Five great rooftop bars in South-East Asia

Rooftop bars provide a brief, delicious respite from the rapid pace and endless buzz of South-East Asia’s cities and coastlines. They are lofty pockets of peace to recoup and catch your breath after a day packed with sightseeing.

Ascending above the humdrum of the street, you’ll leave the city behind and enter a heady haven flanked by priceless panoramas on all sides. Take a scenic perch, order a Cosmopolitan and feel, well, thoroughly cosmopolitan.

Altitude Gallery and Bar – Singapore

This chic rooftop retreat quite literally takes the top spot. Altitude-1 is the world’s highest al fresco bar, towering a whopping 282 metres above the squeaky clean streets of Singapore. The spectacular 360° views over the city skyline are officially second-to-none. Yes, the drinks may come at a dizzying price, but the panorama really is priceless. It guarantees to be the cocktail-of-a-lifetime and completely worth the expense.

Stepping gingerly out onto the knee-wobbling gallery, you can see no less than 20 of Singapore’s landmarks dwarfed below. As darkness begins to descend over one of the world’s most sophisticated cities, you’ll see a twinkling blanket of lights slowly spread out beneath you, like a vast, busy switchboard bursting into life. It’s something quite magical to behold and somewhere quite impossible to forget.

SkyBar – Kuala Lumpur

The SkyBar is an exclusive spot for an extraordinary tipple in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Set high up on the 33rd floor of the Traders Hotel, it offers a breathtaking bird’s eye view over the bright lights and the famous twin Petronas Towers of the city. If you arrive early for a signature cocktail at sunset, you’ll be in for a truly unsurpassed sip in seriously scenic surroundings.

Try a sparkling Kiwitini or a Selangor Sling as a warm breeze ripples through the open windows and moonlight spreads over the metropolis. Settle into one of the sunken cushioned alcoves for sunset viewing in complete comfort and seclusion. It’s sure to be a decadent holiday highlight, and it’s a must-do if you’re passing through Kuala Lumpur.

Moon Bar – Bangkok

Reach for the stars in Bangkok with a sultry sunset cocktail at Vertigo Restaurant and Moon Bar on the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel. Bangkok is famed for its cluster of top-class rooftop venues, and the Moon Bar is up there with the very best, offering romance, refinement and remarkable views. If you’re booked in for a meal at Vertigo, you’ll simply saunter over the connecting sky bridge to find your table! It’s head-spinning stuff.

The Moon Bar is a feat of cutting-edge design with an unusual stretched oval-shape, so you’ll feel as though you’re sailing through the sky while you sit back on a comfy sofa and admire the cityscape. You’ll need to get here well before sunset to snag the best seats, but as dusk falls your efforts will be rewarded. Blazing rays of sun will bounce off the buildings below and snake between the skyscrapers, ensuring that you end your day on an unbeatable high.

Rex Hotel – Ho Chi Minh City

The Rex is a rooftop cocktail institution right in the beating heart of Ho Chi Minh City. The luxury hotel is a landmark dating back to the early 20th century that, quite incredibly, started life as a French garage! Over the years, the Rex has cultivated a quirky, kitsch charm and watching the sun go down over sprawling Saigon from its al fresco terrace is something not to be missed.

The unashamedly overblown rooftop garden offers a tempting menu of cocktails served with a twist of Vietnamese history. On this very rooftop, foreign correspondents covering the Vietnam War and US military personnel gathered for official press briefings – a practice that they famously dubbed their ‘Five O’Clock Follies’. Nowadays, it’s an eccentric hangout full of ceramic elephants, rotating crowns and miniature neon pagodas, making it a bizarre-but-brilliant spot for a Gin Fizz or three.

Grand Seminyak, Bali

Overlooking the sweeping sands of Seminyak Beach, the chic epicentre of Bali’s southern coastline, this is a thoroughly hip hotspot for trendsetters, romantics and sunset-chasers alike. Here, you can nibble on tapas and tipple on designer cocktails as the sun slips into the crashing waves of Seminyak’s best surf. It’s tropical rooftop territory with no holds barred.

The innovative contemporary design divides the breezy rooftop into three separate zones, each with their own unique ambience. You can dance the exotic evening away, cosy up on a bed of cushions or stay for at atmospheric sunset dinner. The slanted glass roof holds heavier winds at bay, ensuring that you enjoy your signature cocktail in comfort. It’s imaginative, thoughtful and sensational for a sundowner.

Get in touch with our Asia Specialists to plan your trip and look forward to sipping something cool as you gaze at Asia’s stunning sunset views…