San Antonio, what can be done?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Some good replies and seems many of us are on the same 'level' . I remember my first trip to Ibiza, arrived , Text Message to the parents and then the phone got put in the safe until it was time to go home! those were the days.

Standing down on the Rocks by Mambo can be quite fun watching all the poses :D:oops:

So what happened to the bars on the West End then? , i'd been up there briefly last year but had a good walk about last week and all the side street bars seemed to have closed down, Tropi is no longer a Trance Bar and Hush is empty, worlds gone mad :eek: it literally seemed like the only ones open were the Scottish/Irish bars and the few at the bottom of the Strip.

The problem is like many resorts now is what can you replace these empty bars/shops with now? it's a problem in many places, mainly down to All Inclusive in other resorts.....
 
AI is a very blunt instrument for 'clearing up' the West End. Effects are felt far beyond there !
 
Bakerman said:
That is the local council’s strategy, not the bars.
Click to expand...

of course! many of the bars have tiny interiors, hence why they are being hurt badly by this rule. Only the ones with a bit of space such as Highlander (including the upstairs floor) can handle it. Tropi for example fitted about 1 x DJ, 5 x customers and 1 x barmaid! no wonder they gave up with no outside space.
 
Digital2013 said:
of course! many of the bars have tiny interiors, hence why they are being hurt badly by this rule. Only the ones with a bit of space such as Highlander (including the upstairs floor) can handle it. Tropi for example fitted about 1 x DJ, 5 x customers and 1 x barmaid! no wonder they gave up with no outside space.
Click to expand...

Agreed mate
 
Passed Engima (old Kanya) on Monday and no one there. What brains was behind that masterplan to change it to a poor non descriptive name? Have no idea what to do with that strip, such a shame.
 
Dirk Bigler said:
Passed Engima (old Kanya) on Monday and no one there. What brains was behind that masterplan to change it to a poor non descriptive name? Have no idea what to do with that strip, such a shame.
Click to expand...

Agree, it's in a great position, Buddah is always busy for the sunset, some popular hotels such as Abrat, Blau Park and Gran Sol on the doorstep, and and Wikiwoo has provided something new to the area so surely not that hard to get something going there?
 
FelixTheHouseRat said:
Some good replies and seems many of us are on the same 'level' . I remember my first trip to Ibiza, arrived , Text Message to the parents and then the phone got put in the safe until it was time to go home! those were the days.

Standing down on the Rocks by Mambo can be quite fun watching all the poses :D:oops:

So what happened to the bars on the West End then? , i'd been up there briefly last year but had a good walk about last week and all the side street bars seemed to have closed down, Tropi is no longer a Trance Bar and Hush is empty, worlds gone mad :eek: it literally seemed like the only ones open were the Scottish/Irish bars and the few at the bottom of the Strip.

The problem is like many resorts now is what can you replace these empty bars/shops with now? it's a problem in many places, mainly down to All Inclusive in other resorts.....
Click to expand...
What happened is that local authorities introduced and enforced volume restrictions on music being played. They also enforced reduced opening hours. There are less police patrolling the area. The sea front has had a significant refurb with the objective of gentrifying the area. This in turn has all contributed to costs increasing, driving many out of business. In the meantime the area lives off its past reputation. The reality is that in the past the area was cheap, cheerful but full of dickheads with criminals lurking around. I dont think this has changed much except overall numbers are less therefore the proportion of dick heads and criminals Is greater.

The area between the west end and sunset strip has always been a dive but now feels distinctly unsafe and impoverished. Sunset strip itself bares little resemblance to what it did 25 years ago, is less rustic and was really the first part of the gentrification of San An. In truth, I liked both experiences.

Meanwhile in PDB the range of 4 and 5 star hotels has significantly improved in the last decade. But space has gone and sankeys have closed while hi, Ushuaia and octan have opened - no shortage of young people coming to the town, problem is they don’t stay long and often don’t come back. The area around octan is either like the Wild West or eerily deserted but edgy, bar quality is about the same but the quality of eateries is dire. The area beyond octan all the way up to Fig remains pretty much a waste land with the hardly ever delivered promise of new (very expensive housing).

Ibiza town remains pleasant but you don’t have to walk far to find a lot of more seedy, impoverished areas. But, that has always been the case how different is that to most nice towns in Europe? It’s certainly true of most tourist towns in Spain, sadly. An affordable housing plan focused squarely on exclusive apartment and hotel developers would be a welcome introduction across the country as would some kind of section 106 scheme to provide pleasant local facilities for residents.

I do think the island is transitioning. I think large scale clubbing of the type I know will eventually die out over the next decade or so, just before the veterans do! Will the clubs like hi, oceanbeach, Ibiza rocks and Ushuaia attract an enduring customer base as amnesia, pacha, etc? I’m not sure they will and I think that market will shrink. Will the gentrification of the towns save it? Dunno, we already have a Monaco and Marbella, and time will tell but as a veteran I won’t be around to find out.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The clubbing scene shows no signs of dying. I think it's just adapting to modern life. i,e V.i.p. I think by the end of the next decade the west end would have completely gone as we know it. Possibly even within the next 5 years? Followed by Eden and es paradise I'd assume a couple of years later. I'm sad to see the demise of the west end cause it was a massive part of my youth but change is needed now if the town is to thrive. San an has been the party capital of Europe, possible the world, for the last 3 decades but it's time for a rebrand now.....as long as it keeps a tiny bit of its cheesy bars. Just for old times sake ;)
 
"ibizatom" said:
The clubbing scene shows no signs of dying. I think it's just adapting to modern life. i,e V.i.p. I think by the end of the next decade the west end would have completely gone as we know it. Possibly even within the next 5 years? Followed by Eden and es paradise I'd assume a couple of years later. I'm sad to see the demise of the west end cause it was a massive part of my youth but change is needed now if the town is to thrive. San an has been the party capital of Europe, possible the world, for the last 3 decades but it's time for a rebrand now.....as long as it keeps a tiny bit of its cheesy bars. Just for old times sake ;)
Click to expand...
Yeah, I agree. I think it’s a different type of crowd. I’m not sure they will endure as the last couple of generations have, that’s where the risk lay. I think this will be scaled back over the medium term.

Agree re Eden and Es. I think others will follow sadly. West End was always on a deliberate extermination plan but the Celtic bars are the most likely to be retained, just to keep you interested!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Obvs the bars that used the street seating and late night custom will die. Add to that the sound limiters, smoke ban with no outdoor area = dead bar.
Will be in SA late May 2020, hope to catch up with M&M (Pinguin)
 
AntonioGeordio said:
Lol true, Costa Mar is actually where I stayed on my first visit to Ibiza with my mates. Was perfect for us ??

Remember getting up to my room and going out on the balcony to admire the view of the sea.

Instantly noticed a discarded Johnny hard baked onto the cafe sun shade just below us ?!
Click to expand...
Costa Mar was my first hotel aswell. Didnt even venture outside the room in the day too busy sleeping haha. Remember going to kanya one day, they had tensnake - coma cat on loop.

As to the west end i enjoyed it, got on well with a lad who worked in amsterdam bar who suggested I go to a carl cox night. As i was into trance & edm then i was like a rabbit in head lights. Line up was Ritchie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Jon Rundell & Digweed. Safe to say my music genre was changed! Also pulled a fittie in a bar next to capones and got a shag on the rocks! Simply Lovely
 
They did the same in Mallorca in El Arenal. It was a german area with a lot of Problems. Ibiza has a problem with too many tourists anyway ( traffic , sewage plants , drinking water and so on ). If they choose a type of tourist to be reduced , its the typical San An Tourist and all Inclusive Families. They dont leave money at the island. They eat and drink at the hotel and spend less money at the island. The San An Tourist causes a reputation problem for the area.
 
LuckyBlueSuit said:
Agree re Eden and Es. I think others will follow sadly. West End was always on a deliberate extermination plan but the Celtic bars are the most likely to be retained, just to keep you interested!
Click to expand...

I have this vision that one day either Kim Jong un or Trump will press the button. Destroy the world. As buildings are flattened. Tree's destroyed. The world is a complete waste land. Then I make it to Ibiza. The only thing that's survived is Shenanigans & the Highlander. People in Celtic shirts sit covered in dust with jugs of cheap cocktails, singing like they haven't noticed a thing.



Nostalgic said:
I was into trance & edm then i was like a rabbit in head lights. Line up was Ritchie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Jon Rundell & Digweed. Safe to say my music genre was changed! Also pulled a fittie in a bar next to capones and got a shag on the rocks! Simply Lovely
Click to expand...

Well done on the bird but come back to Trance brother ;)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top