Top 6 Drinks with a View

3 4

TOP 6 DRINKS WITH A VIEW

We don’t simply mean a cocktail at sunset. Our specialists reveal scenic vistas you can enjoy with a festive drink in hand, be it a pre-dinner aperitif or a steaming cup of coffee…

1Mumbo Island Lodge, Lake Malawi, Malawi Recommended by Anna Boughen While sea-like Lake Malawi is beautiful from any angle, one of my favorite spots for a cocktail is at the remote Mumbo Island Lodge. Set on its own secluded island just off the lake’s southern shore, this rustic but exclusive lodge is built on a rocky outcrop and has a relaxed, low-key atmosphere. Come sunset, I like to grab a cool drink from the bar and sit outside as the light fades to gaze over the ‘Lake of Stars’ – you’ll see how the lake earned its nickname as hundreds of lanterns from fishing boats glow on the water’s surface.

2Sir Elly’s Terrace, The Peninsula Shanghai Recommended by Virginia Casey A relative newcomer, the Peninsula slipped in alongside the heritage buildings lining Shanghai’s Bund riverfront in 2009. The hotel’s positioning on a bend of the Huangpu River gives Sir Elly’s Terrace perhaps the best views in the city. It’s ideal to arrive at this 14th floor, open-air rooftop bar before twilight, when you can admire the Bund’s skyline from its plush seating. Then, you watch the river come twinkling and flashing into life as darkness falls, and the towers of Pudong become illuminated with rainbow patterns.

4Mount Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo Recommended by Sarah Attwood There’s nothing like sitting down to a drink when you’ve earned it. And I mean earned it. Climbing Borneo’s highest mountain is a day’s hike, followed by a 2am start the next day to make the 13,500 foot summit by sunrise. After you’ve savored your achievement, you’ll head down to Pendant Hut, a timbered building clinging to the side of the mountain at 10,820 feet. Here, you’ll be served a steaming cup of tea or coffee in the canteen, which overlooks forested hills, tiny villages and, on a clear day, the islands that dot Borneo’s northern coast far below.

5Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Rangali Island, Maldives Recommended by Ludo Bennett-Jones Set 16 feet under the improbably clear waters off Rangali, Ithaa is the world’s first undersea eatery and I think it still has the best views in the Maldives. The set menu features sophisticated lunch and dinner options – imagine lobster served with mango gel or chocolate mud cake with lime-infused coconut foam – as well as an extensive wine and cocktail menu. However, the real attraction is the views. You can admire shoals of fish as they shimmer by mere inches from your table, darting among the coral.

3Ponto Final, Lisbon, Portugal Recommended by Sam Thompson The end of a concrete pier lined with abandoned warehouses might not seem like the most promising place for a much-loved restaurant, but this is where you’ll find Ponto Final. Aim to get a table outside on the sliver of weathered dock. The canary-yellow color scheme stands out cheerfully against Lisbon’s often brilliant blue sky, and you sit right on the water’s edge (tread carefully). Gaze across the Tagus at Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio district, and at the city’s graceful suspension bridge, Ponte 25 de Abril. Drinks-wise, choose a local Alentejo wine to complement the hearty home cooking.

6Jonah’s Restaurant, Whale Beach, Sydney, Australia Recommended by Vina Nguyen Before eating at Jonah’s, dally with your aperitif on the outside terrace. This gourmet restaurant occupies a plum position on the clifftops above the quiet expanse of Whale Beach (a shy cousin to Sydney’s busier Palm Beach). You’ll gaze out over the Pacific and a slick of buttery-gold sand with rocky margins, fringed by a forested headland. There are good surf breaks here, so you might see a lone surfer plying the waves. Even getting to Whale Beach is an experience; you arrive by seaplane, having soared over Sydney Harbour and the northern beaches en route.