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IBIZA RECOVERED
Ged Cleugh is one of our Producers. His never-ending research into the world's top tourist resorts has left him able to recite the hotels of Europe at will. A keen snowboarder, Ged takes to the slopes each season working his way through the world's finest resorts in search of "big air".
This month he goes all out at the
Mediterranean's clubbing capital, Ibiza. .
Who'd have thought that a small Balearic
Island could have developed into the biggest and best clubbing
destination in the world? Las Vegas blossomed in the sands of
the Nevada desert thanks to massive financial investment, government
assistance, and a nation's willingness to part with its money
for a topless dancer, a stab at riches or a "free" steak. Ibiza
is different. For centuries, this island's wealth depended on
its location in the Mediterranean as a trading port and its
success exporting the salt of the Salinas planes. But Ibiza
has become the island we see today thanks to its acceptance
of contemporary liberal mores.
 It
was in the 1960s that Ibiza began to welcome its first steady
stream of visitors. A bohemian band of hippie wanderers en route
to Goa for the winter passed through North Africa using Ibiza
as a stop off. Drowning in sunshine, secluded and peaceful,
the island seduced the visitors, and as word spread, Ibiza's
development into an international ghetto getaway became nigh
on inevitable. Towards the end of the 60s its "alternative"
reputation was sufficient to attract the rich and famous as
the likes of Ursula Andress stopped by.
Then, the first club Lola's opened and
soon after, the 70s package holiday boom ensured that the days
when Ibiza relied on salt for income were numbered. In fact,
today over 90% of the islands workforce is employed in the tourism
industry. Package holidays also drove down prices resulting
in a spiralling number of visitors. Unfortunately for Ibiza
this was to prove its downfall. As visitors increased and holiday
prices decreased certain parts of the island began to swarm
with beer swilling Eurotrash intent on getting drunk at rock
bottom prices. At the same time, the club culture thrived, even
though club entry and drink prices rocketed.
Reality television was also booming towards
the end of the 1990s and a number of series capitalised on the
island's reputation. Their creative bias never too seriously
under wraps, producers focused on the misdemeanours of a minority
of individuals in specific parts of the island and painted a
picture of bedlam that seemed to engulf the island's full 130
miles of coastline. This reputation has been a problem ever
since. Club prices have soared to try and deter cheapskate troublemakers,
and families have sought sanctuary elsewhere to avoid the alleged
swathing masses of rampaging youths.
 Recently
however, a sense of balance has returned to the island. The
beer drinkers are well contained away from the rest in San Antonio
Town, while Ibiza Town itself flourishes with celebrity visitors
and monied continentals. The network of boozy bars in San Antonio,
offering over-measured and under-priced liquor to post-school
seekers of sand and sex, seems sufficient to keep the pissed
crowd away from the more peaceful parts of the island.
Families wanting to try out Ibiza shouldn't
be put off by its justified reputation as the clubbing capital
of the world. The majority of Ibiza's towns and villages are
sleepy and quaint, with attractive beaches, traditional buildings
and lots of local charm. The weather is excellent and there
are enough daytrips to keep most families happily entertained
throughout their holiday. The biggest and best places to dance
the night away are spread out across the island, many are isolated
and most are easily avoided, as is San Antonio!
There 's also a variety of excellent accommodation
to choose from, ranging from self-catering apartments to 5 star
luxury hotels. The more sophisticated tourists base themselves
in Ibiza Town, the attractive island capital, recently renamed
in Catalan "Eivissa". One option well worth exploring is hiring
a private villa. Many are very reasonable and they often come
choc full of traditional charm and modern facilities. Location
is not particularly important as the island is quite small although
you'd need to consider car hire if your villa wasn't in town,
and taxis are reasonable.
Beaches on Ibiza are excellent, with over
56 to choose from. San Antonio and Playa D'en Bossa offer a
lively daytime experience so avoid these if its peace and quiet
you're after. In fact, in 2004 the surprise-clubbing highlight
was Bora-Bora on Playa D'en Bossa. For something more "scenic"
try Las Salinas beach. This is the place for people watching
and an altogether more upmarket day on the sand. As the sun
goes down, some of the finest sunsets can be seen over the salt
plains and out to sea at Salinas. Benirras is another excellent
beach, near to San Miguel on the north coast of the island.
