Ibiza Peaceful Little Sister: How relaxing to visit Formentera

Only then did I realize that there was no traffic light at the end of the 12-mile-long by 3.5-mile-wide road that leads to Formentera.

I have never encountered traffic jams, only a population of 12,000 really explains the lack of cars.

From the port where the direct ferry arrives from Ibiza to Punta de Ramora, where the lighthouse calmly looks out over the sea, we are about to follow a surprisingly empty road.

Surrounded by rocky bushes, beyond which Formentera’s characteristic lizards soar. It is an unofficial symbol of the island and represents the nature that we find here at every stage.

Just 30 minutes across the water, Formentera was no different than its club-like sister, loud and dance-crazy.

It is a fishing island with a quiet church square and a small town with a busy café lifestyle, dotted with simple wooden fisherman’s huts along the shoreline.

This may not be a wild weekend vacation, but the island had a significant proportion of the musicians and creatives who rose to prominence here in the 1960s and 1970s with a laid-back, bohemian hippie lifestyle.

The guide Carlos, who remembers Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, etc., takes me to the sleeping St. Ferrand. There we bathed in the Pepe Foundation, a bar, restaurant and hostel.

“Musicians came and stayed here because they were so cheap and they put it together,” he says. The scene was pretty serious and I did my best to keep the island atmosphere. We have seen Ibiza make mistakes, and how overwhelming it is, and we want to avoid it.

Sure you can relax. As you go, you will slowly cruise along fragrant pine-lined country lanes through fields of fig, almond and apricot trees.

“No one here is in a hurry,” Carlos said. “If someone is going fast, it’s usually a tourist.”

Then head from Salt Flat, where flamingos gather in the crystal clear waters, to Sesiletes, the dazzling white sands of Cesarine Natural Park.

Dozens of beaches (try Kate Moss’ favorite, Gold Myorn). If the wind is on one side, you can switch to the other side.

At Las Dunas Playa we eat regional dishes such as dried fish salads. There is also a more basic Chillingito Bartolo.

Then explore the small capital of San Francesk, a farmers’ market where new products are sold, and admire traditional Spanish architecture.

I searched various boutiques and found elegant straw hats and bathing suits. What is that? -Beautiful garlands found at all festivals and club nights worth their salt.

Perhaps Formentera and its greats are not so different after all…

Flights from London to Ibiza start around 4242 via British Airways one way. Crossing between Ibiza and Formentera from 17 to 17 by one-way ferry via Trasmapi. Rooms at the Karasaona Hotel start at £212pn.

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