The va-va-voom Vedra viewpoint
Petunia’s savvy owners got it bang on when they bought and redeveloped a clutch of 1970s coastal apartments whose saving grace was having arguably the best views on the island. Now unrecognizably overhauled (and recently ushered into the Beaumier stable), Petunia is the ultimate Ibiza escapist’s fantasy. In the far southwest of the island, the road snakes and curves through the whitewashed pueblo of San José, past Sa Talaïa, the island’s tallest mountain, and around vertiginous clifftops until suddenly, magically, shearing out of the water with all her might is Es Vedra, Ibiza’s mystical, magnetic, offshore monolith. No matter how many times you see it, Es Vedra makes your heart skip a beat, and it is the view of the rock that dominates Petunia from every poolside daybed, every bougainvillea-clad walkway, and every shimmering rooftop. But look away you must, because Petunia itself is so extraordinarily pretty, with rustic, casita-style bedrooms and suites scattered through sprawling, lavender-scented grounds and a stately central finca where a cozy boutique, bar, and restaurant thrum with doe-eyed lovers (Petunia is adults-only and couples make up the majority of guests).
The vibe here is unapologetically relaxed, and guests wear bikinis and bedroom slippers to float from suites to the pool, where they spend endless hours reading novels and sipping rosé beneath the shade of a Panama hat. Bedrooms themselves are supremely comfortable, with creamy linens, tribal artifacts, and earthy-hued raffia baskets on the walls. Tiled bathrooms, some with sunken tubs, are capacious. Given the hotel’s far-flung location, there’s a real focus on great food here, and the three restaurants—one upscale with a tasting menu, one relaxed with a pizzeria, and a panoramic rooftop crudo bar—leave guests with few excuses to leave. If cabin fever does set in, however, it’s a short walk down the hill to pretty Cala Carbó, where a low-slung beach shack—Balneário—serves the juiciest red prawns on the sand and where Petunia’s own dayboat can whisk you away for an afternoon of swimming and snorkeling around Es Vedra itself.