Small but excellent for swimming, this beach is slightly off
the beaten track so you'll need a map to track it down.
 No
stay on the island would be complete without a visit to the
world famous sunset strip, just around the headland from San
Antonio. It's here that Café del Mar and Café Mambo headline
a select group of bars aiming to provide the ideal musical backdrop
to the setting sun in the distance. The crowds gather quickly,
don't expect a seat after 5.30pm. Instead, order a drink and
sit with hundreds of fellow observers on the rocky beach out
in front of the cafes. The strip offers unprecedented proximity
to superstar DJs who drop in at some point during the season
to warm up on the vinyl for the long night ahead. Colourful
parades of dancers, stiltwalkers and banners promoting the major
clubbing nights and venues pass by, and a variety of performers,
usually involving fire, turn up to keep the crowd suitably entertained
once the sun's disappeared.
When nighttime eventually falls there's
a period of calm as people head for a sleep or a bite to eat
before the long party ahead. Most of the clubs don't open much
before 1 or 2am but there are plenty of pre-club bars to choose
from to help you get in the mood. The super nightclubs are a
manifestation of a self-perpetuating evolution of style and
invention, in much the same way as Las Vegas is. Each year the
party needs to be slightly bigger and better to keep the crowds
coming. Anything goes here; the most hedonistic night is arguably
Manumission. It's an Ibizan legend involving more
than 10,000 clubbers grinding to the beats at any one time at
Privilege, the largest club in the world. Manumission hails
itself as "A multimedia extravaganza cross-pollinating the
worlds of film, theatre, performance art and music, in a nightclub
environment."
In the early days there were risqué acts
and erotic performances culminating in the live sex shows that
made Manumission so infamous. Currently in its eleventh year,
the live sex has gone but the outrageous, sinister, shocking
and brilliant entertainment remains. Expect nothing but the
unexpected. Live theatre shows? Potato-peeling midgets? Old
men with canes? Impromptu speeches? Live pop bands? Naked dancers?
Nothing is guaranteed, including the name of the DJ, but you
can be sure that some, one, or all of the above will feature
in giving any first time visitor an experience unlike any other.
Other superstar venues include Eden, a
5000 capacity club on the waterfront in San Antonio. The theme?
Well, the name is a giveaway. The club has a split-level design
with a mezzanine area, 10 bars, a glass roof and a chill out
bar.
Neighbouring Es Paradis opened in 1975
and calls itself "Paradise on earth". It's one of the most beautiful
clubs in the world with an enormous pyramid roof allowing light
to filter through the plants and trees inside. The dance floor
can fill with water and there are over 14,000 watts of sound
and 300,000 watts of lighting - a truly huge experience! Another
club, Amnesia, was the brainchild of Antonio Escohotado, and
has passed through several hands and evolved into the 16 bar
venue we see today, complete with its trademark foam parties.
The godfather of all Ibiza's clubs is
Pacha. It's the quintessential blend of disco, glamour, kitsch
and hedonism. Opened in 1973, the club evolves each year and
is without doubt the classiest venue on the island.
But the party doesn't stop at dawn. The
most hardcore clubbers head to the Terrace at Space to carry
on through the morning and into the afternoon. It's become almost
a rite of passage for first time visitors to hang out on the
Terrace on a Sunday to cheer each passing plane overhead, welcoming
fellow partyers who make a B line for the club on arrival.
Be warned though, this party lifestyle
comes at a price, a very high one. Expect entry fees of between
£25 and £50, and bottles of water between £5 and £9 in the larger
venues. But expensive it may be, but is it worth it? Most definitely.
The laid back island that attracted itinerant
beatniks forty years ago has evolved, its lifestyle increasingly
more hedonistic and its nightlife nigh on state of the art.
Indeed, Ibiza has actively encouraged this development and has
filled its pockets along the way. The pavements on Ibiza may
not be lined with gold but the tourist trail most certainly
is. Just be prepared to empty your wallet to make the most of
it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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