Santa Claus Is Coming to Pikes

It’s long been established that the extended Pikes family all belong on the Naughty List, but apparently Santa is feeling extra generous this year and plans to deliver a big sack of presents down the chimney (we have one in Room 25) anyway. We got a sneak peek at the big man’s Christmas gift list (because we’re naughty and go sneaking around looking for things like that) before he passed it onto the elves to do their magic, and if you’re looking for a gift for the Pikes lover in your life, you just might find it inspiring. In the absence of elves to make and wrap everything, and reindeer to deliver it all to your door, we’ve also given you the next best thing – all the links you need to order online so you don’t have to battle the crowds in the shops!

Starting at the top of the Pikes family tree, Santa found himself a little stumped. “What can I possibly get for the woman who dreams up and designs everything herself?” he was heard to be grumbling as he stomped around in his North Pole office in frustration. He was talking about creative director Dawn Hindle of course, so rather than call on the elves to magically manufacture something that may not meet her high standards, he instead decided to enlist the services of super talented artist and glass gilder Alex May Hughes to design her a one-of-a-kind sign. Now, we can’t give away too much about the design of her piece (Dawn might be reading this blog), but we can tell you the clock is ticking!

Next, Santa moved on to our food and beverage manager, Steve Hughes. He didn’t want to get him anything too obvious – he clearly doesn’t need any more flat caps, his wardrobe is looking dapper, and Santa felt Steve knows more about fine wines than he does, so didn’t want to risk ordering a dud. But he quickly realised one of the things Steve had been missing most this year was his dear friend Tony Pike, who passed away on February 24 this year. And so, Santa knew exactly what to stuff in Steve’s stocking: a copy of Mr Pikes: The Story Behind The Ibiza Legend, as ghost written by Matt Trollope. Although Steve has certainly heard all the stories before, we all know Tony loved to repeat himself so reading them again helps keep his memory alive – and what better way to regale the family after a big meal than with one of Tony’s tales?

Our dear Sunny has definitely found himself on Santa’s Naughty List once again this year – some things never change. But Santa (like most people) has a soft spot for our karaoke host with the most, so he decided to bestow a customised vintage Starlover leather jacket on Sunny for his Boudoir collection. Designer Donna Ganley is in cahoots with Santa to keep the final design a secret, but we can only imagine how fab he’s going to look once it’s unwrapped. Whether Sunny will share (see what we did there?) and allow our guests to wear his jacket in summer remains to be seen…

There’s no doubt the baby of the Pikes family, Maya-Blue Gamble, has made it onto the Nice List – our resident ‘door bitch’ is anything but bitchy! Santa’s kept his eye on Maya, as she guarded the guest list on our door each and every night throughout summer and felt like spoiling her with a little extra sparkle. We wonder what will be inside that tell-tale tiny black box come Christmas morning – is it going to be a pair of gold razor blade earrings, that show just how tough Maya can be? Or perhaps Santa acknowledged Maya’s constant use of the word c*nt (she says it’s her favourite word) and snapped up a status necklace saying exactly that. Then again, it could be the brand’s signature AAA pass – since Maya is basically Glastonbury and Pikes royalty, she can surely go wherever she wants! Only time will tell…

Our lovely events coordinator Lucie Rekasova is the team member who teeters between the Naughty and Nice list every year (she blames tequila for those naughty nights). But we all know (as does Santa) that Lucie genuinely has a heart of gold, so Santa decided that a CHOOSE LOVE print from Print Club London would be the perfect gift that keeps on giving – not only will Lucy receive a beautiful print to hang on the wall, the proceeds (because, yes, when he’s not using the elves, Santa has to pull out his wallet just like the rest of us) also go to Help Refugees. For the girl who always puts so much love into organising weddings at Pikes, it made perfect sense for Santa to Choose Love.

The captain of the night, Mika Jarosz, has abandoned his Pikes post for the winter and is currently off exploring the jungles and cities of Asia. While we’re happy for Mika to take a well-earned break from the crazy world of nightlife, Santa was concerned Mika might be missing the jing-jing-jingling of the nightly soundtrack in Freddies. With that in mind, he’s called on none other than our cultural attaché, DJ Harvey, to fill the silence in Mika’s mind with The Sound Of Mercury Rising Volume II album. He’s also realised he can save the reindeer a trip to the jungle by gifting it to Mika via Spotify or Apple music!

