On The Beach Archives - BURNESSIE TRAVELS

So as you may know I’ve been writing up about some of the brilliant places I was lucky to eat at in Ibiza recently, but what you may not know is that Ibiza wasn’t just any ordinary holiday – it was my best friend’s Wed Week. This incredible week full of fun, laughing, a fair few hangovers and of course, chock full of love, culminated in a stunning wedding of two of my closest friends at the beautiful Amante Beach Club.

It being my best friend’s wedding, of course I had stalked photos of Amante online a lot, and another good friend of mine who had shot a wedding there last year confirmed it was an incredible location, but honestly I wasn’t prepared for just how amazing it would be until I arrived one morning before the big day for a run through. The other beach clubs I’ve been to in Ibiza are next to others yet Amante is totally isolated in a small bay, built up on the rocks with panoramic views of turquoise waters that melt into azure blue toward the horizon.

When we got there, one of Amante’s yoga and breakfast mornings was in full swing, and I cannot think of a more perfect spot to start the day. Classes start at 9am and are conducted in both English and Spanish, with a healthy breakfast buffet of fresh fruit, eggs, natural yogurt, cereals, dried fruit, freshly baked wholegrain patisserie and freshly squeezed juices to wash it all down (€30 for yoga and breakfast). I can’t report back on the quality of breakfast but it all looked great and if the food I have had at Amante is anything to be judged on, it’ll be fantastic.

Which brings me to talking about just that – the food. Given, I’m writing about a set menu at a wedding, but everything served is available on their a la carte and is clearly shows the quality on offer at the beach club. To kick off proceedings, tuna tataki canapes were a favourite, washed down with the most refreshing of expertly made mojitos. The drinks and canape reception allowed everyone to take in the – quite frankly – ridiculous views that Amante has to offer. It’s impossible not to be enthralled by the place, even if you were to simply go for a drink. But it would be foolish to miss out on Amante’s food, so back to that.

To start we had sharing plates of Iberico ham, the creamiest burrata I think I’ve ever had, and a delicious fish stew of sorts. Beautifully presented, the burrata was served with a basil infused cream and a scattering of cherry tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic pearls. I could’ve eaten the entirety of the seafood dish by myself, the standout element being the plump, perfectly cooked scallops among the calamari and king prawns, complemented well by a tomato and saffron sauce.

For the wedding breakfast main, we had a choice of baked cod – which was excellently cooked – served with tomatoes, garlic and baked potatoes, or Tenderised Galician beef with parmesan potato gratin, black truffle oil and vine ripened tomatoes, which was perfectly sized and married together well. On the a la carte menu there are of course ample more dishes to choose from, the tuna fillet dish and the slow cooked suckling pig, sounding particularly good to me. The perfect excuse to return.

Being the location of such a happy day for me and my friends, you may think I’m biased on Amante being a pretty special place, but I genuinely think the photos speak for themselves. There’s something magical about this beach club set into the rocks; the seclusion from everything else and the panoramic views make this a must stop during your time in Ibiza – just remember to check in advance the place hasn’t been hijacked by another wedding!

Cala Sol d’en Serra, Calle Afueras, s/n, 07849 Cala Longa, Ibiza
+34 971 19 61 76
Open every day from 11am until 2am; yoga mornings from 9am on weekdays

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Once upon a time, an English girl met an Aussie girl in the jungle of Northern Sulawesi in Indonesia. They were surrounded by tall trees, volcanoes and the sea; cockroaches and snakes; gibbons and crocodiles and a couple of sun bears too. The evenings were dull. Nothing really happens in the jungle at night for humans. The never ending boredom in the middle of nowhere was dispelled drinking beer and sharing stories, even if they were the only two people in the vicinity to partake. In the middle of nowhere this potty mouthed Londoner and this wild haired veterinary Sydneysider became fast friends.

This friendship was born out of large Bintangs and late night cheese toasties, and has continued through the years with food as a constant thread between us, even when I once accidentally made my friend sit through a BBQ full of every type of meat going with my family, not realising she had gone veggie since the last time I’d seen her and she was too polite to tell my dad after he raved about the meat his mate the butcher had provided for the occasion.

Jess comes from a beautiful part of the world, the Northern beaches of Sydney, and as much as I love Sydney city, I really love escaping up the coast a little and staying with my friend. Not least because I love my friend made in the most unlikely of places, but because going to Avalon means a trip to one of my favourite restaurants in Australia that she introduced me to – The Boathouse.

The Boathouse originated in Palm Beach, otherwise known as home to Home and Away, but luckily for Sydneysiders, they have new outposts edged around the city, at Balmoral in Mosman and Shelley Beach in Manly. The whole dining experience here is everything it should be in Australia – al fresco, by the water, fresh food (plenty of it healthy) and good, cold wine. It just feels Australian.

There is plenty of seafood, and I can personally vouch for the high standard of battered fish and thick cut chips they serve up here, as well as a beautiful fish pie. In fact the chips are amazing and deserve a proper mention; seriously crispy but fluffy on the inside, and plenty of them. Salads are colourful and plentiful, scarlet beads of pomegranate seeds adding a brilliant crunch; the bucket of prawns a popular choice and the burgers not amiss either. The wine list isn’t overwhelming in size, but all expertly picked and naturally, predominantly Australian.

Whilst I haven’t had the pleasure of a Boathouse breakfast, the menu includes all the usual suspects, with avo on toast with poached eggs, bacon and egg rolls, french toast, bircher muesli and the very Australian healthy breakfast of a veggie bowl with eggs, avo, smoked salmon, brown rice, chilli and greens. The coffee is very good too, cappuccinos and the like beautifully presented with a smattering of chocolate shaped in their signature anchor logo. There’s also a deli of delicious fresh produce, and there are rustic tin vases of beautiful blooms you can purchase too.

There are many restaurants in Australia that make me wish I could pop over for a weekend, just eat and drink and catch up with the many friends who have made the move, but The Boathouse is up there among the ones I miss most.