Organic accommodation in Ibiza

Ibiza’s clubs are set to pull in the crowds again this summer, but there’s an alternative side to the island where you can bask in the warm Mediterranean sun without having to party your head off in a packed resort.

Can Marti is a working organic farm in quiet wooded valley in the north of the island near San Juan off the road from Ibiza town up to Portinatx...

It’s not the kind of place where the party only ends at dawn – the loudest decibel is likely to come from a donkey’s bray or the clanking of cattle bells – but it offers a more tranquil holiday where you can explore the wilder parts of the island away from the crowds and throbbing beats.

There are three self-catering apartments in a lime-washed old stone farmhouse and a separate stone cottage overlooking sloping terraces of almond, fig and olive trees. Solar panels supply all the electricity and waste water is re-used through filtering reed-beds. Breakfast is organic, with homemade breads, jams, and fruit juice, and you can stock up on the day’s picnic at shops in the village, which is a ten-minute walk away. Bikes are provided free of charge so you can cycle on signposted trails into the island’s interior or to nearby sandy beaches.

An apartment for two costs from €130, cottage for four costs from €200. Breakfast costs €12. The owner donates 7% to African non governmental organizations. canmarti.com, +34 971 333500

You can travel to Ibiza by train and ferry. Take the overnight train to Barcelona (via Paris) from £167pp return in a 4-berth couchette (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk) then fast ferry (within walking distance from the train station) from Barcelona to Ibiza (aferryto.com)

For more details, see this page on seat61.com: Travel by train and ferry to Ibiza.

An edited version of this article, by Richard Hammond, was first published in the Guardian.

Photo: Richard Hammond