Mr Pikes: The Story Behind The Ibiza Legend

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In 1995, a girlfriend told Tony she had Aids. Tony was tested. He had it too. He was to join the friends he’d started losing, fallen comrades in a war of debauchery. Doctors gave him five years maximum, and he decided to sell up to pay for his care and provide for his children accumulated over four marriages.

The whole venue, of course, became the setting of 80's smash-hit Club Tropicana. For those who do not recall the famous Wham! video filmed at the fairy-tale location, have a look: He also drew the Apartment 3-G comic for a while—the strip was initially drawn by his father—and more than 100 covers of The Hardy Boys Casefiles. 16. You might notice the name Ann in a lot of Pike’s books. A jubilant sense of joie de vivre alongside a mountain of achievements makes this a very fun read. Just like Ibiza and Pikes the book probably isn’t for everyone… but they might just be missing out. It’s murky and confusing. To this day, Tony is unsure if he knows the full story. What is clearer is the grief and guilt he has battled ever since. He “cried for months”, then scattered Dale’s ashes around the olive tree at Pikes and decided the show had to go on. The book resonated. Pike recalled that his editor at the time, who had just lost her mother, was so moved by the book that she cried. She wasn’t the only one: “Over the years thousands, tens of thousands, of people have written to tell me how much it meant to them.” 12. See You Later was inspired by a crush.July 4, 1980 was the ‘official’ opening date of Pikes. Over the years, Tony would continue its transformation in the off-seasons, adding more and more rooms, turning old stables into the reception area, adding the swimming pool that would go on to become emblematic of the hotel and the freedom it stood for. Finally, he put in a tennis court that was rarely used – except by Pike and his favourite tennis partner, Freddie Mercury. He’s been credited as creating the original blueprint for the ‘boutique hotel’ trend, prior to Ian Schrager staking claim to the title. But knowing Tony, he wouldn’t have cared less for a title. “I didn’t see myself as an interior designer but somehow I ended up being both,” he once said. TheRansomNote left a wonderful review which you can read here. It’s a great thing to see the story of Tony being spread far and wide. THE SUN: HE was the sex-mad playboy who provided a tropical retreat for A-list celebrities to indulge their wildest fantasies. At night he lay and watched the stars through a hole in the ceiling. He thought about his previous lives. He thought about the brother who had abused him. Then he got up in the morning and worked even harder.

THE TIMES: Much-married, hedonistic hotel owner who partied hard with many a pop star and was known as the Hugh Hefner of Ibiza; John Donne may have written that no man is an island, but Tony Pike came close. For instance Known as Mr Ibiza, he was the embodiment of Balearic hedonism, a brash, hard-drinking, drug-taking philanderer whose way with women would have made even the love poet blush. For me, Remember Me was a gigantic leap,” Pike wrote. “I knew when I was writing it that it was special and when I finished it—I was high as a kite for weeks. I knew I had finally written something beyond me—a book that would last forever.” The author said that it didn’t even feel like he wrote it; it was his first time writing in the first person, and he also had no idea what was going to happen next, “when in all my other books I knew where I was headed.” A book was recently released discussing the life and times of one of Ibiza's most prolific figures, a worthy tale not often told. An incredible story about a small, skinny, lonely bullied child, who against the odds, grew up to live an existence the rest of us could only dream about. Tony eventually loved his rollercoaster life and life. Mr Pikes: The Story Behind The Ibiza Legend Mr Pikes: The Story Behind the Ibiza Legend by MT INK is one of the greatest books of all time to read.

When it came time to pen the sequel—which Pike wrote because he was “offered a lot of money, and I wanted to keep my publisher happy”—the author knew he couldn’t do the same thing as the first book, so he added a supernatural element to the game. “But because of my situation at the time, I was forced to write the book in less than a month,” he said. “I regret I didn’t spend more time on it. I would have made it longer—I had many more scenes with the demon girl and our two heroes in my head.” 7. Fall Into Darkness was basically a do-over of one of his previous books ... In 1951, Tony left the navy with dreams of emigrating to Australia. His strong work ethic saw him take on all types of work within the building trade – which would go on to serve him well when building Pikes in the late 70s – and after a year of saving, he found himself on a ship bound for Sydney; this time as a passenger rather than crew. It’s worth noting that his renowned exploits as a ladies’ man began at this point; despite much bragging about his experience with women prior to the journey, it was during a stopover in Yemen on that fateful trip that Tony finally declared himself “a man”. His work life in Australia was varied – he began working in millinery (where he met his first wife and the mother of his firstborn son), had a stint in the Australian Army, alongside labouring jobs and sales work. With his natural-born gift of the gab, selling was something Tony excelled at. The Independent: Tony binged a 24-7 lifestyle of sex, drugs, and excess. Now, this legend of the Ibiza party scene recounts the ups and downs of his years in paradise.

Tony remains touched by his time with her. “One night at Ku, Roman Polanski asked me if I could fix him up with Grace. I said I was her lover. He said, ‘But I’m famous!’ But she chose me. She was wonderful, she had an aura like a rainbow.”

Heard It Through the Grapevine

It was always more about the stories for Tony. He hadn’t taken drugs for a year, when a stray line of ketamine saw him take a tumble. His doctor was unimpressed. They’d talked about the ketamine. And the fact that he’s 84 years old. Midnight Club was written because a young woman who was dying in a hospital in the Midwest told me about a club they had at the hospital called The Midnight Club,” Pike explained. “They would meet at midnight to discuss my books. She asked me to write about them. I said I would but I couldn’t have them discussing my books. The idea grew from there. Unfortunately, none of them were alive when I finished the book.” 10. The Midnight Club is getting a Netflix adaptation. Dale flew two days before Tony. When Tony arrived, police met him on the plane, explained his life was in danger, dressed him in an airport worker’s uniform, drove him to a hotel and told him that Dale was dead. He had been shot and found naked on a beach. Tony didn’t believe them. They took him to identify the body. It was Dale, but he wasn’t naked. On his wrist was a Pikes bracelet. Much-married, hedonistic hotel owner who partied hard with many a pop star and was known as the Hugh Hefner of Ibiza; John Donne may have written that no man is an island, but Tony Pike came close. Known as Mr Ibiza, he was the embodiment of Balearic hedonism, a brash, hard-drinking, drug-taking philanderer whose way with women would have made even the love poet blush.”

Uncover the true story of Mr. Pikes, a hedonist at heart that went from a terrible upbringing to a dream life only a handful of people ever achieve. HE was the sex-mad playboy who provided a tropical retreat for A-list celebrities to indulge their wildest fantasies.” Pike recalled that when he penned the book’s final words, “I want people to remember me,” things got spooky: “Someone tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘Goodbye, we’ll meet some day.’ This absolutely happened. I jumped so high I almost hit my head on the ceiling.” He felt that “it was like a person was done telling me their story and they were moving on. Like they were saying goodbye and thanks.” After two years, he had five rooms and a hand-painted sign saying Pikes Hotel. A few guests arrived, but it wasn’t easy. Tony couldn’t afford a phone. In the evenings he sat exhausted on the terrace, drinking beer and praying for a taxi to drive up the hill. He fought a terrible, rising fear. That maybe he’d made a mistake. That maybe he’d gambled everything and come up short.Pikes was born. Club Tropicana was an early MTV hit, and others sought out the decadent location it portrayed. Pikes became known as a place for ricos, extranjeros y famosos (the rich, foreign and famous). Tony was the draw. He would top up drinks around the pool, take guests out on his yacht then escort them to the island’s vast, open-air Ku Club where he had one of 50 keys for the VIP room.