Englishman living and working in Ibiza since 1991. Entrepreneur with a passion for villas, boats, sunsets and San Antonio. Read my blogs, listen to my podcasts and get involved in the debate.
IT’S BIG! It may sound strange saying this about the former Guinness verified ‘biggest club in the world’ but until the doors opened it was impossible to gauge the new distribution layout over different levels, food court, the bunker, the wild comet, outdoor social areas and the iconic dome. We’ve all seen it now a hundred times on insta. Not only is it impressive, it’s f**king massive!
IT’S REASSURINGLY EXPENSIVE. After close to a €100M investment it was never going to be cheap however the prices are ‘interesting’. Entrance tickets range from €55 to €100 depending on the artist or how about a VIP entrance ticket at €500 including 5 drinks. Talking of drinks, a 5 drink online package is €100 (not ridiculous) and who doesn’t want chicken strips with caviar at 6am for only 80 EUR? Thinking of going big – call your credit card company, there may be trouble ahead. Nevertheless UNVRS will be in the running for ‘best club in the world’ so what did you expect? You can get a pint of beer in Benidorm for a euro so there are options.
THE LINE UP IS STELLAR. Regardless of your views the 2025 UNVRS line up is arguably the biggest ever presented in Ibiza. It’s an Ibiza ‘all stars’ dream team and shows that The Night League aren’t taking any chances with their sizeable investment. Guetta, Cox, Prydz, Jones, Elrow & Fisher plus plenty of surprises during the summer. If this was a football team we’d be calling them ‘Los Galacticos’.
THERE ARE ISSUES. As is usual in Ibiza the paint was drying as the doors opened so the venue is still being fine-tuned. The vastness of the place means it’s not easy to navigate (more signs needed) and the sound is great at the front but not at the back. Cramming in several thousand sweaty people means that claustrophobics should give the busy areas a miss and transporting all those happy clappers every night to a small neighbourhood in the middle of the island won’t come without consequences. The negative online comments might have been deleted (industry standard) but judging UNVRS after a week is pure folly.
GET USED TO THOSE PANNING SHOTS. On Saturday morning when UNVRS released that 27 second drone shot with amazing visuals (that ceiling!), incredible sound and the sun coming up behind the DJ box with thousands packing the dance floor with hands (and phones) in the air, the internet went into meltdown. Their drone operators and social media manager will be busy this summer. Expect more of these, lots more.
LAS VEGAS AND DUBAI WILL BE WATCHING. It’s incredible that a small island in the Med can consistently keep raising the bar on a world level while other destinations with deeper pockets look on however Ibiza’s hedonistic legacy and heritage trumps cold hard cash every time (ironic huh). UNVRS is the Robocop of super clubs and The Night League aren’t playing games, they are a clinical, ultra professional, profit driven company, the like that hasn’t been seen on the White Isle previously.
WE SHOULD BE PROUD. In 2020/21 when Ibiza’s clubs weren’t allowed to open we all saw what happened. A beautiful Island but no USP. Now UNVRS has raised the bar again and Ibiza has solidified its place as the clubbing capital of the world with a gigantic soul. You might not like or agree with the collateral issues but you have to acknowledge the acheivement and take pride that the White Isle is a world leader. Ibiza has what others can only dream of.
WILL SMITH IS ANNOYING. OK he’s a Hollywood star with an amazing CV and an Oscar on his sideboard but my god he’s irritating. The smug look, the accent mispronouncing words, his cringy social media posts and don’t start me on his wife. Or is it just me?
THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Other clubs will be following developments closer than anyone (especially any negatives) and it’s inevitable that some will be affected including possibly other venues owned by UNVRS but there will be opportunities. As UNVRS takes Ibiza clubbing stratospheric yet mainstream other venues might go more underground offering back to basics clubbing. All options are open and like every summer there will be winners and losers…but this time the stakes are higher than ever.
THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. Can UNVRS sustain 7 nights a week? Will the headline acts settle in? Will there be any weak nights? Will there be any legal issues? Will the local residents kick off? Will Hï fall into the background? Will the feedback stay positive after the dust has settled? Will they run out of chicken strips dippers (a 3 euro bargain)? There’s a thousand questions and anybody who follows the Ibiza clubbing scene will know that amongst other things it’s awash with egos, greed and jealousy but that’s what makes it so engrossing. There will be plenty of twists and turns in this saga. As I said THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
Those of a certain vintage will remember when Ibiza’s flights, fuelled almost exclusively by traditional tour operators, started religiously on 1st May and the term ‘low cost carrier’ was a phenomenon seen only in the deregulated American aviation market. During these times you could count on 4 busy months with the shoulder months of May and October making up the numbers. Not any more.
The increasing availability of flights meant that April on the White Isle was surprisingly frenetic but May has been nothing short of incredible compared to previous years, not only with numbers but with the profile of travellers seemingly getting younger and younger.
Ibiza’s world class day and night clubs opening earlier has no doubt played a massive part, it wasn’t that long ago that the super clubs opened in the last week of May and closed in the last week of September. Now they nearly all open at the end of April & close at the beginning of October, extending the traditional summer clubbing season by 6 weeks.
The proliferation of group holidays on low cost carriers has also seen an abundance of arrivals at Ibiza airport (and a slew of social media posts depicting out of control flight cabins – but that’s a whole different issue).
Stags, hens, weddings, birthday celebrations all taking advantage of low season offers and usually for short durations such as long weekends and with pockets of money to spend. Stags and mainly hens seem to be everywhere in May with compulsory matching t-shirts, the ‘blushing’ bride with a long white head dress surrounded by her ‘bride squad’ in sashes – when did this become a thing?
All in all, the island has appeared busier and hotter in May 2025 than ever before. It hasn’t stopped all the usual issues, in fact it’s exasperated them. Short duration holidays mean that time management has become essential – everything is organised down to the last second.
So all the high profile, prominent, social media driven businesses are getting the benefit whilst the secondary businesses continue to struggle. In other words the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker. The upside is that the major Ibiza businesses are opening earlier than ever before and this in itself is stimulating early season bookings.
It will be interesting to see how June performs as historically we have seen a dip in business during the mid season as prices start to creep up before the high season madness kicks in.
If Ibiza summer 2025 was a first term school report it would say ‘good attendance with a very encouraging start but let’s not take anything for granted’. As is the norm in life it’s not how you start it’s how you finish.
Playa Pomelo, Mambo groups new venture, taking over Sa Bresca restaurant on Cala Gracio beach has created some local chatter so instead of listening to other peoples opinions I decided to try it for myself.
First impressions are good, the place has been refurbished to a high standard with solid wood tables on teak deck overlooking the beautiful beach. The new grapefruit colour is cool, it won’t be to everyone’s taste but I liked the rustic look. The place as a whole is very simple with its USP being right on the beach, unlike other places here you feel right in the middle of the action.
In keeping with the new Ibiza the service is a bit fussy with plenty of staff on hand to seat you, take your order and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. The manager is never far away overseeing everything with a friendly but stern eye.
The menu is simple and easy to navigate. For starters we went for calamari and croquets which were delicious and for a main I went for the simple smash burger and fries while my friend went for pork steak All the food was well presented, fresh & very tasty.
We washed it down with a bottle of rose wine, we weren’t going to but relaxing in such sumptuous surroundings with that view got the better of us. Total spend by the time we finished was 75€ a head for a long (ish) lunch, I had expected it to be a lot more as I’d heard plenty of scare stories so was pleasantly surprised.
The most important thing to consider is that this isn’t a local beach snack bar with food anymore. It’s a smart restaurant on the beach and the prices reflect this. It’s the new ibiza that attracts a certain crowd who are happy to pay for the position, service and food. It’s a 180 degree turn from where it was before – a family run beach restaurant – and if you do find these places then make sure to enjoy them while you can as they won’t be around for much longer.
Ibiza is now attracting a crowd that is more discerning, wealthier, worldly wise. In the 90s and noughties the competition was Mallorca, Benidorm and Costa del Sol. Now the competition is Las Vegas, Dubai, Miami and Mykonos
The new Ibiza isn’t to everyone’s tastes but restaurants in prime positions offering top service for premium prices that make you feel special are now the norm. Compared to other destinations the White Isle was massively undervalued but not any more.
