Hot nights in Ibiza

Ibiza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea which has a reputation of feverish nights during summertime, due to a high density of gigantic night-clubs, each easily accommodating several thousands of night-clubbers every night, from June to early October. However, when we decided to go to Ibiza for our summer vacation, this was not our main driver. The reason why we picked that destination is because there is, in Ibiza, a nice clothing-optional resort dedicated to the swingers lifestyle, at a reasonable price. Nevertheless, after a few days there, we became curious to discover the other attraction of the island: its ordinary – meaning: non-swinger – lifestyle at night, and we trusted our host Daniel to make us discover the best part of it.

Daniel is the owner of the resort we were staying at, and he knows virtually everyone on that tiny island. At least, most of the club owners, which proved very useful for our nightly expeditions! One evening, merely two days after our arrival in Ibiza, he took us to see the sunset ritual at Café del Mar. An event which is unique, even though it is repeated each evening all summer long. The western seashore promenade of San Antoni is packed with the inviting terraces of the most famous cafés on the island: Café del Mar, Café Mambo… each having its own DJ mixing their music outside, while the barmen shake their cocktails for the thirsty customers.

After 6:30 p.m. it is almost impossible to find a chair available in those bars facing the western horizon towards which the sun is slowly slipping. The crowds are there, all the people that will soon spread at night among the most famous discotheques, starting a new day of their vacation after sleeping for most of the diurnal hours in order to recover from the previous night…

The show is amazing: tons of small asses in mini-skirts and mini-shorts, pareos and bikinis… The waitresses of the Corona beer station are quite cute in their small shorts with black and white stripes. Everyone is well tanned, it is clearly show off time! An increasing number of boats and parasailors are also cruising here and there in front of the shore. Until the sun finally falls behind the horizon: a loud clamor rises and everyone is whooping the falling star for minutes, this marking the start of the night: the  awakening time of the island, Ibiza lives mostly at night!

We went the next evening to the city of Ibiza to see a famous parade through the quaint streets of the old city. That parade is a gathering of some of the most famous discotheques whose employees and dancers are dressed in extravagant costumes. It is called “La Troya” and it takes place weekly on Wednesdays evenings, around 10 p.m.  We also took the opportunity to go and visit an extraordinary boutique, displaying lots of BDSM / fetish gear, made to order. Virtually anything – clothes, toys… -  can be made by them according to your own specifications and it’s truly amazing to see all they have to offer. Leather, vinyl and latex are the base of the material used for most of their creations. Again, we were allowed to enter that discreet place only because we carried a personal recommendation from our host, Daniel. Otherwise, it is almost impossible to get into that boutique which has no external sign nor street window to display their treasures.

In turn, the owners of the shop gave us a recommendation for the restaurant, in the harbor of Ibiza, which allowed us to escape the usual tourist traps and get special attention from the staff.

After dinner, we took position in front of a bar, where the parade was expected to go. We are there, right in the middle of the gay neighbourhood of Ibiza and this is very clear from the manners of many customers. We also spot an elegant transvestite, quite chic in her jacket and stockings… looks like she is going to work! But it’s almost 10 p.m., something must be wrong?

In the distance we can see the parade approaching. There are giants, perched on stilts, dressed like aristocrats from the 18^th century. Then come the dancers of the Privilege, all looking alike with their square silvery wigs, on high heels and very scantily clad in between. But the more extraordinary are those of the Amnesia, one of the leading discotheques of Ibiza, which are disguised in religious outfits depicting with irony some biblical scenes: besides a lascivious pope accompanied by identical cardinals, we can see a bunch of sexy nuns with stockings and garters, a huge devil completely nude and painted in red laughing sardonically with some friends, two naked lesbians playing Adam and Eva and kissing each other… All these characters are very outrageous and attract lots of tourists and photographers.

At the end of the parade, we find the chic transvestite that we spotted at the bar: she apparently is a member of the organisation team and she follows the parade with a file under her arm. We did not make a mistake: she is really at work now!

Another evening, Daniel took us to check out some of his favourite places. We started with a beach bar called Itaca. A new concept for us: loud electronic music mixed by a resident DJ, supported by a live saxophonist and percussionists. Lots of people with extravagant looks – some drag queens, sexy dancers BDSM-style, a small striped ”cat” and a gorilla dancing with the customers… Inside the bar and outside on the beach, everyone is sipping mojitos while a fireworks starts at a distance across the water.

Next, Daniel bring us in a strip-tease club (« The Sin ») in the so-called “street of the thirst”. There again, it is necessary to show credentials in order to get in. We go down the stairs towards a cool cellar where a dozen of superb young women cater to the customers: some dance sensually on the stage while others come to talk to single men and share drinks with them. As we were a group of couples, we were not too much solicited by them… But, on the request of our host, a splendid Brazilian offered us a strip-tease show on stage.

We finish our evening in the local discotheque : « Es Paradies ». Lots of people waiting outside to join the crowd inside. Thanks to Daniel, we don’t wait outside and are allowed to the VIP section. We climb up a hidden staircase behind a bar and we reach the platform where the DJ is working. He greets us cheerfully – as most of them in Ibiza, he is someone famous in the world of electronic music but his name does not ring a bell in us!

The show is astonishing. The loudness of the music prevents us from talking to each other and we can see thousands of people dancing below in the dark. Lots of color lights are streaking the upper floor where sexy dancers dressed in ostrich feathers dance on metallic platforms above the crowd. It is decadent and hypnotic: the stage looks like a Roman temple and we feel that the music can bring us in a secondary state, like a transe.

We kept an excellent memory of those evenings, even though they were not lifestyle-oriented. It really was an added value to our stay in Ibiza and we surely will return there if we get the opportunity to return to Ibiza.