Really well written article on the West End...
- Thread starter ric
- Start date
MrHullMysterious
Well-Known Member
Well his first mistake was to go into a titty club and second the west end smells of redbull not piss... well maybe if you've drunk a lot of redbull it would smell of that I dunno 
My experiences of the west end is a starting place where you meet random people, make new friends and end up taking everyone to one of the clubs on the island. Maybe I'm just more sociable *shrugs*
My experiences of the west end is a starting place where you meet random people, make new friends and end up taking everyone to one of the clubs on the island. Maybe I'm just more sociable *shrugs*
ric
Well-Known Member
Also, check this interview with Lottie out...
http://www.lovefoodibiza.com/lottie/
Some comments about the island now, which i think almost everyone agrees with (apart from the club owners of course)...
What are the biggest changes to the white isle from your first visit? Good and bad…
The roofs going on the clubs! But even those are better than the limiters they used to have on the terrace of Amnesia to keep the sound down. The most obvious difference is how expensive and “VIP” many places have become. It used to be a much more ‘inclusive’ less ‘exclusive’ island and you didn’t used to have to remortgage your house to get a round of drinks. The VIP culture is pretty awful really and there’s none of the special word of mouth one off free beach parties that people could just turn up to. Anyone trying to do that would just be shut down now. It feels like there’s a corporate element to most things there and Playa D’en Bossa has turned into a mini South Beach, buts that not the real Ibiza to me and it will always have the vibe and the people and the music and the natural beauty of the island. It still has the best clubs in the World.
http://www.lovefoodibiza.com/lottie/
Some comments about the island now, which i think almost everyone agrees with (apart from the club owners of course)...
What are the biggest changes to the white isle from your first visit? Good and bad…
The roofs going on the clubs! But even those are better than the limiters they used to have on the terrace of Amnesia to keep the sound down. The most obvious difference is how expensive and “VIP” many places have become. It used to be a much more ‘inclusive’ less ‘exclusive’ island and you didn’t used to have to remortgage your house to get a round of drinks. The VIP culture is pretty awful really and there’s none of the special word of mouth one off free beach parties that people could just turn up to. Anyone trying to do that would just be shut down now. It feels like there’s a corporate element to most things there and Playa D’en Bossa has turned into a mini South Beach, buts that not the real Ibiza to me and it will always have the vibe and the people and the music and the natural beauty of the island. It still has the best clubs in the World.
Pablo Montez Junior
Active Member
Certain journos go easy on the west end because they're scared of being seen as snobs but the truth remains - it attracts utter scum
*spot on Lottie
*spot on Lottie
I
icebaer69
Guest
"...
But just then something cool happens.
The DJ plays Oliver $ and Jimi Jules' "Pushing On." Everyone's dancing, lads with lads, girls with girls, no aggro, just crazy, excited, fluid movement.
Then the breakdown comes: "'Til the rivers run dry, I've got to try try try, I'll keep pushing on".
When the kick drum finally drops back in everyone cheers, whoops, shouts.
A bearded bloke in a sparkly dress hugs a man in a Millwall shirt.
You can feel waves of love rush through the venue, coating everyone,
and you can see happy, smiling faces everywhere.
And that raw emotion caused by the power of music is the same whatever club you're in, whether it's DC10, Sankeys or here.
..."
Dirk
Well-Known Member
Also, check this interview with Lottie out...
http://www.lovefoodibiza.com/lottie/
Some comments about the island now, which i think almost everyone agrees with (apart from the club owners of course)...
What are the biggest changes to the white isle from your first visit? Good and bad…
The roofs going on the clubs! But even those are better than the limiters they used to have on the terrace of Amnesia to keep the sound down. The most obvious difference is how expensive and “VIP” many places have become. It used to be a much more ‘inclusive’ less ‘exclusive’ island and you didn’t used to have to remortgage your house to get a round of drinks. The VIP culture is pretty awful really and there’s none of the special word of mouth one off free beach parties that people could just turn up to. Anyone trying to do that would just be shut down now. It feels like there’s a corporate element to most things there and Playa D’en Bossa has turned into a mini South Beach, buts that not the real Ibiza to me and it will always have the vibe and the people and the music and the natural beauty of the island. It still has the best clubs in the World.
