Hotel Es Marès

This is something visitors to Formentera have long been waiting for: a modern, centrally located four-star hotel where you can stay not only for a week at a time but name the day of arrival and departure that suits you. This small but smart hotel with 13 standard double rooms, 4 superior double rooms and one suite, opened in San Francisco Javier, the capital of the Island, at the end of August 2011.

It is also the first hotel in Formentera to have a spa. The hotel is situated at the top end of Calle Santa Maria, just before the town hall square and the old fortified church dating from the 18th century. The Ferrer Colomar family from Formentera has carried out this project. It’s a building that skilfully combines the traditional style of the island with modern architecture. Designed by the Ibizan architect Josep Llaneras (Piset), under the technical guidance of the technical architect Jaime Carbonell and in partnership with the interior decoration studio Deu i Deu. The ever-challenging balance between simple elegance and charming rustic details has been achieved splendidly. There is a preponderance of natural materials in beige tones and polished white throughout. Modern technology has been incorporated with the utmost discretion; each room is equipped with a TV, a music system with iPod docking station, a telephone and Wi-Fi. A sophisticated system of mirrors and lenses reflects natural light into each of the bathrooms.

In the elegant dining room, a substantial breakfast buffet is served every morning, but guests can also breakfast in the cafeteria or on the covered terrace – and all these rooms are accessible to non-residents too. On weekdays, a three-course lunch menu is on offer, but you can also order à la carte. The restaurants are particularly popular in the evening. If you would like to get an overview of the excellent cuisine at Es Marès, you are recommended to try the eight-course tasting menu. The young head chef José Verdera comes from the Island and trained at one of the best Spanish cooking schools and completed his apprenticeship at accredited restaurants on the mainland.

The hotel’s secluded garden has a swimming pool. A well-equipped spa area, which is also open to the public, is housed in the basement. Here, you will find a sauna, a chromotherapy cabin, sensory showers, heated relaxation loungers and a revitalising pool. Two special cabins are also set aside for massages and beauty treatments.

As the bicycle is the traditional mode of transport on Formentera, the hotel provides its guests with mountain bikes as a special service. Guests who arrive by car can park in the hotel’s underground car park.

All this speaks for itself. But what is really special about this hotel is the personal touch. You have the feeling that this family concern is run with enthusiasm, commitment and love. A real asset for Formentera.