Pittley
Active Member
these are mostly groups of 5-9 dutch women who sometimes occupy half the restaurant, they all look pretty similar, I've noticed that they never do anything aloneWhat???
Tell us how it was - Ibiza 2022
- Thread starter McRackin
- Start date
G.W.
Active Member
Why did you feel sorry for him? Iām sorry but I have not sympathy for those kind of drivers. He shouldāve stopped and let the pedestrian go. It really is very dangerous at zebra crossing here especially in the summer. I canāt even count the amount of times I had to stop in the middle of one because of some reckless driver and I always make sure to actually wait the car stops before crossing one but not thereās always someone which seem to be rushing somewhere and donāt get me started with scooters
Pittley
Active Member
i get your point, but he made a mistakeWhy did you feel sorry for him? Iām sorry but I have not sympathy for those kind of drivers. He shouldāve stopped and let the pedestrian go. It really is very dangerous at zebra crossing here especially in the summer. I canāt even count the amount of times I had to stop in the middle of one because of some reckless driver and I always make sure to actually wait the car stops before crossing one but not thereās always someone which seem to be rushing somewhere and donāt get me started with scooters
Blood and nerves in the neck area
Thought for 1 second its a heart attack.
Suddenly I lay at the bottom and some people around me
G.W.
Active Member
A mistake that couldāve taken somebodyās life.
Dates you were there: 18-24 Sep
Where you stayed: Hotel Tropical
Club nights visited:
Glitterbox at Hi - Heard a lot about the night given how popular itās been this year. Was pretty much exactly what I expected: diverse, accessible, busy, well-organisedā¦however I didnāt really āget itā until the last hour or so.
From around 5-6 in the Wild Corner, there was a brief moment of magic. Everyone bumping with the sunglasses on, all facing each otherā¦very strong vibes. Would go again just to experience that.
Circoloco at DC10 - Sounds like I didnāt go to the best one of the season, but still one of the worldās top nights imo. Heavy beats all night long. Exactly what I was after and exactly what I got. Wish my pals had stayed later.
Defected at Eden - I only went to this night because the people I was with bottled out of Music On, so thought Iād stroll down the road to Eden. I have to sayā¦I donāt think Iāll ever step foot in there again. I know theyāve priced the night for a certain crown and thatās fine, but surely itās worth shelling out a little more to go somewhere else?
Best night: Circoloco
Worst night: Defected (by far)
Best bar: Wips
Best place to eat: Wips
Best beach and/or beach club: Aiyanna (was there for a weddingā¦10/10)
Money spent: Iām choosing not to check
Biggest regret: Not going to Music On by myself (although sounds like it was sold out so not sure Iād have been let in anyway?)
Going back?: 100%
Top tip: Stick to Mandy. Theyāve all go it, so not sure why we all go through this silly lottery each year with p**ls?
Observations and/or conclusion: Island quite-ish compared to previous September visits. But club nights still full and thatās all good with me!
Where you stayed: Hotel Tropical
Club nights visited:
Glitterbox at Hi - Heard a lot about the night given how popular itās been this year. Was pretty much exactly what I expected: diverse, accessible, busy, well-organisedā¦however I didnāt really āget itā until the last hour or so.
From around 5-6 in the Wild Corner, there was a brief moment of magic. Everyone bumping with the sunglasses on, all facing each otherā¦very strong vibes. Would go again just to experience that.
Circoloco at DC10 - Sounds like I didnāt go to the best one of the season, but still one of the worldās top nights imo. Heavy beats all night long. Exactly what I was after and exactly what I got. Wish my pals had stayed later.
Defected at Eden - I only went to this night because the people I was with bottled out of Music On, so thought Iād stroll down the road to Eden. I have to sayā¦I donāt think Iāll ever step foot in there again. I know theyāve priced the night for a certain crown and thatās fine, but surely itās worth shelling out a little more to go somewhere else?
Best night: Circoloco
Worst night: Defected (by far)
Best bar: Wips
Best place to eat: Wips
Best beach and/or beach club: Aiyanna (was there for a weddingā¦10/10)
Money spent: Iām choosing not to check
Biggest regret: Not going to Music On by myself (although sounds like it was sold out so not sure Iād have been let in anyway?)
Going back?: 100%
Top tip: Stick to Mandy. Theyāve all go it, so not sure why we all go through this silly lottery each year with p**ls?
Observations and/or conclusion: Island quite-ish compared to previous September visits. But club nights still full and thatās all good with me!
Paul_the_Pigeon
Active Member
21/9 - 28/9 (Having a lazy last day on the beach so thought Iād do this today
)Villa Florimar, Talamanca
Solomon @ the port
Nima gorji @ Underground
Luciano @ Chinios
Pyramid @ Amnesia
Harvey @ Pikes
Best night - Musically Luciano but RV & the Romanians werenāt far behind. Obvs Chinios is pretty glitzy and wasnāt sure when I first walked in but when you get on the dance floor you forget about that as the lighting and sound is spot on.
