Ibiza’s original spirit has become one of hospitality’s most elastic ideas. At Nômade Temple Ibiza, it stretches across 182 rooms, multiple dining venues, an 810 sq m spa, a recording studio, a bazaar and an M.C. Escher-inspired performance space. This is a hotel with the confidence to call itself a temple – and the programme to fill one. The hotel occupies the former BG Portinatx Beach Club Hotel, a four-star all-inclusive built in the 1970s. Owned by ARD Investment and designed and operated by Mexican-born hospitality company Nômade People, it joins the group’s properties in Tulum, Holbox and Madrid.
Wallpaper* checks in at Nômade Temple Ibiza
What’s on your doorstep?
Portinatx sits at Ibiza’s northern end, in the municipality of Sant Joan de Labritja. The coastal settlement gathers around three beaches – S’Arenal Gros, S’Arenal Petit and Es Port – with pine-covered hills and rocky headlands. The striped Moscarter lighthouse, the tallest in the Balearic Islands, can be reached by following the coast from Es Portixol. Nômade descends towards the water through terraces, paths and native planting, with the pool, beach restaurant and accommodation blocks arranged around the same blue focal point. Guests can head out for coastal hikes, kayaking and snorkelling, although the extensive programme within the hotel – which includes everything from recode breathwork and telescope stargazing to beeswax jewellery workshops – makes leaving a chore.
Who is behind the design?
The architecture and interiors were led by Oneness, Nômade People’s in-house studio, founded by architects Sebastián Sas and Bjarke Ingels. Spanish project-management company Betlinski coordinated the construction, while the wider team included landscape consultant Fernando Martos, lighting specialists Anoche and Alve, furniture manufacturer Cidon and carpenters Stevani & Silva. Guests first enter the property through an enclosed space of intimate proportions, where a reflecting pool introduces the sound of water. The reception then expands beneath a large skylight before the route changes direction and opens suddenly towards the horizon.
‘The main challenge was to transform a building that originally imposed itself on the landscape into an architecture that dialogues with it,’ the architects explain. Most of the guestroom structures were retained, with larger openings, upgraded environmental systems and a closer relationship between interior and exterior. New volumes step down the terrain, allowing one block to overlook another without placing terraces directly in view. Arches and rounded corners reinterpret traditional Ibizan payesa architecture, while deep walls, shaded balconies and semi-covered spaces temper the summer heat and encourage natural ventilation.
The greatest intervention centres on the main building, whose position across the site initially interrupted the relationship with the cove. Oneness turned it into the hotel’s architectural and social nucleus, concentrating the Portinatx Villa, lofts, restaurant and El Templo within and around its retained structure. Repeated arches soften its scale and frame glimpses of planting, sky and water as guests circulate. Throughout, piedra blanca, sabina wood, terracotta, zellige and rustic stone establish the material vocabulary. Furniture was designed for individual spaces, then mixed with vintage pieces collected internationally.
‘Despite its scale, Nômade Temple Ibiza was crafted with the attention and care of a boutique hotel, designing and curating each space individually,’ the architects say. ‘The choice of natural and honest materials, rustic textures, artisanal techniques and local materials seeks to build an identity deeply linked to Ibiza and the spirit of Nômade.’
The room to book
The Portinatx Villa perfectly embodies what the hotel is all about. Set within the main building at the centre of the hotel, it contains three bedrooms, one with a private indoor sauna, alongside an expansive living space, fully equipped kitchen and private pool. It can be taken as an entire villa or divided into individual rooms. The central position provides a broad view across the different levels of the resort and towards the cove. Simple stone surfaces, strong colour, tactile fabrics and individually selected furniture bring together the recurring elements found throughout the accommodation.
Across the remaining categories, rooms range from compact individual spaces to oceanfront suites, double-height DJ Lofts and cliffside villas arranged for groups. Some prioritise seclusion, with private pools, terraces and outdoor bathing; others introduce shared kitchens and living rooms intended for friends, families or creative residencies. Locally sourced materials, artisanal ceramics and handcrafted furniture recur, but their combinations change between rooms, avoiding the uniformity expected of a resort with this many keys.
‘Some rooms are designed for introspection and a deeper connection with the natural environment, while others, such as the DJ Lofts, promote companionship and creativity,’ says Oneness.
Staying for drinks and dinner?
Tavla is the central all-day restaurant, built around seasonal Mediterranean produce, fire cooking and long communal tables. Its restored wooden windows provide the room’s architectural anchor, joined by stone floors laid piece by piece and handcrafted ceramics across the tables. Café Libre handles mornings and the hours between meals, serving speciality coffee from local roastery Meke alongside baked goods and lighter dishes. At the water’s edge, 4fu3gos concentrates on local seafood and open-fire cooking, with clay tiles wrapping the kitchen and traditional Mexican equipal chairs connecting Ibiza to Nômade’s roots in Tulum and Holbox.
Kuu Jū brings Japanese omakase technique into contact with Mediterranean fish and produce. ‘The coloured glass evokes the spirit of the 1970s,’ the architects explain, pointing also to the textured marble counter and oversized straw light suspended above it. Guests can choose between a 13-course journey and a bites menu; the latter includes a soy-fuelled twist on the traditional Spanish gilda and a must-try tuna-belly katsu sando. After dinner, Miami-born Dante’s HiFi draws on Japanese audiophile bars, pairing vinyl with cocktails.
Where to switch off
The Gön House of Healing is Oneness’s most substantial architectural move. Faced with an 810 sq m spa and a coastline already occupied by the inherited hotel, the studio buried the wellness complex within the topography. ‘Due to its large scale and spacious areas, it was decided to bury it and integrate it into the topography, making it practically disappear from the landscape and allowing the cove to remain the true protagonist,’ the architects explain.
The subterranean interiors take their cues from Ibiza’s caves. Travertine floors, textured walls and sharp contrasts between light and shadow lead through hammams, saunas, cold plunges, flotation spaces and the Wataflow Sanctuary. Treatments range from Augustinus Bader facials to the Waterness Journey, in which a practitioner guides the body through fluid movements in warm water. The Emotional Alchemy Ritual combines meditation with bodywork, while the wider programme stretches into Pilates, astrology, hypnotherapy and emotional freedom techniques. A Journey Designer consultation at the beginning of a stay is intended to help guests navigate the options.
The forthcoming El Templo expands the programme beyond traditional wellness. Inspired by M.C. Escher’s shifting geometry, its stairways, changing perspectives and use of light create a flexible setting for yoga, meditation, performances and celebrations.
The verdict
Whether Ibiza’s ‘original essence’ can be recovered is beside the point. Nômade has created a version of the island with its own spatial logic, soundtrack and daily rituals. Staying here means entering the hotel’s spiritual worldview. Its stated aim is reconnection – with oneself, the landscape, the island and other people. A shaman-in-residence is available to perform energy cleansings, while Journey Designers help guests assemble a personal route through the rituals, treatments and cultural events. With 182 rooms and an extensive programme, there is enough variety for each day to take a different shape; whether that means wellness in the morning, dancing after dark or both is entirely up to the guest.
Nômade Temple Ibiza is located at Carrer Camí de sa Torre, 07810 Sant Joan de Labritja, Illes Balears, Spain.