The whole VIP thing is a complete joke. The change in people who come on this forum over the years who obviously have no understandings/interest in the music being played in a club and are purely going for the experience is unbelievable.
It has become so corporate and commercial that people feel it is something they need to do and half the people in a club have no interest in the music and spend the time walking about, standing talking or pretending they are something they are not in VIP. I hate the whole VIP thing more than I can possibly explain on here. The type of people the likes of Playa Den Bossa now appeals to is far worse than the type of people who frequent the West End each night. At least they tend to stay there, unlike those who think they are an extra from Towie and visit clubs thinking they are in Vegas. And don't get me started on some of the workers.
The whole clubbing thing in Ibiza is sadly broken and if things aren't fixed soon I hate to think what will happen.
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JoshMags
Member
"Looking at getting a VIP table for Guetta @ Ushuaia next month"
"Anyone fancy going halvesys?"
Every f**king week.
Bungle123
Active Member
Weirdly though I think things are getting reversed a bit, I'm going back to Ibiza in two weeks so obviously spending all my time at work on Spotlight, on Facebook looking at photo's etc, and in the past 2 days I've seen a few comments that have made me cringe. For example one guy clearly trying to chat up this girl was asking where she stayed last year, and when she replied close to the Egg, his response was along the lines of "So San An then? Haha bit like Blackpool in the sun that is, you wanna stay in PDB next time, much better". Also saw a girl commenting on the Mambo page "so glad I'm staying in Bossa this time, it's just so much better". Now, I don't mean to be judgemental, that's not exactly in the Ibiza spirit, but after a quick nosey at their profiles I think it's fair to say these people weren't big on their music (not that I profess to be an expert either mind), and weren't exactly Mr and Mrs Ibiza. They were in fact what most people on this forum would peg as the standard people going out to Ibiza coz they think it's cool, listened to a bit of Martin Garrix on Radio 1 and think they're ravers etc. Exactly the type of people San An is normally associated with. Weird.
(I stay in the bay and I love it).
(I stay in the bay and I love it).
johndiamond
Active Member
As they say in new jack city, word, dirk, couldn't have put it better myself. However don't lose heart, the magic hasn't gone its just moved away from the mainstream venues.
I've read enough "the West End is shit" articles to last a lifetime. Who cares that much??? If you think it's hell on earth simply don't go there.
It does have it benefits, and it does have some redeeming features if you know where to look.
No, I personally couldn't stand to spend more than a few hours there per holiday. So I don't.
It's just really bad journalism in my book. Simply because there is no story. There is nothing new to say here.
It does have it benefits, and it does have some redeeming features if you know where to look.
No, I personally couldn't stand to spend more than a few hours there per holiday. So I don't.
It's just really bad journalism in my book. Simply because there is no story. There is nothing new to say here.
JackofClubs
Active Member
For all it's faults some of the best nights in each of my Ibz holidays have been there.
Pablo Montez Junior
Active Member
the one thing in its favour is that it's cheap but then so is eating shit...
The whole trashy tourist model just seems anachronistic in 2015
San An could learn from other spanish towns in how to rebrand
The whole trashy tourist model just seems anachronistic in 2015
San An could learn from other spanish towns in how to rebrand
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MrHullMysterious
Well-Known Member
I think with pdb prices getting crazy, San an looks a good alternative. I've stayed in both and like both.
West end does tend to have a lot of young uns getting wasted; I wish I was that young again lol , but also a lot of friendly people who'll chat and that.
For me its a starting point before going to a club. But can appreciate for those with not much money it's the majority of their nights out with one big club night.
West end does tend to have a lot of young uns getting wasted; I wish I was that young again lol , but also a lot of friendly people who'll chat and that.
For me its a starting point before going to a club. But can appreciate for those with not much money it's the majority of their nights out with one big club night.
