Four new hotel cocktail bars for romantics

La vita all’Aquazzura at Rome’s Hotel de Russie

Is there a sexier name in stilettos than Aquazzura? Or a more delicious Roman garden than that of the Hotel de Russie? Virtually hypothetical questions, such is the primacy of Edgardo Osorio’s shoe designs, and of the alfresco drinking spot at Sir Rocco Forte’s Roman flagship. The two coming together would seem a recipe for success; that’s the hope with the new Aquazzura Bar. Osorio, known for being a decorating appassionato, has already moonlighted with a tableware collection, Aquazzura Casa; the bar riffs on its design themes, alternating the footwear brand’s signature monochrome stripes with vivid floral prints on umbrellas and awnings. Intimate two-tops alternate with a wall-long banquette for larger parties. Drinks-wise, they’ll go bespoke, but there’s a pronounced lean towards ultrafine tequilas (Osorio’s tipple of choice). It’s a garden bar within a garden bar, tucked up the stairs and overlooking all the action – but nearly invisible to those seated below.

Acropolis views and sunset bubbles in Athens

Given Athens is the gateway to myriad points escapist, from Koufounisi to Kythira, it may well factor into your travel plans this summer. Wherever you stay, you’d be well advised to consider an evening up on the fifth-floor outdoor restaurant at The Dolli. “Sexy Acropolis!” were the words of Hydra Book Club founder and HTSI contributor Josh Hickey, an Athens regular, to describe it.

He’s not the only one who rates the extraordinary panoramic views, the breezy decor (white, white, and more white – settees, banquettes, loungers – with scads of polished marble) and long champagne sunsets. It’s open to outside guests, though the hotel, with its supremely central location and recently decorated rooms, is well worth considering as your base.

Experimental’s grand new digs in the Haut Marais

One of Paris’s more anticipated openings of 2025 comes from a trio who started out almost two decades ago by opening a single – and, back then, extrêmement un-Parisian – cocktail bar. Experimental Cocktail Club was quickly a cult success; seven further outposts later (plus four wine bars and 12 hotels in England, France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy), the ECC team has brought it back home with Experimental Marais, a 43-room, Tristan Auer-designed hotel in the Haut Marais.

Auer’s interiors are a fabulous amalgam of French neo-gothic and grand American, especially in the ground-floor restaurant, Temple & Chapon. The first-floor American Bar pays homage in both design and drinks card to Please Don’t Tell, the Raines Law Room, and a handful of other Manhattan classics (the island, not the drink – though they claim to do a pitch-perfect one of those too). Worth an hour’s tête-à-tête, under perfect lighting.

Hoxton raises the (private-garden) roof in Florence

Every year, around 10 million tourists visit Florence – a city that, having been constructed largely prior to the 17th century, struggles mightily to accommodate its 21st-century popularity. While the sweaty, monument-hopping masses threaten to crush your enthusiasm, and also possibly your extremities, locals know the drill: get thee to a hotel rooftop. Florentines and canny expats used to favour the Loggia at Palazzo Guadagni before one too many Instagrammers ruined the party for everyone. So it’s a warm welcome to the new Hoxton Florence.

The once slightly ignominious Piazza della Libertà has cleaned up a lot these past few years, and the arrival of Ennismore’s perennially popular (and eminently good value) Hoxton flag here adds that much more burnish. It also adds a neighbourhood enoteca, albeit a very sumptuous permutation of one with lounge-y crescent banquettes and cabinets crammed with Italian vintages. If a rooftop is a must, there’s a planted terrace, furnished with its own bar, available for private bookings.