‘It’s Ibiza lite,’ says my trip guide about Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza, as we whizz through the island’s lush hillsides in a taxi on our way to the hotel.
What she means is this: at the four-star resort Amàre you can be either a beachy hippy or a club rat (the dichotomy of ‘beefa, basically) – or for the most fulfilling stay, try a bit of both. So whether you’re going down the route of balearic poolside beats fuelled by unlimited breakfast mimosas, or rooftop yoga, heavenly massages, and serene swims, at Amàre you get to choose your own adventure, Ibiza style.
Why stay at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza?
To put it simply, Amàre Ibiza is a non-pretetious place to kick back, lounge by the pool and enjoy the Island’s nighttime delights. It’s in a good location for getting to both the nightclubs and the more tranquil beaches, but there’s enough going on inside the resort that you could happily stay there for a week without leaving.
If luxe exclusivity is your motive, Amàre also gives guests the option to book access to ‘The One’, a VIP lounge offering unlimited free snacks and drinks all day long, and a private seafront terrace, as well as a 10 percent discount on the minibar and wellness treatments. This adults-only resort did have quite a few hen parties (where in Ibiza doesn’t?) but it was nothing imposing, and it was quite fun playing ‘spot the bride’ when gaggles of women would arrive at reception in matching sparkly outfits.
What are the rooms like at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza?
Bright, modern and white rooms are on the ticket for a stay at Amàre Ibiza. Blue accents and a hanging rattan chair add to the serene beachy vibe, while spacious, comfortable beds, rainwater showers and a large flat-screen TV make a convincing case for holing up in your room with Netflix for the duration of your stay. Rooms are also kitted out with Molton Brown bath products, a Nespresso machine and a mini bar. But the poolside and ocean views should be enough to drag you out of your comfort-induced hibernation.
I stayed in a ‘Keep The Secret’ room on the fifth floor. It was cosy, comfortable and had a lovely view of the pool and ocean. For storage, I could have done with more than one drawer for my clothes (couples may struggle here), but there were a decent amount of coat hangers. A bluetooth speaker also could have gone a long way. In total the hotel has 366 rooms spanning two high-rise blocks. Rooms range from €175 (£150) to €329 (£283) per night for the most luxurious ‘Oh Là Là The One’ room, which includes access to the VIP lounge.
What should you eat at Amàre Ibiza?
For dinner, don’t miss ceviche at the latin-fusion restaurant Hayaca on the Amàre rooftop. This was followed by an ever-so-tender hunk of wagyu steak and crispy fries. Yum. The seafront ground-floor restaurant Mare Nostrum has a buffet every evening, where you can take your pic from a veritable smorgasbord of worldwide eats, including fresh pasta, sushi, fresh fish from the grill, salads and more.
And oh, the breakfast! Mare Nostrum has one of the best brekky spreads I’ve ever seen. Smoked salmon, every kind of egg, bacon, smashed avo, breads upon breads, yoghurts, endless mimosas, an omelette bar – it has everything. For lunch, press a buzzer and you can have food delivered straight to your sun lounger on the ground floor. What a concept! Whatever your mood, they probably have it, with the menu including pizza, sushi, tacos and pad thai (to name a few). I felt like a queen gorging on a huge platter of sushi from my sunbed.
What’s the service like at Amàre Ibiza?
For the most part service was warm and attentive. There were a few moments of forgetfulness, like when a spoon was never delivered to eat an acai bowl poolside, or when a bottle of wine was plonked on the table unceremoniously un-poured. However, these were exceptions to the rule, and most of the time staff were kind, on-hand and eager to help.
What facilities does Amàre Ibiza have?
Three swimming pools, a beach club, two restaurants, and a rooftop bar mean you are never strapped for areas to explore at Amàre. It’s Ibiza, so there is always music playing. In the afternoon DJs spin non-offensive house and disco through the ground floor pools and beach club, and later on a live saxophonist roams around the sun loungers. Head to the roof and come dusk another DJ pumps out deep house tunes to the backdrop of the to-die-for sunset and the azure ocean. It gives the atmosphere of a vibey boiler room set. Expect to see guests lining up with their phone cameras at the ready to capture a snap of this bonafide Insta moment.
As well as a 24-hour gym (with ocean views, I might add), Amàre Ibiza has a wellness centre offering facials, massages, manicures and a hairdresser. One of the specialties are world massages, where guests can choose from the shiatsu-inspired ‘Asia’ massage, or the Amazonia, which uses the smells and sounds of the Amazon. I had a serene relaxing massage (€99 for 50 minutes) which could put even the biggest insomniancs to sleep. The hotel also offers morning rooftop yoga sessions, watersports, and boat tours.
What’s the area like?
Amàre Ibiza sits just across the water from party town San Antonio and its famous strip. You can get there via a water taxi by day, or a 15-minute cab by night. Think ‘Beefa, and San Antonio’s sunset beach bars (Café Mambo and Café Del Mar being the most famous), rowdy nightclubs, dive bars and kebab shops should be top of your mind. The town is also home to mega clubs Eden, Es Paradis and Wayne Linekar’s O Beach.
But it’s not all Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents. A 15-minute drive in the other direction are glorious beaches, like the turquoise-watered Cala Bassa. This fabulous swimming spot is a lively cove, filled with families, young people and Spanish-speaking locals. Its craggy rocks are peppered with rock pools for exploring, and the ocean is crystal clear. You can plonk your towel straight on the soft sand, or if you’re looking for something a little classy the beach is also lined by the luxurious Cala Bassa Beach Club.
The hotel’s immediate surrounding area isn’t too much to write home about. A couple of abandoned and graffiti-covered developments disrupt the view in places, and the beach directly in front of the hotel isn’t particularly pretty. However, from the roof terrace the vista is absolutely killer, showing ocean views for days and peaks of green hills in the distance.
Why book a stay at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza?
If you’re looking to get up close and personal with the Spanish lifestyle, this may not be the place for you – I’d say 90 percent of the guests were hailing from Old Blighty during my stay at Amàre. But who can blame them? If a sprawling resort with multiple pools, where staff are always available to bring you food and drinks directly to your sun lounger, sounds like your idea of a relaxing time (spoiler: it is), then Amàre is just the ticket.
For me, the rooftop is the highlight of Amàre Ibiza. More tranquil than the ground floor pools, it has an infinity pool and a chic aura, with rows of white sunbeds and umbrellas. The roof is also home to Hayaca, the better restaurant of Amàre’s two. Sipping a mojito and watching the sunset over the island here was enough to make me want to go back.
DETAILS
Address: Carrer La Rioja, 9, 07829 Sant Josep de sa Talaia, Illes Balears, Spain
Price per night: Standard rooms starting from €196
Closest transport: Ibiza Airport
Book now: Click here