Up the steeply winding las brisas hill stands this icon to the world of entertainment. Not only is it among the chosen few, a finely select group of dance houses, but it serves as a testament to the country that built it. Gathering party goers and world class DJs alike, Palladium knows just how to serve it up.
Dancer’s Temple to Euphoria & Passion
In the taxi ride up to Palladium, looking at the huge sheet of glass that covers the outer edge of the building, there starts a sense of excitement and an experience that you know you might never witness again. Arriving at the door, well that’s pretty normal. Generic bouncers with tightly fitted black t-shirts, demonstrating that these boys are not to be messed with, then a stroll through the quite unusual lobby area with some circular bars leads down to what can only be described as simply breath-taking.
The view over the bay is stunning. The sheet of window from the outside comes alive when you see it for the first time at the top of the stairs. It’s like a theatre and the bay serving up the action. The interior is also stylish, clean and modern. It’s a far cry from the typically alcohol sodden, sticky floor with black or white washed walls and plastic furniture. The party has not even started and already the sensation runs through the blood, planting the desire to want to return.
Once you have found your seat which can range from high up at the back with its lazy chairs and a private table right down to the heart of the action, right near the dancer floor with the rest of the plebeian class, you can settle in, order your first of many an open-bar drink and just take in the view.
The music fits the place perfectly. In fact the whole club is a perfect harmony with its décor, music and people. The music is vibrant and emotional; the pretty people who have spent well on stylish clothing and many hours in making themselves look gorgeous, combined with the suave and classy atmosphere ultimately create for an amazing night.
It is for this reason that many a spring breaker, a Mexico City professional or a bunch of European travellers seeks out a visit to Palladium when in Acapulco. It is also why so many world class DJs can be seen, bringing their own kind of spice to an already entirely spicy venue. And there is still to mention the in-house dancers plying their trade, and oh yes, not to forget the open bar?
Palladium Speaks a World about Mexico
For foreigners, Acapulco feels a world away from Cancun. The hotel zone is split from the run down town by a singularly busy road, not a whole island. And whereas Cancun caters almost entirely for the American visitor, with its generic presuppositions of Mexico, Acapulco on the other hand has maintained its Mexican roots, due largely to the Mexico City folk who regularly weekend there.
Palladium fits succinctly into this ethos. A reading of reviews suggests it boasts an inconsistency of service, a quality personified by Mexico. When it’s Spring Break, Mexicans are just not welcome. The America youth brings with it a naïve and hedonistic dollar, willing to be splashed away willy-nilly. The hosts know this after many years of experience with its richer neighbour and will go to necessary lengths to exploit it.
For the more money conscious reveller then, Palladium can present itself a less attractive option against its neighbouring clubs. Yet out of season, the prices are lower, the queue is smaller and the host is a whole new kind of friendly. On the few occasions of a major national scandal occurring, with recent years including drug wars and swine flu, the queues are non-existent and the host will bend over backwards to get you in. One thing is consistently bad; the drinks are excessively watered down. Your bladder will go long before your head does.
But when all the problems have been analysed, Palladium is not offering perfection. It’s Mexico; it’s not interested in being perfect. It simple offers up a night of chic, a party full of style and modernity yet subtle and welcoming. This is why they continue to go, and why in this writer’s humble opinion, Palladium is arguably the greatest nightclub in the world!
Anthony Rimmer - Anthony has a lot of life experience, working in a variety of jobs, in many countries around the world. He has lived in South Korea, South ...
Join the Conversation