La Savina: more than a beer commerical

Port de la Savina Formentera, is where everything starts on this smallest of Spain’s Balearic islands. With no airport the only way anyone arrives at Formentera is through its port of la Savina, which during July and August bustles with young Europeans just as featured in the Estrella Damm commercial below.

The Estrella Damm commercial really does capture the free summer spirit of the island, and the 2009 season literally had people singing the song 'Summercat' as they came off the boats. The song is by ‘Billie the vision and the dancers’, from their album, ‘I Was So Unpopular In School and Now They're Giving Me This Beautiful Bicycle’. (You can download the song for free at http://www.billiethevision.com/music.php but the band asks you to make a donation, which only fair given what a great track it is!)

Throughout the year there are multiple daily ferries between Ibiza and Formentera, and during the summer season there are also boats from Barcelona and other mainland ports. La Savina is also the departure point for trips to s’Espalmador, a private island just north of Formentera famed for its mud baths (remember those muddy people in the Estrella Damm commercial?!)

Of course La Savina has been around a lot longer than the recent beer commercial, and any visitor to Formentera should take the time to do more than just board and depart there. It has a small marina, that during the summer months probably rivals Monaco from the value of boats per cubic meter – there is some serious money calling at port alongside the neo-hippies that take the Balearia ferry.

The restaurants overlooking the marina serve great tapas, although funnily enough not the best fish – for this you should head to the restaurants of Es Calo. And you are a stone’s throw away from Estany des Peix, which is the smaller of Formentera’s inland lagoons. You will see some smaller boats have set anchor there, and as you walk around the small dirt track of a road you can take in some beautiful views. Funnily enough the French seem to love this part of the island for some reason. They usually have good taste so it must be nice! The French Wikipedia entry on Estany des Peix is more extensive than in any other language at the time of writing.

Port de la Savina Formentera also backs on to the salt pans of Ses Salines. These are rich in natural beauty, and if you happen to be an ornithologist then you will be kept more than satisfied keeping an eye out for the more than 210 species that have been sighted.

Finally, you are also within a 30 minute walk of the beaches of Platja de Ses Illetes. La Savina is certainly a lot more than a great location for a beer commercial. Enjoy!