We stayed at the Insotel Cala Tarida for two weeks at the end of August. The resort is really nice and very well kept. Location-wide is very convenient, only about 30 mins drive from the airport and Ibiza town. Cala Tarida itself is an agglomerate of resorts of various sizes and star ratings. There are a couple of small supermarkets, one or two shops that sell souvenirs/swimmingwear, car rentals. Along the beach there are also three or four nice restaurants, with beautiful views of the bay (especially in the evening).
Rooms
We had a top floor studio (non-sea-view) by the pool near the reception. It was very spacious and quiet. I was told by other guests that some of the studios can be noisy in the evening, with loud music coming from the evening entertainment (which finishes at around 11pm) and loud voices of people walking back to their rooms. We really liked our studio, which had a small kitchenette, with a fridge, electric hob and sink. The only problem was a persistent unpleasant smell which we tried to get rid of by keeping all the windows open all day. The problem was that the maid kept closing them in the morning, when she came to do the room and after we had gone to the beach. I asked her once to keep the open but she said that she couldn't...
Eating
This was a real disappointment as were forced to eat at the main restaurant most of the times. We were on half board and could only eat at the barbecue beach restaurant once a week for lunch. Same for the paella restaurant (one evening/week). We didn't even bother trying the pizzeria as it was the same arrangement and we got fed up with having to queue in the morning to book the restaurants. It's such a shame as Insotel could use more the facilities they have, rather than only opening the nice restaurants three times/week! The eating experience in the main restaurant was quite unpleasant, as it was always really crowded, noisy and sometimes quite cold due to the air conditioning. Food was ok, but we didn't appreciate it much because of the unpleasant ambience...
Pools
Two main pools with a couple of smaller ones for children. The beds were generally all taken by 9.15, with many remaining empty throughout the day. It didn't bother us as we preferred the beach and only visited the pool at the end of the day. The pool by the beach has constant music throughout the day. Generally the pools were overcrowded with people competing to dive and produce the largest splashes (so forget about having a nice swim!). I don't think I've ever been to a place where diving is allowed in the pool, but here it is...
Beach
Cala Tarida is very nice and consists of three little bays, with the one further away from the hotel being the one with the clearest water. The problem is the size of the beach in relation to the number of resorts around it. The result was a human carnage by 11am. Unfortunately this seemed the norm at most beaches in Ibiza as we found when we hired a car for a couple of days...
To conclude, we would not return to this hotel but would probably opt for self-catering accommodation at a smaller resort and at a bigger beach.
Ibiza is a beautiful island but, be warned, it's massively overcrowded in August (even at the end of the month)! Better to go in July/September, so you can enjoy its beautiful beaches and landscapes.
- Insotel Hotel Cala Tarida
- Insotel Hotel Tarida Beach
