4. Winter retreat: Formentera

At the start of November, my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to spend a few days on the gorgeous sister island of Ibiza: Formentera. I'd visited a handful of times previously, hopping over on the ferry for the day when friends and family were visiting, each time in the height of summer. I knew I'd only ever experienced a snippet of the island, so I was really looking forward to a good few days of exploring, away from the crowds of the peak tourist season. As the island is so small, and a majority of the roads are not suitable for heavy traffic, there's restricted vehicle flow on the island during summer. But, from October 1st - May 31st these restrictions are lifted! So, we boarded the 9am car ferry from the Puerto de Ibiza, waved adiós to the moody clouds above Ibiza and soon arrived at a slightly sunnier Puerto de Formentera.

First, we headed to the picturesque town of Sant Francesc Xavier, which is actually the island's capital. In the summer months, the town is usually bustling, with open air markets and narrow streets full of tourists hopping between boutiques and quaint restaurants. However, for us, it was November 1st, a huge día festivo (bank holiday) in Spain, so most businesses were closed due to that. Luckily, there were some trusty cafes open in the town so we had a lovely brunch stop at Del Centro, located in the Plaza de la Constitución. They're open all year, serving great coffee and options for el desayuno (breakfast) right through to la cena (dinner). In summer, there's a free jazz concert in this square every Saturday night (from 10pm) - so I imagine this cafe would be a real gem to soak up the atmosphere. From here, we made our way to the lighthouse, el Faro del Cabo de Barbaria, where we discovered those moody skies had followed us! Although fascinating to watch a storm system rolling across the sea, not wanting to actually get caught in a downpour, we headed back to the shelter of the car. We made one more stop to have a quick walk around Es Pujols to check out the rustic embarcaderos (fishing jetties) - well worth a visit! By the time we had driven down to our hotel for the weekend, El Hotel Riu Palace La Mola, the grey skies had kindly passed so it was time to chill out at the beach and make use of the hotel's facilities. If you're dreaming of a low season escape to Formentera, be sure to check out their website for any offers during the start/end of season periods. We went for the half-board option and were really impressed by the variety at both breakfast and dinner.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The weather was on our side for Day 2 & 3, and they consisted of a blissful mix of sunrises, sunsets, kayaking, snorkelling, idyllic coastal hikes and, of course, eating our way through the breakfast and dinner offerings! After a grey first day, it was a real treat to have some gorgeous blue skies and temperatures of around 18 degrees! The sea isn't the warmest at this time of the year, but if you're like me and don't mind a cold dip - it was just right for some uninterrupted snorkelling! A good spot for this was just along from the hotel, at Playa Los Arenales, where there was also a delightful little Chiringuito open - el Piratabus.  A real pinch-moment was kayaking along the coastline of Ses Illetes - the beach there is often packed in the summer so it was such a treat to be there and not have to tip-toe between beach blankets to get to the sea! The serene shades of the turquoise waters at Ses Illetes live rent-free in my mind, and I'm beyond grateful for that. A true slice of paradise...