Playa Pomelo will cause local debate but similar to other incredible beach venues it will become part of the fabric sooner rather than later especially if, as expected, it is a success. After all it’s not aimed at a local clientele but those pesky tourists who have the audacity to come over here with a pocket full of money and want good food and service in a prime position and are prepared to pay a premium for it.
As a nice extra there are now some really smart sunbeds on the beach at a set price of 7 euros per day operated by the town hall and open to the public. The locals might be in a state of consternation at the increased traffic but the bottom line is that businesses like this are taking San Antonio to new heights by pushing up quality and in turn increasing property prices to record levels. The yin and the yang of Ibiza right there.
Back in January 2020, the Balearic government passed a decree law against the so-called “tourism of excesses” and for the improvement of quality in tourist zones. They singled out the resorts of Arenal, Playa de Palma, and Magaluf in Mallorca, and San Antonio in Ibiza, as the areas that would be affected.
At the time, these laws didn’t really come into effect as the pandemic took over, but when everything returned in 2022, they were put into practice.
In 2024, after the elections, the laws were relaxed a little—but what has changed in these resorts since 2020
SAN ANTONIO by Martin Makepeace
Reputation is everything, and the court of public opinion can be a brutal place, passing judgment without the full facts. But times change.
San Antonio, or Sant Antoni de Portmany to use its official name, is a great example. The stigma of the 80s and 90s still lingers—but it ain’t 1987 anymore. It’s 2025, and the shackles have been released.
New luxury hotels, top-end restaurants serving delicious food, world-class entertainment venues, a sunset that many say is the best on the planet—and more importantly, a young, ambitious mayor who’s not afraid to try new things, improve infrastructure, and make big plans for the future with major investment.
San Antonio now has some of the most expensive real estate in Spain and is already the most expensive place to rent. The gentrification process continues unabated on a small island with limited space. This is the yin and yang of an island that has seen incredible growth over the last 15 years.
Being comfortable in your own skin takes time, and Ibiza’s second-largest town is finally the mature adult it wanted to be—rather than a sulky teenager prone to bouts of self-harm.
“It’s a process” is a well-used phrase, and the perception of San Antonio is no different. But this can only be changed by a potent mixture of self-awareness, communication, consistency, and patience. The town is now controlling its own narrative—with actions rather than words.
New and improved pedestrianised areas, world-famous street art, a new environmentally friendly summer police station, a spanking new port area, plans for cutting-edge sports facilities… and this is just in the last 12 months!
The future is bright. San Antonio isn’t walking into the future—it’s sprinting with confidence.
MAGALUF by Richie Prior
Well, having lived and worked in Magaluf since 1990, I think I’m well placed to tell you about it. My good friend Martin Makepeace & I do a weekly podcast called Talking Balearics, where we talk about Mallorca and Ibiza. Martin, like me, has lived in Ibiza for over 30 years.
Magaluf, ever since I’ve known it, has had a reputation—some see that as bad, others see it as an opportunity for good.
When I arrived in 1990, families and young people mixed without any problems—even in the winter. Slowly but surely, that balance ebbed away, and the headlines became worse and worse. You didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that something had to change.
Meliá was the first to invest in the resort, followed by pretty much every other hotel chain, meaning that over 75% of the hotels in Magaluf are now either 4 or 5-star. Anyone in the know will tell you that Magaluf beach is still one of the best on the island. A new four-million-euro promenade is being built as we speak, with phase one due for completion at the beginning of May. Phase two will be completed in the early part of 2026.
In my opinion, the measures brought in were a bit draconian and wouldn’t have been needed if the resort had been policed properly. The map of the so-called “Red Zone” was drawn in a way that benefited some businesses and not others. It should have been a blanket ban or nothing at all.
It was the short-sightedness of authorities in the past that meant they didn’t understand that the youngsters of today will be the families of the future. Most of my friends had been to Magaluf in their teenage years. They loved it so much that, fast forward five years, they were coming back and staying in a four or five-star hotel. Fast forward another five or ten years, they were renting villas with their families—and all of a sudden, they are the clientele that the authorities want.
