Is there a more iconic Ibiza hotel than Pikes? Or a more enigmatic hotelier than Tony Pike? Probably not.
Pikes hotel has had a reputation for hedonism since the 70's on the island and Pike a reputation as perfect host, raconteur, serial womaniser, traveller and all round party animal.
Out and out fame reared its head in 83 when top popsters Wham recorded their video for Club Tropicana in the hotel. Back then, as the video shows, Andrew Ridgeley still had his own nose, George Michael had to blow his own trumpet and Tony Pike, who played the cocktail shaking barman, had a moustache so luxuriant, that it had its own credit in the end titles of the vid.
The moustache theme continued when Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of opera rockers Queen, came to stay. He was so impressed with Pikes that he threw his birthday party in the hotel and flew all his friends in for a 24 hour bash with absolutely no expense spared.
The Pikes story started about 500 years ago when an unknown Ibicenco laid the foundations of a country boutique hotel in lush countryside just outside San Antonio. Then a small fishing village whose only visitors were marauding corsairs, San An didn't have much of a market hotels like this for another 470 ish years when mass tourism and Tony Pike arrived.
Seeing the potential, he bought the property, and set about converting and expanding it to the level we see today, which didn't go unnoticed by the authorities. They suspected Sr. Pike of dealing in drugs to fund the works, but with the help of a friend, Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, who invited the chief of police round for a free dinner (see, there is such a thing) everything was smoothed over.
It's no secret that Pikes had been on sale for a while. Pike himself had grown older and more tired, a satellite TV documentary showed him and the hotel in an unfavourable light, and it appeared to be living on its past reputation.
Now, under the aegis of the Ibiza Rocks organisation, Pikes has been restored to all its former glory, with individually styled rooms, a new bar called Freddie's, and a promise to throw some of the best parties ever, once again. Only the Ibiza Rocks people could have done this, but they did it with the help of Pike himself, and he'll be there in person presiding over the proceedings like he never went away.
