Es Canar Beach

The sun comes up out of the sea here. Es Canar faces east, and the early light catches the islets of sa Galera and Illa des Canar just offshore while the bay is still quiet.

The water is clear and shelves gently, and swimming is safe, which is why the resort behind it is built around families. Loungers and parasols line the sand, and pedalos go out from the beach.

From the southern end, by the small harbour, the shore walk carries on around the cove towards the wooded headland of Punta Arabí. Boats from that harbour cross to Santa Eulària des Riu, Ibiza Town and Formentera, so the beach doubles as a starting point for a day on the water.

• Seaweed washes up after storms, and parts of the beach can carry a lot of it.
• Cleanliness varies: the sand can be well kept, or strewn with cigarette butts.
• Loungers and parasols are rented by the day, and the price runs high for the island.
• The nearest toilets are about 690 m away and for customers only.
• On Wednesdays the hippy market runs at Punta Arabí, south of the resort centre.

Es Canar lies 5.5 km along the coast east of Santa Eulària des Riu and about 20 km from Ibiza Town. From the airport the journey takes around 40 minutes by taxi or tourist bus.

The beach sits in the middle of the resort. A paid car park is about 90 m away, with a second parking area on compacted ground about 120 m off. The nearest bus stop is about 180 m from the sand, and the resort's bus station links Es Canar with Santa Eulària des Riu, Ibiza Town, Sant Antoni and Portinatx.

You can also arrive by sea: ferries from Santa Eulària des Riu, Ibiza Town and Formentera put in at the harbour at the southern end of the beach.

Best: early morning, from sunrise until the loungers fill.

Avoid: the middle of the day in July and August, and the days straight after a storm.

The bay faces east and takes the sunrise, the resort is at its busiest in summer, and storms leave seaweed on the sand.