Did you visit Ibiza at the turn of the 90s?

ibizamemories

New Member
Would you mind me contacting about your experiences?
I'm looking for inspiration (as well as fact checking) for a book I'm writing, which has a section set in ibiza in the early 90s...

Knowing how passionate and protective locals and returning visitors are to its image and reputation I’m sensitive to representing it in the right light (it's no Ibiza Uncovered), so I’m trying to soak up as much detail as I can from the people who experienced it first hand - the people who hold it dear in their hearts.

I've been going to Ibiza almost every year since the Millennium but its the 80s/90s era I need to know more about. I've spoken to DJs and business owners but I'm really interested to know what it was like for regular punters. What kind of people filled the terraces? What did they wear? where did they stay, how easy (or difficult) was it to get work? - and everything from the cost of renting an apartment in San An to a bottle of beer in the Star club...

If you can help, please get in touch. I would be so grateful of your participation.
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I was there in '91 or '92 on holiday but i was only about 12... We stayed in PDB but it was nothing like it is now... Fields everywhere!!!! One afternoon, we went to the water park behind Space and i remember walking past Space to the water park entrance behind the Space car park... There was music coming from the terrace behind the flimsy fence thingy... I was into dance music at the time was raging that i was being dragged to the water park instead... Even back then i'd thought to myself how i wanted to go there when i was older and even play there... I played there last September, thanks to Spotlight!!! :D

I was only able to find a few photos of that holiday...

155123_10151177712604432_1244312368_n.jpg


From Regina Park Apartments in PDB (where we stayed), looking towards Dalt Vila...



406480_10151178556859432_1998663034_n.jpg


Looking towards Bora Bora (or at least where it would eventually be) from our apartment... Notice the fields!!!! :eek:



230531_10151177713879432_595836369_n.jpg


This is where we stayed... I don't know if it's still there... I think it would be somewhere behind the small bumper car place near the roundabout in PDB... Possibly a bit further down towards Space...


I always remember at the airport, when we were going home, sitting in the big black leather sofas and there was a bunch of Scottish clubbers who had obviously been out the night before and it got me thinking back to the Space terrace and how desperate i was to see it...

I was there for a week and, apart from a trip up into Dalt Vila, these are the only memories i have... Can't remember if we went to San Antonio or not... :(
 
I know you're probably after clubbing experiences but unfortunately i don't have any from then... :)
 
First went '92 (non-clubbing) and then clubbing '94-'99 and '07-'15. Happy to help if I can? We tended to stay in San An in those days mainly to keep the costs down. There wasn't much of a reason to go to Playa D'en Bossa then anyway apart from Space as an after party daytime club.

We often used to start our evening down Cafe Del Mar and then later head to Ku (Privilege), Amnesia (when the terrace was open air and more of a chill out area), Es Paradis or Pacha. Went to Star/Kaos a few times too and El Divino was quite big for a while as well. Of all the clubs Pacha has changed less. I was very sad for a while when I returned in '07 to see how much Space had changed as that was definitely my favourite. Had some magical daytimes there and one year we were so desperate to get it we all arrived with our suitcases and put them behind the bar!

The area around Cafe Del Mar is virtually unrecognisable now. I think only Mambo was there in those days. Of course the biggest change in areas is Playa D'en Bossa which was decidedly quiet and down market in those days. Then Bora Bora opened up and its been growing every year.

Clubs were definitely less crowded in those days, something which I know was mentioned elsewhere in the forum. In terms of what people wore, the big clubs were smarter but anything went in Space.

Ibiza clubs have always been expensive from what I can remember although not in the same league as now. Generally you got one free drink with your ticket and you could often get cheaper tickets at local bars especially in Ibiza Town.

We generally couldn't afford taxis so we took buses and the disco bus when that started.

If you want more info let me know. I know my ex has a photo album from one year there with flyers in it plus a few odd photos from other years including us with Coxy in Mambo about '96, the night after he played a blinder in Amnesia. I've also got plenty of old friends who were clubbing with me in the 90`s who probably have better memories than me and maybe photos as well.

Now where have those 21 years gone.....
 
Thank you so, so much for taking the time to write to me Ric, you have no idea how valuable your account is. Small snippets like this are priceless. And going the extra mile to upload photos too. I'm actually on a whirlwind research trip at the moment awaiting my flight home - went to Playa D'en Bossa and took a peek at the area behind Space out of curiosity and, yep, that water park is still there. My god those slides must have been serving the wet and the wild for a few years now! Thought you might be interested to know! Sincere thanks again for your help.




