For exceptional views and stylish settings, the rooftop Liquid Sky Bar is unsurpassed
Saigon seems to have caught on to the idea that a lot of good things happen when you reach the rooftop. The air’s a little cleaner, the breeze a little better, the view just goes on and on and gives you the feeling of being above everything heavy. The traffic is just two streams of lights, its horns not meant for you. And everyone that has made it up to the top is ready to celebrate the journey. Ok, it’s not Everest, it’s not Heaven, but it’s closer to both without the discipline required for either.
This renaissance of high-altitude relaxation may be a reaction to the city’s unquenchable thirst to see and be seen. If looking is Saigon’s favorite pastime – looking out, looking at, looking forward, and looking good – it mixes perfectly with the city’s accelerated reconstruction. Is there any other city reinventing itself as quickly? Is there any other cityscape that has changed so dramatically? And is there any better way to take it all in then with a table full of friends and signature cocktails?
But let’s also not deny that in the rooftop world of superlatives, there are views and then there are VIEWS! The same goes for drinks and entertainment. So let’s cut to the chase: The Liquid Sky Bar, 21 stories atop the Renaissance Riverside Hotel (8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1), hits the spot for unbeatable views of downtown’s newest skyscrapers jostling with each other for pride of place along the river. You can watch the boats float by from their three terraces or from your own floating mattress in the Sky Bar pool. It’s also a perfect spot for toasting the evening with the office or breaking the ice with new business contacts – whatever your tastes, the good people of Liquid Gold Drinks have you and your taste buds covered. And unlike most sky bars, the one at the Renaissance is open for morning coffee – a strong drip after a quick dip – so hotel guests can celebrate the sunrise that follows after all those sundowners.
The Sky Bar is open nightly, but its boldest colors come out on Friday and Saturday evenings, with world class DJs and an Asian barbeque. Best bring your appetite and clear your calendar for the morning after. It’s your choice to ditch your business suit for your bathing suit and stare up at the stars, or come casual chic and lounge on the upper deck that overlooks the pool and the rest of the city. There’s also the VIP lounge for some serious star gazing.
Images By Patrick Carpenter