You need to give people a taste of what your tourism product is at a relatively early age and hope that it ignites that blue touch paper. They then become bonded and emotionally attached to that location for the rest of their lives.
My list of positives about Magaluf is endless. And when you look closely, it’s a resort that still mixes families and youngsters—and, in my opinion, for longer throughout the year. For families, there’s Pirates, Gringos Family Rave, Western Water Park, karting, Katmandu, the beach, and countless bars, beach bars, cafés, and restaurants to cater to their needs.
For youngsters, there’s Reloaded & Gringos, Oceans Beach, BCM, The Strip, the beach—and again, countless bars, beach bars, cafés, and restaurants to cater to their needs.
I like the new Mayor and his administration in Calvia and believe the changes that are being made are good for the future. Magaluf has changed for the better, and my love for it doesn’t diminish.
The tourist model of Mallorca and Ibiza is changing for the better—and will need to change even more to keep up with its competitors.
Summer is in the air, the roads are getting busier, flip flops are flapping and white milky skin is on show everywhere. Ibiza is back baby.
The difference between ‘winter’ and ‘summer’ is palpable and it all changes within the space of a few days when wholesale direct flights start courtesy of Ryanair and their fellow low cost competitors.
It’s an exciting time of the year where anything and everything seems possible, dreams are there to be grabbed and for those returning a few changes are noticeable.
Top of the list this summer is a former sleepy fishing village known for its stunning sunsets, lively nightlife, and laid-back Mediterranean charm. Now work is in motion to connect all of those things like never before.
Since the tourist boom of the 1970’s San Antonio has transformed into a global hotspot for partygoers, beach lovers, and travellers seeking a mix of relaxation and revelry however it’s fair to say it suffers from an identity crisis. The haters are never far away and with some justification but now tangible plans are afoot that will change its perception for years to come.
The hot potato that is the West End is going through an image overhaul with a makeover that has at times been polarising but opinions are starting to change now that the talking has stopped and the artwork is taking shape. Okuda San Miguel’s colourful and vibrant street art is the talk of the island, it’s eye catching in the extreme and looks to be a canny decision by the local government. Mayor Marcos Serra said himself that it’s a crazy idea but well worth a punt especially as it’s being paid for by European funds.
Yet while social media is alive with the West End’s artistic transformation the biggest game changer has gone under the radar. A new pedestrianised boulevard is underway that will link San Antonio ‘old town’ to the sunset strip.
This new connection will bring footfall in both directions opening up the urban town centre with easy accessibility. The work has already started from both ends (in front of Mambo on the sunset strip and in front of the old Amsterdam bar the West End) and will meet up in the middle.
Construction work can be annoying but it’s a necessary evil to get things done and improve the infrastructure. The new pedestrian boulevard is 3 phase project that will take 11 months to complete so should be finished by February 2026.
In a change to the norm the contractors are hoping to carry on working through summer as the work will go past 2 junior schools which will be closed for July and August. The total cost of the project is €4.8M of which €1.4M is financed through the Ibiza Council’s Strategic Municipal Investment Plan, €1.25M through Next Generation EU funds and €1M through the Balearic Islands Tourism Tax (ITS).
Neus Mateu, San Antonio Councillor for Public Works told me “This is a project that will bring a leap in quality for San Antonio. It will beautify an area that connects the seafront with the urban centre creating a sustainable and accessible boulevard for residents and visitors”.
New amazing street art, a new pedestrianised boulevard linking the town with the sunset strip and the promenade that stretches from Calo des Moro to Es Puet. San An is coming together like never before so whisper it quietly….a game changer.
Traffic has become a major environmental problem in Ibiza over the last decade so in a direct response the Isand Government is bringing in limits and fees for vehicles coming on to the island, targeting tourists vehicles, caravans and rental cars.
From the start of June to the end of September the limit will be 87,449 vehicles circulating the island on a daily basis. The breakdown is 67,281 by residents, 2,049 by private visitors (ie by boat) and 18,119 rental cars. So excluding residents, there will be a maximum limit of 20,168 vehicles in the first year reducing to 17,600 over the next 5 years.
The fee for authorised non resident cars entering the island will be 1 euro per car per day and it will be the responsibility of the shipping companies to pay the relative fees directly to the Consell d’Eivissa under a self-assessment regime by the end of the following calendar month.
