COVID-19 changed our summer plans. I’m used to spend it in Beirut with my extended family. However, this one was in the Balearic Islands: Ibiza, Formentera and Menorca.
You can find below the link for a map showing all my favorite restaurants, beaches and lakes.
It’s color coded in the following way:
- Purple: restaurants
- Blue: Lakes
- Yellow: shops
- Red: Beaches
- Black: bakery
- History: Green
Our trip started in Formentera. It is the smallest Balearic Island that is reachable by ferry from Ibiza. The houses are made of wood in the middle of the wild. I recommend renting an apartment with your friends 6 months to a year prior your visit. YES, FORMENTERA IS EXTREMELY PACKED IN SUMMER. Reserving ahead of time is also important to get a beautiful, nice and calm house.
We stayed in this charming house for a week. It allowed us to disconnect from busy Barcelona and gather with childhood friends.
Pay attention to all the details placed in the house…absolutely incredible.
Where you will want to take a picture in every single area of the house.
You will also get to watch beautiful sunsets…
And practice yoga in the wild.
It is also important to reserve ahead of time in restaurants to get a nice table with first views of the sea.
- Beso Beach: the most cliché lunch restaurant for Paella and other sea food in Formentera. Don’t forget to glue a B sticker for Beso beach in your body and swim in their beach of Ses Illetes. I recommend reserving their second turn table, ie. 4 pm, to start the morning in their beach and be able to stay there the entire day.
2. Pirata: another must-to-do restaurant in Formentera. Also known for their incredible paellas, sunset drinks and music.
3. Macondo: one of the best Italians in Formentera. Their cue is incredibly long so I recommend bringing them home.
To move around the island, I suggest renting a 4×4 car. It will be fun, crazy and adventurous.
To summarise, my recommendations in Formentera are the following:
- Lunch and sunset drinks: Beso Beach (Spanish) and Pirata (Spanish)
- Dinner: Macondo (Italian), Can Carlitos (Spanish) and Es Moli de la Sal
- Beaches: Ses Illetes and Cala Saona
IBIZA:
This summer we stayed for only a day in Ibiza and got to visit a new coffee shop named Adam + Eve in the middle of the roads. However, my recommendations are:
- Lunch and sunset drinks: Experimental beach club, Aubergine, Beso Beach, Es Torrent
- Dinner: Pecador, Nobu, Los Enamorados and Temakinho
- Beaches: Las Salinas and Playa d’en Bossa
- Lakes: Cala Jondal, Cala Comte, Cala Bassa and Sa Caleta
Get your favorite latte and shop vintage clothes.
MENORCA:
My recommendations in Menorca are the following:
- Lunch and sunset drinks: Isabella beach club and Ivette beach club
- Dinner: J’agaro,
- Midday tapas: Bar
- Lakes: Cala Morell, Cala Macarelleta (favorite), Cala en Porter, Cala en Turqueta (favorite), Cala Galdana, Cala Escorxada (favorite), Cala Mitjaneta.
We left Barcelona’s sailing port at 6:05 am and got to Menorca around noon. While sailing, we watched the sunrise and made fruit bowls for breakfast.
One of my favorite moments of the trip was hiking in Cala Macarelleta and observing the beautiful lake from uphill.
We also spent a day site seeing in Mahon where we bought pastries from a well known bakery: La Mejor.
We visited the village of Ciutadella and ate one of the best tapas ever in Bar Triton.
And finally, one of my favorite neighbourhoods in Menorca: Binibeca. White, blue, illuminated houses with a lot of charisma.
Feel free to comment below you recommendations, experiences and/or anything else on your mind!
