Getting High on Bangkok: Bars With a View

The Chao Phraya River from Sirocco Restaurant

Everyone loves a good view and having a good drink in hand can make it even better. What better way to get your bearings in Bangkok than to head to the top of one of the tallest buildings and watch a sunset or trace the Chao Phraya as it winds its way through the city? There are several nice breezy perches in Bangkok and below are five of the best.

As you might guess, most of these charge a pretty stiff price for a stiff drink, so anyone on a budget is going to want to make it count. Bring your camera, but be careful where you point it – some properties are protective of their image –literally (see Sirocco below). Women generally are off the hook when it comes to dress codes but it is important to note that some of these establishments might look cross-eyed at the female patron in hardcore backpacker outfits or flip-flops. Being a foreigner is not a free pass. Men have to wear pants and cannot wear sandals or flip-flops. Despite Bangkok’s bright lights, some of the stars are still visible, but the half hour or so of the sun slipping down into the haze in the west is the best part.

Red Sky Bar
at Centara Grand Hotel
Centara Grand tucks up against Central World shopping mall. This is the sky view closest to the SkyTrain (stop at either Siam or Chit Lom station and head for Central World). The 55th-floor bar has comfortable cushioned-seating, a color-shifting bar and a view of another sky-high drinking spot, the glowing halo of the 18-20th floors at Central World itself which include Zense Restaurant and the seasonal Greenspace beer garden.

Moon Bar/Vertigo
at Banyan Tree Hotel
Down Sathorn Road is the luxurious Banyan Tree Hotel and up on the 61st floor is Vertigo its dizzying open-air restaurant and Moon Bar. Coming for the view means standing room only at the bar but dinner is nice when the starts come out. Wines are served by the glass.

Sky Garden
at Unico Grande Silom Hotel
What one might call the poor man’s sky bar, the rooftop Sky Garden at Unico Grande Silom Hotel in Silom Road is not concerned about your flip flops and some happy-hour specials put prices for a Singha beer a bit less sky high than many of the others. You can even grab a chair on a patch of grass up there on the 20th floor. A seafood barbeque is often served.

Sirocco
at Lebua Hotel (State Tower)
Perhaps the best for last and arguably one of the most expensive is the breathtaking (and award-winning) restaurant Sirocco at Lebua Hotel at State Tower. Named for a Mediterranean wind, Sirocco is that place where the staff is on camera patrol. You can take photos of the world below from the multi-colored glowing sky bar out on its narrow perch. (Actually, most everyone sneaks a shot of the whole place sooner or later and while you may get reprimanded it is unlikely anyone will wrestle your camera away to take back that photo.) Located on the 64th floor and completely open-air, Sirocco has a priceless view of the Chao Phraya River. It’s standing room only unless you stay for dinner.