September 19, 2012: Las Discotecas

The nightlife in Valencia (or Spain as a whole) is unlike anything I've ever seen elsewhere. With clubs or discotecas opening at 12-1am at the earliest, it starts to become very clear why a "siesta" is so very common here in the afternoon. The Valencian people often party till 8am and may even go to an "after-club" which only opens up at 8am for those who are truly dedicated to partying. And if you're actually crazy, you can find an open club almost every night of the week somewhere in Valencia. If you're not an Erasmus/foreign student, expect to be paying 10-15 euro at the door just to get in. Cocktails will cost you around 8-10 euro and beers around 4-6 euro, depending on where you go.

I will highlight a few of the places I have been to in Valencia - commenting on the music, atmosphere, and drinks. The places I will highlight below are La Tres, L'Umbracle / Mya, Deseo54, and Carmen. Of course, not everyone likes the same kind of music so I will do my best to include a variety of places that you can visit when you come to Valencia!

La Tres (La 3)

This was the first "discoteca" that I went to during my stay here in Valencia. It was their grand reopening down by the port / Las Arenas. There were great parts to the night as well as some scary parts - which I will detail below in my review. As seen in the photo above, there were many people out in the street waiting to get into the club and this was taken right after the police finally was able to control the crowd. We were very close to leaving since we didn't want to get into trouble with the police ourselves or get mixed up in something we had no fault in, but the patient wait paid off! Since I was a Valencian-club virgin, I was only able to stay until 5am, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience nonetheless!

The Music

The name speaks for itself - 3 - there are three rooms with three different combinations of music. In one room, you'll hear a mixture of Indie, pop, rock, and hits. The second offers new rave and smash hits, while the third room is mostly electronic and house music. We stayed in the first and third rooms for the night, but overall I was satisfied with the choice of music. The coolest part about the music in this club was the options - if you got tired of one type of music, you could easily head into a different room and switch it up!

OVERALL SCORE: 8 / 10

The Atmosphere

While waiting for entry into the club, I will admit I was a bit nervous. The police had to show up since it was getting so crazy! Fights were breaking out, people were screaming and we were so close to just leaving. However, once we made it inside, we found the the environment was decent. (Quick tip: Make sure if you are an Erasmus student you arrive early enough so that after waiting in line, you still get in by 2:30. We missed the cut-off by 10 minutes and had to pay 12 euros to get in. Yikes! ) But anyway, the club seemed under control, the music was great and everyone was dancing and having a good time. Sure was a stark difference from what we saw outside!

OVERALL SCORE: 6 / 10

The Drinks

Can you believe after paying so much to get into the club, I still bought three drinks?! At 8 euros each, I definitely put a hole in my wallet, but they were mixed well and strong to say the least. Beers were 4 euro each, but I didn't want to start mixing vodka + red bull with beer. You're better off pre-gaming/pre-drinking (whatever you want to call it) beforehand since the drinks are quite expensive!

OVERALL SCORE: 3 / 5

The Verdict

Go at least once. It's worth seeing and hearing the music of the different rooms. The atmosphere wasn't that unique, but enjoyable either way. Dance the night away! My overall score for La Tres is 17 / 25 or 68%.

L'Umbracle / Mya

Before I even begin my review of L'Umbracle / Mya, I have to say it is already my favorite club in all of Valencia. Located in the heart of La Ciudad de la Artes y las Ciencias (The City of the Arts and Sciences), L'Umbracle / Mya is probably one of the coolest settings for a club I've ever seen - including all the clubs I've seen in New York City. Pictured above is Mya, the club that is underground while L'Umbracle is situated under a series of arches that form a long above-ground tunnel, giving it that outdoor feel that is so rarely found!

The Music

Starting off in L'Umbracle gave us a night of mainly smash hits. With artists like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, or Taylor Swift, the music focused on those top 100 Billboard hits that we all love to dance to. The DJ's mixes were also pretty good, nothing special, but there was never an awkward transition or abrupt change in the pace of the music. As for Mya, the majority of the music was a mix of electronic and house. Some of the mixes were great while some were just a really loud (and frankly, quite annoying) beat. But that's just my opinion, some people actually enjoy that kind of music all night long... bless them! Either way, it was great to have the two options so if you get tired of one genre, just run back up or downstairs and enjoy the other!

