TRS Hotel Ibiza, a geometry of light in the vegetation of the Balearic Islands

Between Sant Antoni de Portmany and Cala Gracio, TRS Ibiza Hotel experiments with personal butler and Signature Level service – the brand’s first in Europe is among the 41 Palladium Hotel Group properties

TRS Ibiza Hotel – the first property in Europe of the TRS Hotels brand opened in 2022

The main structure is a rectangular white beehive, repeating the modules of the terraces, overlooking the sea. White boats trace a long wake on the blue sea. Up here, the sea wind comes and penetrates inside the suite. The first property in Europe of the TRS Hotels brand opened in 2022. TRS Ibiza Hotel – the first premium all-inclusive hotel for Adults Only in the Island – is located a few hundred meters from Sant Antoni de Portmany, which is to the left. To the right, there is Cala Gració – you can access it via private entry. A strip of beach between a cape of rocks and pine trees, where the water is turquoise.

TRS Ibiza Hotel: pools, trees, outdoor design

The heart of TRS Ibiza is the central swimming pool. Surrounding this are other outdoor areas, to enjoy the vegetation of this part of the Mediterranean, and a strip of building that houses other rooms, each with a pool on the ground floor, and one of the restaurants. Moving down the driveway toward the bay, among palm trees, mastic trees, and low shrubs, are other smaller, discrete pools surrounded by deck chairs and gazebos, and a pool bar nestled in the vegetation. Wooden chairs and low tables, minimal benches, sphere-shaped outdoor lamps, seem to trace a set design along the rough brick walls.

Interior design at TRS Ibiza Hotel – suites overlooking the mediterranean Sea

Inside, common areas are wide, with few furnishings to give space for light, which reverberates off white and amplifies the maritime dimension. Space is a privilege the traveler takes into consideration: freedom of movement while escaping the chaos of the modern city on an island in the Balearic Islands. In the suites, minimalist dogma and the concept of free space are declined in the sign of pastel colors and wood. We are on the seventh floor. At the entrance, on the left is a long walk-in closet. On the right are the washbasins, the separate bathroom area, and a room just for the shower and tub. The main room is divided between the sleeping area on the right and the living area on the left. Two large windows provide access to two furnished balconies for visual immersion in the sea. Sunset is a movie.

Sunset in the Balearic Island, from TRS Ibiza Hotel’s Gravity Sky Lounge terrace

To see the sunset en plain air, just go up to the eighth floor. TRS Ibiza Hotel’s Gravity Sky Lounge terrace overlooks the bay of San Antonio. A scattering of diamonds covers the sea, while the sky is fire and reflected in the endless pool. As the sun sets, a DJ set invites you to dance and rejoice in the wind while enjoying a signature cocktail. Each evening a different show entertains guests.

Personal Butler service at TRS Ibiza Hotel

I am Sofía, your morning butler. Today we will have a maximum temperature of 31ºC. Sunset will be at 9:24 p.m. and you can enjoy it from our Gravity Sky Bar, where we will also be hosting from 9:00 p.m. An African Beats show. We are at your disposal for anything you may need. Enjoy your tour of the island. One butler in the morning and one in the afternoon are at the guest’s disposal on each of the 7 floors on which TRS Ibiza Hotel is developed. In the lobby of the floor, the light wood desk is a place of assistance for every need. Upon arrival you can select the type of pillow, coffee capsules, beverages available in the room, and several other leisure options.

The first thing we ask for is a motorcycle to go around the island. We will be picked up shortly by the contracted service to deliver the vehicle. In the meantime, we ask for suggestions on places to visit. Sofia pulls a map out of the drawer and shows us where to go. We look for places less traveled by tourists, even inland. Wild beaches: a difficult search, in July, in Ibiza. The Balearic Islands received 16.4 million tourists in 2022, including both international and national visitors, virtually equal to the figures from 2019 – this has been communicated by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Balearic Government.

The Signature Level formula at TRS Ibiza Hotel: additional services and dine out formula

For the next day, we book a restaurant dinner in Ibiza – Eivissa –, and admission to one of Ibiza’s Clubs for the night. Among the things that make us unique are our agreements with several successful restaurants and entertainment formulas in different locations in Ibiza. This is in order to be able to offer guests participating in The Signature Level program various options to enjoy their all-inclusive package outside the hotel itself, said Jesús Sobrino, CEO of Palladium Hotel Group, to introduce the Signature Level formula.

TRS Ibiza Hotel, restaurants – Gaucho, Helios, Capricho – and Bars – Gaia Pool Bar, Aurum Lobby Bar, ÍO

The Gaucho is a colonial-style restaurant that features Ibiza-inspired interior and exterior spaces, where wood is blended with white and navy-blue colors. Signature cuisine with a gastronomic philosophy based on the traditional steak house, where ancient and current techniques are mixed, combined with the most unusual nuances of different world cuisines. Highlights include barbecued entrecote, turbot with delicate fish juice, porcini and calçot or sea bass ceviche with tiger milk and butter. All exploiting new textures, shapes, aromas and flavors, with a minimalist presentation.

The Mediterranean offering is provided by Helios, a restaurant that offers fresh, contemporary Mediterranean with fusion dishes. Its subtle Asian touch makes this restaurant a unique experience where you can enjoy dishes that stimulate the senses, such as fried cod with chipotle and apple mayonnaise or a delicious steak tartare.

At the Capricho show-cooking restaurant, the offerings combine traditional and contemporary cuisine. Smoked and marinated dishes and homemade pickles stand out, which are accompanied by a selection of pintxos, elaborate meats and fish, or typical Italian dishes. In keeping with the colonial aesthetic, the ambiance of this sublime restaurant is distinguished by its teal hues, which blend in the three spaces with white and natural wood tones.

Five are the hotel’s bars – Gaia Pool Bar, Aurum Lobby Bar or ÍO.

The history of Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza and the meaning of the name

The first written record that assures us of the presence of settlers in Eivissa dates back to Roman times and explains that the town of Eivissa was founded by the Carthaginians in 654 BC. But people were already living here centuries earlier: in Sant Antoni de Portmany there were people living there because some cave paintings have been discovered in the Ses Fontanelles Sa Cova Des Vi.

The Punics settled there, later came the Romans, who lived alongside them. The Romans gave Sant Antoni its name: Portus Magnus, an expression that evolved into Portmany. Around 900 came the Arabs from North Africa, Muslims and Arabic speakers. Many words remain from the language of the Arabs that refer to place names-such as Benimussa, Alcalá, Benimaimó-and names related to land and agriculture.

In the 13th century, King James I’s troops wrested Eivissa from the Arabs and repopulated it with Christian families; many Arabs continued to live in Eivissa as slaves. The conquerors divided Eivissa and Formentera into four parts: hence the name of the quartós and the name Quartó de Portmany. The families who remained in Portmany after the 1235 conquest had only the cathedral, called Santa Maria, to go to mass, and of course it was too far to go. For this reason, a group of Portmany men went to Tarragona, where the lord of Portmany lived, to ask for a church. The church of Sant Antoni, founded in 1385 and completed around 1640, was often used as a fortress and defense tower.

Sant Antoni de Portmany: the church of santa Maria

In the 19th century, we know that there are about 20 houses in Sant Antoni near the church. The village has 3,807 inhabitants and 693 families. The cannons in the church tower still functioned in case of need to defend against enemies. In the first half of this century the town hall building was created and constructed. In 1860-1861, the first public schools were built in Sant Antoni de Portmany, the road from Sant Antoni to Vila was started, which took two years to finish, repair work was done on the harbor, and at the end of the century the Ses Coves Blanques lighthouse came into operation.

Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera, inland Ibiza

Almost every village in Ibiza is named after a saint, since the unifying element in the origin and formation of the village was the church around which a small urban core was built. It is also true for Santa Gertrudis, which we reach by scooter in less than half an hour, crossing the Santa Eulària River, which crosses the region from northeast to southeast, and the Fruitera stream, which flows southward. The village still retains its original structure. The church, dedicated to Santa Gertrudis, was inaugurated in 1797. The bell tower, built in 1899, is the largest of all the churches in Ibiza. In the chancel is an original wooden altarpiece from the late 18th century, depicting an image of Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera.

We are inland. The Pou d’en Gatzara spring, located very close to the center of the village, has been considered since time immemorial the true geographical center of the island. In ancient times, the festival of Sant Jaume – St. James – was held here on June 25. The population of Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera (as in the rest of the island) is grouped into vendes, which are an organization of space perfectly adapted to human needs, geography and customs. The village of Santa Gertrudis is currently divided into nine vendes.

Palladium Hotel Group is Spain’s seventh largest hotel group

Part of Grupo Empresas Matutes (GEM), Palladium Hotel Group until November 2012 was known as Fiesta Hotel Group. The Spanish multinational company-headquartered on the island of Ibiza-has gradually expanded worldwide. Its main owner is Abel Matutes (who was Spain’s foreign minister from 1996 to 2000).

During the rise of tourism in the Balearic Islands in the late 1960s, the Matutes family opened 2 hotels in Ibiza. A decade later, they expanded to Menorca and Mallorca, a period when the Fiesta Hotels & Resorts sign also appeared. In the 1980s, it entered the Canary Islands, opening two properties in Tenerife and a third in Fuerteventura, while in the 1990s it began expansion into the Caribbean: opening three resorts in Playa Bávaro (Dominican Republic) and a hotel in Santo Domingo. Subsequently, it opened two more facilities in Valencia and Madrid.

Palladium Hotel Group – 41 hotels and more than 13,000 rooms in six countries: Spain, Italy, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Brazil

A continuous expansion, decade after decade, has led the group to count 41 hotels and more than 13. 000 rooms in six countries-Spain, Italy, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Brazil-operating under 9 brands: TRS Hotels, Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts, Palladium Hotels, Palladium Boutique Hotels, Fiesta Hotels & Resorts, Ushuaïa Unexpected Hotels, Only YOU Hotels, BLESS Collection Hotels, and the licensed brand Hard Rock Hotels in Ibiza, Tenerife, and Marbella, and the temporary brand 45 Times Square Hotel.

Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel acquired by Palladium Hotel Group

2011 marks a turning point for the Group. Following an agreement with Yann Pissenem, founder of the Ushuaïa Beach Club, what had been the Fiesta Club Playa D’en Bossa is renovated and relaunched under the name Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel. This innovative hotel concept, which aims to offer a unique and exclusive hotel and leisure experience, quickly becomes the company’s flagship hotel in Ibiza and one of the leading destinations internationally for disco lovers, thanks to a series of concerts, a party program with the scene’s top DJs, spectacular staging, and a combination of VIP services and facilities with state-of-the-art technology. With the launch of this hotel, it continues its innovative model begun with the renovation of the Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa.

The Ushuaïa Tower – at 166 m2, the I’m On Top of the World suite becomes the largest suite on the island. Also. After reaching an agreement with Hard Rock International to operate in Europe under license, Palladium Hotel Group opens the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza in 2014 right next to the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel.

Matteo Mammoli