House of heritage

Those stories however, are well documented. What comes next for Pikes is yet to be written and the 2017 summer season lies ahead like a book of empty pages, ready and waiting to be filled with new tales of adventure, debauchery, fun and fabulousness. At the heart of the new chapter of Pikes are owners and Ibiza Rocks founders Dawn Hindle and Andy McKay. After acquiring Pikes in 2011, they were determined to respect the hotel’s heritage while putting their own stamp on the iconic space. “We feel the hotel is a living, breathing museum to everything Tony built,” explains Dawn. “We needed to modernise it, but we never wanted to strip away its identity.”

The Pikes ethos has always been to make guests feel as though they were staying in a private home – a hedonistic grown-up escape.

This passion for preserving history is evident in the 2017 refurbishments, where no two details are alike. “We want to keep each room individual and special, so we renovate ad hoc,” says Dawn, who scours the globe for unique pieces to breathe new life into the older spaces – be it taxidermy, vintage furniture or art. “Of course, there are things we will never touch, like the terracotta bathroom that was in the Club Tropicana film clip – you can’t! But the hotel was built in the 70s and things do wear out. It would be easy to rip everything out and start from scratch, but we love the individuality and want to add to it, not subtract from it.” A new, match made in heaven collaboration with eclectic British interior design and homewares company Rockett St George further builds on the hotel’s heritage, with custom designed wallpaper created using the imagery from the famous Pikes photo collection and cool neon signs emblazoning location appropriate phrases such as Kate Moss’s rather logical ‘Why the fuck can’t I have fun all the time?’ across the walls. Bespoke scented candles dubbed ‘After the disco’, cool cocktail kits, quirky notebooks disguised as bedside Bibles and mirrored disco balls are now found for sale in every room (and online). “We thought it might stop people nicking everything!” says Dawn.

Rockett St George were also invited to completely redesign Room 9 of the hotel, showcasing their dark, vintage-inspired aesthetic via black-painted walls, retro peacock chairs, mid-century cocktail trolleys, bold neon signage, quirky lighting, wall-mounted zebras and much more. Think Tender is the Night meets The Factory with a splash of punk rock in between. Described as ‘grotto-fabulous’ and ‘bohemian back to mine’, this is the room you want to be seen in at Pikes this summer. While the Pikes vibes is indeed all about mingling and making new friends, you can make it easy for yourself by simply reserving the room! A facelift was also given to the iconic Freddie’s Suite in order to further enhance its usability and fun factor. A cool pull-down bed has been added (“Just because I’ve always wanted one!” laughs Dawn), evoking that authentic house party feeling, while walls have been lined with the aforementioned wallpaper and eclectic chic palm tree lamps and neon signs softly illuminate the space. The floor has been levelled out to allow more space for dancing, the bars have been redesigned for easier access and there’s even a secret bookcase door separating the dance floor from The Potting Shed bar.

Pikes is the perfectly balanced sum of its parts – amazing music, eclectic style, interesting people, delicious food, wonderful wine and an anything can happen ambience.

The jewel in the crown of Freddie’s Suite is the new DJ booth – once a tiny, ramshackle wardrobe – redesigned by none other than DJ Harvey, who was recently named Pikes’ ‘Cultural Attaché’. Harvey also collaborated with Pikes on the installation of a new Void sound system and custom lighting in Freddie’s. All the better to dance to my dears, as DJ Harvey’s Mercury Rising residency returns to Pikes for its third consecutive season on Monday nights from August 7 to September 25, 2017. The beauty of a Pikes party is that absolutely everyone is welcome – provided you’ve signed up to the guest list (easily done here). Hotel guests dance alongside holidaymakers, island locals, Ibicencos, rock royalty and well-known Pikes characters such as Sunny in his fancy dress boudoir or bathtub karaoke room. The summer 2017 party line-ups are serious stuff, with Paul Oakenfold hosting a four-week series of parties every Wednesday in August, while Saturday nights are the signature Pikes House Party, with special guest headline DJs including Artwork, Leon Vynehall, Bushwacka! and PBR Streetgang. More international artists including Simian Mobile Disco, Midland, Mr Saturday Night Live and Mike Mayer, guest star on Mondays in July as London ‘it’ club XOYO host their first Ibiza residency, XOYO Loves…

Rounding out all the elements of Pikes is Room 39, the in-house restaurant – open to non-hotel guests for breakfast, lunch, poolside snacks and dinner alike. With chef Lee Milne at the helm for a third season, 2017 sees the restaurant define its culinary identity with a new sharing style menu drawing on the British heritage of the owners and loyal clientele, with splashes of Tony Pike’s Australian influence, plus a distinct nod to the Spanish location and traditional tapas style of eating. On Thursday nights throughout summer, Room 39 hosts ‘Pikes Open Kitchen’ inviting guest chefs to take over for the evening – a new pop-up platform to showcase exciting new gastronomic ideas from around the globe. An impressive wine list – much of it hailing from mainland Spain – completes the Room 39 offering, with many of the varieties (even those at the top of the scale) available by the glass. Cocktails, in true Club Tropicana style, are expertly shaken and stirred poolside (though unfortunately not free!) and the Pikes Sunday Roast provides the perfect taste of nostalgia to wrap up your weekend. All in all, Pikes truly is the sum of its parts – each piece of the puzzle perfectly complementing the other and resulting in unforgettable holiday experiences.