Worst night - Harvey but that was only cos I was feeling out of sorts. Just canāt go out every night like I used to
Best bar - Didnāt do an awful lot of bars but had a good time in Paradise Lost again after Solomun
Best place to eat - Had good tapas at La Bodega, excellent Sushi at Shu and amazing fish at the fish shack.
Best beach - Quite happy down Talamanca this time as you can walk from where weāre staying
Money spent
Top tip - Having a car again was well handy as we could go to the big supermarkets and also visited āfestival clubā which was well cool to see
Biggest regret - Donāt to out every night when youāre in your fourtiesā thinking youāre still in your twenties
Paul_the_Pigeon
Active Member
Edit21/9 - 28/9 (Having a lazy last day on the beach so thought Iād do this today
Villa Florimar, Talamanca
Solomon @ the port
Nima gorji @ Underground
Luciano @ Chinios
Pyramid @ Amnesia
Harvey @ Pikes
Best night - Musically Luciano but RV & the Romanians werenāt far behind. Obvs Chinios is pretty glitzy and wasnāt sure when I first walked in but when you get on the dance floor you forget about that as the lighting and sound is spot on.
Worst night - Harvey but that was only cos I was feeling out of sorts. Just canāt go out every night like I used to
Best bar - Didnāt do an awful lot of bars but had a good time in Paradise Lost again after Solomun
Best place to eat - Had good tapas at La Bodega, excellent Sushi at Shu and amazing fish at the fish shack.
Best beach - Quite happy down Talamanca this time as you can walk from where weāre staying
Money spent
Top tip - Having a car again was well handy as we could go to the big supermarkets and also visited āfestival clubā which was well cool to see
Biggest regret - Donāt to out every night when youāre in your fourtiesā thinking youāre still in your twenties
Just drove to Monkey for an amazing sunset and the food there was lovely too
fhmsparkle
Well-Known Member
The sunset was onEdit
Just drove to Monkey for an amazing sunset and the food there was lovely too
tonight!
Sassette
Active Member
Dates you were there: Saturday 10th September - Tuesday 20th September
Where you stayed:
Huge loft apartment overlooking Vara de Rey / Plaza del Parque in Ibiza Town
Club nights visited:
Black Coffee / Damian Lazarus at Hi. Went here to try and ease into the trip ahead of Solomun +1 with Keinemusik on the Sunday and to some extent this worked but Hi was pretty rubbish. Luckily we got guestlist and didnāt have too many drinks. The main room for Black Coffee (Henrik Schwarz & Jimi Jules as guests) is just impossible to navigate so we spent most of the two hours in the garden. Caught a tiny bit of Michael Mayer in the club room as we entered but he was playing very hard / fast BPMs and after a stressful arrival day and meeting friends arriving late just couldnāt get into the swing of things at all ā¦ left after catching fifteen minutes of Damian Lazarus and really have no desire to return to Hi at all.
Solomun +1 (Keinemusik) at Pacha ā¦ arrived pretty early for this and Keinemusik delivered as usual and the vibe was good / busy from the get-go ā¦ not the greatest set from Solomun but the b2b was good although not quite as good as our last +1 the closing party with Keinemusik in 2019 ā¦ left at 0715 and had nice walk back to the apartment and fell asleep pretty quickly before spending the afternoon at Talamanca
Circoloco at DC-10 - had planned to go earlyish but due to previous nights exertions we didnāt arrive until around 2330 ā¦ both rooms where heaving and we only poked our heads in for about five minutes total before grabbing a bench in the garden where we spent a good three hours chatting to randoms including a few Essex boys and a lovely couple from Botswana ā¦ atmosphere was nice but left at about three am ā¦ couldnāt tell you much about the music but Seth Troxler seemed to be playing some nice stuff when I stuck my head in ā¦.
El Baile - Pacha (2 many DJS / Kerala Dust) ā¦ we had tickets for All day I dream at Cova Santa but had a feeling it would be too quiet and not worth the ā¬50 round taxi trip so managed to get guestlist for the Storytellers El Baile and was glad we went although we took it easy and left again at about 3am (short review posted earlier)
Solomun +1 - Pacha (Christian Nielsen) - we didnāt feel massively up for this night but enjoyed ourselves after a slow start and the extra space to dance versus the previous week was appreciated
Best night: Solomun+1 Keinemusik
Worst night: Black Coffee
Best bar: sat out a rain storm at Ryanās in the Port and the Italian waitress was nice
Best place to eat: Jungle bowl - Figeuretes ā¦ Poke bowl place has nice healthy food and good service and the group enjoyed it as something different
Best beach and/or beach club: Spent a nice day at Salinas with lunch at Jockey Club
Money spent: Ā£5k ish
Biggest regret: Didnāt make it to Formentera and had a few rainy days which stopped us going to the roof garden at the Standard Hotel. In fact we tried to enquire about our booking and came across an amazingly unhelpful hostess who basically shouted at us when trying to work out our options. Went back to our apartment which was very close by and phoned them and got the same person / same result . Tried to engage with them privately via social media and got no response.
