Small islands are geographically pleasing, appealing to a human disposition towards ‘containedness’. It is possible to visualise, in satisfying detail, the coastline of an island, to know where it begins and ends, to picture where you are spatially at a given point in time.” Pam Allen
"Heaven is a place on earth" is not just the title of a hit song by American singer Belinda Carlisle. Anyone who has been to Formentera can understand its appeal. The island is breathtakingly beautiful. Though it may be just a few miles off Ibiza’s coast, Formentera feels as wild and untamed as a distant Pacific island. Unspoiled landscapes, white powder-fine sandy beaches lapped by unblemished turquoise waters, its beauty is made of simplicity, peace and harmony with nature.
The pace of life here is gentle and timeless, visitors and residents are content with an uncomplicated, healthy lifestyle; cycling or walking along the excellent cycle paths and well-marked hiking trails are the most popular form of transport.
But it’s the island’s beaches , where naturism is widely and enthusiastically practised, that steal the show. Platja de ses Illetes, on the north-western coast is considered one of the most beautiful in the Med. However, this fame attracts the day trippers from Ibiza and the Super Yachts.
Platja de Llevant, on the other side, a long broad sandy beach backed by sand dunes and trees, stretching to nearly 5 km from the island of Espalmador in the north to Es Pujol in the south is the official naturist beach
Es Trucadors north of both Illetes and Llevant is a strip of land that offers solitude way from the crowds, especially in high season. More secluded and not easily accesible for day drippers, Platja de Migjorn is located on the southern coast and is the longest beach on the island. Es Cavall d’en Borras is the closest beach to the port and provides very calm conditions, to name a few.
Formentera never gets as crowded as the other Balearic Islands, so it's a great destination even in high summer, when temperatures reach about 29ºC. July is the best month. By mid-September its beaches become empty, and bars and restaurants close while farmers and fishermen reclaim the scene.
The island’s secret weapon against tourist invasion, is its lack of an airport. Formentera can be reached by ferry from Ibiza that lies at a short distance less than an hour. La Savina, the island’s port, is a constant hive of activity as the island attracts a large number of sailors, including a dazzling display of SuperYachts.
If you have the chance to visit, you will feel you’ve never been anywhere like this – the place can be at once so near and yet so far away.