It’s August. It’s hot. It’s busy. It’s hectic. It’s crazy. These are the things we constantly hear people saying (myself included) to sum up the peak of the season in Ibiza, so when I was recently invited to a private pool party in the luxurious surrounds of boutique guesthouse Can Xuxu in Cala Tarida, I couldn’t help but think it was the perfect antidote to my severe case of August-itis.
Plus, I was pretty excited to be included on a guest list that was rumoured to also include Leonardo DiCaprio – but more on that later!
I arrived in the company of the afternoon’s amazing entertainers, vocalist Peyton and DJ Alex Taylor (‘I’m with the band!’ I gushed, thinking myself to be the Ibiza version of Kate Hudson in Almost Famous), who literally received a hero’s welcome as we came through the entrance, having performed at the previous year’s pool party, not to mention a host of other glamorous clubs and special events around the world.
Can Xuxu owner Alexandre Narakas was truly the host with the most, welcoming his beautiful collective of friends, on a first name basis with everyone, making all the right introductions and ensuring everyone had a drink in hand (namely a delectable punch of Prosecco and pink grapefruit juice, mmmm!), a comfortable sunbed, leather beanbag or giant daybed, flitting between groups while his gorgeous pack of dogs paraded around the pool and posed on the perfectly pristine grass – seriously, everything within Can Xuxu is picture perfect!
But back to the guests! Did I mention everyone looked as though they had stepped from the pages of the latest edition of Vogue? The fashion vibe was very Hollywood Hills meets ‘70s St Tropez with a dash of Ibiza boho luxe – think Missoni jumpsuits (and maxi dresses and espadrilles and beach towels – oh my!), wide brimmed straw hats, floor length kaftans, colourful strings of beads, long flowing locks (boys and girls!) and of course, all-over golden tans.
As Alex took control of the DJ booth, he also took the party’s tempo up a notch (Tensnake’s Coma Cat will do that every time!), and a spontaneous dance floor quickly erupted in front of the swimming pool. Soon after, Peyton reached for the mike, introducing his accompanying pianist Natasha, and we were treated to a very up-close-and-personal set from the trio, beginning with an ‘unplugged’ kind of vibe followed by a dancier, upbeat vibe.
Talking us through his upbringing in Southern Virginia, with tales of an evangelical Pentecostal father between songs, Peyton’s Jamiroquai-esque performance style fused with his powerhouse of a voice (like Elton John mixed with a gospel singer) was the perfect poolside performance… cracking clever jokes, doing shout outs to the crowd, switching between house tunes and gospel songs, all the while evoking an emotional, magical response from the audience (I may have gotten a little watery-eyed myself at one stage) as the sun went down with the sea in the background – I can almost see it up in lights: ‘An audience with Peyton’. Watch this space!
THE LOWDOWN
THE GOOD: The glamour! The chic, sophisticated and stylish crowd and the veritable fashion parade that was unfolding around the pool made it the perfect afternoon of people watching for me!
THE BAD: It seemed like a bit of a waste to me that the beautiful swimming pool wasn’t put to good use on such a hot, sunny August day! Of course, I wasn’t going to be the first to dive in, but when I think pool party, I think water, bikinis, lilos, beach balls… you know, the stuff MTV film clips are made of!
THE GOSSIP: The big rumour on everyone’s lips (though ‘they’ all stressed that I didn’t hear it from them!) was that Leonardo DiCaprio was going to be making an appearance at the event… news that kept my eyes constantly fixed on the entrance just to be sure. I can’t say I saw him… and a bit of Google vigilante work the following day revealed he was actually in Sydney at the time! A clever ploy to keep people at the party longer, or just another product of the Ibiza rumour mill?
At least someone enjoyed the sparkling swimming pool!
Get our go-to-guide to Ibiza's coolest events delivered straight to your inbox!
