A well known British consortium, who have been in business on the island for over three decades, are rumored to be the new owners of an old West End Hotel, the notorious Don Juan, located bang in the middle of the infamous neon lit street, Carrer Santa Ines. The Don Juan, has had a colorful history, a full on party hotel in the 80’s and 90’s and in recent years, it moonlighted as a late night bar and brothel. The new owners, who sold a similar rags to riches property near Ibiza town for a tidy sum, are rumored to be investing a hefty chunk of those profits into transforming the old Don Juan into a luxury 4 star lifestyle Hotel complete with DJ’s, pool parties and €200 per night rooms. Its all part of the “Gentrification of The West End” project implemented by the socialists in 2016 and set to be completed by the PP led center right coalition currently in power in San Antonio.
The redevelopment of The West End has left a sour taste in the mouths of some local business owners, many of them British, who had voted for the PP alliance in the hope that they would halt the draconian laws introduced by the previous government to effectively drive them out of business by reducing their peak trading hours. But as we all know, Politicians will promise the sun, moon and stars to get themselves elected and in my opinion the current San Antonio council will continue to make life difficult for those at the lower end of the food chain, favoring more upmarket investments like the Don Juan. Hotel ownership also offers a more flexible licencing environment for party tourists, compared to the restrictive licencing currently in place for small bars and clubs.
The rumor that The Don Juan will have a savvy, British styled, multi million euro makeover, promises to be a real game changer for the West End, an area of San Antonio that has already witnessed new redevelopments, catering to a more health conscious and sustainable tourist. Currently San Antonio is in the middle of a Bull market for Hotel and tourist associated property and the island shows no slowdown in property investment, making it one of the most wealthiest areas of Spain. Real estate values have risen 56% in the space of 5 years, so much so that Ibiza town now holds the title as the most expensive town in Spain to buy, with a square meter of ground is valued at €3700. We will be keeping our fingers crossed that the rumors are true about the Don Juan, as the people behind the new venture will only add quality tourism to an area in need of regeneration.
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