Formentera 2025

Formentera August/September 2025

Jonathon's birthday holiday this year was at Riu Palace La Mola, Formentera. Our transport started with a taxi picking us up at 10 a.m., flight to Ibiza (departure time 13.55), coach to ferry terminal, ferry to Formentera (19.30) and coach to the hotel. It was after 9 p.m. by the time we got there but we saw a lovely sunset on the trip from the ferry to the hotel. Our first view of Ibiza from the plane was a strange colour - we think there must have been a coating on the window at the side of us.

We had a quick snack for dinner as soon as we'd checked in, got unpacked and called it a day.

Sunday - Jonathon's birthday

I decided to go for a walk after breakfast. I turned right out of the hotel for a while to stroll along the boardwalk and admire the dunes and the amazingly coloured sea.

I went to try the gym out to finish my steps etc. It's well fitted out but some of the kit looks in better condition than in reality. It is definitely more than adequate for the week.

Jonathon and I went to find a snack at the hotel cafe near the beach. To get to it, you walk through this lovely tunnel. It looks spectacular taken as a panorama shot!

Dinner was really tasty then Jonathon went to do some sunset and shadow hunting with his camera.

Monday and today's main job was moving to a different room (one with a better view of the sea).

Before that,I went for a sunrise walk. The sunrise looked lovely from our "old" room and it was cool enough to enjoy a slightly inland walk before breakfast.

I walked along a country-type lane but everything was very dry - like scrubland in a way. How the plants manage to survive I don't know.

Our room move was successful and we unpacked and found new homes for everything. The room is a bit smaller than the other one but the view is definitely better and, as it was slightly cooler today, I sat out and enjoyed it for a while.

Jonathon went sunset spotting again after dinner - I enjoyed a spectacular sunset from our "new" balcony.

Tuesday arrived and it was cloudy so much more bearable from a heat point of view. I went for a walk after our initial cup of tea admiring the sunrise from our "new" balcony. The sun rises behind us but turns the sky over the sea a lovely pink colour.

I made it to the other side of the island today. It was relatively easy once I'd got my head round the route. Not many of the roads are paved in this area (the main ones are) but when you realise that they are the road and not someone's drive it's quite straightforward.

sea

This was my first view of the sea on the other side of the island.

The other coast had a completely different feel to where we are staying - more "hippy" with plenty of camping and art work. There were a couple of hotels, plenty of cafes and restaurants, a bank, chemist and mini-market so very useful to know about.

sunset

Jonathon was debating whether to take his camera to dinner for the sunset - cloudy most of the day etc. In the end, he was glad he did because it was spectacular.

Wednesday and the sunshine was back so it felt very hot again. Strange that we've had higher temperatures in the UK this Summer than here this week but the sun is so strong it feels a lot hotter / more burning here.

I went along the boardwalk, on the beach and along country roads this morning, taking a longer way round to the other coast.

Everywhere was really dry and covered in sand. I dread to think how hard it must be to grow anything here.

I made it to the other side of the island and was unreasonably pleased that this bench was slightly more centered than on my earlier visit - who knows, one day it might be properly centered!

I'm not sure when a boat becomesa ship but this beauty was moored opposite the hotel for a while this morning. Very pretty and seemed to be full of toys with jet skis, paddle boards etc. brought out of the back for the passengers to play with.

As with the other Riu hotels we've stayed in, the interior decor is well thought out.

Thursday and we decided we would visit the capital today so only a short walk this morning, made even shorter because the road I was going to walk along was closed so I walked there and back rather than round followed by there and back to Calo des Mort. The overhang was quite noticeable on the way back so I was glad I'd kept to the land side of the path.

We caught the bus from outside the hotel (very easy) and about half an hour later we were in Sant Francesc Xavier, the capital of the island. It was quite striking to look at - like a very interesting, big village.

The church looked very stark from the outside but had ornate touches inside. It was completed in 1738 and was built as both a church and a defensive fortress (there were still problems with pirates at the time!)

This bank sign made me smile. We don't understand dinner at 10 p.m. We aren't even sure about the earliest dinner being at 7.30 p.m. as it is in our hotel - it clashes with sunset time so Jonathon has to have starter and main, go do his photos then return for his pudding.

We had drinks at The Big Store. Jonathon was very impressed that Mac towers had been repurposed as bench struts.

We also treated ourselves to some amazing gelato at Ladacrem.

I paid a quick visit to the small cemetery while Jonathon was making friends with some local cats.

A quick visit to Repor Magazine, a photo gallery (and the purchase of a book, exchange of views on music, photography styles etc.) and it was time to go back to the hotel.

