A once-in-a-lifetime chance to enjoy the island as it was

Earlier this week, Sarah Marshall discovered that a new feeling of serenity had come to Ibiza

July is typically high season for tourism in Ibiza. Playa d’en Bossa, the island’s longest and most commercial beach, should be densely packed with sun loungers and cocktail-sipping revellers, soundtracked by turntables spinning from dawn till dusk.

Like everywhere in the world, however, 2020 is an exception. Covid-19 has pulled the plug on Ibiza’s clubbing scene, and government restrictions on mass gatherings mean megavenues such as Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza won’t reopen until 2021.

But slowly, after the lifting of quarantine restrictions for Spanish arrivals into the UK, tourists are trickling in. On July 11, Tui kick-started its summer schedule with flights to the island from London Gatwick and Manchester, heralding the return of the package holiday to Europe. Those who choose to travel soon could be rewarded with scenes of Ibiza as it was 30 years ago.

Newly refurbished during lockdown, seafront hotel The Ibiza Twiins is eager to receive guests in its two towers, stacked with a honeycomb of 495 rooms. At check in, I am greeted by staff behind plexiglass and encouraged to use automatic hand sanitisers dotted throughout the resort. In my bedroom, bathrobes and slippers come wrapped in Cellophane and beach towels are neatly topped with a complimentary disposable face mask.

From last Monday, wearing face coverings became mandatory in public spaces throughout the Balearics. Swimming pools, beaches and sun loungers are exemptions, so there is no risk of coming home with ridiculous tan lines; masks can also be removed while eating and drinking in bars and restaurants, although you will need to pop them back on for trips to the lavatory. Penalties range from €100 (£90) for individuals up to €6,000 for venues.

It has been suggested new regulations are partly a precautionary response to the return of tourism. According to figures published by the Spanish government, 2,249 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 across the Balearic Islands; from July 2-7, there were just 17.

The only other major difference to my resort stay is breakfast. Before entering the restaurant, a member of staff takes my temperature using an electronic gun. Anything over 99.5F (37.5C) and I’ll be quarantined for two weeks.

Controversially, the buffet has survived – although fried eggs, sausages and platters of cheese displayed on a one-way circuit of counters can only be plated by staff. Self-service is history.

“We’re a hotel, not a hospital,” says Ricardo Muñoz, commercial and marketing director at the Sirenis hotel group, which manages Twiins. “People are on holiday and we want them to have a good time.”

At night, the package holiday property is quiet. There are only 90 guests. “We know this is not a summer to make money,” Muñoz concedes.

Opulent light shows and Vegas-style fountains struggle to fill the empty space, and projected scenes of folkloric dancers are a far cry from the glow stick wavers and girls in hot pants who typically fill the dance floors. But history and culture could be themes that shape a summer holiday in Ibiza this year. With the spotlight shifted from the club scene, tour guide Pepe Costa sees this as an opportunity for tourists to focus on the island’s past.

We explore the ramparts of the fortified Dalt Vila quarter of Ibiza Town, a world heritage site. From its 16th-century walls, the turquoise sea dazzles more than ever as prairies of protected Posidonia seagrass reflect the sunlight. Only a few boats glide to smaller island Formentera, usually a busy thoroughfare.

“In my 38 years as a guide, this is the slowest it’s been in July,” says Costa from behind a Perspex visor, a choice of face covering that makes it much easier for him to conduct tours.

At family hotel Tui Blue Aura, in Port des Torrent on the opposite side of the island, the first British guests are relaxing by pools and zooming down waterslides; next week, occupancy will be at 55 per cent. But further along the coast, San Antonio’s bayside promenade is unrecognisable. Ibiza’s heaving heart of entertainment is missing more than a few beats.

O Beach, co-owned by Duane Lineker (nephew of former footballer Gary), is one of the few day bars to take the plunge and reopen its pool parties. By 5pm, groups of revellers are gathered in pre-booked areas, lazing on daybeds or dangling bronzed legs in the water. Masked waiters deliver cocktails in shiny pineapple caskets to tables, ordered from menus accessed by using mobile phones to zap a QR code.

The only noticeable difference is the absence of any dancing; that is not allowed anywhere on the island for now. “This will be the year of the shoulder jig,” jokes Gemma Charters, director of brand and events, who says guests are briefed on arrival and given an information card outlining the new rules.

“People have a special bond with this island,” she adds, confident that tourists will come back. “This is a chance to discover the gastronomy, and the hidden beaches. You will never have an opportunity to experience Ibiza in this light again.”

TUI Platinum (tui.co.uk) is offering seven

nights at 4T Ibiza Twiins in Playa d’en Bossa from £770pp B&B, based on two

sharing. Half-board and all-inclusive options are available. Prices are based on

holidays departing in August 2020 from Gatwick.