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Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
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Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
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Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
-
Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
-
Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
-
Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
-
Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
Pitiüsas, I do
Ibiza and Formentera make the perfect tandem for a Mediterranean honeymoon.
| Day 1: Fall in love with Vila |
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As soon as you arrive in Ibiza, you should save your first day to enjoy all of the capital’s most romantic secret corners. Although Vila is a Mediterranean city, with all the traits one expects from an internationally famous tourist capital, in the old town’s alleys it almost feels as if the clock had stopped and as if the frenzy and madness that have made the island so famous were only a mirage to be admired from an oasis of peace and relaxation. Get up early to enjoy the marvellous light of Ibiza when the sun rises. For breakfast, go straight to the heart of the old town. Entering through the emblematic Portal de Ses Taules, you will find yourself immersed in the warm, peaceful atmosphere that characterise this charming corner. Here you will suddenly find yourself in the Plaça de la Vila square, where you may sit down at any of its restaurants and terraces to have breakfast with the calm of the locals themselves. Around you, you will see art galleries, typical craft stores and small houses and alleys. If you continue walking, the calle Carrosa will open up before you, this being the widest street among all those that lead to the highest point of the historic citadel of Ibiza. Without any hurry, admiring each stone, each villa and each little white-lacquered house, as it is in these that one finds the purest image of the isle. This route stands out for agglutinating most of the emblematic monuments and buildings to be found in Dalt Vila: Can Botino –where the venue of the municipality of Vila is located -, the convent of Santo Domingo, the Puget Museum, the medieval monument Sa Portella… And, at the end, the Plaça de la Catedral de Ibiza square, one of the most beautiful lookouts on the island. There is another lookout, not far away: that of the Plaça del Sol. Do walk along the walls before the sun starts getting hotter and do lose yourself among the small squares and alleys that make up the historic fabric of this treasure of Ibiza. The atmosphere early in the day is one of pure quietness, and gradually, like the rest of the island, this historic area starts to awaken at around midday. This is the best moment for an aperitif or a light snack. If you want to spend a little more time enjoying the marvels offered by the old town, in the plaça de Dalt Vila square you will find the restaurant of the same name, a place with excellent views of the port of Ibiza and the rest of the city and with all the atmosphere of one of the liveliest squares in this historic area. The cuisine is international, with local and personal touches. If you choose to discover more corners in the city, beyond the walls, in the great Ignasi Wallis avenue there are several restaurants, some of them highly recommended for having tapas, such as the Mar a Vila, which is one of the favourites among the locals for its personal pintxo brochettes and accessible prices. Now that you are in the city centre, do some shopping, experience the typical atmosphere of Ibiza in any autumn or spring afternoon, when there is less touristic bustle, and discover its urban architecture, its modern monuments and its parks and squares. Just let yourself get carried away by the streets and avenues, stop at one of its cafés and, in the company of your partner, share one of the most typical of the island’s desserts: the flaó, which is a delicious cake made of baked cheese in the traditional manner. To close the day, have an early supper in the Ibiza port area and stroll around the emblematic La marina quarter where, when night falls, you will find a hippie and craft flea market as well as all the classical festive atmosphere of Ibiza at night. |
| Day 2: Away from the world: Es Cubells and Cala d’Hort |
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The second day of this Pitiüsa honeymoon will take you straight to the seas of Ibiza, the most concealed corners of the island and some of its most beautiful coves; and will also tempt you with the most exquisite culinary pleasures. If you do not want to span too much territory so as to enjoy it fully but without any stress, it is best to remain in the capital, leaving the north for another day. One need not go very far to find oneself face to face with Ibiza at its most relaxed and tranquil. A few steps away from downtown Ibiza, in the neighbouring municipality of Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, one finds the marvellous Es Cubells, a minuscule village surrounded by farmhouses and fields, constructed over a vertiginous natural cliff that fearlessly looks onto the Mediterranean from its small white houses. There are only 2 bars in the whole village along with a mini-supermarket, a typical Ibizan rural church, a park and beaches. Having walked around the village, talked to its locals, bought something to eat, lost oneself in a few alleys and visited the church, head off for the Es Cubells coves: Cala Llentrisca, Cubells beach and Ses Bosques are located right under the cliff of the village. Its waters are usually calm and are perfectly crystalline. The area of sand and rocks between the sea and the cliff is a narrow one in all of them and, being far from the usual tourist routes, the beaches are not usually very busy. Take a picnic with you and eat by the sea. You can buy bread with typical cold cuts, a few olives and, for dessert, some Ibizan muffins (puff pastry with almond) or a bit of fresh fruit. Following an early lunch, a brief swim, a brief siesta, you may resume the route: one must not miss the sunset from one of the island’s most mystical locations. Following the coast, beyond Es Cubells, right in front of the Es Vedrà islet, lies Cala d’Hort. Regarded by many as one of the best coves in Ibiza, it is certainly a corner with a great deal of magic in which it is certainly worth losing oneself in along with your partner when the sun starts setting. It is a place with more atmosphere, more people and more onlookers, despite which it still retains a very special air that makes all visitors fall in love with it. The beach, in addition to being wide and having bright turquoise blue waters surrounded by pretty cliffs, also has typical restaurants and beach bars for one to have a snack at sunset and then stay there to have dinner under the moonlight. |