I went for another walk about in the afternoon - mainly a long paddle in the warm sea. I'm sure my feet will thank me but I'm not sure my calves will forgive me for a while. By that time it was quite cloudy but it made for a spectacular sunset later.

Our last full day here - Friday. It seemed to have come round really quickly.

I went for a nice, long walk before breakfast, finding new paths alongside those I'd walked earlier in the week.

I started to walk a little way along the cliff path but when it narrowed from an already skinny 9 inches to approx. 6 inches I decided that was too hard, turned round (very gingerly) and headed back the way I'd come.

My walk took me further along the opposite coast and I even spotted a couple of rabbits (seen very little wildlife at all this week).

The sheds that they keep their boats in look a bit ramshackle to us but I guess they must do the trick.

I let my phone suggest a way back to the hotel and found yet more little tracks I hadn't been aware of.

I persuaded Jonathon to join me in another trip to the opposite coast after breakfast.

I told him to either cover up in clothes or plaster plenty of sun cream on - he chose clothes!

We enjoyed a drink with a view at Rafalet's restaurant then spent quite a bit of time watching the waves, made more dramatic by the stronger winds today.

Our final morning before we head home so off I went for my morning walk. I toyed with the idea of doing my steps in the gym but the opposite coast was far too much of a magnet so, having walked the boardwalk and local road, I headed up there.

It was quite dull so easy walking weather.

I decided to stay off the beach itself - sand doesn't do well in packing and my calves had had enough of sand walking!

That said, the roads are covered in sand so you can't avoid it altogether.

I'm glad my legs aren't really that long - I'd never find trousers to fit me!

Formentera August/September 2025
Jonathon's birthday holiday this year was at Riu Palace La Mola, Formentera. Our transport started with a taxi picking us up at 10 a.m., flight to Ibiza (departure time 13.55), coach to ferry terminal, ferry to Formentera (19.30) and coach to the hotel. It was after 9 p.m. by the time we got there but we saw a lovely sunset on the trip from the ferry to the hotel. Our first view of Ibiza from the plane was a strange colour - we think there must have been a coating on the window at the side of us. We had a quick snack for dinner as soon as we'd checked in, got unpacked and called it a day.

Sunday - Jonathon's birthday I decided to go for a walk after breakfast. I turned right out of the hotel for a while to stroll along the boardwalk and admire the dunes and the amazingly coloured sea.

	I then went left along the craggy cliff path - both lovely walks but it was very hot (not acclimatised yet) so I wasn't out too long.
		I saw a few lovely Sea Daffodils on my walk, along with a few other, more cultivated, flowers.

I went to try the gym out to finish my steps etc. It's well fitted out but some of the kit looks in better condition than in reality. It is definitely more than adequate for the week.		Jonathon and I went to find a snack at the hotel cafe near the beach. To get to it, you walk through this lovely tunnel. It looks spectacular taken as a panorama shot!

Dinner was really tasty then Jonathon went to do some sunset and shadow hunting with his camera.


Monday and today's main job was moving to a different room (one with a better view of the sea). Before that,I went for a sunrise walk. The sunrise looked lovely from our "old" room and it was cool enough to enjoy a slightly inland walk before breakfast.
		I had intended to venture up to a supermarket to find a few snacky bits for us but the road looked very busy and there was a no cyclists sign - which I also took to mean no pedestrians - so I stayed off it, turned around and went along a different road instead.

I walked along a country-type lane but everything was very dry - like scrubland in a way. How the plants manage to survive I don't know.		With the scrub on my left, it was surprising to see how close I'd returned to the sea.

		Our room move was successful and we unpacked and found new homes for everything. The room is a bit smaller than the other one but the view is definitely better and, as it was slightly cooler today, I sat out and enjoyed it for a while. Jonathon went sunset spotting again after dinner - I enjoyed a spectacular sunset from our "new" balcony.

Tuesday arrived and it was cloudy so much more bearable from a heat point of view. I went for a walk after our initial cup of tea admiring the sunrise from our "new" balcony. The sun rises behind us but turns the sky over the sea a lovely pink colour.		I made it to the other side of the island today. It was relatively easy once I'd got my head round the route. Not many of the roads are paved in this area (the main ones are) but when you realise that they are the road and not someone's drive it's quite straightforward.
		This was my first view of the sea on the other side of the island.
The other coast had a completely different feel to where we are staying - more "hippy" with plenty of camping and art work. There were a couple of hotels, plenty of cafes and restaurants, a bank, chemist and mini-market so very useful to know about.



