I'm Going To Pacha, Darling (Pacha (Ibiza) in general)

Member Name: jeff2000

Product:	Pacha (Ibiza) in general
Date:	20/09/01 (5290 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful layout, Beautiful design, Beautiful people

Disadvantages: Language barrier, Prices

Pacha was the first Ibiza club to open, way back in 1973, in an old farmhouse just outside Ibiza town. During the 70's and 80's, whilst Ibiza was widely unknown, Pacha played host to the rich and famous, who came to escape the press and party in the most outrageous manner. Since then the club has become world renowned for it's stylish decor, cosmopolitan mix of people and quality of it's nights. Because of the success of this club there are now 70 different Pacha's around the world, and Pacha London is set to be opening soon. Pacha is one of the few clubs in Ibiza to open the whole year round, meaning that it's as much of a hit with the locals as with the holidaying clubber.

Pacha is situated in Ibiza town, opposite the Marina, right next to El Divinio. It is about a 10-minute walk from the old Ibiza town, where most of the pre club bars are housed, and for the lazy amongst us I would recommend getting a cab.

The first thing that you notice as you first start to catch a glimpse of the club are the blue and yellow lights illuminating the outside of what looks like a middle eastern palace. Palm trees gently sway either side of the entrance and the domed roof makes an impressive sight.
Once you have paid your entrance fee you are fed into a courtyard, off this is the main entrance to the club and also the Pacha restaurant and shop. I think the restaurant is quite exclusive so don't expect to get anything to eat there but if you really want to spend your hard earnt dollars then you can always stock up on Pacha gifts, such as; stickers, clothing (t-shirts, bandanas etc...), cd's, keyrings, anything they can put their logo on really.
Once you've parted with as much cash as feel happy with you are now ready to enter the club. Whether to go in the global room or not will be the first choice that you will have thrust upon you, it is situated on the right on the way in an acts as the second room, often playing qu
ite progressive music. It is quite a large room with several different floor heights breaking it up nicely. There is a bar at the back and the DJ box dominates the room, raised at the front of the dance floor. I didn't really venture into this room but it looked very nice from outside.
If you decide to ignore the global room (as I did) then you find yourself with two bars and a seating area to your left, the bars are very low down for some reason so it looks as if it's made for 'the little people', but once you've go over this you'll find the sofas to be very comfortable indeed.
Anyway, once you've sat down for a bit you'll probably find the music too much for you and you'll just have to dance, so pull yourself out of that sofa and step into the main room. As you enter it the DJ box is to your right and the stairs up to the balcony, funky room and terrace wind their way behind it. The dance floor is quite small but don't let that stop you as people dance everywhere in this club, adding to the atmosphere. Suspended above the dance floor are massive projections of trippy images and also a wicked lighting set up. There are three bars located around the dance floor and also the VIP area, which is the largest in Ibiza don't you know. You can often find celebs such as Kylie, George Michael, Noel Gallagher and JK grooving the night away so keep your eyes peeled.
Once you've had enough of dancing and feel that you want to explore the club a bit more then it will be onwards an upwards for you. The balcony surrounds 3/4 of the dance floor and there are a further two bars on it. There is also quite a bit of seating in the shape of unbelievably comfortable sofas but you won't be needing those as every one will still be using all the available space to dance.
If it's all a bit much for you in the main room you have two further options, the funky room or the terrace. The funky room plays, well, funk, and is
ideal for chilling, or if even that's too much for you then the roof top terrace is full of seating and a sweet ambient soundtrack will give you the full flavour of Ibiza. There are bars in both these areas so you won't have to look too hard if you need a tasty beverage.
Throughout the club the decor is all very white and has a very Mediterranean look and feel to it. It oozes style, from the tiled floors to the drapes on the walls it is clear that a lot of effort has gone into making this club appeal to a dressed up crowd. This feel is maintained through the night by the number of staff they employ to clear away empties, a task often neglected by other clubs. I cannot really say how nice this club is, it has to be seen to be believed.

That concludes my tour of the club, but I'm sure you'll find a lot more to it every time you visit it, with 5,000 capacity and the way it's designed I'm sure you won't get bored of it.

WHAT'S ON: This may change for next year (2002), but for this season the line up was as follows:
Monday: Made In Italy. A soiree into Italian house, so it's funky all the way.

Tuesday: Perfecto. Paul Oakenfold's label puts on such names as Carl Cox, Seb Fontaine, Sneak and the man himself. So expect some sparkly trance to get you moving.

Wednesday: Subliminal sessions. Erick Morillo and Darren Emerson go back to back in what was one of the major success stories of this year. Progressive/funky music will fill your night and look out for the big name guests in the global room (John Digweed and Fatboy Slim to name but two).

Thursday: Pacha themed parties. Go back in time with flower power and check out Basics in the back room. The music varies depending on the theme, of course.

Friday: Ministry Of Sound. One of the longest running nights on the island, guests include such quality as Deep Dish, Roger Sanchez and Louie Vega. Expect quality funky house with r
ecord label parties in the global room.

Saturday: Def Mix. With Frankie Knuckles, David Morales and Lord G. Another quality house night with Satoshi Tomiie in the global room.

Sunday: Scandal. Pacha's polysexual experience with different promoters each week.

In addition to all these quality jocks Pippi is the resident every night in the Global room, though after listening to his essential mix I'm too sure if that's a good thing.

Entrance will cost you 5,000 - 8,000 pts (£20 - £32) through the season but my advice would be to buy your ticket in advance as you will save at least 1,000 pts (£4) and you'll get a free drink of whatever you want. Drinks are:
Water - 1,000 pts (£4)
Vodka red bull - 2,000 (£8)
Spirit and mixer - 1,500 (£6)
Bottled beer - 1,500 (£6)
So quite pricey then. In my experience drink the spirits as the Spanish measures are about four times British measures so they aren't really that bad deal.
There isn't officially a dress code but if you don't dress up smart then expect to feel out of place, and don't forget the crowd is very European so don't expect everyone to speak English

I would recommend Pacha to most people, perhaps not those who want to get pissed and pull, but for anyone who has got an interest in good music at a classy venue then get yourself down. It really is that good.

Summary: