Formentera – the little Caribbean

Formentera is lovingly known as the little Caribbean or Ibiza’s little sister. If you look at the turquoise blue sea and the white beaches, you will know why.

After a short ferry crossing from Ibiza Town, we arrived in the small port of La Savina in Formentera. From here you can continue your journey either by bus, cab, rental car, scooter or bicycle. Cycling is very popular on the island. Please note: Taxis on Formentera are very expensive, therefore I would recommend booking a cheaper alternative in advance. Many visitors to Formentera are day tourists who come over from Ibiza. We had decided to stay on the island for several days. That’s why we booked a cozy little hotel not far from La Savina.

Hotel Lago Dorado Formentera

Fortunately, Formentera is not yet paved with large hotel along the coast. Most of the islands accommodation was built the typical local style: whitewashed, flat, small and cosy. However, as there are only a limited number of hotels and vacation apartments on the small island, it can be difficult to find a room spontaneously in the high season. So planning and booking early is advisable.

The Hotel Lago Dorado* is located directly on a beautiful saltwater lagoon with turquise, shallow water that looks very Carribbean. The hotel has a restaurant where hotel guests can have breakfast, lunch or dinner. The terrace is a great place to start the day with a view of the lagoon whilst enjoying coffee, croissants, muesli and more,

The hotel pool invites you to swim and refresh and you can enjoy the beautiful view of the lagoon from there as well. The hotel is quite secluded and therefore offers a lot of peace and quiet. The perfect spot to unwind and relax. The Lago Dorado is a simple middle-class hotel without any luxury or frills. We certainly felt very comfortable there and had everything we needed.

While we were on Formentera, we didn’t want to miss out on one of the island’s main attractions.

Playa de ses Illetes – Europe’s most beautiful beach

At the north-western tip of the island lies the beach that is probably one of the main reasons for Formentera’s nickname “the little Caribbean”. Once voted the most beautiful beach in Europe and the sixth most beautiful beach in the world, Playa de ses Illetes is still a little paradise today. With white sand, crystal clear, shallow water and a wonderful view of Ibiza and Es Vedra, the beach is well woth a visit and a fantastic spot to spend the day. Because we didn’t have a parasol with us, we moved to a pretty beach bar with a lovely boho flair in the late morning when it was getting to hot in the sun. Whilst enjoying the shade, we treated ourselves to chilled drinks and a few snacks at Es Ministre and continued to admire the incredibly beautiful view. We felt like we were actually somewhere in the Carribbean, not in Spain. Just the flight was a lot shorter. Good job!

Even though we would have liked to stay at this dream beach forever, at some point it was time to move on. Our next destination was the coastal town of Es Pujols in the north-east of the island. It probably is the most touristy place on the island, but it is still relatively small and cozy compared to tourist resorts on Mallorca or Ibiza. After a stroll around the town, we didn’t want to miss out on a visit to Chezz Gerdi.

Chezz Gerdi, Formentera – hippie vibes by the turquoise sea

The cool hippie-style restaurant on the edge of Pujols is located right by the sea. The trademark is probably the old, red flower-power campervan parked in front of the restaurant.

Even though Chezz Gerdi offers a wide variety of dishes, many guests come to the restaurant for their delicious pizza. We only had a drink there, so we can’t give a personal pizza recommendation. But also without pizza, enjoying the view of the sea in this hippy-chic ambience with music and cool drinks is woth a visit. Peace, baby!

Our next excursion in Formentera takes us inland to the island’s capital.

Sant Francesc de Formentera

As this town is not by the sea, it is not reminiscent of the Caribbean. Instead, it ivery much reminded me of Mykonos town because of the many flat, whitewashed houses. Sant Francesc is home to the island town hall and the only roundabout on the island. Fun fact: There is not a single traffic light in Formentera. Sant Francesc is also great for shopping, strolling and eating out.

We had lunch at the small Italian restaurant El Giovale on the outskirts of the small town. Of course, we immediately fell in love with the beautiful boho ambience. But that’s not the only reason why we liked the place. The food was also fantastic, especially the spaghetti carbonara traditionale – without cream. Rumor has it that El Giovale has the best pasta in Formentera. We would agree.

Wellness, beach bars and the Playa de Migjorn

What would a nice trip be without a good wellness massage? To me, it is a must-have at least once during our summer vacations. If you appreciate and love it as much as I do, you should definitely book an appointment with Ingrid between May and October, when she is based on the island. Ingrid with the magic hands. You can find her in the garden of the Casbah Hotel*, which is also super beautiful. In a pavilion in the middle of the hotel’s Mediterranean garden, you can relax and recharge your batteries during various treatments.

From there we started our walk to Playa de Migjorn. This beach on Formentera is also very well-known and popular, but we personally didn’t like it quite as much as Playa de ses Illetes. Too much sea weed for our liking. On the other hand, we found the Kiosko 62 beach shack which we discovered on our walk along the beach, which we liked a lot. A refreshing drink was just what we needed, so we happily spent some time there in the shade.

Piratabus and sunsets

On our last evening in Formentera, we wanted to see a beautiful sunset. That’s why we made our way south to the Piratabus, as this is the island’s sunset hotspot.

After we were lucky enough to get one of the few coveted seats in the rustic beach bar, we watched the hustle and bustle with loud music, tapas and drinks. It was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.

We would therefore absolutely recommend a visit to Formentera without any reservation. Let yourself be enchanted by the charm of this small, magical island.