Tony Pike: “Many people go through life without enjoying it”

01/03/2018

Who Tony Pike is

Tony Pike is considered by some to be the Hugh Hefner of Ibiza – at least if you read his recently published biography that’s the impression you might get.

However, the 83-year-old hotel operator received this badge from none other than Boy George. In the book about the Ibiza legend, the founder of the hotel “Pikes” in San Antonio chats about his most intimate encounters behind the scenes of the legendary hotel, especially in the 80s and 90s.

Famous friends and connections of Tony Pike

His friends included Freddie Mercury, Frank Zappa, Julio Iglesias, Naomi Campbell and Jon Bon Jovi. He was in a permanent relationship with his friend Grace Jones.

The now slightly wrinkled, but still very vital playboy remembers this time: “Grace was a tough cookie, but she was also warm and entertaining, just wonderful. We were together for 15 months. Wherever we came in, the whole place went quiet and stared at her. She had such wonderful attitudes.”

He didn’t share the bed with Boy George, but they did share the bar. ”He was a very handsome guy. I said to him that he was going to tow a lot of women. Then he told me he was gay.” This was at a time when the singer had not yet outed his sexual orientation in public.

Wham’s “Club Tropicana” video

A memorable episode tells of the shoot for Wham’s “Club Tropicana”! video clip in 1983, during which George Michael and naked bikini beauties splash around in the hotel pool.

Of course, Tony also makes an appearance in the video – as a bartender with a huge mustache. In the book he boasts of going to bed with at least 2,500 people – male and female. And when you look through the photo pages in the book, you can see that he didn’t have to worry about the company of attractive bed mates.

“People call me a legend. You can do that, I never saw myself in such a category. I never tried to be famous. I just wanted to have fun and get the best out of life. ” The book tells the story of the development of the 500 year old finca that Tony bought in 1978, expanded and transformed into a “heaven for hedonists”.