Chinois Ibiza

In Marina Botafoch, Chinois offers a different version of Ibiza clubbing. With room for roughly 1,000 people, it is markedly smaller than the island’s superclubs, keeping the DJ close to the dance floor and giving the sound room to work without turning the night into an arena show.

The setting is polished rather than raw. Paris based designer Laleh Amir Assefi drew on 1930s Shanghai jazz clubs, with ornamental columns, reflective surfaces and a circular lighting rig suspended above the crowd. But the real distinction is musical. Residencies such as Bedouin’s SAGA, Defected, La Troya and Claptone’s Masquerade give each night a clear identity, while guests including DJ Koze, DJ Tennis, Damian Lazarus, Ricardo Villalobos and Shonky show how seriously the programming is taken.

Chinois works best when you choose the night by the music. The combination of compact scale, strong sound and carefully curated line ups gives it a position in Ibiza that feels genuinely its own.