Bangkok: Sky Bar vs Vertigo
 

Okay, its time to stop being a tightwad and take the plunge to spend a little cash for great views and a slowly sipped drink or two. Which one should it be?

both are fantastic, but if you want to sit down and enjoy yourself for an hour or so, it has to be vertigo....there are lots of seats and the staff is very nice...

my one experience at sky bar was a bit awkward....firstly i did not feel they really wanted drinkers up there, primarily they want diners.... secondly i found the bar staff unfriendly even surly...

on the other hand the staff at vertigo was charming and welcoming...

try them both out...

Make it Sky Bar!! I just find Vertigo to be more closed in feeling. Sky Bar feels wide open. You will be awed by the view and the whole design of the place "under the dome." Nothing blocks your view. Nothing.

Yes, you stand at Sky Bar. But you also walk around and see different views of the city. Drinkers are very welcome!! You do not need to be waiting for a table for dinner. Not at ALL.

BTW, if you really DO want to sit down and drink, there is a smaller outside bar (with view) on the "other side" of the Sky Bar side of the building. We were directed there one time, so we sat down, and thought we were waiting to go to Sky Bar (maybe it was too crowded or something??)... but when we asked about going to Sky Bar, they said.. "Oh, is that where you wanted to go?" and took is there immediatley. So there IS seating for a drink... it's just in a slightly different (and smaller... less open feeling) location. There also is an inside bar (maybe a cigar bar?) as well (plus the two restaurants).

Make it Sky Bar, Degas. You will not be disappointed!

Carol

i thought the sky bar was only the little round bar at one corner of the roof???

Bob, you buy your drinks at that little round corner bar, and you can stand around there if you want to, but you can also wander all over the entire area, except walking into the restaurant! That is why it feels so wide open... IMO. And, the last time I was up there, they did have a few of the dining tables where you could sit with just a drink. They were away from the restaurant, so obviously "open seating." I had forgotten about them until now.

I LOVE the sky bar (and the "other" little bar that Carol mentioned - same thing happened to us) Not been to Vertigo yet and will try and make it But the Sky bar is ALWAYS on our list.

(... thanks smeagol... support much appreciated! Bob and I tend to go back'n'forth on this one... haha)

Don't forget Red Sky at the top of Centara, the hotel at Central World Plaza. It is an outdor bar & restaurant on the 55th floor that is newer and less expensive than the other two.

Most people don't know about it yet, so they still have promotional pricing.

Brad what are the views like?

The views at Centara are great, and its closer to the downtown. It is the tower at Central World Plaza with the big arches at the top that change color at night.

Sky Bar is still my favorite, but a mixed drink is $20+ and a glass of red wine is $40+. It costs a fortune if you want to hang out for a while.

Dinner and wine at Red Sky is under $100 per person unless you get crazy.

Another nice restaurant with a view is the Long Table on soi 16. Also V9 at the top of the Sofitel Silom, and Baiyoke tower has a pretty good buffet near the top.

Ah, the place at the Centara is the one dogster has written about.

Goodness i only have 2 nights in BKK how will i fit them all in!!!!!!!!!

cocktail hour starts at 10AM...

i have been through some of the other bars up there at the top and they were totally seperate venues i thought and not in the open air.....the one with the large pillows and.....

Red Sky was closed my first few trips to Centara so I haven't tried it out. Now that the G.M. of Centara and I are buddy-buddy [I sent him my Boom Boom Bangkok puff-piece] maybe he'll spring for a free dinner too. Pigs might fly. Maybe, after sending him the piece, I'll be banned. I must say the Saturday [or Sunday, I forget] tasting menu up there looks very nice indeed.

I do have a very fond memory of getting wildly drunk on my own over dinner at Vertigo. Thank god I was staying in the building. I'd never have made it home.

Degas... "Thank god I was staying in the building. I'd never have made it home." lol

Don't do this at Sky Bar! You just might get crazy and fall over the glass siding! People with vertigo problems might like to just stay INSIDE under the dome, rather than walk down the elegant stairway that seems to lead into the night sky.

Thanks for the inputs. Looks like we have added to the mix and that is a good thing. Maybe have to do all three now :)

Degas
I do think you would like the outside bar at Long Table! You can sit at a table that is right near the "edge" of the wall; or you can stand/walk around. But I would hate to be sitting at a table and then have someone stand in front of my view... that'd be a real drag.