Going back?: in 3 weeks for Solomun Closing but not sure I will do another 10 day trip
Top tip: bus from the Airport to Ibiza Town got us around the long Saturday afternoon taxi queue
Observations and/or conclusion: Was a bit hectic this trip as various people we knew where out at separate times which was nice but took away an element of relaxation that we felt last year going during our visit during Covid ā¦ think I would aim for shorter trips next year but have to say with interest rates / cost of living / weak pound I am worried about affordability for 2023
Where you stayed:
Huge loft apartment overlooking Vara de Rey / Plaza del Parque in Ibiza Town
Club nights visited:
Black Coffee / Damian Lazarus at Hi. Went here to try and ease into the trip ahead of Solomun +1 with Keinemusik on the Sunday and to some extent this worked but Hi was pretty rubbish. Luckily we got guestlist and didnāt have too many drinks. The main room for Black Coffee (Henrik Schwarz & Jimi Jules as guests) is just impossible to navigate so we spent most of the two hours in the garden. Caught a tiny bit of Michael Mayer in the club room as we entered but he was playing very hard / fast BPMs and after a stressful arrival day and meeting friends arriving late just couldnāt get into the swing of things at all ā¦ left after catching fifteen minutes of Damian Lazarus and really have no desire to return to Hi at all.
Solomun +1 (Keinemusik) at Pacha ā¦ arrived pretty early for this and Keinemusik delivered as usual and the vibe was good / busy from the get-go ā¦ not the greatest set from Solomun but the b2b was good although not quite as good as our last +1 the closing party with Keinemusik in 2019 ā¦ left at 0715 and had nice walk back to the apartment and fell asleep pretty quickly before spending the afternoon at Talamanca
Circoloco at DC-10 - had planned to go earlyish but due to previous nights exertions we didnāt arrive until around 2330 ā¦ both rooms where heaving and we only poked our heads in for about five minutes total before grabbing a bench in the garden where we spent a good three hours chatting to randoms including a few Essex boys and a lovely couple from Botswana ā¦ atmosphere was nice but left at about three am ā¦ couldnāt tell you much about the music but Seth Troxler seemed to be playing some nice stuff when I stuck my head in ā¦.
El Baile - Pacha (2 many DJS / Kerala Dust) ā¦ we had tickets for All day I dream at Cova Santa but had a feeling it would be too quiet and not worth the ā¬50 round taxi trip so managed to get guestlist for the Storytellers El Baile and was glad we went although we took it easy and left again at about 3am (short review posted earlier)
Solomun +1 - Pacha (Christian Nielsen) - we didnāt feel massively up for this night but enjoyed ourselves after a slow start and the extra space to dance versus the previous week was appreciated
Best night: Solomun+1 Keinemusik
Worst night: Black Coffee
Best bar: sat out a rain storm at Ryanās in the Port and the Italian waitress was nice
Best place to eat: Jungle bowl - Figeuretes ā¦ Poke bowl place has nice healthy food and good service and the group enjoyed it as something different
Best beach and/or beach club: Spent a nice day at Salinas with lunch at Jockey Club
Money spent: Ā£5k ish
Biggest regret: Didnāt make it to Formentera and had a few rainy days which stopped us going to the roof garden at the Standard Hotel. In fact we tried to enquire about our booking and came across an amazingly unhelpful hostess who basically shouted at us when trying to work out our options. Went back to our apartment which was very close by and phoned them and got the same person / same result . Tried to engage with them privately via social media and got no response.
Going back?: in 3 weeks for Solomun Closing but not sure I will do another 10 day trip
Top tip: bus from the Airport to Ibiza Town got us around the long Saturday afternoon taxi queue
Observations and/or conclusion: Was a bit hectic this trip as various people we knew where out at separate times which was nice but took away an element of relaxation that we felt last year going during our visit during Covid ā¦ think I would aim for shorter trips next year but have to say with interest rates / cost of living / weak pound I am worried about affordability for 2023
cunninghamali
Well-Known Member
I go black coffee on Saturday I am worried it won't be a good time, I may just stay in damian lazarus room most of the night
Mondo99
Active Member
Dates you were there: 23-27 Sep
Where you stayed: Salinas
Club nights visited: Pikes House Party and Glitterbox
Best night: Glitterbox. Great line up which didn't disappoint. Only downside was how crazy busy it was. It was amazing to hear so many good tunes but frustrating to be barely able to dance to them cos they pack so many people in there!
