Sol Beach House Hotel, Ibiza
SOL BEACH HOUSE: IBIZA, SPAIN
17/09/15
By Beth
In September, my sister and I had a much needed girly weekend break to Ibiza. The main purpose of our trip was to sunbathe, drink cocktails and relax and also to check out the newly renovated Sol Beach House Hotel.
Situated in a quieter side of Ibiza in the area of Santa Eulalia, the Sol Beach House Hotel, which is part of the Melia hotel group, is adults only and has been re-designed with a modern and rustic feel with the aim of giving guests a natural, fun and relaxing atmosphere. And it sounded just what we were looking for!
After an early flight from Manchester airport, we arrived in Ibiza late morning on a Thursday and were met from our flight and driven to the hotel in an air-conditioned white Range Rover with complimentary cold towers, magazines and water. A lovely start to our holiday! It was a pleasant 20 minute drive and we arrived at a big white building, situated by itself on the end of a road, which was the Sol Beach House.
As soon as we entered the hotel, we were welcomed by a gorgeous coconut smell filling the reception and straight away saw the incredible views out to sea, which we quickly realised carried on throughout the hotel. We were greeted by Vanesa, the guest experience manager, and were checked in quickly before being taken to our Xtra Suite - which was huge! Inside the suite were two terraces, (one with deckchairs and one with sun loungers), a large bedroom, living room with sofa, table and chairs, coffee maker and fridge stocked with complimentary beer, water and juices, two bathrooms and a walk-in wardrobe. We were really impressed! Decorated in creams with touches of blue and pink, it was a really stylish room and had cool touches to the furnishings such as a vintage style bucket that had been made into a lampshade and a retro phone by the bed. And best of all, the view from the terraces looking right out to see was just breathtaking.
After unpacking, we decided to have a wander and go for a bite to eat in the hotel’s restaurant, Sol Shack Chiringuito. The whole hotel has a really airy and relaxed feel to it with minimal doors and windows so everything feels free and spacious. The bars and restaurants are largely outside and I loved how there were so many different styles of chairs to sit on and tables to sit at. The whole decor has been thought out really well with both modern and vintage touches and it really does have a relaxed beach house feel.
I noticed all of the bedrooms had their own balconies or terraces with deckchairs and I thought this was nice to have a little private sunbathing space. There were also two Master Suites available, which could be seen from the restaurant and bar area, with their own hot tub, exercise bikes and huge outdoor terraces. They looked amazing and I thought would be a great choice for a romantic weekend away.
Seated at the Shack, we decided to enjoy a bottle of cava (were were in Spain after all!) whilst we looked at the menu. The food served is largely a mix of tapas and grilled meat and fish along with a couple of sandwiches and salads. We decided to order some tapas to start and chose Padron Peppers, Tomato Bread and Croquetas. The peppers and croquetas were served in metal frying baskets and tasted good, with different fillings such as cheese, ham and mushrooms in each of the croquetas. The tomato bread was not at all what we were expecting and instead of bread rubbed with tomatoes and garlic, it was literally french stick topped with sliced tomatoes, which was a little odd.
The main courses of grilled chicken with vegetables and grilled steak with potatoes were unfortunately quite disappointing. The chicken was spatchcocked but barely had any meat on it at all and the steak, which we asked to be served medium, was more or less served blue. When it was re-served, it was quite tasty with a delicious garlic and herb butter melting over it.
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the sunshine and enjoying a mojito or two from the pool bar, which were made extremely well, before heading into Santa Eulalia for dinner. When we arrived back at the hotel later that night, they had a DJ spinning dance tunes rather loudly around the pool which seemed a little odd for the relaxed vibe of the hotel but we were in Ibiza after all!
The next morning I woke early and whilst my sister was still asleep, I enjoyed a relaxing read on a lounger on our terrace looking out at the sea, which was a wonderful start to the day. For breakfast, we chose to sit at a stripey sofa and vintage wooden table outside and it was absolutely lovely to be able to sit listening to the sound of the waves. The breakfast options were really varied and there really was something for everyone with fruits, breads and pastries, cereals, yogurts, meats, fish and cheeses, cooked breakfast items, an omelette station, coffees, teas, lots of juices and even cava (we did partake in a breakfast mimosa!).
After breakfast, we spent the rest of the morning sunbathing before heading out for the afternoon. When we arrived back we decided to borrow a couple of the vintage bikes from outside the front of the hotel (these were really cheap to hire) and have a ride around Santa Eulalia. It was a lovely afternoon in the sunshine, with the gentle breeze in our hair and I thought it was a great idea to have bikes for guests to use.
The following day we were up early to catch the ferry to Fomentera and after a day out, we were glad not to have to venture out again and to have dinner booked in the hotel that evening. The main restaurant in the hotel is the buffet restaurant, which is also where breakfast is served, but guests are given a menu to order wine or other drinks with their meal. There was a varied choice with different meats, pizza, salads, potatoes and vegetables but after eating in lots of other hotel buffet style restaurants, I did find it unfortunately disappointing. We tried some freshly cooked fish and it was completely tasteless with no herbs, lemon or seasoning and the dessert station was severely lacking with hardly any choice.
Still hungry and feeling a little deflated, we decided to visit the Shack again and ordered some tapas to share. We chose the garlic prawns with roasted tomatoes and courgettes, serano ham and a mixed salad with beetroot and walnuts. The salad was really fresh and delicious and the ham, which came on crusty bread, was good but my only fault was there was far too much of it for two people. The prawns came in their shells (we had to ask for a water bowl) and were plump, juicy and had a pleasant charcoal flavour from the griddle. However, they arrived with a bowl of aubergine rather than courgettes and tomato which was disappointing since neither of us are the biggest fans of aubergine and it wasn’t what was on the menu.
After another good night’s sleep and a relaxing breakfast, we were excited to be spending the day on one of the hotel’s bali beds. The bali beds are paid for loungers and have to be booked but the price actually seemed reasonable as you got drinks or food included, making the beds pretty much free.
I have to say, they were the most comfortable loungers we’ve ever sunbathed on with deep and squidgy mattresses and lots of pillows to prop yourself up. They are also situated in prime spots around the hotel with the best views and we had one on a balcony looking right out to sea. Another selling point is that the beds have their own buzzer so you can have one of the hotel’s lovely waiters bring you drinks at any time without moving. Of course, we enjoyed that little perk and ordered some final mojitos later in the afternoon!
We had a really enjoyable time at Sol Beach House and it is one of the most relaxing hotels we’ve both stayed in. If you want a party hotel, it’s not the one for you, but if you want somewhere peaceful to relax for a few days then it’s the perfect choice.
The stylish decor is really well designed with thoughtful touches throughout the hotel and the views really are stunning. The only thing I would change is the food as currently, other than breakfast, it does let the hotel down. With a bit more thought and menu planning, this could be good as the ideas with light tapas dishes are there already but they need to be executed well. It’s a hotel which I think could be 5* (it’s currently 4*) with a little more work and is definitely somewhere I visit again for another relaxing break. The wonderful views alone are worth a return visit.
Dotty Dishes was a guest of Sol Beach House Ibiza.
Sol Beach House Ibiza, Pare Vicent Costa, 2, Ibiza - Santa Eulalia del Río, 07840, Spain.
