Bali

Rock Bar, AYANA Resort, Jimbaran — Bali has better cocktails elsewhere and cheaper sunsets almost everywhere. It has nothing else like this. Rock Bar is built onto a limestone outcrop fourteen metres above the Indian Ocean, reached by a funicular that drops down the cliff face, and the waves break directly beneath the tables. The Japanese architect Yasuhiro Koichi lit the whole thing with lanterns made from recycled glass canes, so as the light goes the bar turns into something glowing and slightly unreal.

The drinks are good rather than transcendent — the zero-waste cocktail programme is a genuine effort — and the food is fine without being the reason you came. Nobody is here for the food. A DJ plays through the evening and the crowd stays put long after the sun has gone, which tells you most of what you need to know.

The practicalities matter more here than anywhere else on this site. It opens at 4pm and runs to midnight. AYANA guests get priority on the 4–7pm sunset window and skip the queue; everyone else should either reserve through TableCheck well in advance and arrive early, or take a slot from 7.30pm and accept a night view instead. Expect a per-person minimum spend depending on where you sit. No tank tops, no beach shorts, and bring sunglasses — there is no shade at all before the sun drops.