Post by Peter Ellis on Aug 30, 2011 21:40:50 GMT 1
Courtesy of the Daily Mail
Papaya's on fire! Fantastic Croatian club rocks as a boom in tourism stokes the fires of the clubbing world in the Balkans
By Marcus Barnes
Club Papaya (Pag, Croatia)
Verdict: Hot, hot, hot!
In the last few years Croatia’s popularity as a tourist destination has sky rocketed – it’s been unbelievable.
I’ve been paying annual visits to Serbia for the EXIT Festival since 2009 and am well aware that the entire region around both countries is beautiful and well worth a visit, but I never felt many of my friends or associates held it in as high esteem as I did.
However, in recent times dozens of people I know have been over to visit and all have come back with glowing reports.
Festival atmosphere: Papaya plays host to some of the DJ world's top names on a weekly basis
I had never been to Croatia until a fortnight ago, so it was all pretty new to me – apart from the language, which is very similar to Serbian.
I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to the island of Pag, where a new UK-run festival called Hideout takes place and where plenty of parties happen every night of the week during the summer months.
Pag also plays host to several stunning beachside clubs, one of which, Papaya, invited us over to get a taste of clubbing in Croatia, as they hosted a 4-day festival organised by DJ Mag, and find out why exactly why the country has been such a tourist magnet.
Papaya was launched ten years ago, making its name on Zrce Beach (the beach that never sleeps) in Navalja by operating with a policy dedicated to booking big name DJs and offering a high quality clubbing experience.
With its amazing location (literally a stone’s throw from the beach) and a constant stream of world-famous DJs, it quickly became a hotspot for Croatian celebrities and VIPs, as well as regular punters, to party and be seen.
Miami style: The club plays host to parties in the daytime as well as at night
The plush venue is open both during the day, when Miami-style pool parties take place ,and at night when it becomes a ‘proper club’, utilising the big main stage and attracting thousands of revelers every night of the week.
Papaya’s owners recently spent a million pounds refurbishing it in preparation for this season alone (as well as buying a huge building on the island to be used as dedicated staff quarters) so they clearly mean business when it comes to providing first-class clubbing.
In a testament to the club’s big name DJ policy, on the first night at Papaya global superstar DJs Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso) are performing.
The roads leading to the venue are ridiculously busy, in fact there’s pretty much a traffic jam as cars of eager SHM fans queue up to get in, find a space and unload ready for the night’s party. Walking into Papaya for the first time you can see it’s a nightclub like no other – it’s pretty much open air, bar a few covered seating areas in the VIP section and the stage of course.
Beach party: Right next to the club is the gorgeous beach
In fact, it bears more of a resemblance to a stage at a festival than a club – with thousands packed into the area in front of the stage waiting for the Swedish trio.
After a few hours the Swedes finally make their way onto the stage to roars and screams from the crowd.
And they work their usual magic – if you haven’t seen them, a quick breakdown of the SHM style of DJing is a constant flow of high energy, hard commercial house music with Steve Angello taking the microphone every now and then to hype up the crowd, with some very clever mixing – and some real moments of euphoria. Fantastic.
The Swedish trio can't stay away from the club with Axwell naming one of his gigs there last year as his gig of the year.
While David Morales simply said: 'Papaya was insane, even in the pouring rain! I’ve never seen anything like this. Croatia rocks!'
Dazzling show: The club puts on amazing visual displays every single night
The mission statement of the club’s owners, Ozren and Ivan, is to have fun and to have the world's most beautiful women in their club. It’s literally as simple as that and I witnessed that first-hand during my time there.
Clubs like Papaya are crucial to the Croatia’s tourist industry because Croatia doesn't export anything. In fact, 99% of its income is derived from tourism and around 80% of that is from its multitude of music festivals.
The island itself is relatively uninhabited during the off season. 3000 people (and some sheep) occupy Pag when the summer season is over.
So in terms of the local economy, the club industry is great: families often rent out their holiday home in high season and Papaya is in constant dialogue with companies to provide better hotels, tourist-friendly campsites, better transport and so on.
On the second night Omid from SOS plays and, for me, it’s the best night.
On the wheels of steel: DJ Omid rocks the Papaya club on the second night of festivities
His relentless selection of rolling tech-house keeps me dancing literally until the break of dawn. As the sun creeps up behind the mountains surrounding Pag I begin to appreciate why the region has become so popular so quickly.
The following day we bear witness to one of Papaya’s many daytime pool parties. Now, as previously stated, the club is full of beautiful people at night – during the day this becomes even more apparent.
I can only compare it to Miami, where the plush white surroundings, large speakers booming out house music and aesthetically pleasing clientele congregate around a pool, dancing like there’s no tomorrow.
It really is a sight to behold, as was the DJ for the first part of the day – a stunning blonde lady in a white bikini and heels who could have easily passed for a supermodel.
Beautiful: The scenery in Croatia is something else
That night Steve Angello returns with his younger brother AN21 for the Size Matters night. Again, the club is full of party people who worship the man who makes up one third of the Swedish House Mafia.
On our final day we are taken to the Luna Island Hotel and its surrounding areas, all of which really drive home the sheer beauty of Pag – crystal clear waters, sunsets over the sea, rustic seafood restaurants, gorgeous countryside and a real laid-back feeling every step of the way.
Over the course of four days our love for Croatia has become true and deep, it’s a special place that really must be seen and experienced to be believed.
Amazing scenery, great weather, cheap goods, beautiful people and dedication to the party spirit make Papaya, and Croatia itself, an absolute must for one and all.
