Let’s face it. No matter how much of a jet-setter you are, stunning views never get old. Many places around Southeast Asia have made use of the pandemic years to construct or renovate their sky-high thrills, meaning even seasoned travellers have something new to explore. If you’re looking to indulge in new perspectives and exhilarating sensations, make sure to include these new attractions around Southeast Asia in your travel plans.
1. A sky-high beach bar in Bangkok
Situated on the 78th floor of The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, Sky Beach is currently the highest and most glamorous bar in the city, where Bangkok’s stylish set comes to sip on craft cocktails. Despite the elegant location, the yellow retro décor and lounge chairs that channel the French Riviera make this venue feel playful. The drinks are equally fun: an inventive All-Day Frose is a cross between a Slurpee and soft-serve wine. But the views and Instagrammable telephone booth aren’t the only draws. Keep your ear to the ground for The Standard x Disco Diaries party series. This monthly event is the perfect excuse to dance under the stars in a sky-high beach bar in the heart of Bangkok’s CBD. Disco kings and queens: prepare your dancing shoes.
2. Fine-dining on a cable car in Singapore
Singapore Cable Car doubles as a private fine-dining spot for those who’d like to take date night up by several notches. Here, their newly-appointed chef Robert Chan, named by UOB as one of Singapore’s top chefs in 2009, has created new menus across all of Mount Faber’s dining outlets, including a new Sky Dining menu that will take your tastebuds to soaring heights. The meal begins with drinks and a cured fjord trout starter at Mount Faber Peak, before moving along to the main course and dessert aboard the cable car. During the 90-minute journey, indulge in a beef short ribs and a port wine jus or Maine lobster with a nori butter sauce – all while admiring panoramic views of Sentosa from about a hundred meters above. If you still can’t get enough of high flying, even after a dessert of beet and Greek yogurt torte, walk over to SkyHelix Sentosa, a new attraction that opened in 2021. The 35-meter vertical gondola ride gently rotates 360 degrees so you can serenely take in unparalleled views of the waterfront, feet dangling over the edge and a cool cocktail in hand.
3. Movie-themed fun and immersive rides in Genting
The Genting Highlands in Malaysia just got a major update last year that’s sure to thrill fans of 20th Century Studios. The hill station now boasts Genting SkyWorld Theme Park, an outdoor amusement park featuring 26 rides and attractions situated 1,829 meters above sea level. Across its nine themed worlds are fun eateries, live performances and plenty of merchandise for kids and adults alike. Kids will love the colorful world of Rio, as well as the spinning log ride and prehistoric adventures through ice caverns and lava tunnels from Ice Age. Bigger thrills await at the 3D Invasion of the Planet of the Apes ride, which immerses visitors in the iconic primates’ battle for survival. Other heart-pounding attractions include Night At The Museum, which puts you in the shoes of a museum night guard tasked with shooting down the unruly exhibits that have come to life. Of course, the drive up the leafy mountain to the theme park is an exciting start to a day of cinematic pleasures.
4. Cosmopolitan views in Ho Chi Minh City
In what feels like the blink of an eye, an architecturally astounding skyscraper has shot up in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, soaring 461 meters high. Landmark 81 is Vietnam’s tallest building and was also the tallest in Southeast Asia, before it was edged out by Merdeka 118 in Malaysia. (By comparison, Bangkok’s Magnolias Waterfront Residences is only the ninth tallest building in Southeast Asia.) The views at Landmark 81 Skyview are nothing short of breathtaking, even more so at night, when millions of projected colors and lights dot the cityscape. There’s an indoor observation deck, but those who’d like to take photos outdoors on the see-through sky bridge will be fitted in harnessed red suits as a safety precaution. If you aren’t the type to visit the tallest building in every city you visit, the base of the building has a mall packed with international designer names for a different kind of thrill.
Ready for some high-flying getaways? Fly directly to Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh with Thai Airways and Thai Smile Airways.