Best place to eat: Can Bass was a lovely setting and mostly great food. Mariner was also great. But the best food we ate was at Sa Trinxa - it always surprises me how good it is there when they know they'll get people coming along anyway.
Best beach and/or beach club: Sa Trinxa
Money spent: Daren't even check. Spent a bl**dy fortune on taxis alone!
Biggest regret: The music at Sa Trinxa on Monday really wasn't conducive for day by the beach. I think it was Gael and as much as I LOVE Sa Trinxa, it was a totally different vibe to Jon or Franco or Andi Piper (who was great on Friday) - really trippy at points (which was kind of nice to drift off to) and then pretty heavy at others (which just gave me a headache!)
Going back?: Of course!
Top tip: Another one I picked up off the forum... if you can bear squeezing your way through, which was easier said than done, then there's slightly more space on the other side of the DJ booth in the WC at Hi.
Observations and/or conclusion:
Loved it as usual! The vibe, the Ibizan people, the food, the music of course were all class. But a few observations:
- Based on what I read on here, plenty of people just accept you'll be squashed like sardines all night in somewhere like DC10. But it'd make for a way better experience to sell 20% fewer tickets at 20% higher cost. Never going to happen though!
- Playa d'en Bossa really is a dump these days!
- Definitely felt the cost more than ever this time. Wonder with the sh*tshow in the UK economy whether quite so many will make it out next year
Where you stayed: Salinas
Club nights visited: Pikes House Party and Glitterbox
Best night: Glitterbox. Great line up which didn't disappoint. Only downside was how crazy busy it was. It was amazing to hear so many good tunes but frustrating to be barely able to dance to them cos they pack so many people in there!
Best place to eat: Can Bass was a lovely setting and mostly great food. Mariner was also great. But the best food we ate was at Sa Trinxa - it always surprises me how good it is there when they know they'll get people coming along anyway.
Best beach and/or beach club: Sa Trinxa
Money spent: Daren't even check. Spent a bl**dy fortune on taxis alone!
Biggest regret: The music at Sa Trinxa on Monday really wasn't conducive for day by the beach. I think it was Gael and as much as I LOVE Sa Trinxa, it was a totally different vibe to Jon or Franco or Andi Piper (who was great on Friday) - really trippy at points (which was kind of nice to drift off to) and then pretty heavy at others (which just gave me a headache!)
Going back?: Of course!
Top tip: Another one I picked up off the forum... if you can bear squeezing your way through, which was easier said than done, then there's slightly more space on the other side of the DJ booth in the WC at Hi.
Observations and/or conclusion:
Loved it as usual! The vibe, the Ibizan people, the food, the music of course were all class. But a few observations:
- Based on what I read on here, plenty of people just accept you'll be squashed like sardines all night in somewhere like DC10. But it'd make for a way better experience to sell 20% fewer tickets at 20% higher cost. Never going to happen though!
- Playa d'en Bossa really is a dump these days!
- Definitely felt the cost more than ever this time. Wonder with the sh*tshow in the UK economy whether quite so many will make it out next year
AntonioGeordio
Well-Known Member
Was meant to write this ages ago sorry! Been a hectic summer.
Dates you were there:
May 27th - May 30th. Weekend job.
Where you stayed:
Paladium Palmyra - San Antonio
The staff actually remembered us from our last visit. Even put a bottle of champagne in the room for us. Very nice gesture. I fired the cork off the ceiling without giving my lass a warning. She nearly had a heart attack.
Club nights visited:
Ants@Ushuaia
Best night:
Camelphat at Ants, they were really good! We love outdoor stuff.
Worst night:
The night we got home. Bloody hell.
Best bar:
Randomly, it was this bar called Dune in PDB. Maybe we just went in there when the right mix of people were in. Belting out some 80ās tunes at one point, place was buzzing.
Best place to eat:
Was all inclusive at the hotel, food was spot on!
Best beach and/or beach club:
Didnāt really hit many beaches sadly.
Money spent:
Not a great deal really. We set up a side hustle holiday fund during the lockdown and we used that. Funded 3 holidays so far.
Biggest regret:
Absolutely no regrets.
Going back?:
You f**king know it!
Top tip:
Iām never really sure what to write here. I still feel like an Ibiza newbie compared to most spotlighters. I mainly come here for advice and info when I can.
Top tip would be to just do whatever the hell you enjoy doing when you come to Ibiza.
Observations and/or conclusion:
Felt great being back on the island after a long break. Was also great for me and my missus to get away and have some time alone together. We definitely needed it. The hotel bed got a good testing out, as did the balcony lol (Again, we love outdoor stuff)
Funny observation - on the early flight over from Newcastle. As we were about to board we overheard a woman in front of us ringing her boss and leaving an answerphone message saying that she was very poorly and wouldnāt make it in to work today unfortunately. Followed by a cheeky grin when she noticed us laughing
Things Ibiza makes you do eh!
Dates you were there:
May 27th - May 30th. Weekend job.
Where you stayed:
Paladium Palmyra - San Antonio
The staff actually remembered us from our last visit. Even put a bottle of champagne in the room for us. Very nice gesture. I fired the cork off the ceiling without giving my lass a warning. She nearly had a heart attack.
Club nights visited:
Ants@Ushuaia
Best night:
Camelphat at Ants, they were really good! We love outdoor stuff.
Worst night:
The night we got home. Bloody hell.
Best bar:
Randomly, it was this bar called Dune in PDB. Maybe we just went in there when the right mix of people were in. Belting out some 80ās tunes at one point, place was buzzing.
Best place to eat:
Was all inclusive at the hotel, food was spot on!
Best beach and/or beach club:
Didnāt really hit many beaches sadly.
Money spent:
Not a great deal really. We set up a side hustle holiday fund during the lockdown and we used that. Funded 3 holidays so far.
Biggest regret:
Absolutely no regrets.
Going back?:
You f**king know it!
Top tip:
Iām never really sure what to write here. I still feel like an Ibiza newbie compared to most spotlighters. I mainly come here for advice and info when I can.
Top tip would be to just do whatever the hell you enjoy doing when you come to Ibiza.
Observations and/or conclusion:
Felt great being back on the island after a long break. Was also great for me and my missus to get away and have some time alone together. We definitely needed it. The hotel bed got a good testing out, as did the balcony lol (Again, we love outdoor stuff)
Funny observation - on the early flight over from Newcastle. As we were about to board we overheard a woman in front of us ringing her boss and leaving an answerphone message saying that she was very poorly and wouldnāt make it in to work today unfortunately. Followed by a cheeky grin when she noticed us laughing
Things Ibiza makes you do eh!
Mondo99
Active Member
Dump (not dumb). I mean it's horrible! Wasn't helped by it the weather to be honest.
Browny
Well-Known Member
Onlyfans going well thenWas meant to write this ages ago sorry! Been a hectic summer.
Dates you were there:
May 27th - May 30th. Weekend job.
Where you stayed:
Paladium Palmyra - San Antonio
The staff actually remembered us from our last visit. Even put a bottle of champagne in the room for us. Very nice gesture. I fired the cork off the ceiling without giving my lass a warning. She nearly had a heart attack.
Club nights visited:
Ants@Ushuaia
Best night:
Camelphat at Ants, they were really good! We love outdoor stuff.
Worst night:
The night we got home. Bloody hell.
Best bar:
Randomly, it was this bar called Dune in PDB. Maybe we just went in there when the right mix of people were in. Belting out some 80ās tunes at one point, place was buzzing.
Best place to eat:
Was all inclusive at the hotel, food was spot on!
Best beach and/or beach club:
Didnāt really hit many beaches sadly.
Money spent:
Not a great deal really. We set up a side hustle holiday fund during the lockdown and we used that. Funded 3 holidays so far.
Biggest regret:
Absolutely no regrets.
Going back?:
You f**king know it!
View attachment 14891
Top tip:
Iām never really sure what to write here. I still feel like an Ibiza newbie compared to most spotlighters. I mainly come here for advice and info when I can.
Top tip would be to just do whatever the hell you enjoy doing when you come to Ibiza.
Observations and/or conclusion:
Felt great being back on the island after a long break. Was also great for me and my missus to get away and have some time alone together. We definitely needed it. The hotel bed got a good testing out, as did the balcony lol (Again, we love outdoor stuff)
Funny observation - on the early flight over from Newcastle. As we were about to board we overheard a woman in front of us ringing her boss and leaving an answerphone message saying that she was very poorly and wouldnāt make it in to work today unfortunately. Followed by a cheeky grin when she noticed us laughing
View attachment 14892
AntonioGeordio
Well-Known Member
Browny
Well-Known Member
Was booming mate.
Took a break over the summer though.
Dates you were there: Mon 19/9 ā Mon 26/9
Where you stayed: Jet Apartments, Playa D'en Bossa -> absolutely perfect for our group (file under music head/clubber). During July they offered a 20% discount on their website for long stays. Super-friendly staff (shout-out to the cleaning services!), great accommodation (4 single beds, 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms) with stunning sea-side view. We took the cheapest option but beware not all rooms come with a view so may be well worth looking into upgrades. Don't expect much from music at the pool (cheap tech house) or the kitchenette. Target audience are British youngsters. Not the place you want to take family or the missus to. The place gets relatively silent between 6 AM and 1 PM.
