What is the best thing to come out of San Antonio?
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kimajy
Well-Known Member
Ive had a lot of the best times of my life in San An, I couldnt give a toss if someone tells me its Sh!t
I reckon it's how you look at a place that clouds (or shines on) the experiences you have there. I hate sanitised mediocrity in any form .. and San An certainly has none of that. Parts of the town are charming at night (far more attractive than anywhere I know in PDB) and coming back from PDB in the morning after a night clubbing, I still feel I've "escaped" and found my way "home". Maybe that's because the familiarity and predictability of it is about the only 'grounding' factor there is on my trips and I've also had some really great times there.
In fairness, I don't spend all day in San An and usually never spend a whole night there (or anywhere else on the island) either. But it's actually a perfect base if you want an island-wide holiday (and I've seen pretty much all of it bar some tiny outposts). There's actually nowhere in Ibiza I'd want to stay for a whole week without transport for more than a day.
Lots of British people seem to feel threatened and disturbed by the goings on in the West End and other contentious pockets of San An. I've never felt that at all - and have never been the subject of violent assault or threat .. although I have been seriously assaulted in the UK down the road from my own home in an affluent area in broad daylight by a coke-charged yuppie over pulling in to a f*cking parking space he wanted for his 4x4 !
West End is just a rowdy untamed display of debauchery in an unsophisticated form... to take out of what you will. For example a bag full of water, red bulls & vodka, a club ticket, cash from ATM, all else you need for the night and a huge sandwich from Subway for the morning after your night ahead when you're starving and too mangled to find a place for breakfast ! Takes about 20 minutes tops .. but I'm more than happy to hang around for a beer or two. Seeing as they're all of about a Euro !
.. and you do see some incredible sights of humanity on show 
... and that's before you even talk about the nice places to go like Villa Mercedes, El Rincón de Pepe etc.
diver
Well-Known Member
Refering to me?
I reckon it's how you look at a place that clouds the experiences you have there. Parts of the town are charming at night (far more attractive than anywhere I know in PDB) and coming back from PDB in the morning after a night clubbing, I still feel I've "escaped" and found my way "home". Maybe that's because the familiarity and predictability of it is about the only 'grounding' factor there is on my trips and I've also had some really great times there.
It's actually a perfect base if you want an island-wide holiday.
Lots of British people seem to feel threatened and disturbed by the goings on in the West End. I've never felt that at all - and have never been the subject of violent assault or threat!
West End is just a rowdy untamed display of debauchery in an unsophisticated form... to take out of what you will. For example a bag full of water, red bulls & vodka, a club ticket, cash from ATM, all else you need for the night and a huge sandwich from Subway for the morning after your night ahead. I'm more than happy to hang around for a beer or two. Seeing as they're all of about a Euro !
... and that's before you even talk about the nice places to go like Villa Mercedes, El Rincón de Pepe etc.
Agree will all of the above.
Have already stayed in both San An AND Pd'B this year, and have come to one conclusion, which surprised even myself:
The crowds in SA are typically, yes, what you may call "chavvy" (note: I notoriously hate chav culture)...
However, I would argue for all their 24/7 drinking, football chants, Made in England tattoos, St. George cross towels, vomitting, public urination, foul language, explicit displays of nudity/public sexual behaviour & a more commercial pallet when it comes to music, they are generally a pretty nice bunch, who are there simply to have a good time.
As for Playa d'En Bossa - which, don't get me wrong, I do like - there are a lot of rude, bargy people. A lot of people with attitude and arrogance. Of course, there are plenty of nice, pleasant, friendly people too... but as are there in San Antonio.
I've mentioned it before, there is just something which doesn't sit quite right with me about Bossa. I can't put my finger on it. But there can sometimes be a nasty atmosphere. In San An i have actually never witnessed a fight. I've seen large groups of drunken lads mucking around, but nothing I have ever considered intimidating.
To be diplomatic, there are places that I would chose to avoid in both resorts, but neither is different to anywhere else in the world: you have good parts and bad parts, and everybody has a different opinion.
Playa d'En Bossa is convenient for me to stay as a resort, because it has everything I want on my doorstep - with the exception of the sunset. The result is that I tend not to travel around as much. (I even refrained from the customary trip to Ibiza Town this time around, which says it all considering it's proximity), whereas staying in San An I'm aware that I'm more inclined to travel out to different places.
woodruffe
Active Member
Well put.plus you tend to get less English in pdb now.Very international crowd.And turning more younger as well.where as 6 years ago it was full of familys with pushchairs etc They are now futher down the resort out the way in a.i hotels.And super family hotel Palm Beach..With gps taking over most of the family hotels.you don;t see so many at night.signs were there when Mikes kitchen closed.the Chippy.Big Ben change.graham and lisa left there bar. Three Monkeys changed from a fun pub to a arcade.and the italians moved in.due to having been offered cheap deals.
And now Ushuaia Hotel.Bringing a more younger group to pdb.Fiesta selling off a few atps and hotels.Mainly the Algarb.Which years ago was a hotel for the more older Ibiza fan.Things change with time.But i still go.
Electronic_Liberalism
Member
I think this is a fair assessment.
