IVA and the Balearic ecotax
Spain applies 10 percent IVA to accommodation, the largest single add on a Formentera week. On a $35,000 headline the IVA line is $3,500; on a $90,000 trophy week it is $9,000. Separately, the Balearic sustainable tourism tax applies on Formentera as across the islands: in the high season, from May 1 to October 31, the top accommodation tier runs 4 euros per person per night, with 10 percent IVA added to the tax itself. Guests over 16 pay; a 50 percent reduction applies from the ninth night; the low season is charged at 75 percent of the rate. For 8 adults across 7 nights the ecotax is roughly 246 euros including its IVA, a small line beside the accommodation IVA.
End-of-stay cleaning: $400 to $900 per stay
Most Formentera villas itemise a departure cleaning fee, running $400 to $600 for a three to four bedroom and $600 to $900 for a five to eight bedroom, higher than the mainland because cleaning teams and supplies cross by ferry. Mid-stay housekeeping and linen changes are arranged on request, typically $90 to $160 per visit. The pool and garden upkeep is handled by the host and folded into the rate.
Host and staff: managed, not bundled
The norm is a villa with a host or property manager who handles arrivals, the pool, and the ferry logistics, usually included in the rate. The host is not a daily housekeeper or a chef; you add those on top. The top sea-view estates run a daily housekeeper and sometimes a cook, but the standard villa is host-served and self-catering, so there is no service-charge line on a Formentera contract.
Private chef: $300 to $550 per service plus food at cost
A private chef runs $300 to $550 per service plus food at cost for ten, in the Ibiza-Formentera band, above the Spanish mainland because the provisioning crosses by ferry. Food cost lands at $70 to $150 per person, with Mediterranean fish, the local bullit de peix, and the beach-restaurant produce the anchors. A daily breakfast service runs $80 to $140 a day where it is not bundled. The famous Migjorn and Illetes beach restaurants are the reason most weeks cook in only two or three nights.
Getting there: the Ibiza ferry, no airport
Formentera has no airport, so every arrival is by sea. You fly into Ibiza Airport (IBZ), transfer to Ibiza town port, and take a passenger ferry to La Savina, a crossing of about 30 minutes on the fast boats run by Trasmapi, Baleria, and Aquabus. A round-trip ferry fare runs 40 to 60 euros per person. The crossing is weather-dependent; a strong summer levante or tramontana can disrupt the schedule, so build a buffer into a same-day flight connection. A private speedboat transfer from Ibiza is the flexible option for a trophy week.
Transport and the summer vehicle cap
Formentera operates a summer vehicle cap that limits the number of cars allowed onto the island in the high season, to protect the small island from congestion. Many villas include a vehicle or arrange one within the quota; confirm this at booking, because arriving with a hire car from Ibiza is not guaranteed in peak weeks. Most weeks run on the included car plus bicycles and electric scooters, which suit the flat terrain and the short distances, and a hire bicycle runs 12 to 20 euros per day.
Beach restaurants and boat days: $90 to $220 per head, $700 to $1,800 per boat
The beach-restaurant line is high. A lunch at a top Migjorn or Illetes beach restaurant runs $90 to $180 per head with wine; dinner at the better rooms runs $120 to $220. A skippered boat day to the Illetes sandbar, Espalmador, or the Ibiza coves runs $700 to $1,800 for the boat plus fuel, the signature Formentera outing. A family of eight at a top beach restaurant with wine lands between $900 and $1,600.
Gratuities: $100 to $300 per service provider per week
A cash gratuity on departure of $100 to $300 per regular service provider (the host, a chef, a housekeeper where used) is the local practice, in euros. For a week that runs a host plus a few chef nights, plan for $250 to $600 in cash gratuities. The chef and the skipper are tipped on the day at 10 to 15 percent.