Club nights visited:
Mon 19/9 Circoloco
I already had my say in the review area and I stick by it. The San Josep noise restrictions made the subwoofer overkill more bearable this year, now they need to work on their so-called security staff, absolutely the worst control crew on the island. Mind I don't take it personal, it's a structural problem. Fantastic music all night long as expected. Entree was 60ā¬ at the door.
Wed 21/9 Solomun@Port + Paradise
Solomun put the island on a slingshot into the night. A very versatile dj set. Sound system and graphics were spot on. Think I won't appreciate it as much in the club but he's definitely not a sell-out, and it was exactly what the bay area needed where all sorts of people gathered. Bars in the Calle de la Virgen were very lively. Around 3 AM we arrived at Amnesia and immediately we felt at home in the main room. Music selections weren't overwhelming, but if you want to fit in a tech house night this is the one. Subs taken to the max, a bopping crowd and lots of room to dance. One of the few venues on the island where modern tech house works imo. At the terrace Jones finished the night with some decent records, but the main room won the plot that night.
Thu 22/9 Cosmic Pineapple + Underground
We were new to Pikes. Liked the art fair. Nice track selection at the balearic pool although volume was on the low end: some rock, some acid, some house towards the end like that Alex Kassian remix of Owner Of A Lonely Heart. Dj on the sunset terrace was doing a fine job as well but we came for the club. Chabeli was ending her warm-up set. Uplifting house with tribal elements. She brought lots of positive energy to the table which suited the event. The blacklight decoration was nice, but the crowd wasn't really our thing. It was marketed as a festival so I guess you get more of a festival crowd; people having fun because they were supposed to have fun and fashionistas. Nightmares On Wax came on around midnight and he cut back drastically on the energy. The man wasn't a nightmare but for us a mood killer. To me he's not a headliner for this sort of event; he'd do a far better job at one of the outside stages early on. After a few records we left the place. Enter Underground where Nima Gorji was playing all night long. A fraction of the numbers compared to Pikes but musically this was on another level. He took it deep down the rabbit hole, an absolutely impeccable selection seamlessly mixed. We had a rough night before so didn't stay until the end but no doubt this was one of the best sets I heard in a long time on the island.
Fri 23/9 Sacro
At the entrance of Cova Santa a live flamenco band was playing. True musicians in an intimate setting, loved it. Then onto the main act: MĆ«stiza, they brought a nice blend of deep house and flamenco. An astonishing amount of detail was put into the show: top-class acrobats and dancers, flamenco shoes tapping coming through the speakers, a castanets drum machine,... The interaction between dj's and dancers was superb, topped of by a contribution of the live flamenco band. A pleasure to both eyes and ears. The concept is definitely one of the best out there, very decent sound levels as well. After midnight things went on inside where a stripped-down club awaited. A female dj was playing some deep house which wasn't too bad, but when one of the warm-up dj's took over and wanted to create the same atmosphere as before it was over for us and we left the place. We really had a great night and I can't think of a better venue for this concept, but if Cova Santa wants things to be carried on afterhours inside they definitely need to work on their club programme and indoor stage setting. Drink prices are slightly lower in the club than outside.
Sat 24/9 Luciano
The island had an off-night. I enjoyed his Vagabundos nights at Space so thought to give this a go. As soon as we got in we knew this wasn't a match. We were all on the same level with this. Before we knew it we were back on the street, like in a revolving door. Was it the setting? Was it the crowd? Did he change? Did I change? Probably all of the above. We enjoyed the rest of the night on the balcony. One of the peculiar things of Jet is you can do whatever you want on whatever volume you want, and the pool parties stop at sunset. Some of the best music of the week was played on that balcony. JBL Flip 3 has been a life saver many times that week.
Sun 25/9 Pikes On Sunday
We decided to give the place another try as we really liked the venue. This night was less hyped and we expected Real Gang Soundsystem would bring a different vibe to Freddies. It wasn't really the crowd I'd associate with RGS but a lot of people gave it their best and went with the flow.
Freddies was dark & sweaty. First hour their selection felt pretty flat, but the boys grew into the night. Mixing wasn't always tight but I appreciated they were taking risks with genre-crossing and being playful with the mixer. Insert pangean flutes and chopped-up vocals (e.g. Can you dance to my beat). They brought a really good clubbing vibe to the venue, proper heads down stuff, not the things you find with Shazam.
Best night: All except Saturday
Worst night: Luc on Sat. Actually the struggle already started during daytime. We headed for the beach at Nassau as I expected they would play not too shabby music with decent volumes during weekends. Music was definitely loud enough but unfortunately only childish tech house when we got there. How on earth do people think this kind of music fits daytime on a beach full of sunbeds??? Drowsy go-go dancers as well, but can't really fault them with that rubbage coming through the speakers. The place felt posh and cheap.
