Hotel Bars That Even the Locals Should Know About and Frequent
The hotel bars across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane worth seeking out for the drinks alone.
Most hotel bars offer a forgettable lounge pouring overpriced house wine to guests who are too jetlagged to find anywhere better. That's not what's on this list. A hotel bar earns its place here by possessing a few important qualities: a real concept behind the drinks, a signature list worth ordering from, and a room designed with enough intention that it'd draw a crowd even without hotel rooms upstairs; the kind of place a local would suggest to a friend, not just the place a guest defaults to because the lift's right there.
The spread runs from a 1960s Mexican fantasy above Sydney's Circular Quay — margaritas and mezcal old fashioneds from the team behind Maybe Sammy — to a cocktail list at Capella that turns its own architect's building designs into a tarot deck, one card unlocking a drink at a time. In Melbourne, a subterranean cocktail den tucked off a Flinders Lane lobby has a rabbit-hole ceiling award-winning enough to have its own trophy, while a few buildings over, The Douglas Club pours 1930s aviation-themed cocktails inside a heritage banking chamber. And in Brisbane, Iris turns the top floor of The Alva Hotel into a Spanish escape — plunge pool, private bungalows, olive trees growing up through the marble. Presented by Honda ZR-V, these are the hotel bars worth seeking out on their own terms, whether or not you're staying the night.
Read other guides in our A to Z with Honda ZR-V series:
After-Work Drink Spots to Meet Your Friends and Wind Down the Day
Espresso Bars and Specialty Coffee Roasters to Start Your Day Right
Galleries to Spend a Rainy Afternoon Wandering Around
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BarIris Rooftop
458 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley
Perched atop The Alva in Fortitude Valley, Iris turns the rooftop into a Spanish-inspired escape with a pool, private cabanas and tapas.
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BarFiume Rooftop Bar
5 Boundary Street, Brisbane City
At Crystalbrook Vincent, Fiume pairs an infinity pool and river views with Italian bar snacks, sangria jugs and boutique wines.
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BarThe Lobby Bar at Ace Hotel Sydney
53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney
Ace Hotel’s lounge doubles as a living room, with a sunken ochre lounge, DJs most nights, and one of the city’s best daily happy hours.
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BarAcapulco El Vista
61 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Perched above the Pullman in Circular Quay, this glass-wrapped lounge channels 1960s Acapulco through ice cold cocktails.
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RestaurantCleo, Hyde Melbourne Place
130 Russell Street, Melbourne
High above Hyde Melbourne Place, this rooftop bar serves Mediterranean sharing plates and drinks from breakfast until late.
This guide was produced in partnership with Honda ZR-V. To learn more about the ultimate car for urban discovery, click here.