                  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 ORÍENTAL - gone (replaced by Bar Cherí) C/ Alfonso XII 3, Ibiza 07800, Spain A bar that's been through a few name changes over the year's, Oríental's position next door to the still ultra-chic Dôme would alone be enough to guarantee a busy terrace. When the Dôme opened it doors in 1989 it was located where Oríental is now, and when I first visited the island in 1990 it was one of the few bars I visited regularly. It was fresh, hip, popular, and as I didn't really know anyone who worked on the island back then, I could drink where I liked with impunity! Somehow, as I got to know the staff of Ibiza's other bars, I managed not to return for another twelve years... This meant that I completely bypassed the bar's brief incarnation as l'Atrium, but I couldn't fail to notice its 2001 relaunch as Oríental (though it still came across to all extents and purposes as 'Baby Dôme'). I also couldn't fail to notice that it was now the 'Amnesia bar' in Ibiza Town... and the final port-of-call for the Amnesia procession... and the Amnesia dancers! A chance visit early in 2002 (Oríental is one of the few bars to remain open all year round) allowed me to discover what I'd been missing all this time. On my first visit, Ron Burnett was DJing, Maxi was behind the bar, Pier-Luigi was quietly everywhere, and I was completely smitten with the place. Okay, I was completely smitten with Maxi, and who wouldn't be, but it was the music of Ron Burnett that got me back there night after night that followed. Over the course of the summer, as I got to know more about hosts Pier-Luigi and Paola, Maxi's past life with Manumission, and the bar's close ties to Amnesia (in particular La Troya Asesina), it became one of my favourite refuges from the rest of the gay scene. Like the Dôme, which since its early days has evolved into a huge conglomeration of bars next door to its original home, Oríental can attract a wannabe crowd, but the personal touch from Pier-Luigi, Paola and Maxi, plus the quality of the music, sets it head-and-shoulders above the faded grandeur of Dôme. And it's also the best connected bar in Ibiza Town for both La Troya Asesina and Gorgeous! Hmm, things look grim for the Ibiza Boy this summer, as two of his favourite bars have bitten the disco dust! I'm buggered (quite regularly, but lets not go there right now) if I can think of a better terrace to sit at and while away the hours... Okay, I've thought of somewhere!
See you there at Teatro or JJ!
| |||
+34 659 49 79 60
 |