Island Life: Formentera

"My sense of direction leads me one way: to the beach." by Unknown

It was a busy period at work and full weekends with different trips and activities when my friend Claudia asks me: What about Formentera. Looking at my calendar, it was the only free weekend i had, but then again, I closed my calendar and said: SURE! 

Getting There 

You need several transportation means to get there, but nothing too complicated. Book a flight to IBIZA, yeap you heard it right, book the flight to Ibiza, but ditch it for the gorgeous and serene Formentera.  From the airport take bus: Route 10 to the Port. Once in the port, you can go to the Ferry terminal and book yourself the ticket. You have several price options with different boats at different speeds. I booked the one for about 46 euro return which was taking 30 min. 

Getting around

The best way to get around is by car. There are some buses and it's true that the island is small, but if you want to cover as many beaches as possible you need the car. 

DAY 1: 

Playa d'Es Arenals

We started our day at the beach. 

Es Arenals is a beach that forms part of the Migjorn Bay, and it's one of the last beaches in the Southern beach area coming from the center of the island. This beach is very popular among families, since there is a large variety of facilities around. The bottom of the sea is really smooth and soft, there are no rocks in the area, in which you can step on, so it's a perfect place for a calm bath.

Lunch: El Codol Forodat Restaurant

I was in the mood for Paella (well, Fideua to be more precise) and so researching the places around the island and counting on having a car we went for El Codol Forodat Restaurant. If you want a table outside you need to book in advance, they are super busy. But everything works fast and the food is very good & a lot. 

Es Codol Foradat Beach 

The afternoon did not look very summery with all the clouds and considering our full bellies we decided to just stay at the beach next to the restaurant for a siesta. 

DAY 2: 

Natural Park of Ses Salines

"The Natural Park of Ses Salines, also known as Las Salinas, is a protected area located encompassing parts of South East Ibiza, the North of Formentera and the sea and islands in between. It covers an area of 16,000 hectares, of which 13,000 are marine. The Natural Park encompasses the wetlands of Ses Salines in the south of Ibiza, s'Estany de Peix and s'Estany Pudent, in northern Formentera, es Codolar, Las Salinas and Es Cavallet beaches in Ibiza; and the Peninsula des Trucadors of Formentera, where the beaches of Illetas and Llevant are situated." (Source)

You can get to the national park via several transportation ways (car, moto, bike, bus). If you go by car you need to pay a small amount of money (5 euro or so) to enter and have access with the ticket to go in an out the whole day. 

"If you cross the beach to the northern tip you get to the so called “El Pas”, a beautiful spot where you can cross its 200m long swimming or on foot if the tide is low to get to isla de S’Espalmador and enjoy the unspoiled and wild beaches of this natural park." (Source) 

We did not cross, although the tide seemed quite low we saw some people passing (taller than us) and they seemed to be almost covered by water at some point so would have been not feasible to walk. 

After that we took advantage of the rest of the day an enjoyed the magical beach they have over there. 

We left for lunch and when it was far too hot to still be outside and came back in the afternoon. Stopped for some pictures at the salt lakes. 

And continued to enjoy the afternoon on the beach. 

Sunset at Cala Saona 

On an island you are lucky enough to be able to catch both sunrises & sunsets from and in the water. And so I could not miss this opportunity. After some research and looking at the direction of the sunset, we went for Cala Saona to enjoy the end of the day. 

After Sunset view of Cap de Barbaria 

Call me crazy and you are completely entitled. Right after the sunset, we rushed to the Lighthouse to see if we can still get to see it a bit at the end of the last remaining drops of day light. We did not manage as you have to leave the car some 1.3 km away, but we did see the lighthouse at the light of the moon. The pictures are not too good, but I can only say it was pretty awesome. 

"At the far southern tip of the island, Barbaria recalls the presence of the African coast far out to sea. For the safety of mariners, this lighthouse was built, raised on a rough landscape of rocks and wind-blown shrubs. The lighthouse had been projected in 1924 but was not built until 1971. It rises 78 metres above the sea and its intermittent beam of light can be seen from as far as 18 miles away. It has no auxiliary buildings other than being near the Es Garroveret Defence Tower and the Foradada Beach Cove." (Source)

Dinner & Live Music at Bar Blue

One of the places to be on a Monday night is bar blue as they offer free live music and the location is super nice. To be fair, I was not impressed with the food, but you can't have everything. 

DAY 3

Sunrise at Faro De La Mola

After a late night, time came for an early morning as we wanted to catch the sunrise. It was a beautiful drive all the way to Faro de la Mola. We were not the only ones there, but it's true not too many people wake up so early. 

"It is one of the most spectacular places on the whole island, making it a great tourist attraction. The lighthouse is located on the edge of a cliff 120 metres above sea level, on the plateau of La Mola, where the highest point on the island is also to be found: Sa Talaiassa, 192 metres above sea level. [...] Truly breathtaking. It is also highly recommended to enjoy this natural setting at sunrise or sunset." (Source)

Calo des Mort 

This little place is may favorite spot of the island, the downside is that it is super small and there is no sun early in the morning. The upside here is of course that there was no one when we arrived (right after sunrise) 

"Calo Des Mort is located in the south-east side of the island, precisely between Es Arenals and Es Ram, and is considered a real jewel of nature. [...] To get there, starting from the village of Sant Ferran, take the road to La Mola and passed the village of Es Calo, go to Mar Y Land. When you reach the parking area next to the beach, you must take the path to the left and walk along the seashore in a raised position. Passed the beach bar named San Bartolo, in a few minutes you are above the cove. From here, holding on to a rope you can descend to the beach via stone steps carved into the rock." (Source)

Ses Platgetes

"The beach of Ses Platgetes is about three hundred meters from Es Calo de Sant Augusti, a small fishing village, situated opposite the slope to El Pilar de la Mola. This stretch of coast, located inside a large inlet between Punta Prima and Punta de Sa Creu, is formed by a succession of three small coves and is characterized by rocky outcrops, clean beaches with white and soft sand, dune system and fixing vegetation, such as pine trees and bushes, which extends to the back. (Source)

BEACH MAPs

USEFUL Maps 

I found the map of Visit Formentera very useful. Here you can find the link to it. 

Flower Power Parties 

Throughout June and July you have these Flower Power Parties which are free and very well organized. There is a public bus picking you up and dropping you back off for a small amount of money. You can find more info on the website. 

Markets 

There are several markets in Formentera offering artisan products, some of which are very nice and with decent princes. You can get a list of the markets and when they are open on the Formentera Tourist website.