Dirk
Well-Known Member
Good article written by Martin Makepeace on his blog as well:
The municipality of Sant Antoni de Portmany is 129 km2, has a population in excess of 20,000 and stretches from the beaches of Cala Gracio and Cala Salada to the beautiful countryside of San Mateu and Santa Ines yet an area which takes up only 0.0001% and is 150 metres long and barely 3 streets across dominates everyone’s perception and opinion of the town. These 2 words and 7 letters is a topic that divides opinion, creates heated debate and represents where San Antonio came from and is indicative of where it’s going.
Step forward San Antonio’s famous “WEST END”
Love it or loathe it the West End is here to stay so why does this tiny area cloud so many peoples judgement of the whole town? Mention San Antonio to many and their eyes will roll and their heads will shake (especially those that haven’t actually been there) and right in the middle of their pre conceived ideas is the West End – a polarizing force in a town that everybody loves to hate.
The West End of 2015 is its own eco system and micro economy and is representative of whether the town is ‘doing well’. There used to be fine restaurants but now it’s mainly bars and fast food outlets, a sugar rush for adrenaline/red bull junkies who like to party the night away for relatively little money – if you’re on a tight budget then this is the place for you hence why San Antonio is many young people’s first holiday abroad. ‘Free entry’ say the signs to the bars and pubs who also advertise cheap drink offers such as ‘3 beers and 3 shots for €10′. The problem is that if you set your stall out to capture this end of the market then its tough to reinvent yourself at a later date. This price-driven environment means that in tough times some bars just reduce the price or even give it away for free – some call it a loss leader others might call it commercial suicide.
Throw in a cocktail of looky looky men, women of ill-repute, the odd petty thief and 24 hour ‘bodegas’ selling even cheaper booze and it all adds up to an interesting mix with never a dull moment. It’s usually quite safe and an excellent place to people watch. Keep your wits about you and enjoy but if you are too worse for wear and wander off the beaten track then it can also be a dangerous place but you could say that about anywhere in the western world if you are too drunk to talk and can’t even remember your own name.
I spent lots of nights down the West End in my younger years so it played a very important part in my Ibiza upbringing hence why I always defend it and bristle when summer journalists use it for ink-bait but we also have to recognize that most places in Ibiza have moved onwards and upwards yet the West seems to mainly stand still with more bars opening every year offering cheaper drinks to less people because of increased competition from Ushuaia, Ocean Beach, Hard Rock, Sankeys and Space to name but a few.
To those who criticize a simple ‘well don’t go there’ retort usually shuts them up however it is an integral part of San Antonio tourism but how much longer can it survive in its present format? Pep Cires, the new Mayor, has promised to change San Antonio’s ‘tourism model’ and no prizes for guessing where he was looking towards when he made that statement. Reinvention is an overused word yet seems valid in this case. How is it that the very same people who drink champagne at Ocean Beach and proudly post pics on Facebook then stroll down the West End looking for the cheapest offers? Once again it comes back to the environment created.
Some owners/managers are trying to change things but others appear stuck in a time-warp with little investment and craving to fill their bars just to upset their competitors no matter what the cost. The West End is no different to any other market and natural selection ensures that the best bars will always be busy and those who don’t offer anything different just shrivel up and die until it re-opens with another eager tenant paying an expensive rent.
Most towns have their own version (Newcastle’s Bigg Market or Dublin’s Temple Bar) however these places are positively policed with customer enjoyment paramount. Wouldn’t it be great if we could create this type of environment for San Antonio but very little police presence has ensured an other-worldly feel to the place, 2015 has seen a private security firm being contracted to raise visibility, this can only be a positive but appears an expensive short term solution to a long term problem.
Whether we like it or not the West End is San Antonio and San Antonio is the West End so we all need to take an interest for the good of our town. IMO the key ingredient is quality over quantity and a range of diverse products to entice a broader cross section of people. Any product has to evolve, learn from its mistakes and get better at what it does. San Antonio has the best range of nocturnal activities on the island but it also needs to love itself a little more and take pride in its offerings. As we have seen with the rise of the beach clubs and VIP culture, money isn’t the driving factor anymore, on the white isle its all about what’s on offer.
