Spectacular Ibiza & Formentera

In late May / early June we returned from the most amazing trip to Ibiza and Formentera, two of the Spanish Balearic islands. One of our good friends was getting married on Ibiza on June 2, so we decided to make a vacation out of it by renting a sailboat the week before and sailing around both islands. I have long heard of how amazing the islands are, and in particular Formentera has a reputation of being a very remote and gorgeous island, with a unique soul (very hippy and Italian). We had done one sailing trip before to Thailand, and we absolutely loved the trip, so we decided it would be fun to repeat the experience but this time in the Spanish islands. Sailing is such a relaxing way to travel, you wake up every morning to the beauty of the ocean and you have ultimate freedom to choose whatever you want to do, and your accommodation (ie, the boat) travels with you! It feels very remote and such a deviation from every day life, but yet you have all of the "creature comforts" with you -- we had bedrooms, bathrooms, showers, full kitchen, living room, etc. We worked with a boat charter company in Ibiza to find and select a boat and paid to have a captain sail around with us. Its actually a very economical way to travel as well, as within one price you have your accommodation, transportation, and entertainment included, and you can go to the grocery store beforehand and bring whatever food and drinks you would like.

Below is a map of our journey on the boat. We started in the port of San Antonio and spent two nights in Ibiza and two nights in Formentera.

Rather than use a littany of words to describe the trip, I will show off my newfound GoPro and YouTube skills in the below video, which covers all aspects of our fantastic week in the island! Check it out. I would love to return to these islands one day and rent a house with a group of friends or family. Formentera left an especially poignant mark on my heart -- bring me back!!

After our sailing trip, we rented an Airbnb with friends and celebrated the marriage of our friends Jon and Elisa at a nearby hotel overlooking the ocean. Here are a few pics of the gorgeous wedding and nearby settings:

Jon and Elisa's wedding -- what a beautiful couple!

Thanks Jon and Elisa for giving us a wonderful excuse to celebrate your love in such a gorgeous, fun location and frolic in the islands for a week!

After the trip to the islands we spent 24 hours in Barcelona before our flight home. The 24 hours were basically just spent eating our weight in tapas... here is the photographic evidence:

Give me ALL the tapas. From left to right: ham and cheese croquete, potato tortilla, bread with tomato, mussels in garlic sauce, patatas bravas, fried zucchini flower, lamb tacos, and friend artichokes

Below are my recommendations for the Balaeric islands:

EAT: Juan y Andrea on Formenta (beautiful setting and amazing food) and Casanita Cantina y Pescado (get the tasting menu) on Formentera and Sa Caleta Restaurant (get the Paella) on Ibiza. Bar del Pla in Barcelona for tapas.
STAY: on a boat obviously! We used a charter agency to arrange our boat, they were called Ibiza Central Charters and it worked out perfectly.
PLAY: ALL of the beaches we visited were spectacular, but our favorites were Es Calo and Playa de Illetas, these beaches were some of the most spectacular we have EVER seen. Also check out Cala Bassa Beach Club for a fun day at the beach on Ibiza.