The Edit, December 2022

Festive season is upon us and Maven’s destinations are hitting all the high notes. Dress up, book ahead and get ready for the most beautiful nights of the year.

Gitano Tulum

Hidden in the jungle, draped in vines and looking for all the world like a colonial masterpiece abandoned for a hundred years, Gitano might just be the sexiest restaurant we’ve ever laid eyes on. Chalky matte walls, chequerboard marble floors and towering birds of paradise add Indiana Jones high glam to the bar, while the garden – half hidden among the foliage – is a steamy, sultry, candlelit delight. Food comes with the same drama as the décor, so expect seared meats, vibrant salads and all manner of delicacies in coconut shells. Cocktails are sumptuous as the setting and the New Year’s Eve dinner (soundtracked by Horsemeat Disco) is the ticket of Tulum.

ELOVATE at Zamna

Unless you’re dead or over 70, Michael Bibi is the only DJ you’ll have wanted to get within inches of this year. His roadblock Solid Grooves Motel party at Ibiza’s DC-10 was a riotous sweatbox of a rave, with zero pretensions and the fun switch notched up to 100. January 2nd sees London’s coolest cat take over arguably Mexico’s most exciting venue, the Zamna cenote, deep in the heart of the Tulum jungle. Expect two stages of handpicked artists and the most-up-for-it crowed south of the equator.

Bahiadora Festival

A hip little grassroots festival that’s emerged from Mexico City’s underground scene to become a hot ticket, Bahidorá has a charm all its own. First up, the Morelos location is banging, in a tropical resort makes the most of the charms of the languid Yautepec river. Second, the 600-strong crowd of young-ish and laidback real music lovers. Finally, the line-up, which cleverly combines sets from Catalan DJ (and Boiler Room fave) John Talabot and DJ Moxie with live performances from the likes of Little Dragon. So many boxes ticked right there.

Brassclub

Ah, Palma at Christmas, in all her crisp and colonial glory. The whole city is a festive delight, but to get wholly in the mood you might want to start off proceedings at Passeig de Mallorca de Palma’s cult-like cocktail Brassclub. With its glossy, dark interior and speakeasy-style atmosphere, Brassclub is where the city’s smart set gather post-Christmas shopping to sip a spicy piña colada de arroz – capucana cachaça, pineapple, rice horchata, mango, coconut and sweet chilli – and soak up the deliciously uptown atmosphere.

Puerto Portals Christmas Market

All of Mallorca’s towns do a festive market of sorts, but the one at Puerto Portals really puts on the glitz. Expect winter wonderland vibes, with stalls, food, cracking kids’ entertainment and the prettiest light show on the island. Come after dark when the magic unfolds.

Sabina Ibiza

The glossy eco-resort of Sabina Ibiza throws some of the island’s most fantastical parties, and NYE will be no exception. The theme – in keeping with the venue’s haute-hippie vibe – is New YOU’s Eve, so expect lots of magic and mayhem to unfold as revellers shed the shadows of the previous year.  This is a masquerade ball, and Sabina’s guests LOVE to dress up, so go big or go home.

THE CLASS x SIX SENSES IBIZA

Start 2023 on a high at the north’s most glamorous retreat, where LA’s cult The Class founder, Taryn Toomey will be hosting two sensational workshops. The Embodiment Class on December 30 is a three-hour experience that opens with meditation and clearing, followed by an extended Class to purify bodies and hearts before hyper-hip astrologer and curator Rose Theodora leads a deep astro dive to transition into the New Year.