Of course this is very easy for me to say and this blog raises more questions that answers but if we never start then we will never finish. A quick paint job isn’t good enough anymore and as other venues & resorts have proved, invest in it, build it and they will come.
The municipality of Sant Antoni de Portmany is 129 km2, has a population in excess of 20,000 and stretches from the beaches of Cala Gracio and Cala Salada to the beautiful countryside of San Mateu and Santa Ines yet an area which takes up only 0.0001% and is 150 metres long and barely 3 streets across dominates everyone’s perception and opinion of the town. These 2 words and 7 letters is a topic that divides opinion, creates heated debate and represents where San Antonio came from and is indicative of where it’s going.
Step forward San Antonio’s famous “WEST END”
Love it or loathe it the West End is here to stay so why does this tiny area cloud so many peoples judgement of the whole town? Mention San Antonio to many and their eyes will roll and their heads will shake (especially those that haven’t actually been there) and right in the middle of their pre conceived ideas is the West End – a polarizing force in a town that everybody loves to hate.
The West End of 2015 is its own eco system and micro economy and is representative of whether the town is ‘doing well’. There used to be fine restaurants but now it’s mainly bars and fast food outlets, a sugar rush for adrenaline/red bull junkies who like to party the night away for relatively little money – if you’re on a tight budget then this is the place for you hence why San Antonio is many young people’s first holiday abroad. ‘Free entry’ say the signs to the bars and pubs who also advertise cheap drink offers such as ‘3 beers and 3 shots for €10′. The problem is that if you set your stall out to capture this end of the market then its tough to reinvent yourself at a later date. This price-driven environment means that in tough times some bars just reduce the price or even give it away for free – some call it a loss leader others might call it commercial suicide.
Throw in a cocktail of looky looky men, women of ill-repute, the odd petty thief and 24 hour ‘bodegas’ selling even cheaper booze and it all adds up to an interesting mix with never a dull moment. It’s usually quite safe and an excellent place to people watch. Keep your wits about you and enjoy but if you are too worse for wear and wander off the beaten track then it can also be a dangerous place but you could say that about anywhere in the western world if you are too drunk to talk and can’t even remember your own name.
I spent lots of nights down the West End in my younger years so it played a very important part in my Ibiza upbringing hence why I always defend it and bristle when summer journalists use it for ink-bait but we also have to recognize that most places in Ibiza have moved onwards and upwards yet the West seems to mainly stand still with more bars opening every year offering cheaper drinks to less people because of increased competition from Ushuaia, Ocean Beach, Hard Rock, Sankeys and Space to name but a few.
To those who criticize a simple ‘well don’t go there’ retort usually shuts them up however it is an integral part of San Antonio tourism but how much longer can it survive in its present format? Pep Cires, the new Mayor, has promised to change San Antonio’s ‘tourism model’ and no prizes for guessing where he was looking towards when he made that statement. Reinvention is an overused word yet seems valid in this case. How is it that the very same people who drink champagne at Ocean Beach and proudly post pics on Facebook then stroll down the West End looking for the cheapest offers? Once again it comes back to the environment created.
Some owners/managers are trying to change things but others appear stuck in a time-warp with little investment and craving to fill their bars just to upset their competitors no matter what the cost. The West End is no different to any other market and natural selection ensures that the best bars will always be busy and those who don’t offer anything different just shrivel up and die until it re-opens with another eager tenant paying an expensive rent.
Most towns have their own version (Newcastle’s Bigg Market or Dublin’s Temple Bar) however these places are positively policed with customer enjoyment paramount. Wouldn’t it be great if we could create this type of environment for San Antonio but very little police presence has ensured an other-worldly feel to the place, 2015 has seen a private security firm being contracted to raise visibility, this can only be a positive but appears an expensive short term solution to a long term problem.
Whether we like it or not the West End is San Antonio and San Antonio is the West End so we all need to take an interest for the good of our town. IMO the key ingredient is quality over quantity and a range of diverse products to entice a broader cross section of people. Any product has to evolve, learn from its mistakes and get better at what it does. San Antonio has the best range of nocturnal activities on the island but it also needs to love itself a little more and take pride in its offerings. As we have seen with the rise of the beach clubs and VIP culture, money isn’t the driving factor anymore, on the white isle its all about what’s on offer.
