We cross the globe and pick our favorite romantic rooftop bars to take your special someone.
Mr. Purple, Hotel Indigo, NY
Located in the uber-luxurious Hotel Indigo Lower East Side, Mr. Purple is one of New York’s finest bars with perhaps the best rooftop pool to be found in the Big Apple. Designed by internationally acclaimed design firm Crème Design, the space evokes an artist-loft atmosphere using reclaimed wood, concrete, metal, free-hanging lights, and contemporary minimalist furniture. The main terrace has the famed pool and outside bar, while the smaller easter terrace is perfect for more discrete meetings. This chic but relaxed Manhattan bar serves classic cocktails with a twist, specialty cocktails, craft cocktails carbonated and bottled in-house, a rotating seasonal selection of beer on tap, and a fine selection of wines. An all-day food menu features signature favorites such as the Mr. Purple Burger and a perennial hipster favorite, Smashed Avocado Toast. Open evenings until 2 am and 4 am on weekends. The dress code is smart casual, so no flip-flops, tracksuits, or ripped jeans.
Sir Elly’s Terrace Rooftop Bar at The Peninsula, Shanghai
With unrivaled views over the Bund and the gargantuan mega-towers of the Pudong, Sir Elly’s Terrace Rooftop Bar at The Peninsula Shanghai is difficult to top for its sheer wow factor in this city of superlatives. As dusk falls the bar’s premium location on the hotel’s 14th floor, you find Sir Elly’s Restaurant comes into its own as you can kick back on the airy timber-decked terrace with a Deutz Peninsula Brut NV, vintage Champagne bottled exclusively for select Peninsula, and take in the expanse of the Huangpu River, the dazzling lights of the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower and the steady intoxicating buzz of humanity below you. On the 13th floor beneath you, Sir Elly’s Restaurant serves Michelin-starred modern European cuisine. The dress code is smart casual.
La Terraza Del Urban, Hotel Urban, Madrid
This seventh-floor rooftop bar astride the gorgeous five-star Hotel Urban is popular with Madrileños at play. Located right at the heart of Madrid, close to Puerta del Sol, La Terraza del Urban is the perfect perch to chill out with cocktails and enjoy the gathering warmer weather as spring approaches. The expert mixologist can spin perfect signature cocktails, a variety of Gin & Tonics, and a wide range of tantalizing non-alcoholic cocktails. The tapas here is exceptional. The cozy, intimate outside terrace has candlelit tables, leather sofas, and a sexy pool. If the weather gets chilly, just pop down to the hotel’s sister Glass Bar.
Skye Bar, Hotel Unique, Brazil
Brazilians know how to party, so it is hardly a revelation that they take their cocktail bars very seriously. Often vaunted as one of the finest rooftop bars on the planet, the Skye Bar at the iconic Hotel Unique in Sao Paolo’s exclusive Jardins district never disappoints. Even before reaching the bar, the hotel, with its extraordinary surreal design that could be conceived from Salvador Dali’s mind, provides a suitably spectacular appetizer. The hotel’s weathered copper façade and strange portholes are a bizarre but fascinating work of architecture by Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake. The Skye Bar sits astride this dream-like structure, has unparalleled 360-degree views over this South American mega-metropolis, and boasts striking design features, including a blood-red sunken pool. With DJs on the decks every night, the Skye Bar is a playground for an international set that keeps the party going all year round. Brazilian snacks and sushi are served on the bar menu, while the cocktails are simply the best in the Southern Hemisphere.
Soho House Berlin
A stunning boutique hotel located close to the Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in the Mitte district of Berlin, which was once the headquarters of the Hitler Youth, Soho House Berlin is one of the chicest hang-outs in the German capital. The 8th-floor rooftop bar, lounge, and heated pool are open day and night and have spectacular views of Berlin and face the iconic Fernsehturm TV Tower built by the Deutsche Demokratische Republik in the days of the Cold War when Germany and Berlin were divided. The incredible views are matched by friendly but typically efficient service and an impressively inventive cocktail list. The Zimtso cocktail made with Bacardi Carta Negra, orange sherbert, and green apple is worth the visit alone. Inside there is a retro-chic bar and a European-style restaurant.
