Review: First in: Montesol Experimental, Ibiza

Why book

Location, location, location. The hotel is in Ibiza Town on the main square of Paseo Vara de Rey, the tree-lined avenue and nerve centre of Ibiza Town. Around the corner is the port, and you’re a five-minute walk to the fortified Old Town, Dalt Vila.

Set the scene

Like a grown-up’s pastel-hued dollhouse. A wiggle here, a squiggle there. Chunky papier mâché chairs, ikat wallpaper and not a straight line to be seen. There are patterns, fringes, statement pompoms and colourful rugs. On the walls, some embossed with seashells, are moon carvings and brass suns, glossy lacquer minibars in baby blues and oxblood reds, and wonky puzzle piece doorknobs. The restaurant on the ground floor, in hues of burnt orange, yellow and baby blue got the fun and playful memo, with a high-shine lacquer tapas bar and a cave-like private booth spangled with enough colourful seashells for a cosmic trip. Upstairs, the open-plan rooftop is the hotel’s trump card. Even with a glossy cardinal-red floor, it’s a minimal space compared to the rest of the hotel, offering uninterrupted views of the town, castle and sea with ample tables for scattered groups to enjoy the sunset as the tempo rises. 

The backstory

Built in 1933 as the first hotel in Ibiza, this neo-colonial Grande Dame was the beating heart of Ibiza Town and its much-loved café, a meeting spot for locals, hippies and celebrities. In 2016, the Hilton took over and revamped it with colonial art deco stylings and a random faux dinosaur skeleton that divided opinions. Now, in its third life as the Experimental Group’s second Balearic bolthole (the first being the Menorca Experimental) and a decade after the group opened its hugely popular Experimental Beach Club at southern Ibiza's Ses Salinas, the Experimental Group is slowly forging its footing on the White Isle.

The rooms

All 30 bedrooms and three suites vary in size and views. Some look over the marina or old town and Vara de Rey, and some have double doors that open to small balconies (but, because it’s a heritage-listed building, you can’t lean outside). A few of the smallest inward-facing rooms have no view, so double check before booking. All rooms, even the smallest, have spacious bathrooms with double sinks and large rain showers with natural and organic L:A Bruket shower products, white fluffy robes and minibars stocked with pre-batched cocktails and espresso machines. Designed by group collaborator and designer Dorothee Meilichzon, the rooms’ whimsical stylings are cleverly counterbalanced with classic details like parquet flooring, white walls, light wood and white linens. The result is a smart hotel with playful accents and not the other way around.

The food and drink

The restaurant, Café Montesol pays homage to the hotel’s historic past life. The light and airy space just off Vara de Rey revisits tapas classics from its hotel heyday and includes potato omelettes, Spanish-style sandwiches with sobrasada (cured meat), honey and mozzarella, churros with chocolate and typical ‘ensaimadas‘ Balearic pastries. For lunch and dinner, the menu revolves around a charcoal grill with a menu of meats, fish and vegetables cooked with potatoes, padron peppers and chimichurri. Come sunset, head up to the rooftop for some of the best views and cocktails on this side of Ibiza. The Experimental Group having started as cocktail connoisseurs with bars in Paris and London before branching into restaurants and rooms, means these creative libations are probably the best in town.

The neighbourhood

Montesol Experimental in Ibiza Town on the corner of Vara de Rey is part of the overall ‘glow up’ of Ibiza Town. Case in point, its next-door neighbours include a Rolex shop and the newly opened The Standard, Ibiza. Surrounding the hotel is a warren of shops – both local and international – bars, and restaurants, and around the corner is the port with direct ferries to Formentera. Plus, your moments from the fortified old town, Dalt Vila, which is packed with eclectic shops, bars, restaurants, and of course, the castle.

The service

Always friendly and a good guest-to-staff ratio means help is never far away. 

For families

Extra beds can be arranged for little ones – but the hotel is best suited for adults (no play areas, games rooms or the like).

Eco effort

The usual – refillable bath products, paper straws and glass bottles and the Sjöstrand espresso machine in rooms use organic and climate-compensated coffee capsules. 

Accessibility 

There is lift access to all rooms and the ground floor restaurant is accessible without stairs.

Anything left to mention?

There may be no swimming pool, but the Experimental Beach Club is 30 minutes away, and the front desk is more than happy to organise a day bed if you ask in advance.