A basic overview of exemptions to fees are as follows
Residents vehicles as long as the vehicles are registered on the island
For those who live on the island but their cars are registered elsewhere there is a limit of 1 vehicle per property
Vehicles of people with reduced mobility
Official and public service vehicles, including those of the security forces, fire service, ambulances and vehicles of the health system, civil protection, public and school transport, taxis, waste and public cleaning
Vehicles for the transport of goods as well as commercial distribution vehicles, tractors, excavators and similar vehicles
Vehicles in transit to or from Formentera and those “not subject to movement restrictions by the Consell Insular d’Eivissa” are also exempt from the payment of the tax
Motorcycles are free of charge
Caravans/motorhomes will only be permitted to enter the island with an active a reservation at campsite
Rental car companies will also face the consequences of this new law and will now be liable to pay a tax for each of the vehicles within their quota.
Fleet of 1-100 vehicles: 100€ per vehicle for the entire limitation period
101-150: 200€ per vehicle
151-450: 750€ per vehicle
451-900: 1500€ per vehicle
Any company that exceeds 900 vehicles must pay 1500€ + 61€ for each vehicle over this amount
At first glance it appears that car hire companies will bear the brunt of this new law and they will be given quotas to control the amount of vehicles circulating the island. The new fees are a big chunk of change and will be most likely passed on to the consumer.
It’s difficult to envisage how the local authorities will keep tabs on the exact amount of vehicles on the island especially in the short term and the new laws will throw up many questions and grey areas and a website should soon be active to cover all topics.
In the meantime you can contact the OAMR customer service by phone and Whatsapp on 971 19 59 06 or by email at oamr@conselldeivissa.es.
Back at the end of 2023 it was announced that the internationally renowned street artist Okuda San Miguel would be creating a distinctive makeover of the Calle Santa Agnes – the main thoroughfare of San Antonio’s famous West End.
There was the obligatory outcry from the usual suspects and a heated debate ensued. As is normal with the West End nobody could agree if it was a good/bad idea, money well invested/wasted or whether it was worth the hassle.
The debate raged and in the meantime the work was put back and the deadline was missed. The West End carried on as usual doing what it does and the idea was put on ice until now.
But San Antonio mayor Marcos Serra wouldn’t let it lie and now the idea has become a reality. When I spoke to the mayor at Christmas I asked why he wanted to do it so much and with a glint in his eye he said ‘it was a crazy idea’ but it was worth a go.
Okuda San Miguel is famous for graffiti style geometric structures and multicolored prints. It’s edgy street art and finally the sails are up, the floor is being prepared and the West End is taking on a new funky image.
Even the most belligerent of voices are starting to soften as social media is alive with photos. The cost is a relatively small at around 300.000 euros paid for by European funds and the work will cover 160 metres of street that the artist will paint ten metres at a time.
The local council hope that the colourful work will be the first step towards regenerating the town centre and turn the West End into a place that can be visited 365 days a year. It’s a bold move and one in reality that has little jeopardy attached to it.
If it fails then we can say nothing ventured nothing gained but if it succeeds then the upside is invaluable for San Antonio going forward and will give it a strong identity.
Opinions are changing every day and as the vision becomes reality, is that positivity I can feel in the air? The negative Nigel’s will always be there but in the Mayors own words. What’s the worst that could happen.
The West End will always be a polarising place but the new energy that Okuda San Miguel has brought to the streets with his art might just be a tipping point.
The final words must go to the artist himself “Personally, it is a very powerful project that is a challenge because it is the first time I have made a floor in combination with fabrics, I also feel that for the first time people can enter the street and immerse themselves in my identity in a work I’m doing with great enthusiasm for Ibiza,”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons when he announced that non-EU residents could be charged up to 100% tax on new property purchases. Homebuyers in Spain currently pay 6-13% purchase tax depending on the region.
Sanchez’ announcement last Monday (13/1/25) was part of a 12-point plan due to start in 2026 to promote public housing. It’s been reported as fact but it’s just a proposal at this time and in truth has little chance of successfully getting through parliament as he does not have a majority and all coalition partners would have to support it, which is unlikely. What’s more current European law doesn’t allow it and Spanish property taxes are in the hands of the regional authorities and those which are controlled by the opposition Partido Popular (including the Balearics) have said that they wouldn’t introduce the tax.
