One week in Ibiza. It's too much, and it's not enough.
If you've been here you'll understand.
This was similar to previous years in that we didn't "take it easier", and we spent even more than the year before. But this year had one special difference to other years. This year we got to see DJ Tomasuchy play in some of Ibiza's most famous clubs and bars. We also saw a few other DJs along the way.
Our first full day was Monday. Tomas was playing at 2 a.m. that night at Savannah Bar in San Antonio. Lots of time to kill in between. First priority of the day was to get Tomas some new sunglasses. Surprisingly, he had lost his somewhere he couldn't remember. So a trip to San An's west end (thankfully in the daylight hours) awaited us. It took a few shops to achieve our goal as Tomas had to have mirrored glasses.
Now that the public were safe from Tomas's eyes we hit our first bar, Ataca, along the beach strip at San An. This was the meeting point where the tour got their magic wristbands, sorted out tickets, and met each other for a few drinks.
While the rest of the world were counting the hours until their Monday hell was over, we were laying in the sunshine, free-poured drinks in hand, nodding along to the sweet Balaeric tunes and thinking what to do next.
There was no question. Two letters. One number. DC10!
It's basic, it's miles from anywhere, the terrace is as hot as an oven, and; it's fucking amazing!
There is nowhere else in Ibiza quite like it. These are the craziest, friendliest and messiest people Ibiza has to offer. Coupled with some of the best electro, techno & house you will ever hear, this place has quickly and rightly achieved legendary status. Some people have been known to line up at the door when it opens at 8 a.m. and leave when it's all over at midnight. Not me. I don't like getting out of bed that early. But some people; that I know of.
We arrived back in hotel after DC10 with a couple of hours to kill before Tomas played his first ever set in Ibiza. After a quick room party we headed off to Savannah Bar by the sunset strip to watch Tomas play B2B with Funky Paul for a couple of hours to a small but energetic crowd. Then back to the hotel for another room party. Fortunately not our room as whoever held this party was evicted from their room the next day.

Tuesday was the day of the boat party.
Boat parties seem to have a magical atmosphere of their own, and this was no exception.
It all started calmly enough. Some chilled house music and a few beers & vodkas as we sat and watched the Ibizan coastline pass by, the gentle rocking and delicate sea breeze creating an atmosphere of serenity. Which turned to frivolity when the boat stopped in an idyllic cove and the less slothful (ie- more intoxicated) among us dived, jumped and fell into the warm azure waters of the Meditteranean.
Once we were done spalshing about, the boat was on the move again. And so were the passengers. With the music tempo creeping up as the setting sun crept down, there was now an energy in the twilight air. Everyone was grooving.
And there is nothing quite as good as outdoor clubbing. And when that outdoors is on the top deck surrounded by ocean, sea air and blue sky, then you know you've got some happy clubbers. And that's when you crack open the champagne.
Happiness became delerium. With Gareth and Tomas playing some stomping house tunes & Ibiza classics the crowd went absolutely wild.
This was pure and total joy!
Unfortunately the sun sank below the horizon (selfish bastard that it is) and our incredible journey was over. But not the night. That, had only just begun.
Tonight Tomas was to play in San An's beach club Kanya.
When we arrived there was a decent crowd watching Armin Van Buuren do a warm up set before his night in Amnesia. He finished and left about midnight. And so did most of the crowd. (So technically, the world's #1 DJ (DJ Magazine 2007) warmed up for Tomas that night. Which was nice.)
So Kanya turned out to be a dud night. But we weren't giving up. Once Tomas finished his excellent and unappreciated set, we visited some of the strangest and most inconveniently located bars San An had to offer.
At least when you do the bad, it makes you appreciate just how good the good ones are.

Wednesday, and it was our first opportunity to spend some quality time with our old Ibiza friend Bora Bora, the infamous beach bar on Playa den Bossa.
For many people, this is Ibiza. Unfortunately it has had to tone itself down from the hedonistic abandon of past years. Previously, people would dance on tables for hours on end (myself included). That tradition has been sadly ended by security. Making one hot young Spanish bird put her top back on while dancing was another potentially great tradition I saw spoiled by security again this year. Luckily this doesn't extend to the beach where, for guys, the use of sunglasses is absolutely essential.
Bora Bora is a beach bar, with sun lounges stretching down to the water's edge and DJs playing deep & soulful house that builds into a jackin party that goes on each day until midnight. Hire a deck chair, place a bottle of supermarket vodka & mixers in the shade beneath it and drink, dance & flirt your way to a state of oblivion and end up with a great tan as well. Legendary!
A day at Bora Bora was a good warm up for the night's activities. Tomas was playing at the San An superclub Es Paradis. Tonight was the closing party of Fiesta del Agua. The famous water party. This elegant, if slightly worn club would, I imiagine, look magnificent in its prime with a packed house. Tonight it was neither.
Tomas played to a small but responsive crowd in the upstairs terrace room. The only water up there though was the 10 euro a bottle variety.
It was quite a wait but at 5 a.m. downstairs in the main room, the circular stepped dancing pit became a forest of fountains. Water spurted & cascaded from every direction. The crowd danced, splashed about and got completely drenched. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces. People were having wild ridiculous fun.
For an hour on that San Antonio morning it was, as the club's name suggested, paradise.

So now, it's Thursday, and we are about half way through the holiday. Tonight is what we've all been waiting for. Especially Tomas. This is the gold ring. The blue riband event. The holy grail of the DirtyDubbin week. Tonight is Cream closing party at Amnesia. Featuring DJ Tomasuchy! Oh, and Paul Van Dyk.
Yes, Tomas played the opening set on the terrace at Amnesia. And it was a great start to a great night. DJs trying to step out of Tomas's shadow afterwards included Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Ferry Corsten and PVD. They did it pretty well. Paul van Dyk's 3 hour set more than enough proof as to why he has been #1 DJ in the world for the previous 2 years. Simply awesome.
So good that some of us refused to go quietly into the night (or the day) and ventured on to afterparties at Space or simply kept it going in their hotel rooms. And by the time that was over, it was time for a return visit to Bora Bora. Well, for some of the more hard-core. I can't mention names.

Sadly I have nothing to report on Friday night as I slept for 14 hours. And anything I've heard secondhand about any third parties I am unfortunately unable to repeat. It's been forbidden. Sorry. A shame too, because it is very entertaining stuff ;-)

Saturday saw London institution Smartie Partie take over Bora Bora. So we had to go. We arrived just as the sun took over the sky for the afternoon, claimed our cluster of deck chairs, and began emancipating the vodka from its bottled prison to the freedom to roam around in our bellies.
The music was fantastic all day, but a special mention to Ibiza stalwart and Tomas's friend DJ Oliver Lang. His evening set was one of the greatest I've heard anywhere. Incredible beyond words.
Tomas's final gig of the week was at San An's Eden. Fortunately playing in the upstairs bar, as the main room had less people than a Jade Goody elocution class.
He and Funky Paul managed a 4 hour back to back set that went through to the end of the night.
Which left us with our Sunday to just relax by the pool and soak up every last precious moment of peace, sunshine, fresh air and companionship. Because the next time we will be living the dream won't be until June 2008.
Ibiza opening parties. We will be there. You should be too!