| Day 3: Formentera, the island of pure love |
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The third day of this honeymoon starts with a Mediterranean flavour and one must now set off for the smallest of the Pitiüsas. The time has come to visit this whim of nature called Formentera and discover the purest love for a land that, having little, has nonetheless become the very image of Paradise for much of the world. Take the boat at the Port of Ibiza and get ready for the journey: it just takes half an hour; you will pass by the Freus Marine Reserve and be able to enjoy the beauty of the Ibizan coasts while Formentera starts to take shape in the horizon. The first thing that will strike you even before you leave the boat is the light, which is much more intense than even Ibiza’s. As you are only going to spend a day there and you are two people, consider renting a scooter: from spring to autumn and even during some of the winter season, this is the ideal (and almost official) means of transport. Comfortable and fast, it will help you get by and travel the whole island without any parking or traffic jam problems. Another option is the bicycle but this will cause you to lose more time travelling. The motorbikes can be rented in the very port of La Savina, upon arriving. To start to discover the purity of Formentera, of its beaches, its natural sites and its people, drive slowly and straight towards the opposite end of La Savina, some 12 km away: the mythical La Mola lighthouse. Early in the morning in this area, the dawn is ravishing and the light impeccable. The views will leave you speechless and this will unquestionably be one of the places where you will take the most pictures. The town where the lighthouse is to be found is called Pilar de la Mola and it is the one situated at the greatest height on the island, which means that its views are spectacular. It being the furthest spot from La Savina, it is one of the quietest and with the least touristic pressure; ideal for retreating from the world and enjoying this incomparable natural corner with one’s partner. Near Es Pilar de la Mola you will find a beautiful beach: that of es Copinar. Many people believe that it is more worthwhile spending the morning here than in that of Illetes, next to the port of La Savina, as it is less touristic and its waters are far more crystalline. You should also not miss the Migjorn beach, which is the one furthest to the south on the island. Near the lighthouse, now going in the direction of Ibiza, there are numerous small coves that will amaze you as you go along. For example, the Caló de Sant Agustí, which looks like a retreat from another planet, with waters so calm and so blue that they look more like those of a swimming pool than of the sea. After a few swims in Formentera waters, you will certainly feel hungry. You can eat by the beaches at the restaurants you will come across on the way, or eat in Sant Francesc and discover a more traditional facet of the isle. Gastronomy is something much appreciated in Formentera, not only in its more classical tavern recipes but also thanks to their fusion restaurants and more innovative gastronomic spaces, such as Can Dani. If you can, you can taste the Bullit de Peix, which is a traditional fish dish; a peasant salad, which is ideal for any time of the year; or any type of rice with seafood. When you see that the sun is beginning to set, drive towards Cala Saona or, better still, Cap de Barbaria. It is here that you can treat yourself to the best sunset you have ever seen. A unique, unrepeatable moment that will leave you fascinated and feeling as if about to suffer from the Stendhal Syndrome in the presence of such beauty. The light of Formentera, once again, gains the greatest prominence and disappears just before you take the boat to return to Ibiza. What will remain, however, is the indelible image of an island you will certainly return to very soon. |
| Day 4: The north of Ibiza |
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We have saved the most natural area of Ibiza for this last honeymoon day: the towns with the densest vegetation and most linked to livestock, agriculture and handcrafts. The places that reveal the age-old Ibiza, which will open before you via a thousand paths, virgin coves and natural parks. Head for a municipality in the north of Ibiza, Sant Joan de Labritja, and its most emblematic villages: Sant Llorenç, Sant Vincent and Sant Miquel. We are now dealing with the most virginal Ibiza as practically the whole municipality of Sant Joan is part of the natural reserve of Ses Amunts. Among the monuments you must visit in this journey to the north, you must not ignore the Balanzat Tower, sculpted next to the steep cliffs of the Port de Sant Miquel. But the best option for enjoying your last day together in Ibiza is allowing yourselves to get carried away all over the island’s least frequented and inhabited municipality. Immerse yourselves in its paths, the small squares and streets of the villages with traditional architecture and purely rural life, taste their homemade cuisine, with the most typical dishes made out of the products of their cultivation and their farms, distilleries and vineyards, and open up to the hospitable character of the people, to the simplicity of their conversations and to their roguish humour. One natural monument that you must see is the Cova des Marçal, which is located in the village of Sant Miquel and in which you will be struck by a unique play of coloured lights underground, surrounded by walls with over 100,000 years of history. From their surroundings, one can look at the aforementioned Balanzat Tower and the isles of Murada and Bosc. Another famous cave in the north of Ibiza is the Cova des Culleram, in Sant Vicent. It was in this ancestral cave that rituals were once celebrated in honour of Tanit, the Carthaginian goddess of fortune and fecundity. And now that you are around Sant Vicent de Sa Cala, profit from this to eat in this village. Of all the villages you will find in Ibiza, this is the remotest of them all, a natural oasis that was not, in fact, inhabited until quite well into the eighteenth century. Go to its natural port and choose one of the restaurants and terraces you will find next to the beach: you will be able to eat something in peace and with privileged views of the island of Tagomago. Continue with your route of visits after lunch. In Sant Llorenç you will still find shelter from the typical bustle of Ibiza in the medieval town of Balafia, a sample of Ibizan architecture that has been declared a Historical site of the Balearic Islands for its great beauty and singularity. It consists of 7 traditional rural houses and 2 defence towers used for centuries by the peasants in the area. A place to stop at, rest and enjoy the beautiful memories you will take home with you. |
