A certain je ne sais quoi

There are few things that an infusion of French sass can’t improve. A simple Breton tee paired with jeans, a thick slice of brie atop crusty bread, a glass of red wine on a cold night – these may sound like tired old clichés but they epitomise some distinctly French ideas. A certain pizzazz for style, cuisine and wine – things the rest of the world appreciates but can never replicate. On the white isle, we have Experimental Beach Ibiza to thank for the arrival of a certain inimitable French chicness on our shores a venue where couples with cosmopolitan leanings call on without question to seal the deal on their big day.

Situated among the glass-still salt flats of Ses Salines, a centuries-old nature reserve where Ibiza’s vast quantities of salt are harvested, Experimental Beach Ibiza boasts a front row location on the pebbly beach of Cap d’es Falco. Facing out towards an always sparkling Mediterranean Sea and the tip of the majestic rock known as Es Vedra, the venue is part of the esteemed Experimental Group, which has much revered outposts in London, New York, and Paris, where the team’s first cocktail club changed the face of the city’s mixology scene.

The same can be said for Experimental Beach Ibiza. Not only is this an alternative spot for watching the sun go down at dusk, it’s also a venue that seamlessly combines subtle style with the kind of bohemian free-spiritedness that Ibiza became renowned for in decades past. This combination of stunning location and elegant insouciance has made it an unrivalled hit with Europe’s globetrotting wanderers, and it has cemented its place as one of the most sought after wedding venues on the island. After all, who wouldn’t want to tie the knot as a silhouette against nature’s greatest spectacle?

Unsurprisingly then, the majority of weddings at Experimental Beach Ibiza take place at a time that allows sunset to be incorporated into proceedings. Suggestions are that guests arrive at around 5pm, which is followed by a bespoke beachside ceremony facing the Med, cocktails and tapas, and then a unique dinner on the restaurant’s beautiful alfresco terrace, just in time to see the sun dipping beneath the horizon. Following photos, speeches and food, space is made for drinks and dancing, which continues till the stars have been strewn across the sky like diamonds on a velvet blanket.

Experimental Beach Ibiza is also available for exclusive hire, which allows the happy couple and their loved ones to savour the special day in total privacy. It also means that the venue is a blank canvas on which to paint every pair’s perfect wedding day – from the decor, to the flowers, to the music, all of which can be catered for in collaboration with an external wedding planner, on which can be arranged by the venue’s events manager on clients’ behalf. The same ethos extends to food and drink, where several example menus are available, but can be altered according to taste and in collaboration with the chef after an exclusive tasting menu session.

As a part of the celebration feast at Experimental Beach Ibiza, guests are offered a selection of tapas prior to the sit down meal. Mediterranean-inspired options include pan con tomate, shrimp skewers, and vegetable tempura, as well as patatas bravas, gazpacho, and ceviche. Starters meanwhile, range from luxury lobster salad to salmon gravlax, and crayfish carpaccio. For the pièce de resistance, the couple can choose from options like grilled sea bass, summer truffle risotto, or parrillada of meats cooked in the Josper over for their guests, before finishing on fruit salad, Baba au rhum, or Moelleux au chocolat for dessert.

A nice additional touch comes in the form of the option of a late night snack to refuel guests after all that dancing, with options like Manchego cheese, ham croquettes and mini burgers providing sustenance to keep the energy flowing well into the night. And naturally, since Experimental Beach Ibiza is a world-class cocktail bar, there’s also the option to have the venue’s expert mixologists create a bespoke cocktail to mark the occasion. Sweet, salty or sour – or a concoction that comes with an accompanying story – barmen are able to transform the couple’s cocktail dreams into reality. Classic cocktails and an extensive wine list are of course also available.

An entirely unique venue, Experimental Beach Ibiza is woven together with the standards associated with French establishments and perched on a beachfront on an island in the middle of the Balearics – much like any marriage, it symbolises the unison of two seeming opposites. And yet, one complements the other, revealing something magical and unseen. As you say your vows with the sun setting in the distance and the sea lapping at your feet, may it be the first page of a long and harmonious life spent well together.