Far from the madding Ibiza crowd
irishtimes.com | Mar 12th 2011
Go Spain: Located just 30 minutes by ferry from Ibiza town, arriving on
Formentera is akin to discovering another planet compared to what you have left
behind, writes JIM CARROLL
IT’S TIME TO LET readers in on one of Europe’s best kept secrets. There are
many reasons why you may not have come across Formentera before now, but the
main one is probably a reluctance on the part of those who’ve already visited
the island to spill the beans on its charms.
This unwillingness to share is understandable – once smitten, people want to
keep the island for themselves. The smallest of the Balearic islands at 82sq km
(or 19km from one end to the other), Formentera is one of the unspoilt gems of
the Mediterranean. Located just 30 minutes by ferry from the buzzing Ibiza
Town, arriving on Formentera is akin to discovering another planet compared to
what you have left behind on the White Island.
While Ibiza is bursting at the seams with package tours at full pelt and
clubbers on the razzle, Formentera operates at a much more laid-back and much
less frazzled pace. There are pockets of tourist developments on the island,
but these are mere pockets compared to what you’ll find elsewhere in the Med.
Even if there was a desire by the 10,000 full-time island dwellers to attract
more tourists, Formentera is unlikely to become a hotbed for mass tourism in
the short to medium term.
The absence of an airport on the island and the lack of large-scale holiday
accommodation will ensure that Formentera remains a tranquil, chilled and
slow-motion kind of place. Yes, it will take you some time to get there –
between plane rides to Ibiza, taxi hops and ferry trips – but it’s time worth
taking.
HISTORICALLY , the arid, bleached island with its rugged coastline and striking
beaches has always attracted a motley crew of visitors. On their various tours
around the Continent, the Phoenicians, Vandals, Romans and Berbers took a
liking to the island and set up homes there.
In the 1940s, it was Franco’s government who found a use for Formentera, when
they set up a concentration camp outside the port village of La Savina to
imprison up to 1,000 Republican rebels.
During the 1960s, when the only other occupants were tough farmers eking a
living from the island’s barren land, the island was one of the stop-off points
on the international hippie trail and attracted musicians, artists and other
creative layabouts. The more famous visitors included Bob Dylan (he lived in a
windmill in El Pilar de la Mola for a few months), Pink Floyd (they came here
to record the soundtrack for More , a film about bedraggled, strung-out hippies
which was also partly shot on Formentera), Joni Mitchell (she wrote some of the
songs for Blue on the island) and Janis Joplin.
You’ll still find some throwbacks to that culture manning the stalls at the
hippie markets in Formentera’s villages. Here, trinkets and jewellery are
hawked to the Italian and German tourists who make up the bulk of the visitors
during the summer season. It’s a far cry from a crazed Syd Barrett at large,
but the original hippies would be happy to know that the hazy, laid-back
atmosphere they knew when they had the place to themselves is still intact.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been some innovations aimed at drawing
tourists – and especially more chi-chi tourists – to the island. The opening of
multi-million euro boutique hotel the Gecko Beach Club on the island in 2009,
for instance, has attracted the glitterati and European footballers keen on
spending their large wages at the Playa Migjorn on the island’s south coast.
While these clients are drawn to Formentera by the hotel’s minimalist design,
beautifully landscaped terraces and attention to detail, it’s the island itself
which really snares them. You really do come here to get away from it all.
You don’t have to stay in swanky lodgings to experience Formentera’s allure as
an escapist idyll. There’s more than enough room on the island’s white,
uncrowded, lengthy beaches for everyone to find a patch of sand to call home
for a few hours or days – and there’s definitely enough beaches to go round.
WHILE A LOT of the action happens on Platja de Illetes to the north of La
Savina, anyone seeking somewhere quieter will have plenty of choice. Just
randomly pick one of those unmapped, dusty dirt-tracks, hedged with wild
rosemary, which lead away from the main roads. Point your bicycle or moped down
the path, avoid squashing the bright-green gecko lizards scurrying along in the
sun, strap yourself in for a bumpy ride and head for the sea.
