Indeed we were treated like absolute kings and queens from the second we arrived, spending the night in a stunning room on the 29th floor with near floor to sealing window that offered a direct view over the Thames, the Shard, the Gherkin and pretty much all of London's distinctive skyline, every attention paid to make us feel as special and well looked after as possible. Of course Sean, the friend in question, had to be my plus one and I am not going to lie we were pretty giddy with excitement to be staying in a hotel in our hometown, a luxury I don't even afford myself when going abroad with my budget usually just about able to cover a decent AirBNB.

was the newly opened Novotel Canary Wharf and as life sometimes seems full of strange little coincidences I was invited by exactly this hotel just a few days later to test it and Bōkan, it's in-house bar and restaurant, for myself. One day he showed me a very promising new opening he had stumbled across while scrolling through his instagram which.you've guessed. One of my best friends is equally obsessed with that elusive rooftop drink in the sunshine enjoyed whilst admiring the best a skyline has to offer and has kept his eye constantly open for anything nearing what we got to experience in New York in London. Yes, there are a few notable exceptions- Netil 360 and Frank's Cafe in particular have been firm favourites of mine the last couple of summers, but they simply don't have that certain sense of glamour, sophistication and most importantly viewpoint that NYC's skyscraper hotel bars offer (a favourite of mine Le Bain for example is located on the 18th floor of the Standard hotel) and which I have been missing ever since. As any regular reader of my blog will know I am sucker for a good rooftop bar and skyline view once summer hits and have regularly complained of the sheer lack of them in London compared to New York.

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