H O T F IN
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| A bar on a seaside cliff. BA LI, INDONESI A
Perched 14 metres above the Indian Ocean, Rock Bar at Bali’s Ayana Resort is quite simply that: a bar built into breath-taking rock face. So lofty is its position, a cable car is required to drop guests onto the elevated bluff. With alfresco seating and waves thrashing the cliff edge, both the views and the acoustics are dramatic. Visit at dusk and settle in for a beautiful sunset, before an equally impressive encore — the moonlit sky.
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| A walled hideaway. D U B ROV N I K , C ROAT I A
You’ll need the dexterity of a mountain goat to navigate the staircase, and a good nose to hunt out its location, but hidden in the walls of Dubrovnik, on the edge of the city and overlooking the Adriatic Sea, is Buža. The only bar to sit on the sea-facing side of the city’s walls. It’s not mentioned in tourist brochures but ask any local for the “hole-in-the-wall bar” and they’ll nod you towards the cliff edge. If you’re lucky, you’ll find it in time for sunset.
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| An American honky-tonk. NASH V ILLE, USA
Common to America’s Deep South, a honky-tonk is a loud, rowdy good-time bar thumping with live music. For one of the oldest in Nashville, visit Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Its late proprietor, Hattie Louise “Tootsie” Bess, always encouraged local musicians, often luckless, to perform. These days, there are three floors of music, a rooftop with eye-popping Nashville views, and the overriding feeling that Tootsie is looking on.
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| An Underground stop. S O H O, L O N D O N, U K
Far removed from the bustle of London, Cahoots bar is hidden in an abandoned tube station. Sitting inside a restored carriage metres below Soho, guests are whisked back to the 1940s. Saturdays play host to the bar’s weekly ‘Squiffy Picnic’, serving cocktails and Great British finger food. If you’ve never washed a sarnie down with a glass of Pimms before, now’s your chance. Located in Kingly Court, Carnaby, the closest real tube station is Oxford Circus. ■
Plan a cocktail around your trip or plan a trip around your cocktails. Either way, we make it easy. Come in-store, call us on 0800 713 715 or visit houseoftravel.co.nz today.
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Here are four quirky and iconic places to have yourself a memorable cocktail.
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It’s 5 o’clock someplace.
