Seniors Find the ‘Last Paradise in the Mediterranean’

Recently, Fromentera came up on a travel website and it caught this senior’s attention. Called the “last paradise in the Mediterranean”, Fromentera is the smaller and more southerly of the Balearic Islands of Spain.

As of 2014, the population was 11,545. The island’s name is usually said to derive from the Latin word frumentarium, meaning “granary”. Formentera is not only a place for those of us who love sun and sand, it is also a paradise for lovers of diving. It has 69 km of coast, of which 40 are sandy coast.

Some senior visitors to the island choose to rent mopeds or bicycles due to the flat nature of most of the island and the availability of dedicated cycle tracks in many locations. Formerly you could reach Fromentera only by boat from Ibiza but in recent years regular passenger service from the Spanish mainland has increased tourism.

While the official languages are Catalan and Spanish, other major languages like English, Italian, German, French and Dutch can also be heard extensively in the summer due to mass tourism. The overwhelming majority are Italian and the Italian language is heard more often than any other.

Seniors Find Something Different In Formentera

The tourist success of the island, loved as much by residents as by visitors, is rooted in the fact that people still find something a bit different in Formentera. The difference is marked by respect for nature, the survival of its own culture and the vision of achieving exclusivity through protecting the environment.

The secret of the existence of a crystalline sea and Formentera’s long sandy beaches, which mark it out from the rest of the Mediterranean, is what is called the posidonea prairie (commonly known as Neptune Grass or Mediterranean tapeweed) ) that surrounds the island, a natural treatment underwater plant that cleans the water.

This underwater jungle was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.  Since the ’70s, Fromentera has been attractive for artists and artisans, who are nowadays part of the island’s differential heritage. Some call them “hippies.” Their designs in clothes, accessories, jewelry and their works of art are powerful attractions for Formentera.

Seniors Find Secluded Place Of Rest

Located in La Savina Harbour senior visitors will find a Sailing School where one can learn windsurf, kayak and sail. The climate, agreeable throughout the year, makes diving possible all year long.

Condé Nast Traveler calls Fromentera “Ibiza’s Chilled-Out Little Sister.” They note that this fourth largest of the Balearics, hangs off the southern edge of Ibiza like an unevenly formed dog bone dangling on a string.

Fromentera is so different from the other Balearic Islands that you’ll wonder if you’re still in Spain. It is said that people come here to relax in absolute seclusion, thus making it an island for individualists not for crowds.

Senior epicureans, the local fishermen say that the seafood caught around Formentera is second to none in quality and taste. -jeb