I was there in '91 or '92 on holiday but i was only about 12... We stayed in PDB but it was nothing like it is now... Fields everywhere!!!! One afternoon, we went to the water park behind Space and i remember walking past Space to the water park entrance behind the Space car park... There was music coming from the terrace behind the flimsy fence thingy... I was into dance music at the time was raging that i was being dragged to the water park instead... Even back then i'd thought to myself how i wanted to go there when i was older and even play there... I played there last September, thanks to Spotlight!!! :D

I was only able to find a few photos of that holiday...

155123_10151177712604432_1244312368_n.jpg


From Regina Park Apartments in PDB (where we stayed), looking towards Dalt Vila...



406480_10151178556859432_1998663034_n.jpg


Looking towards Bora Bora (or at least where it would eventually be) from our apartment... Notice the fields!!!! :eek:



230531_10151177713879432_595836369_n.jpg


This is where we stayed... I don't know if it's still there... I think it would be somewhere behind the small bumper car place near the roundabout in PDB... Possibly a bit further down towards Space...


I always remember at the airport, when we were going home, sitting in the big black leather sofas and there was a bunch of Scottish clubbers who had obviously been out the night before and it got me thinking back to the Space terrace and how desperate i was to see it...

I was there for a week and, apart from a trip up into Dalt Vila, these are the only memories i have... Can't remember if we went to San Antonio or not... :(
 
Great comparison shots, although photoshop is clearly working its magic in the second one. Except for the added buildings, I'd say that the first picture is still the truest likeness. Nowhere near as green and lush as the second makes out to be!
 
i first went in 82 and to this date still go..music was anything from euro disco to pop mixed in.no really big named djs.just local spanish djs good mixes.eden was called star back then.ku was privilege.ibiza town smelled.not much english food about..we wore jeans with a big belt.ripped t shirts.with trainers.the baggy look we called it.not many locals spoke english.so we used to rip a logo from a can of beer.and put your fingers up to say how many cans you needed.good thing was you got asked to go in a bar by a pr.got free shot.if you asked right you got free entry club tickets around san an.so later that night you could go in all of them. free.forgot the name now small club under neath piscis park.always best to carry some loo roll with you.

pdb was just a village in those days,few bars and thing two hotels.only spent a morning there as it was dead.girls were free and easy to pick up in them early days.lots of togo parties.open air disco some where in the hills one night.and there was a open air club up the road same side as eden.with yacht sheets covering as a roof.free to get in.american express cheque and cards rip offs were all the rage then.
report lost.but they had been cashed and you got half back from original start.so £500.00 would make you £750.00.cards were used to buy goods then sell on.again money back.just to keep really the prs able to stay out there.

anything you wanted could be got cheap.i remember a girl from liverpool nicked loads of stuff every day.with tin foil in a bag.to stop alarms going off.you could easy get any bodybuilding steroids.the days of only booking from a travel agent.only s/c in those days no half board or full board. pesetas was the money.and it made you feel rich,went a long way back then.the good old days.if i can find any photos i;ll pop them on one day,ps also it was the days through the 80s.90s when you would book a holiday.and your best mate who worked out there would crash in your room.eating all your food and making a mess.
 
Woodruffe! Thank you so much for you detailed account. Priceless. My heart is literally leaping about doing somersaults with the nostalgia of it all. Toga parties - what a blast from the past - thank god they've lost their appeal now. I suppose only to be replaced by stag groups in mankinis, bunny girl hens and the likes....

The American Express point is interesting, I'll have to read up on that as those cards were a bit before my time. And I do remember there being quite drainy/sewery smell in San An when I went there in the mid 80s with my family. I also remember bars selling exotic cocktails in big elaborate vases stuffed with every imaginable straw and accessory. They'd be sketched on chalkboards outside the bars. And all bars seemed to have TVs that showed music videos like Thriller, and I remember that seeming really modern and exciting too.

I wonder when PDB started to get busier? I guess with the growing success of Space. I'd be interested to find out when BoraBora started to become a gathering spot and 24 hour disco of sorts. Chicken and egg: did the punters gathering their create a scene or did the bar/music bring the punters...

You mentioned steroids. They've never really been on my radar unlike Es which you know to be synonymous with the place and are always aware of them even if you chose not to indulge. Were steroids widely taken, sought after in the 90s?

