Things To Do in Platja de Migjorn

Midsummer’s eve kicks off one of Formentera’s biggest bashes. All over the island, the locals light bonfires in town squares and on the beaches. Tradition says that you write down a wish, throw the note on the fire, and leap in the air 3 times for it to come true. The next day, traditional folk dances with castanets wrap things up in style.

Just over 6 kilometres from Platja de Migjorn, the fishing village of Es Calo offers front-row seats to the sunset. The smile-shaped bay is backed by a few terraces and restaurants where you can stick around after dusk to enjoy plates of fresh seafood like meaty amberjack and prawns.

When it comes to nightlife, Platja de Migjorn is a million miles from the headlight glare of its Balearic neighbours. This place slows it right down to drawn-out sunset suppers at a beachside joint. Easy-come-easy-go evenings are all about emptying a glass of the local red wine, and snacking on sweet treats like date and almond cake. Most bars close by 11pm, but kiosks sell fresh fish and beers for moonlit walks.

Lunch and tapas have interchangeable meanings in the cafés and eateries that line the beach at Platja de Migjorn. In places like Sol y Luna, portions of Galician octopus, flavoured with paprika and garlic, are delivered to tables on wooden serving boards. And eager diners blow on steaming bowls of mussels, waiting for them to cool down enough to eat.

A boutique yoga sanctuary takes pride of place on the edge of Platja de Migjorn Beach. The studio itself is Indonesian in style and the yoga timetable begins at sunrise. There’s a juice bar here, too, so you can keep being good to yourself after the stretching and bending is over.

The beach at Platja de Migjorn is an unpolished affair. We’re talking raw and rugged, with bath-warm waters, and just a sprinkling of bars offering fresh juices, sunbed hire, and the occasional watersport. Clothing is optional. But the beach is so long that there are plenty of spots for private sunbathing.

For a different sort of bathing – this time involving mud – regular ferries leave La Savina port, a 10-minute drive from Platja de Migjorn, to Espalmador. It’s a private island to the north, with pin-drop quiet beaches, no buildings, and no inhabitants. At its centre, there’s a natural mud bath where you can wallow like a blissed-out hippo. Let the mud dry before washing it off in the ocean. The kids will love it.

Platja de Migjorn dines on sea views rather than gourmet cuisine. If you fancy a change from bar snacks, there’s more choice at Sant Francesc, a 10-minute drive away. Pull up a pew in the capital’s main square, and you can breakfast on coffee and toast with tomato and olive oil, and lunch on tapas. The cuisine has a strong Italian accent and, in summer, the Italians come here in their droves. Otherwise, follow the fashionable set to Playa Illetas, 9 kilometres away, where restaurants serve up giant platters of prawns and paella.

Order a caipirinha or a mojito at the bar at the South Beach Club, towards the western end of Platja de Migjorn. Then, take your drink to one of the hammocks in the chill-out area to give it the attention it deserves. Later on, you can tune in to the live flamenco music that’s put on here on a regular basis. Or time your visit to coincide with one of the DJ nights that the club lays on every month or so.