Cavall de Llevant

About Cavall de Llevant

Cavall de Llevant suits travellers who want a quiet base on Formentera's east side rather than a busy resort. The four-star hotel sits in Es Caló de Sant Agustí, a tiny fishing harbour of boat houses below the La Mola plateau, and those boat houses are 0.5 km away on foot. Couples who like small coves and flat walking, and families who prefer a village pace to a strip of bars, settle here comfortably.

The stay is a four-star hotel, and the listed facilities point to self-sufficient days: a kitchenette, a microwave, a refrigerator and a washing machine appear among them, alongside a garden, a terrace and free parking with a garage. Air conditioning, a safe, a desk and a TV cover the practical side. What each unit actually contains, how often cleaning runs and whether cots or high chairs need reserving are worth confirming with Cavall de Llevant before booking.

Location: Es Caló de Sant Agustí

Es Caló de Sant Agustí is a handful of boat houses and a small harbour below the La Mola plateau, on Formentera's east coast. Cavall de Llevant has that hamlet 0.5 km away, so the harbour wall and the boat houses are a short walk rather than a drive. Sant Francesc Xavier, the small capital with its fortified church, and the port at La Savina lie further west; La Savina is 10.8 km from the hotel in a straight line.

Walking covers the boat houses at Es Caló, 0.5 km away, and the lanes around them. Everything else wants wheels: the El Pilar de la Mola market is 3 km off, Platja de Migjorn 4.1 km, Sant Ferran de ses Roques 6 km and the Far de la Mola lighthouse 6.2 km, all straight-line figures. In high summer the east coast fills up and the roads around Es Caló carry more traffic; by late September the same lanes empty and the sea stays warm well into the evening.

Rooms and facilities

Couples tend to take the smaller units and make use of the terrace, the garden and the free parking. Families gravitate to whatever comes with a kitchenette, a microwave and a washing machine, which makes a week with children much simpler. Air conditioning, a safe, a desk and a TV are listed, and the balconies and patios add a second room outdoors. Non-smoking rooms appear in the list, so smokers should ask what is available.

Late arrivals should confirm reception hours and how keys are handed over directly with Cavall de Llevant before travelling. Ask as well about the cot and high chair, garage space against open parking, laundry service turnaround, and whether the kitchenette comes with crockery and a kettle. The hotel also lists a car rental service, which means a vehicle can be arranged without a separate trip once you are on the island.

Getting there

Formentera has no airport, so the route runs through Ibiza. Fly to Ibiza Airport (IBZ), which sits about 7 km south-west of Ibiza Town, then reach the port in Eivissa and take a ferry to La Savina: fast ferries take about 30-35 minutes and conventional ferries about an hour. Sailings are frequent in season and thinner in winter, so check the operators. La Savina is 10.8 km from Cavall de Llevant.

From La Savina, a taxi or a pre-booked transfer covers the 10.8 km to Es Caló de Sant Agustí. Buses serve the island, with lines and seasonal timetables set by the Consell de Formentera, so check before relying on one with luggage. Once settled, bikes and the signposted green routes suit the flat terrain, scooters and taxis handle longer hops, and the island council caps visitor vehicles in high season, so confirm before bringing or hiring a car.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

Platja de Migjorn, the long south-coast beach backed by dunes and juniper, is 4.1 km from Cavall de Llevant in a straight line, and the boat houses at Es Caló are 0.5 km away. Sant Ferran de ses Roques, the crossroads village between the lagoon and the south coast, is 6 km off. Further days out take in Cala Saona, the Ses Illetes sand spit with its famously clear water, the Espalmador islet on calm days and Ca na Costa, a megalithic tomb about 4,000 years old near Es Pujols.

El Pilar de la Mola holds a craft market on Wednesdays and Sundays in season, 3 km from the hotel, and the Far de la Mola lighthouse stands 6.2 km away on the plateau, about 190 m above the coast. Formentera's food is plain and good: peix sec (dried fish), island salads and fresh fish, eaten slowly and without ceremony. Many kitchens and beach bars close roughly from November to April, so winter eating concentrates in the villages.

A day from Cavall de Llevant

Start on foot: walk the 0.5 km from Cavall de Llevant to the boat houses at Es Caló and see the little harbour before the day heats up. Then take a car or a bike 3 km up to El Pilar de la Mola, where the craft market runs on Wednesdays and Sundays in season, and carry on to the Far de la Mola lighthouse, 6.2 km from the hotel, for the wide view from the plateau's edge.

After lunch, drive the 4.1 km to Platja de Migjorn and give the afternoon to the long south-coast sand and its dunes. Loop back through Sant Ferran de ses Roques, 6 km from Cavall de Llevant, to see the crossroads village, then return to Es Caló. Evenings stay local: the terrace and garden at the hotel, a short walk to the hamlet, and an early night before another flat ride on the green routes.

Practical tips

Most of Formentera's tourist business closes roughly from November to April, so check Cavall de Llevant's opening dates with the hotel before planning a winter stay. July and August bring the crowds and the heaviest demand on the island's roads and vehicle quotas; late spring and early autumn are calmer around Es Caló de Sant Agustí. A sustainable tourism tax, the ecotasa, is charged per person per night by the accommodation, at rates that vary with the type of accommodation, the season and the length of stay, and children under 16 are exempt. Confirm the current rules with the Govern de les Illes Balears.

Questions about Cavall de Llevant