Best bar: Bamboo Bar, San Antonio -> nice reggae vibe, friendly service, excellent beer, perfect for sunset drinks. Combined it with a dinner at Golden Buddha which was superb as well (can recommend the falafel salad) and very affordable (bottle of cava 20ā¬). This combo is the best option on the strip imo (also passed Space Eat & Dance but it was closed due to staff shortage).
Best place to eat: we lunched almost daily at Can Rosales (1 AM sharp when Jet's pool parties started). Anything on the menu is good, everything priced below 20ā¬, no fuss. La Griferia is the place to go if you're looking for tapas in that neighborhood; absolutely delicious (pinxto eggs!) and very good cocktails as well.
Best beach and/or beach club: Tue 20/9 Sa Trinxa -> another shout-out for Gael, fantastic dj that brings a more dark, chuggy vibe to the place. Something we shazamed during the afternoon. Towards the evening a bit more uplifting; an I Feel Love edit that wasn't that bad made us hit the porch. Closed down the place and night in a dyionisiac frenzy. One of the best dj's we heard that week.
Money spent: plenty
Biggest regret: We didn't make it to Akasha for several reasons. Not really a regret, more something weāll have to do another time. Iāve never been in the club but would definitely be a match, it has my name written all over it. In combination with dinner at Bar Anita of course.
Going back?:
Top tip: Cut your losses. Leaving Thursday (Cosmic Pineapple), Friday (Cova Santa afterhours) and Saturday (Luciano) were the right choices in hindsight. When you're accustomed to the island you get to see through the bs. Then it's up to you to follow your guts and cut to the chase. It's not worth staying at a place just because you've paid entry fee. There are always other options in the surroundings that will suit you more.
Observations and/or conclusion:
- Sound systems were on point everywhere we came.
- Probably my last stay at Playa dāen Bossa. At night the entire area turns into a giant tourist trap; nothing like Iāve seen before. Canāt comment on Octan as they had already closed the week before. Iād opt for Figueretas and its lovely promenade in the future if wanting to stay next to the airport and the old town.
Where you stayed: Jet Apartments, Playa D'en Bossa -> absolutely perfect for our group (file under music head/clubber). During July they offered a 20% discount on their website for long stays. Super-friendly staff (shout-out to the cleaning services!), great accommodation (4 single beds, 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms) with stunning sea-side view. We took the cheapest option but beware not all rooms come with a view so may be well worth looking into upgrades. Don't expect much from music at the pool (cheap tech house) or the kitchenette. Target audience are British youngsters. Not the place you want to take family or the missus to. The place gets relatively silent between 6 AM and 1 PM.
Club nights visited:
Mon 19/9 Circoloco
I already had my say in the review area and I stick by it. The San Josep noise restrictions made the subwoofer overkill more bearable this year, now they need to work on their so-called security staff, absolutely the worst control crew on the island. Mind I don't take it personal, it's a structural problem. Fantastic music all night long as expected. Entree was 60ā¬ at the door.
Wed 21/9 Solomun@Port + Paradise
Solomun put the island on a slingshot into the night. A very versatile dj set. Sound system and graphics were spot on. Think I won't appreciate it as much in the club but he's definitely not a sell-out, and it was exactly what the bay area needed where all sorts of people gathered. Bars in the Calle de la Virgen were very lively. Around 3 AM we arrived at Amnesia and immediately we felt at home in the main room. Music selections weren't overwhelming, but if you want to fit in a tech house night this is the one. Subs taken to the max, a bopping crowd and lots of room to dance. One of the few venues on the island where modern tech house works imo. At the terrace Jones finished the night with some decent records, but the main room won the plot that night.
Thu 22/9 Cosmic Pineapple + Underground
We were new to Pikes. Liked the art fair. Nice track selection at the balearic pool although volume was on the low end: some rock, some acid, some house towards the end like that Alex Kassian remix of Owner Of A Lonely Heart. Dj on the sunset terrace was doing a fine job as well but we came for the club. Chabeli was ending her warm-up set. Uplifting house with tribal elements. She brought lots of positive energy to the table which suited the event. The blacklight decoration was nice, but the crowd wasn't really our thing. It was marketed as a festival so I guess you get more of a festival crowd; people having fun because they were supposed to have fun and fashionistas. Nightmares On Wax came on around midnight and he cut back drastically on the energy. The man wasn't a nightmare but for us a mood killer. To me he's not a headliner for this sort of event; he'd do a far better job at one of the outside stages early on. After a few records we left the place. Enter Underground where Nima Gorji was playing all night long. A fraction of the numbers compared to Pikes but musically this was on another level. He took it deep down the rabbit hole, an absolutely impeccable selection seamlessly mixed. We had a rough night before so didn't stay until the end but no doubt this was one of the best sets I heard in a long time on the island.
