I had no idea what to expect when heading down to the Ushuaia Beach Hotel for the Defected in the House opening party. I had heard from friends how amazing Ushuaia is, but couldn’t begin to imagine exactly just how amazing until I walked through the door to experience it myself. Their motto is: “the hotel that pumps up the volume”, and after last night’s party it is very apparent why.
The first thing I saw was the magnificent pool surrounded by cabanas with elegant fountains in the middle. The decor and the hotel itself was mainly all white, which brought back a feeling of deja vu of the endless pool parties I had attended during Winter Music Conference in Miami. Ushuaia, though, rivals even the hippest spots in Miami: the Delano in Miami has nothing on this epic hotel. The crowd was definitely more on the upscale side. Everyone was dressed in trendy and fashionable clothes, with the ladies wearing skyscraper heels and perfectly done hair and makeup. This was not a party to go casual to.
What was most stunning of all, though, was the massive stage set up and the visuals that made you feel like you were at a festival event instead of a hotel. The Defected DJ’s were playing an energy inducing set of soulful house music that had the crowd dancing nonstop. In my opinion, the music from the Defected Records label epitomizes the true meaning of house music with its soulful vocals and sounds of the saxophone blended into their tracks. The crowd went especially crazy when Dennis Ferrer’s “Hey hey”, and Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” was played. Near to the end of the night, a group of dancers with perfect bodies and what looked like metal pieces strategically covering only certain areas on their body and feather head pieces, took the stage to tease and tantalize the audience with their moves. At one point one of the dancers was performing gymnast-like moves that made you wonder how the costume actually stayed in place.
Defected in the House will be hosting a party at Ushuaia Beach Hotel every Saturday from 4 pm until midnight before heading to their Pacha residency to continue the party all night long. This hip and trendy hotel took the meaning of the term “pool party” to a whole new level, and has definitely set the new standard for day parties in Ibiza and beyond.
