Ho Chi Minh City

Social Club, Hôtel des Arts Saigon — Saigon's default rooftop recommendation is Chill Skybar, and the honest consensus on it is "go once." With one evening we'd send you to District 3 instead. Social Club sits on the 24th floor of Hôtel des Arts, a 1930s French-Indochine hotel, and the terrace has a warmth most sky bars never manage: wood, wicker bar stools, low lounge sofas, candlelight on glass. It reads like a garden that happens to be 24 storeys up rather than a viewing platform with a bar attached.

The cocktails are the reason to stay. The Artisan Muse pairs jasmine gin with lemongrass syrup; the Indochine Negroni rebuilds the classic around local spice. The gin list is one of the best in the city. Happy hour runs 3pm to 7pm daily at half price on beer, wine, spirits and cocktails by the glass — which in a city where rooftop drinks run 300,000 VND makes an early arrival genuinely worth it.

Two things people miss. There's a glass sky bridge connecting the rooftop to Centec Tower next door, and walking it is worth the trip on its own. And the infinity pool alongside the bar — the highest in Saigon — is for hotel guests only, so admire it rather than pack a swimsuit. Smart casual; under-18s until 9pm.