Located in the Ses Salines Natural Park, Ses Illetes is known for its fine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters, characteristics that give it a paradisiacal appearance. It is an ideal destination for snorkelling, swimming and families looking for calm, shallow waters. In addition, Ses Illetes has restaurants and beach bars offering Mediterranean cuisine, allowing visitors to enjoy the scenery while savouring local specialities.
And, last year, the UK’s largest tour operator, Jet2holidays, once again responded to demand from customers and independent travel agents by adding Formentera to its summer programme.
Just 20km south of Ibiza, Formentera is a hop, skip and a jump away via a short transfer.
Once arriving at Ibiza airport, customers receive ferry tickets from the Jet2holidays Resort Customer Helper before taking a coach to Ibiza Town Port. The ferry operates every 30 minutes and coach transfers are also provided upon arrival in Formentera.
The island’s name is said to derive from the Latin word frumentarium, meaning “granary”. The island was occupied in prehistoric times, going back to 2,000–1,600 BC. Archaeological sites from that period remain in Ca na Costa, Cap de Barbaria (multiple sites) and Cova des Fum. The island had been occupied by the Carthaginians before passing to the ancient Romans. In succeeding centuries, it passed to the Visigoths, the Byzantines, the Vandals, and the Arabs. In 1109, Formentera was the target of a devastating attack by the Norwegian king Sigurd I at the head of the Norwegian Crusade. The island was conquered by James I the Conqueror, added to the Crown of Aragon and later became part of the medieval Kingdom of Mallorca.
From 1403 to the early 18th century, the threat of Barbary pirate attacks rendered the island uninhabitable. On 17 June 1651, during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), a squadron of Spanish galleys under John of Austria the Younger captured the French galleon Lion Couronné off this island.
The island and its surrounding islets became a separate insular council with the same territory as the eponymous municipality after 1977.
Before that, it was administered in the former insular council of Ibiza and Formentera (covering the whole group of the Pityusic Islands), but in a separate comarca which already covered the current municipality of Formentera. This reform allowed Ibiza to unify its comarca of five municipalities with its new insular council, no longer administrating Formentera.
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