Our kitchen team might be taking some time off over the off-season, but we’re pretty sure their families and friends will be demanding they go back on stove duty for this year’s Christmas feast. No rest for the wicked! To help our head chef Lee Milne feel right at home (so to speak) when he’s serving up Christmas dinner, Santa has very carefully bubble-wrapped some Rory Dobner plates, bowls, mugs, coasters, oven gloves and even aprons printed with our monocle cat illustration. And for our pastry chef Will Miles, there’s even a special afternoon tea cake stand so he can keep our traditions going even when he’s not working. Let’s just hope the reindeer don’t have a bumpy ride with all those breakables on board.

Santa knows Pikes events manager Sarah Broadbent has a keen eye for eclectic homewares, so he asked the elves to make a beeline for Rockett St George when planning her present this year. Did he go for the safe bet and order from the Pikes collection (think giant disco ball cocktail sharers, gold hand coat hooks like we have in reception or a giant stone foot), or did he order off-piste and select something from the Christmas collection, quirky kitchen accessories, stylish rugs or beautiful bedding? Since statement furniture like the palm tree floor lamp we have in Freddies (yes, the exact same one) will weigh the reindeer down, our guess is he’ll go for something that won’t break the elves’ backs when stacking the sleigh.

Santa knew he wanted to gift our restaurant manager Silvia Galatioto a new tattoo for Christmas, but he figured waking up to a fat man sticking needles in your arm might just be a little too terrifying! Instead, he’s decided to call on the services of Grace Neutral and her Femme Fatale girl gang to deliver some skin art to Silvia, when the time is right – he also thought it better that Silvia discuss the design that’s going to on her skin permanently with the girls before committing! Grace and the team are often booked up very far in advance, so Santa recommends you get in touch soon if you want to give the gift of ink!

There are some people on your Christmas wish list that are just impossible to buy for. They have all the clothes they need, they value experiences more than things, and they just don’t give you any hints at all when you ask them what you want. There’s nothing more annoying than a person who says ‘you don’t have to buy me anything’ right? So when Santa got around to Diego Calvo, the founder of Rock Nights and a long-time friend of the Pikes family, he decided to draw on Diego’s sense of nostalgia, and order him some photography prints by artist Victor Spinelli, who was our resident photographer back in the Manumission days – which Diego also happened to be a part of. From the fun and the risqué to the beautiful (keep your eyes peeled for a baby Sunny in some) and bizarre, there is really something for everyone in his collections.

When our receptionist Mariola Bocanegra finishes up for the season, we worry she’ll miss the cats of Pikes while she’s not in the hotel everyday. This gave Santa the genius idea of gifting Mariola some life-sized Silken Favours cat cushions, so she’s got some feline friends to cuddle up to until she returns to us in spring! Designer Vicki Murdoch has also created some pretty amazing printed cushions – not unlike the ones we have on our daybeds by the pool – that also make the perfect present for those Pikes lovers who may not want an actual cat cushion on their bed. We know, we know, they must be mad, but Santa’s got to have options for everyone!

When it comes to style, our concierge Annabel Lacaux has it in droves, which is why Santa knew he had to call in the big guns for her Christmas present. It couldn’t be anything off-the-rack – sacré bleu – and it had to be something that made a statement. Something one-of-a-kind, something fierce and something fabulous. Enter Tessa Metcalfe Jewellery – stunning handmade pieces that are cast from roadkill pigeon feet and then set with precious gems. This is a gift Santa is absolutely certain Annabel will not send back up the chimney or treat like a lump of coal!

We can’t forget our dearly beloved resident DJ Artwork – Santa’s been keeping his eye on the Pikes blog this season, and he remembered that Arthur had told us his drinks rider is always getting pinched before he even gets to take a sip while he’s DJing, so he knew exactly what to put beneath the tree at Art’s House. A personalised bottle of Bulldog Gin, so no one will ever steal his drinks again! A stylish Bulldog Gin gift set complete with fishbowl sized glasses, is also wrapped and ready to surprise Arthur with on Christmas morning so he’s got one bottle to share, and one just for himself. Oops, we hope Arthur’s too busy to read this blog and we haven’t ruined the surprise!

Last, but never least, is a Pikes team member who divides her time between London and Ibiza – our lovely senior marketing executive Megan Redshaw’s Christmas wish is simply to spend more time at Pikes. For Santa, this is a super easy wish to fulfil – no elves needed, nothing that will break the reindeer’s back – just a quick click of a button (plus his North Pole banking details) and our Megs will receive a 2020 stay at Pikes. It’s the gift that can keep on giving if you’re clever – buy it for a friend who you know will take you as a plus one!

Credits

Words & Photography by White Ibiza