Papaya's on fire! Fantastic Croatian club rocks as a boom in tourism stokes the fires of the clubbing world in the Balkans
By Marcus Barnes
Club Papaya (Pag, Croatia)
Verdict: Hot, hot, hot!
In the last few years Croatia’s popularity as a tourist destination has sky rocketed – it’s been unbelievable.
I’ve been paying annual visits to Serbia for the EXIT Festival since 2009 and am well aware that the entire region around both countries is beautiful and well worth a visit, but I never felt many of my friends or associates held it in as high esteem as I did.
However, in recent times dozens of people I know have been over to visit and all have come back with glowing reports.
Festival atmosphere: Papaya plays host to some of the DJ world's top names on a weekly basis
I had never been to Croatia until a fortnight ago, so it was all pretty new to me – apart from the language, which is very similar to Serbian.
I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to the island of Pag, where a new UK-run festival called Hideout takes place and where plenty of parties happen every night of the week during the summer months.
Pag also plays host to several stunning beachside clubs, one of which, Papaya, invited us over to get a taste of clubbing in Croatia, as they hosted a 4-day festival organised by DJ Mag, and find out why exactly why the country has been such a tourist magnet.
Papaya was launched ten years ago, making its name on Zrce Beach (the beach that never sleeps) in Navalja by operating with a policy dedicated to booking big name DJs and offering a high quality clubbing experience.
With its amazing location (literally a stone’s throw from the beach) and a constant stream of world-famous DJs, it quickly became a hotspot for Croatian celebrities and VIPs, as well as regular punters, to party and be seen.
Miami style: The club plays host to parties in the daytime as well as at night
The plush venue is open both during the day, when Miami-style pool parties take place ,and at night when it becomes a ‘proper club’, utilising the big main stage and attracting thousands of revelers every night of the week.
Papaya’s owners recently spent a million pounds refurbishing it in preparation for this season alone (as well as buying a huge building on the island to be used as dedicated staff quarters) so they clearly mean business when it comes to providing first-class clubbing.
In a testament to the club’s big name DJ policy, on the first night at Papaya global superstar DJs Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso) are performing.
The roads leading to the venue are ridiculously busy, in fact there’s pretty much a traffic jam as cars of eager SHM fans queue up to get in, find a space and unload ready for the night’s party. Walking into Papaya for the first time you can see it’s a nightclub like no other – it’s pretty much open air, bar a few covered seating areas in the VIP section and the stage of course.
Beach party: Right next to the club is the gorgeous beach
In fact, it bears more of a resemblance to a stage at a festival than a club – with thousands packed into the area in front of the stage waiting for the Swedish trio.
After a few hours the Swedes finally make their way onto the stage to roars and screams from the crowd.
And they work their usual magic – if you haven’t seen them, a quick breakdown of the SHM style of DJing is a constant flow of high energy, hard commercial house music with Steve Angello taking the microphone every now and then to hype up the crowd, with some very clever mixing – and some real moments of euphoria. Fantastic.
The Swedish trio can't stay away from the club with Axwell naming one of his gigs there last year as his gig of the year.
While David Morales simply said: 'Papaya was insane, even in the pouring rain! I’ve never seen anything like this. Croatia rocks!'
Dazzling show: The club puts on amazing visual displays every single night
The mission statement of the club’s owners, Ozren and Ivan, is to have fun and to have the world's most beautiful women in their club. It’s literally as simple as that and I witnessed that first-hand during my time there.
Clubs like Papaya are crucial to the Croatia’s tourist industry because Croatia doesn't export anything. In fact, 99% of its income is derived from tourism and around 80% of that is from its multitude of music festivals.
The island itself is relatively uninhabited during the off season. 3000 people (and some sheep) occupy Pag when the summer season is over.
So in terms of the local economy, the club industry is great: families often rent out their holiday home in high season and Papaya is in constant dialogue with companies to provide better hotels, tourist-friendly campsites, better transport and so on.
On the second night Omid from SOS plays and, for me, it’s the best night.
On the wheels of steel: DJ Omid rocks the Papaya club on the second night of festivities
His relentless selection of rolling tech-house keeps me dancing literally until the break of dawn. As the sun creeps up behind the mountains surrounding Pag I begin to appreciate why the region has become so popular so quickly.
The following day we bear witness to one of Papaya’s many daytime pool parties. Now, as previously stated, the club is full of beautiful people at night – during the day this becomes even more apparent.
I can only compare it to Miami, where the plush white surroundings, large speakers booming out house music and aesthetically pleasing clientele congregate around a pool, dancing like there’s no tomorrow.
It really is a sight to behold, as was the DJ for the first part of the day – a stunning blonde lady in a white bikini and heels who could have easily passed for a supermodel.
Beautiful: The scenery in Croatia is something else
That night Steve Angello returns with his younger brother AN21 for the Size Matters night. Again, the club is full of party people who worship the man who makes up one third of the Swedish House Mafia.
On our final day we are taken to the Luna Island Hotel and its surrounding areas, all of which really drive home the sheer beauty of Pag – crystal clear waters, sunsets over the sea, rustic seafood restaurants, gorgeous countryside and a real laid-back feeling every step of the way.
Over the course of four days our love for Croatia has become true and deep, it’s a special place that really must be seen and experienced to be believed.
Amazing scenery, great weather, cheap goods, beautiful people and dedication to the party spirit make Papaya, and Croatia itself, an absolute must for one and all.