Thanks for sharing again, I've found this very useful.


i first went in 82 and to this date still go..music was anything from euro disco to pop mixed in.no really big named djs.just local spanish djs good mixes.eden was called star back then.ku was privilege.ibiza town smelled.not much english food about..we wore jeans with a big belt.ripped t shirts.with trainers.the baggy look we called it.not many locals spoke english.so we used to rip a logo from a can of beer.and put your fingers up to say how many cans you needed.good thing was you got asked to go in a bar by a pr.got free shot.if you asked right you got free entry club tickets around san an.so later that night you could go in all of them. free.forgot the name now small club under neath piscis park.always best to carry some loo roll with you.

pdb was just a village in those days,few bars and thing two hotels.only spent a morning there as it was dead.girls were free and easy to pick up in them early days.lots of togo parties.open air disco some where in the hills one night.and there was a open air club up the road same side as eden.with yacht sheets covering as a roof.free to get in.american express cheque and cards rip offs were all the rage then.
report lost.but they had been cashed and you got half back from original start.so £500.00 would make you £750.00.cards were used to buy goods then sell on.again money back.just to keep really the prs able to stay out there.

anything you wanted could be got cheap.i remember a girl from liverpool nicked loads of stuff every day.with tin foil in a bag.to stop alarms going off.you could easy get any bodybuilding steroids.the days of only booking from a travel agent.only s/c in those days no half board or full board. pesetas was the money.and it made you feel rich,went a long way back then.the good old days.if i can find any photos i;ll pop them on one day,ps also it was the days through the 80s.90s when you would book a holiday.and your best mate who worked out there would crash in your room.eating all your food and making a mess.
 
Sorry Bonzo, I totally managed to miss your post, not sure how that happened but it's made really interesting reading - I love the bit about you being so desperate to get rolling in Space that you walked in straight off the plane! There's no way the bar staff would look after your cases now.

I'm trying to figure out when the disco busses started being a thing. I've always known them to be there but I wonder when they originated - Sure it was something to do with KU... and yes, the sunset strip has changed dramatically - logistical nightmare to get to and from over all that wasteland before they cleaned up the path.

I remember a complimentary drink being offered along with your ticket to most clubs - think some still do.... and I'm pretty sure there used to be PRs handing out wrist bands for free entry if you went in as the doors first opened back in the day.

In terms of shops in the towns - can you recall when record shops started being popular? I have a vague recollection of seeing teenage bedroom DJs in the airport with their record bags after snapping up some not-yet-released remix or other, but I am struggling to put a date on that... thinking late 90s maybe...

And foam parties - would it be true to say there was a time the big clubs embraced them before 18-30s types started to give them a bad name?

Anyway, I've given you more pause for thought, but thanks for sharing. Much appreciated.


First went '92 (non-clubbing) and then clubbing '94-'99 and '07-'15. Happy to help if I can? We tended to stay in San An in those days mainly to keep the costs down. There wasn't much of a reason to go to Playa D'en Bossa then anyway apart from Space as an after party daytime club.

We often used to start our evening down Cafe Del Mar and then later head to Ku (Privilege), Amnesia (when the terrace was open air and more of a chill out area), Es Paradis or Pacha. Went to Star/Kaos a few times too and El Divino was quite big for a while as well. Of all the clubs Pacha has changed less. I was very sad for a while when I returned in '07 to see how much Space had changed as that was definitely my favourite. Had some magical daytimes there and one year we were so desperate to get it we all arrived with our suitcases and put them behind the bar!

The area around Cafe Del Mar is virtually unrecognisable now. I think only Mambo was there in those days. Of course the biggest change in areas is Playa D'en Bossa which was decidedly quiet and down market in those days. Then Bora Bora opened up and its been growing every year.

Clubs were definitely less crowded in those days, something which I know was mentioned elsewhere in the forum. In terms of what people wore, the big clubs were smarter but anything went in Space.

Ibiza clubs have always been expensive from what I can remember although not in the same league as now. Generally you got one free drink with your ticket and you could often get cheaper tickets at local bars especially in Ibiza Town.

We generally couldn't afford taxis so we took buses and the disco bus when that started.

If you want more info let me know. I know my ex has a photo album from one year there with flyers in it plus a few odd photos from other years including us with Coxy in Mambo about '96, the night after he played a blinder in Amnesia. I've also got plenty of old friends who were clubbing with me in the 90`s who probably have better memories than me and maybe photos as well.

Now where have those 21 years gone.....
 
