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A town of many faces, yet all of them smiling, San Antonio was the original tourist
destination on the island, and these days holds everything necessary for the complete
holiday.
July and August are traditionally the months when the town becomes swamped by young
clubbers. Presumably this coincides with college and university breaks, and these
two months are considered the high-spot on the clubbing scene.
The rest of the summer season sees mainly families and older tourists, who come
to enjoy everything else San Antonio has to offer.
The Old Town was originally a fishing port and even today, at sunset, you can watch
the fishermen set out for work. These fishermen in their traditional little boats
work the night-shift, returning shortly before dawn with their catch. So it's hardly
surprising that Ibiza has a reputation for serving the freshest seafood you can
find. One tip: the fishermen generally don't work on a Sunday, so make Monday the
day for a different dish. How's that for a trade secret?
Accommodation is many and varied in San Antonio. You can find four star hotels or
self-catering apartments to suit practically any budget.
When it comes to shopping, you'll be spoiled for choice. There are designer and
local clothes shops, souvenir shops and stalls, and plenty of shops where you can
find both basic and fancy foodstuffs. If you are truly desperate for a taste of
home, there is always Green's, which import all your classic Brit faves, from PG
Tips and Tetley to Marmite and HP Sauce, or you could track down Pete the butcher
for a good old-fashioned British banger or home-made pork pie.
When it comes to eating out, San Antonio offers one of the widest range of choices
on the island. Aside from traditional Ibizan restaurants and tapas bars, you'll
find cuisine from practically every country on the globe, along with fish 'n' chip
shops, kebab houses and more besides.
The clubbing lifestyle in San Antonio is second to none. Big club nights generally
kick off around midnight and most push through until at least sunrise. It's not
cheap, with the most popular clubs charging figures they seem to pluck out of the
air. 40 Euros and upward are not unheard of for entrance, and drinks can be ridiculously
expensive, up around the 8 Euro mark. But if you're going to have at least one big
night out on your holiday, then San Antonio is the place to do it.
Finally, we can't leave San Antonio without at least mentioning the fabulous sunsets.
Being on the west coast, there is nothing that compares to sitting outside the Café
Del Mar or one of it's sisters, with a drink in hand, watching the sun slowly boil
away into the Mediterranean Sea. Spontaneous applause and cheering are not unknown
when the sun finally sinks beneath the waves, and all this to a chillout soundtrack
from the bars at the edge of the headland. Don't miss it.
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