The beach that's 'like the Maldives' you can reach from Manchester Airport

With long stretches of pristine white sands, palm trees and aquamarine waters, the Maldives is a dream holiday destination. But a trip to the Maldives can set you back hundreds - if not thousands - of pounds, not to mention the fact it can take you nearly a day to get there with connecting flights.

Fortunately, there's a beach in the Mediterranean described as 'Maldives of Spain' - and it's a lot easier to get to. Playa de ses Illetes is a stunning beach located on the tiny island of Formentera.

It’s found on a peninsula which stretches north from the island, so it has a similar feel to the Maldivian Archipelago. It has beautiful crystal-clear, shallow waters and the sand even has a slight pink hue to it, thanks to tiny red fragments of coral.

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One visitor from Tripadvisor described the beach as “The Maldives of Spain” while another said: “This beach is just mesmerising; it feels like you’re in the Maldives or somewhere.” A third visitor said: “Truly amazing…it is a must to go and see this amazing beach. The water is clear and reminds me of the Maldives or Caribbean Sea.”

Formentera is the smallest of the Balearic Islands and lies south of Ibiza. The island has a relaxed atmosphere and there’s no airport, but it’s easily reached by a 40-minute ferry from Ibiza.

There are direct flights from Manchester Airport to Ibiza and Skyscanner shows prices starting from £28 in July, with returns available for a similar price. The flight takes around two hours and 50 minutes.

To get to Formentera you can catch a ferry from Ibiza Town to the port of La Savina. It takes around 30 minutes with tickets costing approximately 20 to 30 euros.

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