I KNOW WHAT you're thinking, Why bring teenagers to Ibiza? Is its main resort centre (Sant Antoni de Portmany) not the preserve of gangs of tattooed orcs, mini-skirts, stilettos and hen and stag parties on the lash?
Well, yes and no. Back in 1997, when the documentary series Ibiza Uncovered was broadcast on Sky One, we all raised our eyes to heaven and claimed we'd never set foot there unless things changed. Gradually, the numbers of tourists to this part of the island decreased, and over the past five years the governing body of San Antonio has decided to lift the town from its lengthy hangover.
There is still the street called Carrer de Santa Agnès (also known as the West End) - a noisy network of bars, touts, cafes, lap-dancing venues, drug-dealing and prostitution. But this is one small section of a town that has completely relaunched itself.
For starters, San Antonio's marina has been modernised to such an extent that it has usurped some of the docking space in the more upmarket Ibiza town. Meanwhile, the town's recently minted promenade links Café del Mar, Savannah and Café Mambo (three of San Antonio's most high-profile, suave venues) with Caló des Moro, home to Golden Buddha, Coastline and Kasbah, three more sophisticated bars.
And it doesn't end there: a new sports complex is almost finished, a new medical centre is set to open next year, and San Antonio's first five-star hotel is under way courtesy of an Irish investment company.
This change in approach to tourism is one of the main reasons we decided to holiday there this year with our two teenagers, aged 15 and 17, and two of their friends.
We also chose to go to Ibiza specifically for a week for a strategic reason: it's party central, and we felt a week was long enough with four teenagers in tow.
We selected villa accommodation at Cala Salada, a smart, small beach with a fine fish restaurant 10 minutes from San Antonio by car.
There were a few items on the hit list for the kids: the first was Las Dalias hippy market (every Saturday in Sant Carles de Peralta) and the second was Ibiza town. On the way to the hippy market, we cut across the middle of the island (with everywhere less than 45 minutes from anywhere else, Ibiza is a doddle to drive in) towards the northern part. We passed through gorgeous, if slightly parched countryside, shuttling past the hills of Sant Miquel de Balansat and the fortress church of Puig de Missa in Santa Eulària, the temples of Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, the archetypal pretty villages of Sant Llorenç de Balàfia and Sant Vicent de sa Cala.
The pace of life and the lifestyle in these regions is noticeably different from the urban areas; the north of the island is largely a hippy community, while Ibiza town is an exercise in Mediterranean restraint. The sense is that each section chooses to live the way it wants. Which, up to a point, is the mindset any parents travelling to Ibiza (especially San Antonio) with teenagers might be advised to adopt. Yes, San Antonio is occasionally party-animal hell (Ibiza town less so, yet it still thumps at night), but it's often so OTT it puts typical teenage behaviour into perspective.
Should parents of teenagers be on guard? Yes, of course, but what we saw in and around the West End for the best part of a week was controlled (and patrolled) exceptionally well by the local police, clear evidence of the local government's clean-up guidelines. And besides, half a mile up the road, along the marina, is the other side of San Antonio: swish cafes, elegant bars, sunsets and beaches.
A town and island of contrasts? Adults and teenagers reckon so. Conclusions? The best holiday ever for the teenagers and an instructive, relaxing one for the adults. All in all, a result.