First of all let’s put this proposal into context. Non EU property purchases last year were only 2% of all Spanish property sales so this proposal won’t help the housing situation. Here in the Balearics, for example, the type of properties bought by non EU citizens in general are not the type of property that Spains public sector workers buy or rent.
Rather than targeting the 2% of the market it might be an idea to look at landlords in the big cities who charge crazy money for rents plus the socialist PSOE government could be proactive by introducing realistic tax incentives for those who own multiple properties to encourage them to rent. Currently the rental market is a mess with tenants allowed to stay put for up to 7 years which deters many from renting while squatters are perceived to have more legal rights than owners.
The mortgage system in Spain needs a total overhaul and locks out those who don’t have large deposits to put down. A mortgage needs to be more attainable to the younger Spanish market and while he’s at, overhaul planning laws to make them more flexible to encourage the building of social housing.
However instead of focussing on pro-active measures to encourage residents into home ownership or assisted housing Sr Sánchez has framed the blame on rich foreigners, a cheap and easy shot to keep his political partners happy.
The cold hard fact is that there’s been no creation of any social or assisted housing here in the Balearics for many years (I wrote about the housing shortage in 2017). We’ve had consecutive regional and central governments that have done nothing amid a growing population and it’s these same politicians who are now shouting from the rooftops about the housing crisis.
The Partido Popular, the government opposition in Madrid, have decried the new proposal as “xenophobic” reiterating that they would not introduce these tax laws in regions that they govern such as Andalucia, the Canary Islands and the Balearics. “The problem is not that people want to live in Spain, the problem is that there is a lack of housing,” said Luis de la Matta, director of communications of the Partido Popular (PP).
So we have a badly thought through proposal that won’t get the necessary support targeting the wrong demographic being reported as fact. When it comes to bad optics is doesn’t come much worse. To score a few cheap political points Sr Sánchez has opened a can of worms that will rumble on for months. He should be very proud of himself.
Part 2 – Privilege Ibiza 1994-2019: Manumission madness to closure
Early 1991 and the world is gripped by war in the Arabian Gulf. Kuwait has been liberated but the global collateral damage still rumbles on. One of the main casualties is the European tourism industry with bookings massively down.
In Ibiza, the biggest club in the world now has a roof due to noise restrictions and isn’t having a great time. The dynamic has changed and its hangar like interior takes thousands to fill and there’s not enough people around. Nobody realised at the time but this was the beginning of the end of the mythical Ku Club. It limped on for another year but closed its doors in 1992 and would not open again until 2 years later when a new name would appear on the enormous iconic dome.
For summer 1994 the now renamed ‘Privilege Ibiza’ was about to open its doors. Tourism was back on track and a club night was about to take the island and the world by storm. Legendary promoters Paul Dennis and ‘Mad’ Tommy Mack were putting a Monday night together to go head to head with Mad Mondays at Pacha after another fallout with their partner Alan Warman.
Paul and Tommy had brought along brothers Andy and Mike McKay who were making a name for themselves on the Manchester scene and the night was called Manumission. As is the wont of club promotors, within a few weeks there would be a big fallout including fisticuffs between the four of them leaving the McKay brothers to go it alone. The rest, as they say, is history.
1994 was the start of a new era, it had taken a few years but the penny had dropped for European club nights to come to Ibiza and create an experience that would catapult their brand into cyberspace. Ibiza’s club scene had been evolving since the mid 80’s and it was about to enter the era of the promoter.
Privilege with its enormous 10,000 capacity and esteemed history was THE venue in world clubbing. Pacha was cooler, Amnesia was edgier and Space was an eclectic madhouse but if you could crack the biggest club in the world then sky was the limit.
Summer 1994 in Privilege saw Manumission on Mondays joined by Cream on Thursdays. The Liverpool brand has jumped on the bandwagon and started filling out the club. From closure the previous year, Privilege now had the 2 biggest nights on the island.
