Hong Kong - Cocktails with a Killer View over Victoria Harbor

Hong Kong is now world-renown for its daily 8pm laser and light show called A Symphony of Lights where laser beams, colored lights and searchlights originating from 40 skyscrapers on both sides of Victoria Harbor dance to choreographed music. What better way to take in this amazing spectacle than by sipping a cocktail high above the city in a dark and sultry setting with killer views. Here are my three favorites:

Post dinner cocktails in Hong Kong one night brought me to the 30th floor of the One Peking Road building to Aqua Spirit, one of the most glamorous nightspots in all of Asia. Stepping off the elevator, the only thing separating me from the absolutely magnificent view of the Hong Kong city skyline and the harbor, were 21-foot plate glass windows. Not for the vertiginous, the view is so spectacular it will, unequivocally, take your breath away. The backdrop to this panorama is a seductive, dimly-lit and stylish cocktail bar on the 30th floor mezzanine which overlooks the dining room below (featuring both Italian and Japanese kitchens - food is hit or miss). The drink list has excellent house concoctions as well as all your old standbys, and there is a $20 drink minimum per person, but don't worry, you'll have no problem hitting that.

                (Photos © Aqua, Hong Kong)

Another fabulous vantage point overlooking the glittering lights of the skyline and Victoria Harbor is the M Bar on the 25th floor of the decadent Mandarin Oriental. The centerpiece of the room is what the M Bar describes as a 'lotus bud-shaped' bar that is surrounded by tall stools. Chairs are finished in smokey velvet, accented by black lacquered walls and enormous glass windows giving way, again, to unforgettable views. Try one of the house specialty cocktails, like the Hong Kong Legend, then sit back and let the night unfold in front of you.

                   (Photo © Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong)

The last cocktail destination brings us to the grande dame of hotels, the Peninsula Hong Kong (also a favorite for afternoon tea). High atop the 29th floor of the Peninsula you will find the ultra-contemporary Philippe Starck designed Felix restaurant and bar. Felix embodies everything you would suspect from Starck: clean lines, all white furniture, and the occasional whimsy; check out the photo of the bathroom below. The views over the city and harbor are spectacular, the European cuisine will not disappoint, and you just never know who might be sitting next to you.

                        (Photos © The Peninsula Hong Kong)