Of course this is very easy for me to say and this blog raises more questions that answers but if we never start then we will never finish. A quick paint job isn’t good enough anymore and as other venues & resorts have proved, invest in it, build it and they will come.
Pablo Montez Junior
Active Member
I first visited the West End in 1987 as a 12 year old on a family holiday. I tell no lie when i say it was full of northern lads puking up or mooning or chanting football songs. All the cliches were true. In other words, it was like any english town at the weekend, except at 33C. It put me off ibiza for years until i read up some more and got into music and the rest and realised it was just a small corner of the island. My views on that street haven't really changed though. The whole point of ibiza is to offer escapism, something magical, something you can't get anywhere else - not a glorified butlins break! The whole excitement generated by E in the late 80s gave people a release from depressing piss ups and tearups in shit townie, stained carpet nightclubs. The people that craved something else are the real ibiza people but loadsa folk didn't get the memo...
And yes , obv not everyone in SA is a townie or a lout BUT there is a real lack of imagination there. People want to be spoonfed what they know from home, and that's just ultimately really... Dull
And yes , obv not everyone in SA is a townie or a lout BUT there is a real lack of imagination there. People want to be spoonfed what they know from home, and that's just ultimately really... Dull
Dirk
Well-Known Member
Mmmm, don't think I necessarily agree with what has been posted above.
Anyway, another good read on the Martin Makepeace blog today which is very relevant to this post. I would advise anyone with an interest in Ibiza or in particular San Antonio to subscribe to his Twitter as always interesting posts.
It is written by a guest blogger called Peter Hankinson.
WEST END WEEK – DAY 2
West End legends aren’t made overnight but after 30 years on San Antonio’s most famous street there’s nobody better to give us a unique insight into it’s history.
Peter: Having read many people’s informed opinions of the West End in San Antonio, as an original founder member I would like to take the opportunity to speak a little of its history. I opened my first bar in the West End in 1971 and continued working at various establishments off and on until 2005 so I have a unique perspective of this area of business.
In the early 70’s San Antonio was the centre of all tourism in Ibiza and was made up of various nationalities, ages and people of all backgrounds who had discovered the laid back charm of the island and came from all over the island to enjoy its unique atmosphere.
In 1973 a group of 12 businesses decided to form a society to benefit the area. One of the reasons for this was that beach party sellers would bother and harass the clients at the bars and restaurants. At a meeting it was agreed to call the area the West End, after the West End in London due to its image (although some wanted to call it the East End!).
The businesses, among others, were Celler el Refugio (now Temptation) – regarded by many as the best restaurant on the island), Nitos (now VK Club), Chac Mool (now 80s/90s/00s), The Music Bar (now Joe Spoon’s), Kings Bar (now Stereo), Babalu, Hanoi Bar (now The Huddle), La Reja (now Kilties) and Cortijo Tristan (now Revolutions) among others, all of which have now changed their names and in some cases their usage. Each business had an illuminated sign and the society employed its own PRs to push the area and for a few weeks in the summer even ran its own beach parties, unlike today the bars generally worked together.
The atmosphere in the newly named West End was very cosmopolitan and most of the youngsters were Scandinavian, German, Dutch and British with a smattering of genuine A-list stars such as the Gibb brothers, Robert Plant and Lulu, wandering around amongst them. Most bars were busy, the average taking in my small Hanoi bar was about 30,000 pesetas (about 5000 euros in today’s money) on a good night. The main difference between then and now was the mentality of the clients with hard drugs (such as amphetamines and cocaine) being almost non-existent. The policing of the area was by the national police who came over from other areas of Spain for a couple of months, they were high profile but had a good attitude and were respected by the public and bar owners. If you called them, they came.
Due to the success of the area all the different shops and houses in the area gradually became bars so the West End expanded outwards even though when I built the original Capone’s in 1974 it was regarded as being ‘too far out’, how things change!
During the 70s and 80s the West End continued to do good business but the clientele gradually changed from an international crowd to a mainly British market with tour operators becoming very popular and bar crawls gaining so much importance that having the best bar didn’t really matter but having a good relationship with the tour operators was imperative. As the West End grew it started to gain notoriety in the British press towards the end of the 80s when societies problems were reflected on the streets although this image wasn’t representative of the place that I knew. The 90s saw a massive rise in the drug culture and with it the atmosphere began to change in Europe’s ‘premier youth resort’.
Times change and the West End of today is a completely different place and it is facing big challenges over the next few years against increasing competition on the island but my memories are mostly fond as I loved my time there and still love San Antonio. I wish everyone all the best for the future as this area has been good to me and continues to be very important to our town.
peterhankinsonibz@hotmail.com
Anyway, another good read on the Martin Makepeace blog today which is very relevant to this post. I would advise anyone with an interest in Ibiza or in particular San Antonio to subscribe to his Twitter as always interesting posts.
It is written by a guest blogger called Peter Hankinson.
WEST END WEEK – DAY 2
West End legends aren’t made overnight but after 30 years on San Antonio’s most famous street there’s nobody better to give us a unique insight into it’s history.
Peter: Having read many people’s informed opinions of the West End in San Antonio, as an original founder member I would like to take the opportunity to speak a little of its history. I opened my first bar in the West End in 1971 and continued working at various establishments off and on until 2005 so I have a unique perspective of this area of business.
In the early 70’s San Antonio was the centre of all tourism in Ibiza and was made up of various nationalities, ages and people of all backgrounds who had discovered the laid back charm of the island and came from all over the island to enjoy its unique atmosphere.
In 1973 a group of 12 businesses decided to form a society to benefit the area. One of the reasons for this was that beach party sellers would bother and harass the clients at the bars and restaurants. At a meeting it was agreed to call the area the West End, after the West End in London due to its image (although some wanted to call it the East End!).
The businesses, among others, were Celler el Refugio (now Temptation) – regarded by many as the best restaurant on the island), Nitos (now VK Club), Chac Mool (now 80s/90s/00s), The Music Bar (now Joe Spoon’s), Kings Bar (now Stereo), Babalu, Hanoi Bar (now The Huddle), La Reja (now Kilties) and Cortijo Tristan (now Revolutions) among others, all of which have now changed their names and in some cases their usage. Each business had an illuminated sign and the society employed its own PRs to push the area and for a few weeks in the summer even ran its own beach parties, unlike today the bars generally worked together.
The atmosphere in the newly named West End was very cosmopolitan and most of the youngsters were Scandinavian, German, Dutch and British with a smattering of genuine A-list stars such as the Gibb brothers, Robert Plant and Lulu, wandering around amongst them. Most bars were busy, the average taking in my small Hanoi bar was about 30,000 pesetas (about 5000 euros in today’s money) on a good night. The main difference between then and now was the mentality of the clients with hard drugs (such as amphetamines and cocaine) being almost non-existent. The policing of the area was by the national police who came over from other areas of Spain for a couple of months, they were high profile but had a good attitude and were respected by the public and bar owners. If you called them, they came.
Due to the success of the area all the different shops and houses in the area gradually became bars so the West End expanded outwards even though when I built the original Capone’s in 1974 it was regarded as being ‘too far out’, how things change!
During the 70s and 80s the West End continued to do good business but the clientele gradually changed from an international crowd to a mainly British market with tour operators becoming very popular and bar crawls gaining so much importance that having the best bar didn’t really matter but having a good relationship with the tour operators was imperative. As the West End grew it started to gain notoriety in the British press towards the end of the 80s when societies problems were reflected on the streets although this image wasn’t representative of the place that I knew. The 90s saw a massive rise in the drug culture and with it the atmosphere began to change in Europe’s ‘premier youth resort’.
Times change and the West End of today is a completely different place and it is facing big challenges over the next few years against increasing competition on the island but my memories are mostly fond as I loved my time there and still love San Antonio. I wish everyone all the best for the future as this area has been good to me and continues to be very important to our town.
peterhankinsonibz@hotmail.com