San An is unfairly treated sometimes. I walked through the West End at 4am last week after spending the night in the Buddha Bar (great place!) and it was horrible. But looking back, that was probably because I'd been smoking shisha's all night instead of alcohol.
Just a couple of days before that however I was drinking like everyone else and had a great night primarily in Tropi on the West End. I've also had some of the greatest nights of my life on that little strip. So I think the West End needs to be taken with a pinch of salt - it is what it says on the tin.
Then you've got other bars such as Kanya, Itaca, Orange Corner etc which offer something a bit more civilised, as well as the sunset strip, so all in all San An is a good place and I'd stay there again.
PDB is definitely a more international feel and, with that, I guess you get a bit more posturing and arrogance. But I don't mind that either, keeps you on your toes
Like the above poster said, both places have their plus and minus points but put them together and you've got what I consider Ibiza. Find it a little pathetic that some people point blank 'hate' either of them - where's that Ibiza free love feel gone?
kimajy
Well-Known Member
We know
. Truth be told I'm not a fan myself either - except for a few drinks at Geko / Plastik, maybe the odd foray into La Plage, Sands or Nassau and SPACE the rest of it holds no appeal at all.*Openly admiits* to being too old for San An or PdB 
When I was younger, I hated the centre of San An - just not my scene. But I have stayed around San An Bay, further south, and that was fine, lots of ferries around the coast, nice bars and so on.
Over time PdB has become SanAn mark II, ten years ago it was reasonably quiet and developing (Mare Nostrum was a decent hotel in the middle of nowhere!) but now I wouldn't consider there at all. Yet Figuretas just further up from PdB is really nice and busy - but restrained!
Depends what you're after!! What you won't get in San An, I suppose, is much sleep (unless unconcious 8))!
When I was younger, I hated the centre of San An - just not my scene. But I have stayed around San An Bay, further south, and that was fine, lots of ferries around the coast, nice bars and so on.
Over time PdB has become SanAn mark II, ten years ago it was reasonably quiet and developing (Mare Nostrum was a decent hotel in the middle of nowhere!) but now I wouldn't consider there at all. Yet Figuretas just further up from PdB is really nice and busy - but restrained!
Depends what you're after!! What you won't get in San An, I suppose, is much sleep (unless unconcious 8))!
kimajy
Well-Known Member
Not really .. Hotels like the Blau Parc, Abrat, Gran Sol or even the Tarba are very quiet after midnight. There's no problem with sleeping - the problem is getting back with enough time to actually use the room ! I've even stayed in a Hostal just outside the West End main strip when desperate for a last-minute room at the end of August last year for less than 150Euros a night and found it totally quiet and free of any sort of late-night disturbance.
Obviously if you go for a party hotel geared at young clubbers (like Piscis Park or Marco Polo) you're more likely to have trouble sleeping ... but what about Jet Apartments in PDB ?
Not only do you have the possible noise from fellow revellers but you have planes flying overhead almost all night - so leaving the balcony doors open may not be the best recipe for a decent night's sleep ... and I hate chest-infection central "aircon" with a passion !
wednesday23
Active Member
Ok, I hate living in San An because of the west end. I live 5 minutes from it and it's hard to avoid and a necessity I frequent it for work. Regardless of how small an area of San An it is it still annoys me.
I have stayed in San An but there was nothing there for me club wise i found the younger bars like blackpool and the sunset strip to be over rated. at the moment clubbing is really important to me. I'm not yet into things like restaraunts. I'm definitely not a fashionista and I couldn't care less what people do or wear or what music they listen to as long as whatever they are doing they are true to themselves. I stay in pdb which I find has a lovely beach if you go further toward the watch tower. I go to dc10 and sometimes I wear big sunglasses because I like them and I definitely don't stand around, I would out-party most people I look sweaty and rough as fk when I leave a club and I don't care. The places I go are space, dc10, underground, Sankeys and amnesia so what part of staying in pdb that for me you think is wrong I'm not sure :/
Ps sorry for singling you out on more than one occasion today Dirk you must be pushing my buttons! Lol
Dirk
Well-Known Member
I have stayed in San An but there was nothing there for me club wise i found the younger bars like blackpool and the sunset strip to be over rated. at the moment clubbing is really important to me. I'm not yet into things like restaraunts. I'm definitely not a fashionista and I couldn't care less what people do or wear or what music they listen to as long as whatever they are doing they are true to themselves. I stay in pdb which I find has a lovely beach if you go further toward the watch tower. I go to dc10 and sometimes I wear big sunglasses because I like them and I definitely don't stand around, I would out-party most people I look sweaty and rough as fk when I leave a club and I don't care. The places I go are space, dc10, underground, Sankeys and amnesia so what part of staying in pdb that for me you think is wrong I'm not sure :/
Ps sorry for singling you out on more than one occasion today Dirk you must be pushing my buttons! Lol
No problem at all, I am in that button pushing mood
Ps. Have you confirmed that you wear a vest though?
No problem at all, I am in that button pushing mood
Ps. Have you confirmed that you wear a vest though?
I'm not sure yet I can't decide between a vest or a zookini (that's the name for those backless swimsuits that zoo models such as Amy childs wear apparently)
I want to go for the cliched ibiza look so it will probs be the zookini and maybe a straw cowboy hat but even if I do that doesn't make me a bad person