Singapore Series: 1-Altitude
1-Altitude claims the title of the highest alfresco bar in the world with a literal 360 view of Singapore. This may not sound appealing in a city like London where it’s often cold, windy and raining for most of the year but in Singapore, it’s the one of the few places where you get to enjoy the rare evening breeze in a hot and humid country. Before heading to 1-Altitude, there was the worry about going to a very “hyped” up place and as a result, we almost didn’t go. BUT last minute it was a ‘oh, go on then’ spur-of-the-moment decision and thank God we decided to go!
When at the entrance, the queue was short (just how I like it) and we were told it was “ladies night” which meant free entry for the women (holla)! The only negative experience was the staff at the entrance who were quite moody, and looked like they had all just been made redundant with no severance pay. After paying our entry fee, we got in a lift to the 62nd floor and as soon as the lift doors opened, it was ‘wow…
As you enter, you are met with two bars, a dance floor and an area where the live band plays. When you climb the stairs, you enter the 360 viewing platform which has seating and areas you can mingle, and take obligatory Instagram worthy shots.
We decided to hang out downstairs to watch the live band play and they were absolutely brilliant. They chose classic hits from the 90s, all the way to current music. Whilst we were there, the band played two sets (with a break in the middle) and then eventually handed over the stage to the DJ. When the band were playing, though they had an appreciative audience, many were still ‘sober’ and too shy to dance. A few brave people danced when the lead singer approached them and encouraged them to dance - it was Carlton (from the Fresh Prince of Belair) vibes but added to the fun!
As the night wore on, the drinks flowed and everyone let their hair and guard down. The dance floor suddenly became packed and everybody just danced the night away enjoying the evening, sweating and loving their life (and the breeze)! It was at that moment I knew that when I move to Singapore, I would bring my girls to this place to dance the night away and request Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls)”.
An evening at 1-Altitude isn’t a cheap night, but it isn’t the most expensive either! This isn’t obviously a “local” type bar so you would visit this place once in a while, when you want to celebrate or de-stress. I would highly recommend this place and would advise an off-peak day (ie. not Friday or Saturday night) if you appreciate space and want move room to shimmy like Shakira! xo
*NB. All photographs in this post are my own.
