Touching down in Bangkok, dragging your weary bones through passport control and having the heat and smells of the city immediately hitting you like a slap to the face as you step out of the airport is an introduction to Thailand that so many of us have experienced, and it never seems to get any more normal.
To escape the madness and noises of the city that never sleeps there are small refuges, little oases high above street level, free of the hubbub and madness of this incredible city – the world famous Rooftop bars of Bangkok, and in this blog I’ll talk about a few of what I consider to be the best the city has to offer.
Sky Bar, Lebua Hotel
Made even more popular since ‘The Hangover 2’ was unleashed on unsuspecting idiots with money to waste, Sky Bar at Lebua Hotel (Silom area) is the one featured in the movie and is certainly not one for those on a budget – expect to pay about 400 baht for a beer! The dress code is pretty strict too, as is often the case in these types of bars – no t-shirts, flip-flops, backpacks or shorts – but you’d really look out of place wearing that sort of clobber there; everyone else usually dresses very smartly indeed!
Thank God we bought all those frigging suits on the Khao San Road eh?
It gets really busy at Lebua Sky Bar, so it’s a nice place to watch the wealthier Thai business types at play, but unfortunately the staff can be a bit dickish herding you around into certain areas to take photos. The view is spectacular of course, and makes it worth the visit as long as you leave a few baht for your diving!
Above 11, Sukhumvit Soi 11
A little cheaper, but with views almost as spectacular is Above Eleven, on the massive snaking street that straddles the city called ‘Sukhumvit’, Soi 11. With cocktails starting at around 300 baht and a small beer about 160 baht it’s usually possible to have a great time without blowing a week’s salary, but if you want to eat or get the best seats right on the edge you need to make a reservation – a bribe didn’t work for me, though I do look like a homeless crack-addict so the waitress probably thought I was begging for change. The atmosphere is a hell of a lot more chilled than Sky Bar, and to watch the sunset over the huge shopping malls on Siam is really breathtaking – remember that it doesn’t open till 6pm however so don’t get there too late if you want to get the day and night shots of the city.
A shout out to the staff as well who are surprisingly attentive for Thailand, just don’t let them talk you into that weird Peruvian beer special with the ice, salt and pepper – I can still taste it years later, and in comparison makes even a Chang beer seem delicious.
Dress-code is smart casual, shorts are okay but absolutely no open shoes or sandals – they can provide men with simple black trainers for a 160 baht rental fee.
360 Bar, Millenium Hilton, 123 Charoen Nakhon Rd.
360 bar at Millennium Hilton could well be the best of all the rooftop bars in Bangkok but is often missed out on lists like these, possible due to it being a mere 31 floors high – compared to a lot of the other rooftop bars in Bankgkok this isn’t exactly the tallest, but the views are a LOT better than the competition in my opinion. The bar consists of two distinct areas: One is a large rectangular open air space covering the entire middle part of this tall riverside building, and the other part, as the name suggests, is an amazing 360 degrees cupola balanced one floor above. It looks like a gigantic flying saucer has landed on the edge of the Millennium Hilton tower and the views from this indoor panoramic bar are fantastic and well worth a visit!
360 Bar is laid back, the jazz played is always to a very high standard, and the easiest way to enjoy the early evening is to first sit at one of the sofas on the open rooftop and contemplate the views on each side of the tower. Unfortunately the sunset is obscured by the building, but the light show in the sky all around you easily makes up for it.
If price appears high, don’t worry, the servings are generous, meaning you’ll only need one or two plates to enjoy an evening here!
Dress-code is smart casual, no sandals or sportswear allowed.
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/thailand/millennium-hilton-bangkok-BKKHITW/dining/threesixty.html
Char Rooftop Bar, Indigo Hotel, 81 Wireless Road
On the 25th and 26th floor of the Indigo Hotel in Ploenchit is a relatively new addition to the Bangkok Rooftop bar phenomenon, and it’s showing itself to be quite the star! It’s smaller than a lot of the more famous competitors, and they’ve used the space wonderfully with cute little alcoves giving you a bit of privacy as you wash down the reasonably priced cocktails and beers on offer – expect to pay around 350 baht for a cocktail and 180 baht for a small Singha beer. The bar snacks are very good at Char, and not too expensive if you’re on a budget.
The loungers are some of the most comfortable your dear writer had ever sat in, and it makes a great place to fire off a few emails and snaps to loved ones back home without all the crowds usually found at the larger sky bars.
Dress-code is pretty strict, with no sandals, t-shirts or ‘torn clothing’ allowed.
Whichever sky bar you choose, to really get the most out of the experience (and also to really take advantage of the amount of incredible cityscape photos that can be had) there’s no better time to arrive than late afternoon, just before the sun drops to reveal a stunning show of colour that’s worth the higher prices these bars always charge.
Mine’s a large one thanks!