OVERALL SCORE: 8 / 10

The Atmosphere

As I said earlier, these clubs have the coolest atmosphere and setting I have ever seen. This category is bound to get a high score from me! With L'Umbracle set outdoors under the series of arches and a purple carpet leading you into the club surrounded by palm trees and colorfully-lit tables and seating, you'll be in awe from the moment you arrive. Clubs often get extremely hot and sweaty by the end of the night, but the good part of L'Umbracle is that since it's outdoors, that problem is essentially eliminated. Mya was not nearly as impressive as L'Umbracle but still a great environment for dancing and partying nonetheless. There were stages around the perimeter of the dance floor for courageous party-goers to show their moves on and well-lit bars for ordering a few drinks with ease. These are two clubs that you must see during your time in Valencia.

OVERALL SCORE: 10 / 10

The Drinks

While we were able to score a free entry and a free mojito with our Happy Erasmus card, the drinks here are not cheap. This club is seemingly more "exclusive" than the others I've been to, so they figure it's acceptable to charge 10 euro for a cocktail that wasn't really even that amazing. Beers were around 6 euro each, so once again, pre-gaming is your friend. Take advantage of the cheap drinks you can buy at a Mercadona or other similar supermarket and have a pre-party with your friends at your flat!

OVERALL SCORE: 2 / 5

The Verdict

I think it is pretty clear what my verdict will be regarding these two outstanding clubs. I care the most about the atmosphere of the place, second is music, and third is drinks. Here, the atmosphere stole the show - as a great introduction to the City of the Arts and Sciences, this is a club you shouldn't... no, you can't miss during your time in Valencia. With an overall score of 20 / 25 or 80% you won't be let down by L'Umbracle and Mya. See you on the dance floor!

Deseo54

Most of you probably haven't heard of this club yet if you are staying in Valencia but it is definitely a hot spot among the gay culture of Valencia! Unfortunately I didn't think to capture a photo of my time there, but I'll be sure to take one the next time I go and add it to my entry!

A good point to make is being gay is not required to have an awesome time at Deseo54! While it is mostly populated with those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or whatever, you can be straight and have a blast with people looking to have a memorable night! Isn't that what everyone ultimately wants anyway? With a great atmosphere, music, and a widely diverse crowd of fun people, Deseo54 is a unique club experience that is worth checking out.

The Music

My favorite part of Deseo54 was definitely the music. The DJ of last Saturday mixed a little bit of everything - from smash hits to Spanish hits and electronic to house music, including some pop and rock in between. If a song came on that didn't suit you or your dancing style, that simply meant it was a chance to get another drink without missing anything. As the night progressed, the music didn't diminish at all and nor did the dancing. Everyone was loving the music, yelling the lyrics, jumping, smiling and laughing with friends.

OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10

The Atmosphere

What makes the atmosphere of Deseo54 great is the people that go there. They are friendly, outgoing, and ultimately interested in having the night of their lives! Most people arrive around 2:30am and stay till 7am, more or less. I met some great people who warmly welcomed me into their group since I had no friends to hang out with there. Making friends was as simple as just dancing with them and showing that you want to have a good time as well, and everyone is more than likely to include you and make you feel as though you're already their friend as well. As for the club itself, the DJ, stage, and lighting were quite nice. Nothing stood out so much as the culture and vibe of the people there, so everything else seemed only mediocre.

OVERALL SCORE: 8 / 10

The Drinks

There was nothing special about the drinks or bars at Deseo54. With standard club prices around 8 euro for a cocktail and 4 to 6 euro for a beer, I spent more than I would have liked, but didn't have much of a choice. While watching the bartender pour the drink, I noticed there was plenty of vodka in my vodka coke, so I wasn't too upset with the price, but knew I could buy two bottles of cheap vodka at the Mercadona for the price of my one drink...

OVERALL SCORE: 3 / 5

The Verdict

While some may not find a gay club to be their "cup of tea, " I highly recommend paying Deseo54 a visit at least once during your time in Valencia. The crowd is fairly young - most around college age and everyone is extremely friendly. With a good mix of boys and girls, there's someone for everyone! As I said before, I stress the atmosphere a lot when reviewing clubs, so knowing that the people are so friendly and as the name suggests, desiring to have a good time, you know the club is great! So with a score of 20 / 25 or 80%, I hope to see you there!

Carmen

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