Stretches of white sand, sea that specific colour of blue that you see on postcards (and that smug travel influencer’s Instagram grid) but rarely in real-life and just 40-minutes away from the most hedonistic island on earth? Yep, I can see why so many insiders whisper that Formentera, the island known as Ibiza’s “hippy little sister,” is the must-visit for people who like to party… but also need some peace and quiet every now and then. So, yeah, that’d be me. Here’s everything you need to know about where to stay, eat and shop on the island…
Where to stay…
I knew that Ibiza was known for being expensive but, for some reason totally lacking in logic, I figured that Formentera would be different. I was wrong. So while I’m not immune to splashing out on a fancy hotel every now and then, you’ll want to save your money and opt for a more affordable hotel. After all, the island’s so beautiful you’ll want to be out exploring most of the time anyway. Luckily, the hotel we stayed in, Es Pas Agroturismo managed to be within budget and with gorgeous surroundings to boot.
A 200 year old farmhouse set within 80,000 metres of land, there’s a pool nestled between olive trees, a range of rooms ranging from the smaller end of the scale to a little more luxury and breakfast is included. We stayed in Ibiza, a two-bed with a pretty stone bathroom and wooden, airy shutters. Es Pas is on the eastern coast, and feels slap bang in the middle of the country side, but is about a ten-minute walk from a sleepy fishing village with a couple of restaurants, a supermarket and Farmacia. Cycle 10 minutes in the other direction and you’ll reach Platja Es Arenals, one of the best beaches in Formentera. To explore other areas of the island you might want to hire a car, but we also found it easy to order taxis (which were around 10 to 20 euros each) and there’s a bus stop at the end of the road. The hotel staff are really knowledgeable about the area and we enjoyed our quiet mornings having breakfast (which is included) and cycling down to the shops before making our plan for the day.
As part of our package (put together by Eliza was here who specialise in ‘off the beaten track’ holidays) we had cycle hire included (they also provide car hire for some packages... but at the grand old age of 38 I still haven't learned...) as well as transfers to and from the airport, which proved so handy as to get to Formentera you first have to fly to Ibiza, before heading to the port, catching a ferry and then from Formentera’s port making your way to your hotel. The transfers made the whole thing so much simpler (plus everyone likes getting off a plane to a handwritten sign with your name on it, right?!)
Where to eat…
As I said, this is a pricy island and a few times we wandered into beach cafes expecting just to order some chips and sangria and were intimidated by the high prices on the menu (luckily wine remains cheap, at around 6 euros per glass in most places) so you’re going to want to book in a few special meals in, planning in advance the places you want to go. Luckily, for the price, everywhere we ate was not only absolutely beautiful but also so picturesque I spent much of the meal exclaiming how “lucky we were to be alive.”(yep, I’m a great dinner companion.)
Take Quimera. On the La Savina part of the island (very near the main ferry port) its terrace overlooks the most beautiful beach, and if you book in time for sunset you can enjoy a six-course tasting menu to slowly indulge in as the sky turns from blue, to pink, to orange before being covered in a scattering of stars. An incredibly romantic evening that almost had me proposing to my best friend (who is gay) so as not to waste the beauty of it all. Let’s normalise taking your pals out for romantic meals, why not?! The food, with all the vegetables grown on site, included fish straight from the Formentera sea and Sirloin steak served with blue cheese and quince jelly (the tasting menu is 95 euros, while mains come in at around 35 euros each). I’m vegetarian, with a minor nut allergy, so was slightly worried about a tasting menu but they were really accommodating.
For something that feels slightly more chill, we enjoyed our ‘local’ Can Rafalet a well-known restaurant on the island that’s been around for over 30 years (I’m told the pork chops are legendary - I just had pasta in the evenings and tapas by day.) It sits at the feet of the cliffs of La Mola, and overlooks the sea and boathouses, and it was so soothing just to sit, with a jug of white sangria and some tapas, and watch the sea hit the rocks.
For another treat, we had a luxurious lunch at Teranka, a boutique hotel with direct access to the beach, serving simple but great food (my friend had a burger, I had a salad) in the Vert Mer restaurant with menus by a Michelin star chef, alongside a Nobu Formentera. You can eat and then laze the afternoon away, having cocktails by their infinity pool feeling utterly peaceful. As for that casual beach café we wandered into, that turned out to be Casa Pacha Formentera, Es Arenals, one of the see-and-be-seen spots on the island and the miso aubergine I ordered on a whim there was one of the nicest things I’ve probably ever eaten.
What to do…
Hire! A! Boat! This is number one on pretty much all lists of ‘things to do in Formentera’ and I can really see why. There are so many incredible beaches spread across the island and seeing them by boat is by far the most glamorous, and easiest way to visit them all in one day. Via Sam Boat (who have a range of boats to choose from) we hired Beneteau Beneteau, a 15-metres long sailboat (don’t worry, you don’t have to sail it yourself) and were picked up by our (am I allowed to say handsome?) skippers at 11am, where we had the boat for the whole day, and they sailed us around the island stopping at various points. My highlights included jumping off into that clear blue sea, before paddle boarding and swimming for a few hours around the boat, as well as being speed-boated in to lunch, visiting the most incredible caves (where the rocks were almost parma violet purple) and generally feeling like a millionaire for the whole day. We were also, at one point, the only people on Platja de Ses Illetes, a seemingly infinite beach, it felt as if we were on our own private island. Boat hire comes in at 650 euros per day and hosts 10 people.
We also visited Terramol, one of two wineries on the island, for a tour of the fields and a history lesson on why wine is so important to the island before, of course, settling down for some charcuterie, cheese and a tasting of the five different wines. We loved the vermouth so much we purchased a bottle and promptly finished it the next day.
If you love pottering about markets, picking up unique bits and bobs that you can’t get at home, then there’s plenty of places to do so. The largest and most famous is La Mola, which was a short bus ride from our hotel. Located in a small square, where a band played fun songs as you browse the unique and beautiful jewellery and leather bags and belts on display.
Where to party…
Now, on the first day, we asked someone “where’s the best place on the island to party” and were pretty much laughed at. “Go to Ibiza” they said. We were staying on the island off season (end of May) but they were proven pretty much right as Formentera really is spectacularly chilled, most of the bars and restaurants we sat in were either half-full or, at some points, empty.
But that’s also what’s great about it, we headed off for one night to Ibiza, for a party at the Standard Hotel (a five-minute walk from the ferry port with a rooftop and basement bar, so a great place to head if you don’t want to rely too much on taxis). The ferry is 40-minutes long and 25 euros per way so if you don’t fancy that, then we did discover a few beach bars with a really fun atmosphere. There was Lucky, with seats out facing the sea and a bell that rang every time anyone gave a tip, with limoncello shots handed out liberally. Just down the way from there was the Pirate Bus, another super casual beach bar overlooking the sea. And Blue Bar, with an alien-themed beach club, with tables on the sand. The night we went a band were playing and everyone was up dancing as the sun set. It was how we spent our last night and was one of those evenings you look around and just think ‘I’ll remember this for my whole life.’
But, really, Formentera is the place you want to go for an utterly chilled, beautiful escape from your regular grey-pavement life.
Eliza was here provide flights, accommodation, bike hire and transfers, staying at Es Pas Formentera from £847 for 8 days, per person. They specialise in 'off the beaten track' holidays across the world and in other packages car hire is also available.
