Inside the tropical New York oasis that’s only accessible by boat and attracts celebrities from Paris Hilton to Emily Ratajkowski

One of New York’s hottest clubs, with tropical palm trees, golden sand and driftwood, takes partygoers to a world away from the city, with a Mexican beach theme at its core.

British nightclub darling James Gardner was the mastermind behind gitanowhich opened on Governors Island in spring 2022. He told DailyMail.com he is overwhelmed by its success.

Over the past two years, the atmospheric outdoor venue has become a celebrity hotspot, with Dua Lipa, Paris Hilton, Adam Lambert and Emily Ratajkowski among those attending events. On weekends, it also attracts crowds of regulars for early evening parties.

When asked what the audience at Gitano is like, Gardner replies that it’s “a place where people come to dress up, see, be seen and connect.”

He continues: ‘Our guests put together an island look that takes on all forms, and they come to celebrate life. Our overall design aesthetic is bohemian glam and tousled elegance, like silk pyjamas and Kate Moss hair!’

With tropical palm trees, golden sand and driftwood, one of New York’s hottest dayclubs transports partygoers to worlds far away from the city

Briton James Gardner was the mastermind behind Gitano, which opened on Governors Island in spring 2022, and he told DailyMail.com he is overwhelmed by its success

When asked what the audience at Gitano is like, Gardner replies that it is ‘a place where people come to dress up, see, be seen and connect’

Over the past two years, the atmospheric outdoor venue has become a celebrity hotspot, with Emily Ratajkowski among those attending events

The journey to Gitano is an adventure in itself. A ferry ride from Manhattan takes you to the shores of Governors Island in five to eight minutes.

From there it’s quite easy to pinpoint Gitano’s location on the ice cream cone-shaped island, where the party music sounds louder than the birdsong.

Gitano Island New York isn’t Gardner’s first foray onto the beach. He opened his brand in Tulum in 2013.

There are now five Gitano locations, spread across Mexico and the US, with the next location scheduled to open in Dubai.

In addition to the restaurants, Tulum has a stylish boutique hotel on the beach.

Before opening his doors on Governors Island, Gardner opened a pop-up location in Soho in 2018 called Gitano Garden of Love to get a feel for the Manhattan vibe.

However, there were some teething problems with this project and it was closed by the health service even before its official opening ‘due to hygiene violations that could not be corrected during inspection.’

After the violations were corrected, the restaurant was allowed to reopen and remained open for several years before being replaced by the island location.

Paris and Nicky Hilton (pictured at another outdoor location) are said to be fans of Gitano

The journey to Gitano is an adventure in itself, with a short ferry ride from Manhattan taking you to the shores of Governors Island

“When we took over the property it was just a grassy knoll,” Gardner reveals

According to Gardner, building Governors Island required a lot of vision.

The charismatic entrepreneur explains: ‘The location is on a triangular site that slopes dramatically towards the water and is surrounded by historic buildings and ancient oak trees.

‘When we took over the estate, it was just a grassy hill.

‘I envisioned an amphitheatre, with each part of the restaurant on a different level: the Upper Dining Deck, the Lotus Lounge and Jungle Gardens, the Lower Dining Deck and the Beach Lounge, closest to the water.

“We had to work with engineers, tree surgeons, archaeologists and the Buildings Department to come up with solutions that would allow us to safely place our structures on the slope.”

Gardner’s plans slowly took shape and ‘Gitano grew into a beautiful 2,500 square foot, tropical jungle garden restaurant and open-air beach lounge, right on the water!’

When the beach club opened, he said, “Demi Moore, Rumor Willis and Orlando Bloom were among the first to hit our limestone dance floor!”

Gardner says building the New York spot required a lot of vision

When the beach club opened, Gardner (pictured) said, “Demi Moore, Rumor Willis and Orlando Bloom were among the first to hit our limestone dance floor!”

As for the menu, Gitano Island serves an array of Mexican-inspired appetizers that are “designed to share and served family style”

As for the menu, Gitano Island serves an array of Mexican-inspired appetizers that are “meant for sharing and served family style.”

When asked what his favorite appetizer is, Gardner struggles to pick just one and instead serves up four savory suggestions in the form of a lobster tostada, the mushroom sope (a thick masa cake that resembles a corn tortilla), the crispy chicken, and the steamed branzino in a banana leaf with spinach.

As for dessert, he prefers the ‘cazuela de chocolate’, which he describes as ‘a piping hot volcano cake with cocoa nibs and a dollop of cajeta-sweet whipped cream’.

Prices are reasonable by New York standards, with the most expensive dish being a $50 ribeye, while brunch dishes start at $16.

Since there is no indoor space on Gitano Island, the park is only open from May to September.

Before Gardner sets out to plan the final week’s extravaganzas, he sums up Gitano Island in three simple words: “Bohemian! Glam! Fabulous!”