Ibiza Part 4 - Formentera - the Bahamas of the Balearics

Formentera - aka "Ibiza's chilled out little sister" is about 6 km south and just under an hour's ferry ride from Ibiza.

Setting off early from the north of the island, we traveled south to Ibiza port where we boarded the ferry for Formentera. It was a lovely smooth crossing and on arrival we were directed towards the coach which took us to the town of Sant Francesc Xavier or San Francisco, the capital of the island. 

It's a beautiful small town, (village really) and we spent about an hour there wandering around browsing the boutiques (I loved the concept store called Blink) and artisan shops - all very stylish - and grabbed a mid morning snack at a fab little cafe where they were growing tomatoes from baskets hung outside - a lovely idea and so quaint. There is no high rise development permitted on the island so it retains the appearance and feel of times gone by but with the added benefits of being in the twenty first century! 

We then made our way across the island past a large stretch of gorgeous beaches towards the lighthouse situated on the south eastern tip. On a clearer day than ours was, Ibiza island would be clearly visible to the north, but it was a bit of a blur for us. We stopped along the way not only for the stunning views but also to sample (and buy) the famous 'fig bread' which is not really a bread but a type of patty made with almonds and figs from the bountiful fig trees that grow on the island. 
If you like figs you'll love this delicious treat! 

Onwards to the lighthouse at La Mola and the view of the sea from the cliffs was breathtaking (see main pic above). We took a stroll near to the cliff edge, breathed in the sea air and felt the cooling breeze on our skin. It truly is a romantic setting - I'd love to see it at night. 

Heading back towards the beach at Es Pujols we drove past the salt lake or Ses Salines. It is a UNESCO World Heritage sight and is visited by flamingoes on their migratory flight to and from the lakes in Africa. Unfortunately this was not the time of year for their visit so we did not see any.

We had a few hours free to do as we pleased so we enjoyed lunch at Bocasalina, a lovely little restaurant overlooking the beach. We had Paella, cod balls and a gorgeous watermelon salad between the four of us washed down with a chilled bottle of Provence Rose!

Of course we didn't come all this way not to go to the beautiful beach nearby so we found a slot to park ourselves on the white sands and took a dip in the cool, crystal clear water - a lovely refreshing way to end our day out and make our way back to the ferry. Formentera is definitely on my list of places I want to revisit for longer in the future.

We passed a number of lighthouses on our way to and from the island. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many in one day before. I like to think there is something quite magical about them.. they would have saved many a sailor's life in days gone by.

We booked this trip through our hotel rep and went on the final full day of our week's holiday. We definitely saved the best for last and we all absolutely fell in love with this beautiful little island.