Located a sandy stroll down the Playa Migjorn from the Gecko Beach Club,
veteran island hang-out the Blue Bar is still pulling in the quiet crowds. One
of many bohemian chiringuitos (beach bars) on the island, the Blue Bar and its
ramshackle, charming chill-out space provide good food and drink for sunset
watchers, beach bums and everyone else.
At night, as you’ll find in many bars around the island, there are DJs and
laid-back sounds, but it’s nowhere near as full-throttle as what you’ll find
just over the sea in Ibiza.
When you wander into Sant Francesc, the island’s sleepy capital, you’ll find a
charming village which doesn’t look like it’s changed all that much in the last
few decades. There’s a lovely plaza at the top beside the whitewashed
18th-century church with loads of cafes, which are perfectly pitched for people
watching.
You’ll arrive and leave via La Savina’s port and the tiny town is viewed by
most as simply a gateway to the rest of the island. There’s little to see or do
here bar gawk at some of the super-yachts moored in the harbour or enjoy a meal
at one of the excellent seafood and Italian restaurants which ring the seafront.
The homely Es Pujols in the north of the island gets the bulk of the visitors
in high season, thanks to its family-friendly beaches, hotels, cafes, bars and
restaurants. It’s as close to bustling as you’ll get here, though “bustling”
may be overstating it a little.
The beauty of Formentera is that you don’t have to look hard or go far to find
the peace and quiet you’re here to enjoy. While it has certainly embraced many
of the trappings of modern life, the island still retains the old-fashioned
atmosphere and tranquillity which those hippie travellers discovered back in
the 1960s.
If you’re looking for superclubs and 24-hour party people, you’re unlikely to
have this place on your list. But if you’re looking to recharge your batteries
and get away from the rat-race for a few days in a remarkable setting, you
really should join the Formentera club.
Formentera where to . . .
Stay
Roca Bella , Apdo 184 San Francisco Javier, Playa Es Pujols, 00-34-971-328-130,
zulmarhotels.com. A good budget choice for those who want to stay in the
island’s main tourist town. Rooms from €60.
Tahiti , c/Fonoll Mari 8/28, Playa Es Pujols, 00-34-971-328-122, tahiti.es.
Smart, modern hotel located right on the Es Pujols town beach. Price includes a
breakfast buffet served daily until noon. Rooms from €100.
Gecko Beach Club , Playa Migjom, Ca Mari, 00-34-971-328-024,
geckobeachclub.com. Formentera’s first boutique hotel where Dino and Karina
Gillibrand have splashed out a couple of million euro on very swanky, chi-chi,
design-led lodgings. Rooms from €250.
Eat
Chez Gerdi . Es Pujols, 00-34-971-328-603, chezzgerdi.com. Fresh, simple,
delicious Italian food at this fantastic seafront chiringuito a short stroll
away from town along the boardwalk. Dinner with wine from €30.
Blue Bar . Platja Mitjorn, San Ferran, 00-34-666-758-190,
bluebarformentera.com. A Formentera classic, this chilled-out bar/restaurant
located right in the middle of Playa Mitjorn serves food and snacks all day
with good seafood and pasta dishes. Lunch with wine from €20.
Café de la Luna . Puerto Deportivo, La Savina, 00-34-971-321-585. Harbourside
restaurant so you can watch the yachts come and go as you tuck into tasty
pizza, pasta, seafood and steaks. Dinner with wine from €30.
Go
Far de la Mola . Jules Verne used the lighthouse located at the eastern end of
the island (a mile beyond the one-horse town of La Mola) as a setting in one of
his novels. Incredible sea views from the cliffs around it make it a popular
sunrise spot.
Illa de s’Espalmador . The small uninhabited island is located just off the
northern tip of Formentera and can be reached on foot during low tide. Contains
some inspiring coastline and gorgeous beaches and is part of the island’s
national park.
Sant Francesc . The island’s biggest town will provide a diverting couple of
hours with boho craft shops, boutiques, artisan jewellers, bookshops and some
chilled cafes – a visit to Café Matinal is highly recommended.
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