My first visit was in 98, even back then Es Paradise and Privilege had a big presence unlike now, Es Paradise used to have some great nights and some big name djs as well, much has changed but that as a club has pretty much remained the same, not that I have been there for a number of years.

Same goes for Privilege, from what I can see not much has changed since when I first went, which was long after they had put the roof of and removed those big fans you see in old pictures.

I remember going to Ibiza town on my first visit, it was still pesetas back then, and myself and girlfriend at the time ordered 2 cocktails from a bar on the harbour front Base Bar, i remember being quite shocked that they both came to £14!!

I dont remember the club ticket prices being as expensive as now, same goes for the drinks inside, I think you could easily get 2 beers for £10

I never made it to Space until 2000, back in 98 it wasn't so much a place to go, I had heard it was an after hours, but mainly full of locals, it was when Home did their first summer there in 1999 that it put Space on the map, then when I first went in 2000 that was it I was hooked, I think it was 2001 when it changed from Home to We Love Home, then after that just We Love or We Love Sundays at Space
The Sunset terrace and terrace were all one room, and the speakers were in the middle of the dance floor, huge things with metal grating on the front, you could sit or dance ontop

Drugs have always been readily available, that hasnt changed, just like it is now, usually any bar with PR's or that sells disco tickets is a good source (naming no names!) but it was always pills, I really dont remember coke being so popular or available, maybe I just wasnt into it back then!
 
i first went in 82 and to this date still go..music was anything from euro disco to pop mixed in.no really big named djs.just local spanish djs good mixes.eden was called star back then.ku was privilege.ibiza town smelled.not much english food about..we wore jeans with a big belt.ripped t shirts.with trainers.the baggy look we called it.not many locals spoke english.so we used to rip a logo from a can of beer.and put your fingers up to say how many cans you needed.good thing was you got asked to go in a bar by a pr.got free shot.if you asked right you got free entry club tickets around san an.so later that night you could go in all of them. free.forgot the name now small club under neath piscis park.always best to carry some loo roll with you.

pdb was just a village in those days,few bars and thing two hotels.only spent a morning there as it was dead.girls were free and easy to pick up in them early days.lots of togo parties.open air disco some where in the hills one night.and there was a open air club up the road same side as eden.with yacht sheets covering as a roof.free to get in.american express cheque and cards rip offs were all the rage then.
report lost.but they had been cashed and you got half back from original start.so £500.00 would make you £750.00.cards were used to buy goods then sell on.again money back.just to keep really the prs able to stay out there.

anything you wanted could be got cheap.i remember a girl from liverpool nicked loads of stuff every day.with tin foil in a bag.to stop alarms going off.you could easy get any bodybuilding steroids.the days of only booking from a travel agent.only s/c in those days no half board or full board. pesetas was the money.and it made you feel rich,went a long way back then.the good old days.if i can find any photos i;ll pop them on one day,ps also it was the days through the 80s.90s when you would book a holiday.and your best mate who worked out there would crash in your room.eating all your food and making a mess.
Fkn legend dude, respect.
 
First went to San An in 1995 and in my naivety didn't go far from the west end. Remember there being loads of messy Irish Scots and Dutch (!) bars along with places like Gorms Garage. Ship Inn in the square at top of West End was popular day times. Big difference was bar closing time was I think about 2am and there was some sort of curfew on the burger joints shortly after. Ben Sherman Shirts, usually the checky variety, everywhere. Eden (or Star?) and Es Paradis were popular but I preferred the 80s style charm of Extasis! Sunset strip was much less developed and nowhere near as busy. Beach opposite Es Paradis didn't have loads of bars in between, don't think the path to the bay was there either, just loads of PRs from the clubs. Older and slightly wiser, have discovered far more around the island since, but still lots to see!
 
No problem Ibizamemories!

In terms of foam parties, even back in the mid 90's they always seemed to us a gimmick, something that appealed more to the lager louts than people who were in the clubs for the music. That said, I did go once to the water party at Es Paradis, off my face, and enjoyed it so maybe I was being a clubbing snob! Ha ha.

Your question about Bora Bora is an interesting one. I first was aware of it later in the 90's as somewhere to go after Space as an after, after venue ;-) I think that the Space crowd must have been part of the reason for the rise of its popularity as there wasn't that much a reason to be in that area otherwise.

I don't remember the record stores but I do remember that bootleg tapes would be for sale shortly after the sets in the big clubs.

I'll see if I can track down some old photos!
 
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