Formentera · North-west
Playa Illetes
Formentera's signature white-sand beach — the Es Ministre table on the sand, lunch every charter wants to do at least once.
laya Illetes is the white-sand beach that runs along the north-west of Formentera — the singular image most people carry of the Balearic Islands. Two small islets sit just offshore; the beach itself stretches almost a kilometre. The yacht anchors 200 metres offshore over white sand in clear water; the chef serves on board, or the office secures a table at Es Ministre with feet on the sand.
The bay fills with yachts from 12:30 to 16:00 in peak season; arrive at 11:30 to take the best anchorage, or stay until 17:00 when the wind eases and the bay empties.
Anchorage facts
How the day reads on paper.
Best time: Lunch to mid-afternoon
Anchorage
Offshore Illetes, 38.756 N · 1.422 E
Depth
4–8 m, white sand
Wind shelter
Good from E–S, exposed to NW
Distance from Marina Ibiza
≈ 20 nm · 1h 10 cruising
Ashore
Es Ministre · Juan y Andrea · Beso Beach
At Playa Illetes
What to do on the water.
- 01Lunch with feet-in-sand at Es Ministre or Juan y Andrea
- 02Snorkel along the islets of S'Espalmador and Es Pouet
- 03Continue south to Cala Saona for the afternoon and overnight
- 04A morning sandbar walk between the two islets at low tide
If you step ashore
Tables we reserve through the office.
- ·Es Ministre · table on the sand — reservation through the office
- ·Juan y Andrea · the long-running Formentera classic
- ·Beso Beach · the newer arrival, more dressed-up
Questions we hear
Playa Illetes — answered.
Can the office reserve a table at Juan y Andrea?+
Yes — these tables fill weeks in advance in August, so book early. We hold standing-relationship reservations at all three Illetes beach restaurants and can usually secure a table at 24 hours' notice outside peak weeks.
How busy does Illetes get?+
Very, between 12:30 and 16:00 in July and August — fifty to a hundred yachts in the bay at peak. Outside those hours and weeks the bay is calm and beautiful. We can also anchor at the southern end of the beach near Es Pujols for quieter water.
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