Top five rooftop bars from Design Hotels

Five Hotel & Spa, Cannes 

The Great Getaway Medina, Marrakech

Hotel Omm, Barcelona

Tribe Hotel, Nairobi

Malmilla Hotel, Jerusalem

We love a great rooftop bar, so when the ever-stylish, always cool peeps at Design Hotels shared with us their top five rooftop bars at their exclusive hotels around the world, we just had to pass the love on with you, too ...

There’s something about getting to the roof of a building that brings a natural high with it. Slap on a pool, some delicious slurpy cocktails, music, unbelievable cityscapes and you’ve got all the ingredients for a perfect  sun-fueled chill-out session!

Enjoy awe-inspiring views over Jerusalem’s Old City from atop designer Pierro Lissoni’s Mamilla Hotel; take in the fantastic panorama of the Sagrada Familia and Casa Milá while lounging by Hotel Omm’s swimming pool; relax after a day of wandering around Marrakech’s souk on the roof of the The Great Getaway Medina; sample a house-blend of shisha flavors and signature martinis at the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi; or bask in the sun of the Côte d’Azur and the glamour of Cannes at the Five Hotel & Spa.

If you're planning a trip to any of these fabulous cities, be sure to high tail it to the top of these cool rooftop bars for a stylish sunset drink to remember!

The Scene - our guide to the best bars, clubs and global hotspots

A collection of some of the coolest bars and clubs from around the globe, as featured in the 'The Scene' in the latest issue of Holidays for Couples magazine, OUT NOW!

CLUB MUSÉE - MADRID

A combination of art gallery and club space, Club MUSÉE is a modern nightclub that marries culture, creativity and the coolest music from around the world. Designed by creative director and designer Parolio of Madrid's Parolio & Euphoria Lab, this super sleek space is all black glass and mirrors, visually stunning furniture and and a giant LED video screen flashing  installations and artist's work, with an evolving and ever changing calender of events and showings year round. It's like drama, theatre and play all mashed up in to one of the most extraordinary nightlife addresses in a city that is famed for high fashion and cutting edge trends. Certainly one of the hippest places to party in Spain.

SKYLITE LOUNGE - THE YAS HOTEL, ABU DHABI

It's a city that is rapidly becoming one of the most spectacular destinations in the UAE, so when Abu Dhabi welcomed the Yas Hotel, expectations were high for a distinctive and exciting concept. And it delivers. The Yas Hotel is a work of art, and it's also become a hub of great nightlife options, like the Skylite Lounge. For one of the city's hottest destinations for a good time after the sun sets, head to the hotel's roof deck, with it's outdoor seating, specialty cocktails, a superb appetizers menu and one of the most stunning views of the Yas Marina. This is where some of the most sought after djs line up to play, so you're guaranteed to mingle with the 'It' crowd. Table bookings are recommended, contact dining@theyashotel.com or phone +971 (0)2 65600 600. NOTE: We've just got word that Skylite is closed for summer, with parties recommencing at this hot spot in September 2011.

BEACH REPUBLIC - KOH SAMUI, THAILAND

Beach Republic has the perfect mix of sexy sophistication in an ideal tropical setting, where the days are all about laid back chic, and the ambient grooves of guest djs and live music accompany the champagne and cocktails as the sun sets. Designed with a modern exotic aesthetic in mind, and located right on one of the quieter corners of beautiful Lamai Beach, you can lounge on oversized daybeds or in your own private cabana with a sweeping view of the ocean, graze on gourmet mediterranean cuisine and tapas by Executive Chef Martin Selby, and enjoy languid hours in the two swimming pools. Or get along to the Ultimate Sunday Brunch Club which starts at 11.30 am and carries through to 3.30 pm, with the sweet tunes of the popular chillout session carrying you through to the evening hours. 

THE SPARE ROOM - THE HOLLYWOOD ROOSEVELT HOTEL 

Talk about turning the bowling alley in to something cool! The Spare Room on the mezzanine level of the storied, historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel puts a bowling alley together with a lounge bar, an unlikely combination that has become the new playground for the hip and the famous. The design harks back to vintage affluence, with a speakeasy, gaming parlour vibe - think cocktails and whisky sipped over a game of dominoes. If you're in town and looking for that special, unique place to kick back as the night falls, The Spare Room offers a transport back to a time in Hollywood when civilised illegality reigned supreme. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 6pm - 2am. Reservations are encouraged (local phone 323.769.7296).

