Estrela Rooftop Bar & Restaurant – Novotel Phuket City Phokeethra

Estrela is on the top floor of Novotel Phuket City Phokeethra, the 18-storey hotel on Chanacharoen Road in Phuket Town. When it opened it was the town's first sky lounge, and it is still one of very few places to drink above the low-rise streets of the old town rather than on the beaches. An outdoor terrace wraps around the bar, looking out over the city to the forested hills inland and across to the bay.

The hotel runs it on a "Tropical in the Sky" theme: tropical-inspired cocktails and mocktails, beer, wine and spirits, with light bites and fuller dishes from the kitchen. Inside, a long marble bar sits under a carved timber ceiling and lantern lights, with picture windows on to the view.

It is open daily and welcomes non-guests. It makes a good sundowner before dinner in the Old Town's Sino-Portuguese shophouse streets, a short ride away, and a quieter alternative to the bars of Patong.