	With the weather being kind (as in not quite as hot) I went for another walk after breakfast to explore more routes. Not many photos from this one because I'm intending to do it again tomorrow! I'm not sure I'll do paddling again on tomorrow's walk but the sea was lovely and warm. I was surprised to see red flags out but I guess there must be undercurrents that the experts know about. It was quite hard at times to work out where the sea finished and the dark, cloudy sky started.

Jonathon was debating whether to take his camera to dinner for the sunset - cloudy most of the day etc. In the end, he was glad he did because it was spectacular.
Wednesday and the sunshine was back so it felt very hot again. Strange that we've had higher temperatures in the UK this Summer than here this week but the sun is so strong it feels a lot hotter / more burning here. I went along the boardwalk, on the beach and along country roads this morning, taking a longer way round to the other coast.



Everywhere was really dry and covered in sand. I dread to think how hard it must be to grow anything here. I made it to the other side of the island and was unreasonably pleased that this bench was slightly more centered than on my earlier visit - who knows, one day it might be properly centered!

	I'm not sure when a boat becomesa ship but this beauty was moored opposite the hotel for a while this morning. Very pretty and seemed to be full of toys with jet skis, paddle boards etc. brought out of the back for the passengers to play with. As with the other Riu hotels we've stayed in, the interior decor is well thought out.

	There were all different kinds of straw / raffia lamp shades - they allowed the light to shine through, making pretty patterns. Man-made light will never be as dramatic as a beautiful sunset!
Thursday and we decided we would visit the capital today so only a short walk this morning, made even shorter because the road I was going to walk along was closed so I walked there and back rather than round followed by there and back to Calo des Mort. The overhang was quite noticeable on the way back so I was glad I'd kept to the land side of the path.

	We caught the bus from outside the hotel (very easy) and about half an hour later we were in Sant Francesc Xavier, the capital of the island. It was quite striking to look at - like a very interesting, big village.
		The church looked very stark from the outside but had ornate touches inside. It was completed in 1738 and was built as both a church and a defensive fortress (there were still problems with pirates at the time!)
	This bank sign made me smile. We don't understand dinner at 10 p.m. We aren't even sure about the earliest dinner being at 7.30 p.m. as it is in our hotel - it clashes with sunset time so Jonathon has to have starter and main, go do his photos then return for his pudding. We had drinks at The Big Store. Jonathon was very impressed that Mac towers had been repurposed as bench struts. We also treated ourselves to some amazing gelato at Ladacrem.
I paid a quick visit to the small cemetery while Jonathon was making friends with some local cats. A quick visit to Repor Magazine, a photo gallery (and the purchase of a book, exchange of views on music, photography styles etc.) and it was time to go back to the hotel. I went for another walk about in the afternoon - mainly a long paddle in the warm sea. I'm sure my feet will thank me but I'm not sure my calves will forgive me for a while. By that time it was quite cloudy but it made for a spectacular sunset later.


Our last full day here - Friday. It seemed to have come round really quickly. I went for a nice, long walk before breakfast, finding new paths alongside those I'd walked earlier in the week.
	I started to walk a little way along the cliff path but when it narrowed from an already skinny 9 inches to approx. 6 inches I decided that was too hard, turned round (very gingerly) and headed back the way I'd come.
		My walk took me further along the opposite coast and I even spotted a couple of rabbits (seen very little wildlife at all this week).
The sheds that they keep their boats in look a bit ramshackle to us but I guess they must do the trick.
	I let my phone suggest a way back to the hotel and found yet more little tracks I hadn't been aware of.
I persuaded Jonathon to join me in another trip to the opposite coast after breakfast. I told him to either cover up in clothes or plaster plenty of sun cream on - he chose clothes! We enjoyed a drink with a view at Rafalet's restaurant then spent quite a bit of time watching the waves, made more dramatic by the stronger winds today.

Our final morning before we head home so off I went for my morning walk. I toyed with the idea of doing my steps in the gym but the opposite coast was far too much of a magnet so, having walked the boardwalk and local road, I headed up there. It was quite dull so easy walking weather.
	I decided to stay off the beach itself - sand doesn't do well in packing and my calves had had enough of sand walking!
That said, the roads are covered in sand so you can't avoid it altogether. I'm glad my legs aren't really that long - I'd never find trousers to fit me!

	Having taken photos of Jonathon yesterday, I took a selfie today! The waves were even stronger today - quite dramatic. I finally got a photo of wildlife - a lovely Cicada! The label was a house sign - I hope their dogs aren't as skinny as the picture.

So ... the end of our holiday. Formentera is a very pretty island but I don't think we'll be back to this one.
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