Brands came and went but over the years Privilege unveiled new promotions that pushed the boundaries. Renaissance started in 2000 which included live music and personal appearances by world famous artists such as Kylie Minogue, M People and many more. Privilege had come full circle and was at the top of its game again, conversely the roof had given it the crackling atmosphere that an open air venue could never have.
Manumission will go down as groundbreaking in Ibiza’s clubbing history taking Privilege to new levels, full of creativity and infamous shows. The world wanted a piece of the action and Manumission were happy to oblige.
From 1994 to 2016 even through the ebbs and flows, Privilege was still seen as the pinnacle of clubland, an iconic landmark on the Ibiza to San Antonio main road. Were there better clubs? Of course but the sheer size and magnificence of Privilege set it apart from the rest.
Manumission, after putting the superclub back on the map, ran into problems with the owners (as often happens on the white isle) and petered out at the start of the new millennium but Privilege stayed relevant, putting on mega-parties such as SuperMartxe that ran from 2008 for over a decade. Radio 1 held many events there with Pete Tong leading the way and were always a sell out.
By the late noughties the era of the promoter had now given way to the era of the superstar DJ, their faces staring down at you from most of Ibizas advertising hoardings. The Tiesto residency in 2008 was massive and Resistance with Carl Cox and other top names was Privilege’s final big promotion in 2019.
It had been over 25 years of incredible parties but the Ibiza dynamic was radically changing. In reality Privilege’s business had been declining in the face of fierce competition, not least the rise of daytime venues, and the club was falling into disrepair with parts closed off by the local council due to safety issues.
Murmurs of a legal situation had surfaced in 2016 when the Matutes Group, owners of Ushuaia, who were also partners in Privilege had reportedly invoked a clause in the shareholders agreement to acquire the shares held by José María Etxaniz who was trying to sell his majority stake to a 3rd party.
In an ironic twist Sr Etxaniz had tried to get Balearic judges to close down Ushuaia citing ‘unfair competition’ arguing that the hotel had ‘a competitive advantage by violating laws’ and operating as a ‘de facto nightclub’ without the necessary licences.
Once Etxaniz showed his hand with an intention to sell, the Matutes group went on the offensive and invoked a shareholder rule where they could buy Etxaniz’s shares in Privilege as long as they matched the asking price and this is where it all went a bit Pete Tong, to use a DJ analogy.
The Matutes group disagreed with the asking price of 23.8 million euros so a court appointed auditor was ordered to value the club. In 2018, after much wrangling the Matutes group legally acquired the remaining shares to own the club outright for a rumoured amount of around 20 million euros but the court case didn’t end there as Etxaniz appealed to judges for a better payoff especially as the Pacha Group had changed hands a couple of years earlier for 350 million euros.
While lawyers and judges were being kept busy the world was about to be gripped by a global pandemic that meant that’s Ibiza’s clubs, it’s most famous commodity, didn’t open for 2 years. By the time the clubs reopened the legalities of Privilege had been settled, the owners of Ushuaia and Hï Ibiza now had another massive project on their hands.
As an empty Privilege fell into further disrepair, the online rumour mill went into overdrive fuelled by saccharine voiced ‘content creators’. It wasn’t until autumn 2023 that the Matutes Group’s plans started to filter out when it was announced that Ibiza’s Tourism Planning Commission had given the green light to a renovation project with an initial investment of around 8.2 million euros for the rehabilitation and improvements in water circularity and solar energy.
The world’s worst kept secret was out of the bag. The nightclub previously known as Ku and then Privilege was reopening but in what form? The Matutes Group were riding on the crest of a wave, Ushuaia and Hi were being internationally recognised as world leaders in entertainment so it didn’t take a genius to surmise that a new superclub would fit perfectly within their forward thinking strategy.
Fast forward to late summer 2024 and social media lights up with Hollywood ‘bad boy’ Will Smith on Privilege’s roof with The Night League’s (Ushuaia and Hï’) CEO Yann Pissenem announcing that UNVRS – the worlds first ‘hyper-club’ would be opening in 2025.
Part 3 – The Night League unveils UNVRS and Social Media goes into Meltdown.