Contemporary cool at QT Gold Coast

The Gold Coast gets a stylish new venue to eat, drink and play at QT Gold Coast, set in glitzy Surfers Paradise.  Designed to be a playground for those who love food, wine, fashion and art, QT Gold Coast is both a deluxe hideaway and an atmospheric meeting spot for hipsters and shakers. The first in a nationwide series of designer hotel experiences, QT is evolving into something quite unique for the glamorous Gold Coast set. It already has the super stylish lobby, a range of dining experiences including an interactive marketplace kitchen called Bazaar and the award winning japanese Yamagen Restaurant, and a funky Baja-style bar called the Stingray Lounge. And in July this year it begins a huge transformation of its existing 296 guest rooms into something synonymous with GC style - 'surfer chic combined with Miami catwalk cool'. We sure know where we will be meeting for drinks the next time a short break on the Gold Coast rolls around!

An insider's guide to Sydney

The next time you need ideas of what to do while in Sydney, or you're hunting for some really great deals to make your weekend or short break stay the very best it can be, get yourself over to Lime&Tonic. It's run by Sydney locals who love where they live, and love what they do - Mansour, Ilona, Paul and Michael (that's them pictured) are dedicated to hunting down the best bars, restaurants, cafes and things to do whilst visiting Sydney and negotiate the best price on behalf of its members and their hot tip suggestions. There are special deals highlighted weekly, and you'll also find a wealth of unique ideas in their Top 50 guide. 

Whether you’re a local that wants to discover a new hip and trendy spot for a fraction of the price, or a tourist that wants to experience Sydney at its finest, Lime&Tonic will have a deal to suit every social appetite. Romance, adventure, indulgence, whatever mood you're after ... we're loving how it's all there in the one website. Check it out!

Mash it up at Potato Head, Bali

When we were told by a globetrotting friend that Potato Head was "the new 'new'", we simply had to check it out all for ourselves. And it really is seriously cool!

Born in to the Jakarta bar scene and created by Indonesian international art collectors Ronald Akili and Jason Gunawan with a view to revolutionising the south east Asian bar/restaurant/bistro concept, Potato Head is totally different to anything the city, with its thriving nightlife, has ever had on offer. It became synonymous with style, with a design that is based on a vintage industrial setting and divided in to three sections; ground, mezzanine and outdoor area. A bespoke cocktail bar at its epicentre, helmed by a team of professional mixologists, and the Potato Head phenonamon took flight - the cocktail list is totally customised for cool.

And the concept has taken a shining to neighbouring Bali, with the recent opening of the Potato Head Beach Club quickly cementing itself as THE hottest new place to be seen! Taking up pride of place smack bang on the beach at one of Bali's most prestigious addresses, at Jalan Petitenget in Seminyak, the Potato Head Beach Club is part art gallery, part lounge bar, part beach club complete with infinity pool and resident DJs. The new venture carries on the good name of its Jakarta sister, with a cocktail list that serves as a defining point for any and all who attend. And in a location that takes modern exotic to a whole new level of amazing, Potato Head is stylishly evocative, and just made for simmering away the day and melting in to memorable nights. Cocktail in hand, of course!

The Rock Bar takes it to a whole new level in Bali

If you're looking for a place to have a drink with one of the most breathtaking views in Bali, head to the clifftop Ayana Resort & Spa above Jimbaran Bay and take a seat at the Rock Bar. Perched high above the waters of Kisik Beach, the Rock Bar is one of the coolest places to come to for live music - just check out the natural backdrop of 360 degree ocean and wilderness views! It's sheer glamour, in a way that Bali does so well. I can easily imagine spending the afternoon hours here enjoying some nibbles and cocktails as the sun sets over the horizon. Bathe me in magenta colours and hand me a mojito - this could easily become a daily holiday habit! Little wonder it's becoming an iconic venue with those 'in the know'.