Fri 23/9 Sacro
At the entrance of Cova Santa a live flamenco band was playing. True musicians in an intimate setting, loved it. Then onto the main act: MĆ«stiza, they brought a nice blend of deep house and flamenco. An astonishing amount of detail was put into the show: top-class acrobats and dancers, flamenco shoes tapping coming through the speakers, a castanets drum machine,... The interaction between dj's and dancers was superb, topped of by a contribution of the live flamenco band. A pleasure to both eyes and ears. The concept is definitely one of the best out there, very decent sound levels as well. After midnight things went on inside where a stripped-down club awaited. A female dj was playing some deep house which wasn't too bad, but when one of the warm-up dj's took over and wanted to create the same atmosphere as before it was over for us and we left the place. We really had a great night and I can't think of a better venue for this concept, but if Cova Santa wants things to be carried on afterhours inside they definitely need to work on their club programme and indoor stage setting. Drink prices are slightly lower in the club than outside.
Sat 24/9 Luciano
The island had an off-night. I enjoyed his Vagabundos nights at Space so thought to give this a go. As soon as we got in we knew this wasn't a match. We were all on the same level with this. Before we knew it we were back on the street, like in a revolving door. Was it the setting? Was it the crowd? Did he change? Did I change? Probably all of the above. We enjoyed the rest of the night on the balcony. One of the peculiar things of Jet is you can do whatever you want on whatever volume you want, and the pool parties stop at sunset. Some of the best music of the week was played on that balcony. JBL Flip 3 has been a life saver many times that week.
Sun 25/9 Pikes On Sunday
We decided to give the place another try as we really liked the venue. This night was less hyped and we expected Real Gang Soundsystem would bring a different vibe to Freddies. It wasn't really the crowd I'd associate with RGS but a lot of people gave it their best and went with the flow.
Freddies was dark & sweaty. First hour their selection felt pretty flat, but the boys grew into the night. Mixing wasn't always tight but I appreciated they were taking risks with genre-crossing and being playful with the mixer. Insert pangean flutes and chopped-up vocals (e.g. Can you dance to my beat). They brought a really good clubbing vibe to the venue, proper heads down stuff, not the things you find with Shazam.
Best night: All except Saturday
Worst night: Luc on Sat. Actually the struggle already started during daytime. We headed for the beach at Nassau as I expected they would play not too shabby music with decent volumes during weekends. Music was definitely loud enough but unfortunately only childish tech house when we got there. How on earth do people think this kind of music fits daytime on a beach full of sunbeds??? Drowsy go-go dancers as well, but can't really fault them with that rubbage coming through the speakers. The place felt posh and cheap.
Best bar: Bamboo Bar, San Antonio -> nice reggae vibe, friendly service, excellent beer, perfect for sunset drinks. Combined it with a dinner at Golden Buddha which was superb as well (can recommend the falafel salad) and very affordable (bottle of cava 20ā¬). This combo is the best option on the strip imo (also passed Space Eat & Dance but it was closed due to staff shortage).
Best place to eat: we lunched almost daily at Can Rosales (1 AM sharp when Jet's pool parties started). Anything on the menu is good, everything priced below 20ā¬, no fuss. La Griferia is the place to go if you're looking for tapas in that neighborhood; absolutely delicious (pinxto eggs!) and very good cocktails as well.
Best beach and/or beach club: Tue 20/9 Sa Trinxa -> another shout-out for Gael, fantastic dj that brings a more dark, chuggy vibe to the place. Something we shazamed during the afternoon. Towards the evening a bit more uplifting; an I Feel Love edit that wasn't that bad made us hit the porch. Closed down the place and night in a dyionisiac frenzy. One of the best dj's we heard that week.
Money spent: plenty
Biggest regret: We didn't make it to Akasha for several reasons. Not really a regret, more something weāll have to do another time. Iāve never been in the club but would definitely be a match, it has my name written all over it. In combination with dinner at Bar Anita of course.
Going back?:
Top tip: Cut your losses. Leaving Thursday (Cosmic Pineapple), Friday (Cova Santa afterhours) and Saturday (Luciano) were the right choices in hindsight. When you're accustomed to the island you get to see through the bs. Then it's up to you to follow your guts and cut to the chase. It's not worth staying at a place just because you've paid entry fee. There are always other options in the surroundings that will suit you more.
Observations and/or conclusion:
- Sound systems were on point everywhere we came.
- Probably my last stay at Playa dāen Bossa. At night the entire area turns into a giant tourist trap; nothing like Iāve seen before. Canāt comment on Octan as they had already closed the week before. Iād opt for Figueretas and its lovely promenade in the future if wanting to stay next to the airport and the old town.
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