Before Will Smith, dressed in scruffy pants on the roof, announced the opening of UNVRS Ibiza – the worlds first ‘hyper-club’, the outpouring of emotion for Ku/Privilege nightclub on social media whipped up by content creators and influencers had gone into overdrive. If you haven’t seen them then I strongly recommend you do.
Phoney AI American voiceovers, saccharine sweet statements pronouncing names incorrectly and the faux sincerities are something to behold – the ‘don’t believe what you see on social media’ trope had never been more true. In truth the worlds largest club (as previously verified by Guinness Records) is about to be taken into a whole different era by a company with a proven world class track record but before we get into that (part 3) let’s put some meat on the bone and get some context/history to the story.
Ku Club was iconic. One of life’s curiosities is how the world’s largest club became to be on a small Mediterranean island. It’s a story that catches the imagination and was in a big way responsible for putting Ibiza at the centre of the hedonistic world of 80s clubbing, so let’s start at the beginning.
The ‘club San Rafael’ morphed into Ku Ibiza (named after an Hawaiian God) in the late 70s when Spanish profesional Footballer Jose Santamaría teamed up with legendary promoter Brasilio Oliveira to exploit this open aired space by putting on edgy parties attracting the Bourgeois European crowd.
While Amnesia across the road was defining the Balearic beat that is still prevalent today, Ku focussed on the beautiful people with a polysexual ambience that drew in those that wanted to express themselves and more importantly have fun.
The old Ku photos from the 80s are spellbinding – look at these Facebook Pics for example – gorgeous well dressed people, transvestites, models, local bigwigs, pop stars, footballers, nobodies, hippies all coming together in a white hot cauldron of excess that defined the 80s.
Ku typified 80s excess, fashion and style but was largely unknown outside of the in-crowd where it was like drawing bees to the honeypot.
Then Ku went mainstream. In May 1987 an event took place that put the club and the island on the world map. To celebrate Olympic Games being awarded to Barcelona, local promotor Pino Sagliacchi fused together the 2 brands by staging ‘biza 92’ at Ku. So to celebrate Barcelona 92 an event took place in May 1987 called Ibiza 92 at Ku. Are you still with me?
Over 2 nights world renowned bands performed for an over excited crowd but more importantly it was filmed and televised all over the globe such was the power of the names involved. Duran Duran, Belinda Carlisle , Breathe, Robert Palmer , Spandau Ballet, Prefab Sprout, Natalie Cole plus a rare public appearance by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
This was the height of the British pop takeover of the world so the names opened doors. In charge of the filming was a young, ambitious producer by the name of Janet Street Porter who was herself defining 80s youth culture in Margaret Thatchers new capitalist Britain.
If the first night was good then the 2nd night was breathtakingly iconic and would take the Ku Club into most British and European living rooms.
Queen’s Freddie Mercury still riding on a crest of a wave from Live Aid 2 years previously teamed up with world famous opera soprano Montserrat Caballe to perform and record the video for ‘Barcelona’ which would go on to become the anthem for the Olympic Games of 1992 and remains part of the Spanish psyche to the present day.
Today’s era is full of crossovers and collaborations but in the 80s it was a preposterous proposal to put these 2 together but it worked perfectly. The rich voice of Mercury and the haunting melody of Caballe blended perfectly together as they they stood together in evening dress surrounded by flowers and candles at the biggest club in the world. The song was a worldwide hit and when the video was played, Ku Club Ibiza in all its glorious and pompous beauty was beamed directly to to TVs all over the planet with presenters all to happy to fill in the blanks. Ku Club had gone mainstream.
But what goes up must come down and only 4 years later as the western world skirmished in the Iraqi desert the worlds biggest club was an empty hangar with little or no promotion and a shadow of its former self. The 80s bubble had burst and Ku was caught in the proverbial crossfire. Victim of its size as tourist numbers depleted. It’s hard to create an atmosphere with a thousand people in a club that holds 10 times that amount.
Then sailing in at sunset (well actually driving in an old transit van) came 2 brothers from Manchester who unknowingly were a about to rescue the worlds biggest club and put it on the map in a global way that Ibiza had never seen before, even in those so called 80s glory years
To be continued.
Part 2 – The Privilege Ibiza Years 1994-2019: Manumission madness to Closure
MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace 