Gallery of images from San Antonio bay on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- San Antonio Bay Travel Guide & Panoramic Virtual Tours