Formentera is the baby of the Balearic Islands. Only 17km from Ibiza by sea, it couldn’t be any more different from it’s big sister. It’s calling card really are it’s beaches. Miles of pure white sand and crystal clear water its akin to the Caribbean.
There’s no airport so It’s only accessible by sea, another plus and this makes it quiet and secluded. One for those that really want to get away from it all. We took a trip here for the day from Ibiza to see what it was all about.
The ferry from Playa D’en Bossa takes only 40 mins so before we knew it we were pulling into the harbor at La Savina, a small village with a huge exclusive marina full of million pound yachts. From here we made our way inland slightly (if you can call it that – its only 20km long the island and in the middle so thin you can see the sea on both sides) to San Francisco – the main town.
At its center stands a wonderfully simple fortified church built in the 18th century. In former times the roof was equipped with cannons and the inhabitants took cover from looting pirates within the thick walls. The church square is the central meeting point of San Francisco and in the morning local craftsmen sell their goods here giving it a wonderful atmosphere. The quaint square lined with cafes and the pedestrianised street’s shops and bars gives a lively bustle to this little town. We really liked this little place and discovered a couple of beautiful shops – one full of hand painted ceramics and one full of gorgeous vintage wear. We picked up a couple of things in each and wished we had a better weight limit for our flights!
We then drove up the Island, through San Ferran, stopping at the side of the road to take in some of the amazing views over the coastline and then on up to the highest point of the island at 193 metres at La Mola lighthouse from which there are superb vistas from the cliffs plunging down into the sea.
Up to the 1980’s salt was the main product of Formentera, however, production was stopped in 1985 due to the decline in demand. Since then tourism has been the main source of income, but there are farms with agriculture and livestock still functioning on a small scale and a huge production of figs!
Salt flats
Fig trees
We took a little tour via the seaside town of Platja De Mignon and then on to Es Pujols where we enjoyed a lovely lunch in the beach club there before collapsing on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Some of the clearest water we’ve ever seen – it was exquisite.