| Formentera |
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Formentera A little known gem tucked secretively to the south of Spain’s better-known Balearic Island Ibiza (just two miles south but a world apart) Formentera is almost overstatedly an anti-scene, a place where high profile artists and designers have been sneaking off to, while hippies and hard bodied naked sunbathers have been calling it their own. Now is the time to attack the pristine and underpopulated beaches, and party with the savviest vacationers.
Formentera was absolutely uninhabited for 300 years between the 16th and 18th centuries, and while today tourists still haven’t inundated it, you will find plenty of hip, yet decidedly mellow merrymakers to share your vacation with. Promise to be cool, though – many people seek solitude.
Despite the intense anti-scene, Formentera recently played host to the Techno 293 OD World Championships, and at Platya Illetes there is no shortage of bars, discos and wild nightclubs for you to grind the night away at. That’s where you’ll find the crowds and the bikinied displays of eroticism and excess. Remember that at Formentera, one beach is plenty for that kind of scene. While Ibiza was the up and coming thing in the late 80’s, Formentera hasn’t yet peaked and very well could stay put as a perennial alternative to the madness of Ibiza. Yet there are some signs that it’s tourism population is beginning to bourgeon. If you go now, you will honestly be able to say, “I was there.”
Of course, it’s a lot more than bragging rights you’ll get when you visit this Mediterranean island paradise. With splendid, powdery white beaches spilling over into shallow, warm water and surrealist lunar landscapes, the Formentera days glide by with idyllic ease and even a sense supernatural profundity. Relaxation is the name of the game as you nestle into the warm sand and gaze into the blinding white sheen of sun reflecting against the Mediterranean, which is normally colored aquamarine. But if you want more than just an idle lounge-about, a wealth of water sports await you – everything from snorkeling and swimming to wind surfing, parasailing, kite surfing and more. One of the best beaches is Platja de Llevant, although you should also be sure to check out the serene bay at Estany des Peix, and the stunning nature reserve at Punta de Pedrera beach.
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