Blue Marlin Ibiza
Cala Jondal possesses that special quality which places that need no introduction have. You arrive, you see the water, you breathe in the pine forest and you immediately understand why Blue Marlin Ibiza put down roots here over two decades ago and why no one who has experienced it really forgets it. But what actually sets this beach club apart is not the setting but the conviction with which its team continues to work to make each season better than the last.
Antimo Di Biase, manager of Blue Marlin Ibiza, is of the firm opinion that excellence is not a destination but a habit that must be cultivated every day. This season, the team has invested in something that cannot be seen but which can be felt from the very first moment: a thorough overhaul of customer service protocols designed to ensure that every guest who visits Blue Marlin Ibiza feels that the place has been set up just for them, regardless of who they are or where they come from. It’s not about following protocol in the traditional, somewhat cold sense of the term, but rather about creating that much harder-to-achieve sensation of feeling at home, comfortable and well taken care of, without having to ask for anything because the team has already anticipated your needs.
That vision is shared and applied by Simone Pellegrini, the food and beverage manager, who sees her role as someone who ensures that every detail of the dining experience lives up to what Blue Marlin Ibiza represents. For Simone, excellence in F&B isn’t just about the quality of your products but also about consistency—from supplier selection to the moment the dish is served to the customer. Every intermediate decision, which often goes unseen, determines the end result. Her goal this season is clear: to ensure that Blue Marlin Ibiza’s food and drink reflect the same level of excellence as the rest of the experience.
In the dining room, Matteo Michele, the restaurant supervisor, is responsible for transforming this philosophy into something tangible for diners during each service. Matteo is convinced that a restaurant’s excellence depends on the little details that a customer should never have to ask for. It is this anticipation that turns good service into an unforgettable experience, something that requires constant focus and presence from the entire team, even when the restaurant is packed and the pace is relentless. In his opinion, each service at Blue Marli n Ibiza is a chance to demonstrate that the restaurant’s level is not something that is maintained by itself but rather something that you actively choose each day.
The fishermen bring us this one fish late in the afternoon that is an absolute treat. It’s still wriggling when it comes
This year, the cocktails, which have always been one of the main attractions at Blue Marlin Ibiza, are taking on a concept that goes beyond being mere drinks. Led by Massimo Cimadamore, the mixology team has developed a system in which the process matters as much as the end result, where conversation and personal choice guide each drink towards something truly tailor-made.
In the kitchen, Josetxo Arrieta remains the guardian of an uncompromising philosophy. This season, the selection of suppliers has been revised with a special focus on Ibizan produce, incorporating local producers who supply the kitchen with fruit, vegetables and herbs of a quality the chef considers essential. Whilst the menu features a few new dishes, the conversation with Josetxo really revolves around the off-menu items—a section that doesn’t appear in print anywhere but which represents the very best that can be served at Blue Marlin Ibiza for those in the know. His direct relationship with Ibiza’s fishermen guilds, built over years of honest work and mutual respect, provides access to catches that arrive in the kitchen just hours after being pulled from the water—fish that bypass all middlemen and whose quality depends entirely on what the sea has chosen to yield on any given day.
For decades, Blue Marlin Ibiza has been one of those places that the island has embraced as its own—a reference point that transcends the season and has managed to grow without losing the essence of Cala Jondal. Antimo, Simone, Matteo and Josetxo represent four different ways of understanding and applying the same conviction: that when excellence is the starting point rather than the destination, the road ahead is always longer.
