Hostal La Cigüeña

About Hostal La Cigüeña

Hostal La Cigüeña suits travellers who treat the north of Ibiza as a base and not a backdrop. Couples who spend the day in small coves, walkers working the pine tracks and families who would rather have a shallow bay than a long strip all fit here. The hostal sits at Cala Arenal Petit, 0.3 km from Portinatx, so the northern calas are close and the busier south is a day out rather than a commute.

The property is a three-star guesthouse, small in scale and practical in what it offers. The listed facilities cover an outdoor pool, breakfast and a buffet, a bar with snacks, a restaurant, lifts, a safe, free wifi, free car parking and a laundry service, with wheelchair access also listed. Guests tend to be out during the day and back for a swim before dinner, which matches the pace of this corner of the island.

Location: Portinatx

Portinatx is a cluster of small bays at the northern tip of Ibiza, ringed by pine and reached by a road that ends in the north rather than passing through it. The mood is calm and the evenings are quiet. From Cala Arenal Petit, Portinatx is 0.3 km away, close enough to walk for a morning swim. Cala Sant Vicent, a longer bay on the north-east coast, is 7.6 km away, and Es Canar on the east coast is 13.4 km away.

Walking covers Portinatx and the path down to the water; most other trips are easier by car. Hostal La Cigüeña lists free parking, which puts the coves, the markets and the villages of the north within easy reach. Driving covers Cala Sant Vicent at 7.6 km, and taxis handle airport runs. Seasonal buses link the north with the island's towns, with more lines in summer; check the island bus operator for lines and timetables. High summer brings the crowds, while May, June and September are gentler.

Rooms and facilities

The facilities are the sort that make a small guesthouse work for different kinds of stay. Couples get a pool, a bar with snacks and a restaurant on site, so an evening does not depend on driving. Families benefit from the pool, the buffet and the laundry service, and the lifts make upper floors and luggage easier. The safe takes passports and valuables, and free wifi covers the routine of checking a ferry time or looking up market days.

Ask the property directly about the details that matter to you: when the pool and the restaurant operate across the season, what breakfast covers, whether the bar serves food late, and how the wheelchair access works in practice, including the route from the parking area to the rooms. Arrival and departure times are best confirmed with Hostal La Cigüeña when booking, particularly for a late arrival or a stay outside the main months.

Getting there

Ibiza Airport (IBZ) is 28.9 km from Hostal La Cigüeña in a straight line, at the south-west of the island near Ibiza Town. The drive north follows the main road and then the lanes for Portinatx. Taxis cover the distance directly with luggage, while a hire car collected at the airport gives freedom for the calas and the markets, and the hostal lists free parking. The airport bus runs to Ibiza Town first, with more lines in summer.

From Ibiza Town port the straight-line distance is 22.9 km, and the ferry terminal sits below Dalt Vila, so a walk up to the walled town fits before or after the drive. Ferries leave that port for Formentera's La Savina, Palma, Barcelona, Valencia and Dénia, which matters if you arrive by sea. Winter brings fewer flights and fewer sailings, so allow some slack on a transfer day and confirm the current timetable with the operators.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

The nearest swimming is in the Portinatx bays, 0.3 km away, and the north coast calas are suited to sea kayaking, listed 4.3 km from the hostal. Cala Sant Vicent, 7.6 km away, is the other obvious north-coast day, a long inlet with shallow water at one end. Es Canar, 13.4 km to the south-east, has a sheltered beach and the Punta Arabí hippy market on Wednesdays in season.

Inland, the Las Dalias market at Sant Carles de Peralta is 10.8 km away and runs on Saturdays, though days change, so check before setting out; Punta Arabí, near Es Canar, is 13.7 km away. Food in the north is fish and rice: bullit de peix, the island's fish stew served in two courses, and arròs a banda. Portinatx has places to eat within walking distance of Cala Arenal Petit, and a car opens up the rest of Ibiza.

A day from Hostal La Cigüeña

Start with a swim at Portinatx, 0.3 km from Hostal La Cigüeña and an easy walk before the day heats up. Take breakfast at the hostal, then drive the short distance to the north coast calas for a morning on the water, with kayaking listed 4.3 km away. Cala Sant Vicent at 7.6 km is the alternative when you want a longer bay and a different stretch of coast.

Spend the afternoon inland at the Las Dalias market at Sant Carles, 10.8 km away, on a Saturday, or at Punta Arabí near Es Canar, 13.7 km away, on a Wednesday in season; both days change, so check first. Return to Portinatx for a late swim and dinner, with the pool and the restaurant at the hostal as the fallback after a long day. Distances here are short, so one loop covers the whole excursion.

Practical tips

Outside the main season Ibiza winds down: many hotels, beach bars, boat trips and restaurants close roughly from November to April, so confirm opening dates with Hostal La Cigüeña before booking a stay between those months, and ask whether the pool and restaurant follow a seasonal pattern. The peak falls in July and August, when the bays around Portinatx are at their fullest and booking ahead helps. The accommodation charges the Balearic sustainable tourism tax, the ecotasa, per person per night; rates vary with the type and category of accommodation and with the season, are lower in low season and for longer stays, and children under 16 are exempt. Check the Govern de les Illes Balears for current rates.

Questions about Hostal La Cigüeña