Escape the world in this tree-house designed pool bar nestled into Uluwatu’s spectacular landscape. Guests would be forgiven for thinking they’ve just stepped into St Tropez, as they bask in the lounge-surrounded 25-metre infinity pool overlooking the coast. It’s bar menu features everything you’d imagine from beach club classic cocktails to playful mixes, beers, wines, house spirits and even a menu for juices, tonics and cultures.
Plus, Ulu has an onsite spa, boutique store and cliff-top restaurant run by acclaimed Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz. Ulu Cliffhouse’s minimalistic luxury grabs you and it treats you well. Kombucha anyone?
Hate doing the washing? Us too. Unless, of course, sorting the laundry also means sipping on cocktails. Introducing Lavomatic, a quirky Parisian bar that serves up mojitos with a side of freshly laundered towels. From the front, this 10th arrondissement establishment looks like just another laundromat – we’re talking washing machines, dryers, soap, the lot.
Press the right button on the correct washing machine though, and watch a secret door open to reveal a hidden staircase leading to the bar. The metallic, sterile laundry environment is replaced by one that resembles a cool, comfortable apartment. With cosy, cushion-filled nooks, swing chairs and an extensive drinks menu, this spot just made doing the laundry a whole lot more enticing.
It’s popped up seasonally in hotspots like Baku, the Maldives and the Greek Islands. Now Buddha-Bar Beach has found its first permanent open-all-year home on the luxurious shores of Abu Dhabi’s St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. The concept, born in Paris more than 20 years ago, unifies elements of Eastern and Western culture, and this latest rendition of its restaurant-bar-lounge is a swanky day-to-night affair.
The menu, influenced by Pacific Rim and Far East flavours, shines as brightly as the glittering Arabian Gulf views with dishes that are art on a plate (the King of the Beach, a 48-piece seafood platter, is a masterpiece), while mixologists whip up aromatic cocktails to the DJ-crafted opus of electro and tribal rhythms and saxophonists moodily croon during the sunset sessions. Fair warning, though: prepare for all other nights out to be underwhelming after this.
The premise behind Pelican Brewing Company is a simple one: beers by the beach. It’s a winning formula, and one that the team has down pat – after all, they’ve been serving ice-cold froffs here for more than 20 years now. The location, perched on the shoreline of the Oregon coast, is phenomenal, and visitors can stroll the dunes, take a dip or go crabbing before knocking back a few craft offerings.
There’s a selection of crowd favourites – including pale ales, stouts and pilsners – available to drink year-round, but it’s the seasonal varieties that impress the most. Our top pick? The Jamaicito, a mojito-inspired lager with hibiscus, mint and lime, best enjoyed on the outdoor terrace with a plate of calamari.
With a name like Taki Taki, which means ‘cheers’ or ‘to lift up’ in Fijian, you just know you’re in for a cracking time at this Singaporean tiki bar. A vibrant mural dominates the small space that opens to a balcony, creating a vibe that is relaxed and friendly – the bar staff even go out of their way to learn the names of thirsty patrons!
The rum-soaked cocktails – served in classic tiki glassware, of course – come highly recommended, but there are plenty of other options on the first-rate drinks list that aren’t fruity, flowery or super sugary. Bar snacks come in the form of satay char siu tacos and cheeseburger sliders, which go a long way towards soaking up the delicious yet deceivingly potent cocktails.
Hidden away up a concealed staircase, its bright neon sign the only clue of any potential shenanigans, Lost in Brixton has landed in South London. There’s enough room for 440 revellers to kick back on its rooftop and enjoy the South American-inspired cocktail list featuring 16 varieties of spritz, or a chilled local Brixton Brewery beer depending on the mood.
Plenty of greenery gives the space a jungle vibe, while the retractable roof is a welcoming, if slightly optimistic, inclusion. Food is available from a selection of local eateries, and ordering is as simple as snapping a QR code, paying online and waiting for it to turn up at your table. We certainly wouldn’t mind getting lost here!
It’s time for tea at Hong Kong’s coolest new cocktail bar, except the type of beverages being brewed at Tell Camellia pack slightly more of a punch than your average cup of Earl Grey. This tea-meets-booze venture is the brainchild of master mixologists Gagan Gurung and Sandeep Hathiramani, who named the bar after the tea-producing Camellia sinensis plant.
The ‘teatails’ (clever, right?) are named after the origin of the tea leaves used, and are a blend of flavours and ingredients that really shouldn’t work but somehow do. A standout is the Japan, which has been concocted using shochu, redistilled matcha, pumpkin seeds, mint, fermented soybean, seaweed and plankton sprinkles, and is served in a floating tea service. Levitating cocktails? Count us in.
The Cumberland in Manly is quintessential Australia boutique deli by day, top-secret underground speakeasy by night. There’s a lot to love about this Manly bar that is accessible through a vintage 1920s fridge door and down a spiral staircase. The 75-seater bar radiates old-world sophistication with a leather banquette, hard-carved sandstone blocks and antique brass beer taps.
The carefully curated cocktail list features drinks inspired by native Manly botanicals (the Dandelion Espresso and Lilly Pilly Sour are just two examples), but it’s the remarkable 250-strong whiskey collection that will force more than a few return visits. Platters of cheese and charcuterie from the deli upstairs quell any need to emerge into the world for dinner.
Forget trawling the tourist-heavy streets of Madrid in order to immerse yourself in the Spanish capital. The best way to experience the city is from a great height – 12 storeys up at the VP Plaza España Design hotel, to be exact. Here you’ll find Ginkgo Sky Bar, an uber-glam rooftop that enjoys 360-degree panoramic views and boasts a glass-bottom swimming pool, vertical garden and Spanish-Asian dining options.
During the day, it’s a sun-drenched urban oasis with an unrivalled vantage point for spotting the city’s major attractions; come twilight a translucent dance floor slides over the pool and Ginkgo transforms into a lively nightspot complete with soundproof bar and an impressive line-up of DJs. If you’ve only got one night in Madrid, this is the place to spend it.
Even though it’s located in a country not traditionally known for its beer, Turkey’s the Populist brewery knows how to make a tasty ale. This Istanbul taproom is at the forefront of the city’s current craft craze and pours a rotating selection of 12 beers – anything from a berry-spiked wheat brew to mocha stout – making it a must-visit destination for beer aficionados.
Located in the trendy district of Bomontiada, the Populist occupies the former site of the historic Bomonti Beer Factory, and there are a few subtle nods to its predecessor (fermentation tanks on display, original exposed brickwork) that do not go unnoticed. The motto at the Populist is Serve the People, and a drinking sesh here proves it sure can deliver on that promise.
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