The Putibarco. Ibiza’s Infamous Love Boat.

A pleasure boat once sailed the seas around Ibiza, following its billionaire owner at a discreet distance on his megayacht, which held the title of the world’s largest yacht at 147m in length, complete with a helipad, black Mercedes cars and a crew of 66. The crew and passengers of this yacht, styled with luxury interiors including gold taps and priceless art hanging from its walls, were all male as it belonged to a Royal family, so appearances of sanctity and decorum were observed. The Megayacht holiday home of the Prince would sail into Ibiza every July accompanied by two smaller yachts; one was for administrative staff, and the other was for partying.

Once, the Prince decided to come ashore and lounge on the stunning beach of Ses Illets in Formentera to experience what it was like to live as a hippy. A makeshift beach bar was assembled, and hippy entertainers from the local workforce were hired to entertain the Prince with juggling, fire acts, bongo drums, singing and dancing. The ladies, all dressed in white bikinis, disembarked in groups of five and sunbathed on the beach, which became the private preserve of the Prince. People on the beach or who wandered onto it during the royal visit were paid handsomely to make themselves scarce.