After the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon: Formentera
The Route: Santa Eulària → Port of Ibiza → La Savina (Formentera) → Port of Ibiza → Ibiza Airport Logistics: Bus or taxi to the Port of Ibiza, fast ferry to La Savina, bicycle or bus on the island, one night. Return by ferry and taxi to the airport. Marathon Month: April Duration: 1 night
Santa Eulària ──(20-30 mins)──> Port of Ibiza ──(about 30 mins fast ferry)──> La Savina, Formentera
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Ibiza Airport (IBZ) ◄──(about 20 mins taxi)── Port of Ibiza ◄──(ferry)─────────────┘
The Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon climbs to about 100 metres in the middle of Ibiza. Formentera, the island you can see from Dalt Vila across the strait, barely climbs at all outside its one plateau at La Mola, which makes it the right place for legs that have just come down from Santa Gertrudis.
April on Formentera is the start of the season. The ferries run a reduced spring timetable, many beach restaurants and hotels open during the month, and the island is empty compared with summer. In most years the days are sunny and mild but the sea is cold, and wind can make the crossing lively; check the forecast the day before.
Formentera has no airport. Fast ferries run by Baleària and Trasmapi leave from the Port of Ibiza, a short bus or taxi ride from Santa Eulària, and reach La Savina in about 30 minutes; slower boats take up to an hour. A fast return costs roughly €40 to €50 (about £35 to £43); prices vary with the season, so use the figure as a guide and book online.
Night One: La Savina and Sant Francesc
La Savina is the port, with bicycle and scooter hire offices on the quay. The island is small, about 20 km end to end, and apart from La Mola it is almost flat, which makes an electric or ordinary bicycle the best way round at an easy pace. Formentera also has a bus network, with fewer services in spring.
The primary recovery asset is the lagoon country just north of La Savina, inside the Ses Salines Natural Park. A flat, hard-packed track runs beside the Estany Pudent, the larger of the two lagoons, and on to the old salt pans and the beaches of Ses Illetes, long spits of white sand with shallow, very clear water. The ride to Ses Illetes is about 5 km each way on level ground; allow a gentle hour. Cars pay to enter the northern part of the park in the busy season; bicycles and walkers do not.
Sant Francesc Xavier, the island's small capital, is 3 km south of La Savina. Its square is dominated by an eighteenth-century church built as a fortress, with thick plain walls and no windows low down, a reminder of the pirate raids. The streets around it are flat, with shops and cafés.
The one real climb on the island is the road up to La Mola, the plateau at the eastern end, where the Far de la Mola lighthouse stands on cliffs above the open sea. By bus or taxi it is an easy half-day from Sant Francesc; by bicycle the long hill is best left alone two days after a marathon. The plateau itself is flat, with farmland, stone walls and the village of El Pilar de la Mola.
Where to stay. Hotel Es Marès, a small hotel in Sant Francesc, has a spa and puts the square and the bus stop a short walk away. Hostal La Savina, beside the Estany des Peix lagoon near the port, is simpler and makes the morning ferry easy. Many Formentera hotels open during April; confirm dates before booking.
Where to eat. Sant Francesc's square and the streets around it have the best choice of restaurants early in the season. Order fish of the day, or the island's dried-fish salad, ensalada payesa with peix sec, if it is on the menu.
Getting to Ibiza Airport
Take a morning ferry back from La Savina to the Port of Ibiza, about 30 minutes, then a taxi to Ibiza Airport (IBZ), about 20 minutes, or a bus from Ibiza Town. Allow at least two and a half hours from Formentera to check-in, since spring crossings are less frequent and can be delayed by wind.