“El chiringuito, I have a little beachfront bar, right at the edge of the sea. I keep it very pretty and I hope you’ll come.” I know, it isn’t pure poetry, but Georgie Dann released in the year 2000 a track, unsurprisingly titled, ‘El chiringuito’. It was a time when enjoying a tinto de verano and sardines at the water’s edge with a publicity T-shirt and a bun done without the aid of a mirror was the summer dream. Social media photos were filled with a glass of wine or a big goblet while the sea showed up in the background and the caption read something as damaging as “having a terrible time.”
Some time later, faced with the charm of traditional beach bars, the beach club emerged, and in its proliferation social media played a crucial role by turning the most exclusive seaside spots into aspirational destinations. But for a beach club not to become a gigantic kitsch show or tabloid fodder it requires proper management, and I say this as I think of Lohan Beach, the Mykonos beach club opened by Lindsay Lohan, which gave us an unforgettable moment in which the actress “dances” in a way that was, shall we say, curious. So curious that it went viral. She now lives in Dubai, far from dancefloor treachery and, above all, far from paparazzi.
Beach bars form part of Spain’s DNA, generating more than 1,000 million euros annually and 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, but their real challenge lies in surviving as the beach club trend grows. Because, can fried calamari beat the omnipresent tartares? In summer there are two kinds of people: those who prefer the traditional chiringuito and those who opt for the glam posture. But setting aside my customary exaggerations, I ask for calm: those who sit somewhere in between will enjoy proposals that sit midway between the classic Ibizan beach club and the more relaxed chiringuito. A good example is the offering at Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa, whose renovated Beach Club at night features a musical program that includes soul, jazz, pop and R&B, as well as DJ sessions. While the space reinterprets the iconic shapes of the main building, its culinary offering is based on locally sourced products and Mediterranean recipes that, besides being delicious, are even better thanks to the impressive sea views.
