The competition to win a trip to this year’s Defected In The House Opening Party was won by Kelly Dunham. Last weekend, we flew her and one of her (extremely grateful) friend’s over for a weekend of lounging at the Defected Villa, VIP treatment at Café Mambo and dancing the night away at Pacha to the sound of Bob Sinclar, Copyright and Simon Dunmore. This is what she had to say about the experience…

Anyone who has ever travelled on the sunrise flight to Ibiza faces the same conundrum every year…to stay awake and start as you mean to go on, or go to bed early and get some shut eye while you still can.  In the name of Defected (and because I know how crazy their parties can get) I decided to be sensible and get to bed at 10pm for a few hours.  My lucky competition companion Ali didn’t have quite the same idea – why sleep when you can down shots of tequila and think about the good times ahead? Why indeed…but watching her go from exuberant drunk in the car to dribbling on my shoulder during our descent into Ibiza made me thankful that I had the right idea.

After a rather subdued flight, we touched down in decidedly monsoon-like weather.  However we were determined that a bit (or rather a hell of a lot) of rain wasn’t going to dampen our spirits.  After a cup of coffee and some introductions the rain stopped and the sun came out.  We (well I…Ali had a rather long siesta) spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the pool, eating my body weight in cheese and chorizo while listening to the guys pick out their tracks for the evening ahead…perfect.

After a quick disco nap and a cold glass of wine, more of the Defected team arrived and we set off for the pre-party at Mambo.  We were escorted to the best (and longest ever) table in the VIP section, right in front of the DJ booth.  There was free flowing champagne and sangria – and the atmosphere was unbelievable.  Bob Sinclar showed us all why he has been at the top of his game for so long with an amazing set that touched on every genre of music possible, all mixed together into one perfect pre-party sound.  There were tracks played for everybody - no matter what your usual house penchant is.  By the time we left to go to Pacha we were on a total high which wasn’t entirely due to Shovell’s incense sticks.

A hop, skip and a jump later were in the Pacha restaurant eating the best sushi I have ever tasted – a must-visit for anyone heading out this season (the funky maki is particularly yummy).   After convincing Simon Dunmore that he needed to start a tradition before each set he settled on a round of hierbas.  Being a great one for tradition I happily accepted and therefore hold him personally responsible for the amount I consumed that night (all in the name of tradition of course).  

With the hierbas flowing we headed into Pacha to enjoy Simon’s wicked set from a perfect viewing spot in the VIP area.  Suddenly the DJ booth started getting more and more crowded and Bob Sinclar introduced himself to whoops of delight from the packed crowd.  The next few hours were spent happily dancing, drinking, chilling on the terrace and generally having the best night ever.  Last up were Copyright.  By this time the hierbas had well and truly taken over and we were all dancing rather enthusiastically in the DJ booth.  Can you blame us?

Copyright seem to have this infectious vibe that makes even the most exhausted clubber feel like they have just drunk a litre of red bull.   Sam from Copyright had unfortunately hurt his neck in a freak carp fishing accident, forcing him to wear a neck brace most of the weekend.  His loss was our gain – at 6am the brace seemed to be the perfect prop for hours of fun.  But alas all too soon the last track was being played and the still-packed club was yelling for more. 

As we walked out into the blazing sunshine and headed back to the villa everyone agreed what an amazing night it had been and that this is going to be Defected’s biggest and best Ibiza season yet….but don’t take my word for it - get yourself out there!  I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!!

Words: Kelly Dunham

Photos: Gavin Mills

Fancy going to Ibiza and experiencing Defected In The House at Pacha for yourself? Check out full season listings here.