Pikes Hotel in Ibiza – the source of a million crazy stories

Numerous celebrities, including Naomi Campbell and Julio Iglesias, have enjoyed their time at the Pikes Hotel Ibiza. This was the place where Freddie Mercury and Wham! played one of their most popular songs for the first time, which served as inspiration for everyone traveling to Ibiza. As a result of such popularity, Mr. Pikes had numerous stories to tell.

An old estate that in the future became a famous hotel was advertised for sale in Ibiza when Tony Pike, a 40 plus-year-old Australian playboy, came to the island at the edge of the 1980s and was fastly acquired by him. 

Despite having no plans to construct a hotel, not right now, not in the near future, he was just drawn to the location. He liked this place partly because it was called Can Pep Tonieta, which literally translates from Spanish as “the tiny Tony’s property.” The second obstacle was that this place was unfit to live in.

In order to acquire this crumbling building, Pike had to spend every dollar that he had to buy it and then renovate it all by himself. There was no access to running water or power, the walls and ceilings were deteriorating. 

After the purchase, the Pikes Hotel opened its doors two years later. You can read more about it in Tony Pikes Book. In spite of every obstacle, the Pikes Hotel maintained its growth, upgrading, and getting better for the following 30 years. 

According to his own statement, Tony built a gym that was never utilized and other big projects such as tennis courts and a swimming pool with an underwater bar. It is said that he dug it out with a pickaxe for three months straight.

The hotel’s popularity dramatically grew when Pike met a person seeking a site to film a music video directed by George Michael for the Wham!’s hit song “Club Tropicana.” This was a significant occasion that changed the history of the hotel. 

As Pike recounts in his autobiography, he had no idea how important this music video would prove to be for both the hotel and himself. His appearance at Wham! cemented his status as a celebrity, paving the way for world popularity. 

After the video’s release, reservations were already made for all the rooms for many months ahead, making this hotel one of the most sought hotels in the world. Mr. Pikes remained eternally grateful to George Michael for this occasion.

Tony Pikes had excellent storytelling skills. He captivated his audience by sharing stories about his difficult childhood in England, his military service in the British Merchant Navy when he was 15 years old, and his journeys worldwide. 

It is said that he had over three thousand sexual encounters with women as well as a couple of men. According to his friends, Pike was a serial womanizer and a self-described sex addict. He proudly boasted that he had the ability to gratify thousands of females. Pike successfully turned the property into his own playboy playground, attracting many famous celebrities from around the globe.