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I just posted this in MD, but I'll post it here too:
I spent three months on the Greek island Naxos last summer, and the summer before that (2002), I toured 9 European Countries in 6 weeks, including Spain's Ibiza. I departed Barcelona on a Saturday night (220 Euro boat ticket, round-trip), arrived Ibiza on a Sunday morning at 7:00am, and I was in Club Space by like 10:30am. I made sure to buy Space tickets before getting to the club and saved like 10 Euro (30 instead of 40 I think). People are only permitted to leave and come back once, so use that one break wisely. Also, be warned that water costs like 10 Euro per small bottle and alcoholic drinks are 15 Euro and up!!! Anyway, I stayed at Space well into Monday morning, after hearing Sasha live. Space was okay; the crowd there is really, shall I say, daring and out-there.
I got a few hours of sleep and then headed off to the beach. The beach I went to was nicer than just about all those I've been to in Greece. The water was warmer and the female "scenery" was better.
Monday night, I partied at Club Privilege, supposedly the largest club on earth. Manumission was completely bad-ass, like dancing under a circus. To this day, I almost come to tears when I close my eyes and remember how the crowd reacted when the DJ played that remix of Madonna's "Like a Prayer." Geez, it was awesome! Like Space, Privilege is expensive, both to get in and to stay. But the floor space is much less compact and you feel like there is more room to move. The crowd there was more "normal" too. I danced there until sunrise, went back to my hostel, got a few hours of sleep, packed, did some more site seeing, and got on the boat back to Barcelona that evening. The most fun 2-3 days of my life!
The hostel I stayed at was great too. It was like a nice hotel room that I shared with one other person, and we had our own sink, but no toilet or shower. I think I only paid like 30 Euro/night. I guess there is little competition for hotel beds as people usually don't sleep on the island. Most people split their time between the beach and the clubs.
Naxos and the Greek islands are indeed far cheaper. On Ibiza, I stuck to eating gyros for 7 Euro each, but they were damned good! For 7 Euro on Naxos, I could eat a huge lamb dinner with a 1/2 liter of wine! I've never been to Myknonos, so I can't comment, but the two clubs on Naxos, although decent for 100-200 people, cannot hold a finger to even the smallest club on Ibiza. Mykonos may want to go the way of Ibiza, but they have a LONG way to go. The Greeks also don't tend to be as tourist-friendly as the Spanish.
(Although I speak German almost fluently, English will do just fine there. No worries. Then again, I DO sometimes feel safer in Europe when I can come off as a German instead of an American!)
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