Gandalf at the Ibiza bus stop

PalmThere are two eternal things in the world: Rome and the Ibiza bus stop. The decision to build a bus stop in Dalt Vila was announced in 2004, the first stone was laid in 2008, work was halted in 2012 because archaeological remains were found – how? In Dalt Vila? Unbelievable! – the project was redone and resumed in 2019, and finally – 22 years and 47 million euros later – it will be inaugurated on Monday, February 23, 2026.

While the hotel was being planned and built, the smartphone and social media were invented, reggaeton became fashionable, rock music practically disappeared, the far right came out of the closet and threatens to destroy democracy from within (all in a town of 64,000 inhabitants). But neither new nor old residents will be able to afford a very long holiday at the Ibiza hotel, which is being offered in July from 512 euros a night (the cheapest room, a standard double with breakfast). Paradores has promised discounts for residents; I'm waiting with my credit cards in hand to see if I can afford a weekend.

The purpose of such a long and costly project in Dalt Vila was supposed to be twofold. The first was to rehabilitate the old Ibiza castle, which had had a final military use and had remained abandoned since 1973, in a process of accelerated deterioration. Thanks to the persistent negligence of the local administration, and while I was waiting for the start of construction on the bus station when, around 2007, the Governor's House, the main part of the complex, collapsed. After many setbacks, including the discovery of archaeological remains, the drafting of a new project, and a drastic increase in costs—in addition to endless bureaucratic delays—this goal has finally been achieved: what could be salvaged from the old castle is now a hotel, along with all the archaeological remains. We'll leave for another day the addition of a new floor to the old structure and the resulting increase in the building's height, which has disfigured the traditional skyline of Ibiza Town.

The magic of Paradores

The second objective of the rest stop is more complicated. The idea was that it would also serve to reverse the long decline of Dalt Vila. Dalt Vila is a World Heritage Site, yes, but for six months of the year it is little more than a stage set waiting for tourists, with scant residential activity and no economic activity. There are a few museums, the political headquarters of the Vila City Council… But it is a dead neighborhood. In fact, the silence of the streets of Dalt Vila has been spreading and now permeates the entire Marina district, which also sleeps through the long winter night of empty neighborhoods. Before the word gentrification became fashionable (a word as ugly as the phenomenon it describes), Dalt Vila had been dying for years.

In 2008, the president of Paradores de Turismo de España, who happened to be Toni Costa from Ibiza, wrote in Ibiza Daily"A bus stop represents a significant boost to the economic activity of its immediate surroundings, stimulating the development of new hotels and services, institutional and cultural facilities, and improving the overall tourism offering." Amen. God willing. I wish it were so. But magic doesn't exist. Not even Gandalf the Blanc, if he arrived on his horse, could fix Dalt Vila. Nor could all the worshippers of Tanit gather to pray. Perhaps there are love potions that are effective. But urban planning magic, without planning, doesn't exist. And the Ibiza bus stop, in reality, doesn't respond to any planning; it's more of an emergency patch to prevent the castle from collapsing completely. It arrived at the local politicians like the ex machina springs From a Greek tragedy: saved by the bell.

As a catalyst, the Ibiza hostel falls into the category of a noble, well-intentioned gesture, but one without real effectiveness. A gesture that, although it might have seemed striking, has been immediately overshadowed by the harsh reality of Ibiza: of the hostel's 66 rooms, 25 have had to be taken out of service and allocated to house the workers. A prudent decision, in order to ensure the necessary staff, although it further reduces an already limited number of rooms. Will the guests in the remaining 41 rooms really act as a catalyst? What will they be, at most, 80 or 90 people? They'll have to be very cheerful to revitalize all of Dalt Vila. They might as well start throwing 100-euro notes down Calle Mayor. That is, assuming the hostel is open out of season. We shall see.

We Ibizans should be grateful to Paradors for saving Ibiza Castle from brutal degradation. Neglect and oblivion can sometimes be more violent than action; there is something obscene about letting heritage slowly decay. This was the case with Ibiza Castle, the seat of political and military power on the island since Punic times. I hope I'm wrong and that the location of Ibiza Castle will also serve to bring some life to the silent streets of Dalt Vila.