TRAVEL TIPS FOR OUR FORMENTERA HOLIDAY APARTMENT
As there is no airport on Formentera one has to fly to Ibiza and catch a ferry which takes 30 minutes.Travel arrangements will vary according to your home location, but I hope that these suggestions and links will assist you.
Flights arriving or leaving during the night are cheaper than day time flights but there may then be no ferry running between Ibiza and Formentera. One solution if you book a late arrival flight from the UK is to reserve a room at a hotel in Ibiza overnight, before catching the ferry the next morning. Of course this may not be practical in say July or August when most places are fully booked.
If you have to do this, always book in advance and a good way of doing it is through a Google search for Budget Accommodation Ibiza. This should throw up several hotel brokers who exist by selling unused accommodation for the hotels. I have used cheaphotels with good results, making bookings at Maritimo Hotel and LuxMar Apartments which are in Figueretas, 5 minutes by taxi from the ferry port. Both were excellent and very reasonably priced.
FINDING FLIGHTS
I have found best results with a combination of Cheapestflights and Skyscanner.
Alternatively, you can go directly to the flight operators such as Easyjet; Ryanair; Thomsonfly; Monarch Airlines; Air Berlin; Tuifly; Alitalia.; Myair.
FERRIES There are two ferry services operating to and from the island - Balearia, and Mediteranea Pituisa. They use the same ticket hall at the entrance to the port. At the airport tell the taxi driver "el puerto" or even just Formentera and they will drop you outside the ticket office. Each company will display the time of their next crossing. Mediteranea Pitiusa offer the most crossings and continue later into the evening, 10.00pm for most of the season.
If you are retired, ask for "Jubilados" or "Seniors" - there is about a 40 % discount! They may ask to photo-copy your passport as proof of age.
FORMENTERA CAR HIRE
We used to hire bicycles (Agustin bicycle and motor scooter hire in the centre of Es Pujols) but now tend to hire a car. I always take out annual insurance with say Questor Insurance beforehand to provide cover for the excess charge as it is over €600! This works out much cheaper than taking out excess cover with the hire company. If you are unlucky and suffer damage to the car you pay the excess and claim it back from Questor.
Car hire prices vary considerably from day to day, a bit like budget airline prices and like the airlines, the earlier you book, the better the price. I recommend Carhire3000 who say they will beat any similar vehicle price. They also offer no charges for credit cards or alterations and secure the car for only a small deposit. The balance is paid shortly before travelling. Click here for a quotation and to confirm a booking.
Pick up the car at the ferryport in La Sabina & you will not have the cost of taxis to and from the apartment. Arrange for the vehicle pick up time to be about two hours after the expected flight arrival time, unless arriving at night.
Bicycle Hire
I recommend Agustin Bicycle & Scooter Hire in Es Pujols. Really friendly, helpful guys.
A tip - If you have not ridden a bike since childhood, which probably applies to most of us, do a bit of practicing in a quiet side street and get rid of initial wobbles before committing yourself to the traffic, especially the scooters.
