THE PULSE OF PACHA & DESTINO FIVE IBIZA
words THORE DAMWERTH
The Mediterranean sun has a way of seducing you – bronzing skin, sharpening senses, amplifying every sip and every beat. On our latest escape to Ibiza, we checked into DESTINO FIVE IBIZA, the newly elevated five-star jewel of the PACHA GROUP’s empire, where luxury collides with hedonism in a kaleidoscope of sun, sound, and style. By day, it was poolside panoramas and decadent dining; by night, the hypnotic pull of PACHA IBIZA, where we danced beneath the cherries to the pulse of SONNY FODERA.
Situated high above the island’s rugged coastline, Destino Five Ibiza is less a hotel than a living stage of sunlight, music, and serenity set against mesmerising views of the sea. The property has just undergone a transformative renovation, reemerging this season with a five-star edge. Its vibe is all bohemian chic meeting radiant opulence, a balance between the island’s free-spirited energy and a more refined architectural language. 159 redesigned rooms and suites reveal clean-lined contemporary aesthetics opening onto sunlit terraces. Among them, the CHERRY SUITES, elevated yet intimate and complete with private pools, feel like the kind of hideaway designed for quiet luxury and a sense of sensuality.
Poolside, we found our rhythm. The PLAYA PACHA POOL curves like a cherry, lined with loungers, cocktails in hand, with the Mediterranean shimmering beyond. The atmosphere was calm yet charged, a daytime prelude to the island’s famed nocturnal excess.
Destino Five Ibiza is as much about flavour as it is about sight and sound. We began mornings at CIELO, a finca-style terrace shaded in linen and sea breeze, where breakfast spanned artisanal flatbreads, fresh fruit, and Spanish eggs. Lunch followed with braised Angus short ribs and lobster paella, delicate yet bold, paired with a glass of crisp Albariño. Come evening, we surrendered to ELIA, the resort’s Greek restaurant perched cliffside, its terrace set against cinematic views of Dalt Vila and Formentera. Here, grilled octopus with Santorini fava purée arrived alongside mezze spreads and local olive oil.
As night fell, we headed toward Pacha Ibiza, the club that, since 1973, has been more than a venue, but an icon of the island’s nightlife. In 2025, it feels more vital than ever, now powered entirely by renewable energy and hailed as the world’s most sustainable nightclub.
We began at the PACHA RESTAURANT, tucked within the club, where a Japanese-Mediterranean fusion menu unfolded: yellowtail sashimi with yuzu kosho, truffle flatbread with manchego, and a decadently crisp Ibizan prawn tempura. Dinner here is a prelude, the table giving way to the dance floor.
From there we drifted into PARADISO IBIZA, the newly unveiled cocktail bar inside Pacha. Helmed by GIACOMO GIANNOTTI, the visionary behind Barcelona’s Paradiso, it is a surrealist playground of mixology, its fourteen signature creations ranging from the botanical Amalfi Spritz to the ginger-spiked Paradiso Mule that primed us for the night ahead.
And then – Sonny Fodera. Mondays at Pacha are his domain, and from June to October he drives the dance floor with house beats that pulse through every body. “Pacha was the first club I ever stepped foot in on the island, so having my own residency here still feels surreal,” he raved. That night, he was joined by A-TRAK, DANNY HOWARD, and SAFFRON STONE, their sets weaving into one another in a charged, continuous flow. We moved as one with the crowd, tank tops slick with heat, cut-out dresses catching flashes of light on sun-kissed skin.
The synergy between Destino Five Ibiza and Pacha was fluid. By day, Destino is all panoramic pools, Elia sunsets, and Playa Pacha cocktails. By night, the club surges with its nocturnal energy. We enjoyed complimentary access to both Pacha Ibiza and Pacha ICONS at Destino, a series of open-air events featuring MARCO CAROLA’s MUSIC ON, SOLOMUN’s +1, and sets from CAMELPHAT, MICHAEL BIBI, and VINTAGE CULTURE among others. This interplay of stage and suite, of pool and dance floor, turns the stay into a continuum of pleasure.
Our days blurred into nights, our tans into a glow, our playlists into soundtracks. At Destino Five Ibiza and Pacha, we didn’t just find a stay – we found Ibiza itself: pure, vibrant, and always in motion.
