Sky 21

Sky 21 is a rooftop-level bar and restaurant on the 21st floor of Altira Macau, on Avenida de Kwong Tung in Taipa, Macau. The venue is built around its outlook, which takes in the Taipa and Macau skyline, and it suits visitors who want a view-led evening rather than a dancefloor. The crowd is typically a mix of hotel guests, couples, business travellers and small groups from mainland China and Hong Kong, mostly in their late twenties and older. The atmosphere is relaxed and polished, closer to a hotel lounge than a club. Smart-casual dress is the sensible choice, since the setting is an upscale hotel; sportswear, flip-flops and beachwear are best avoided. Music is incidental, usually a low-key lounge playlist that allows conversation, and there is no dancefloor. The drinks programme centres on cocktails, wine by the glass and spirits, served alongside a food menu, so the room works equally for a long dinner or a single drink at sunset. Prices sit in the upper range for Macau, around the $$$ band, and a drink with a view costs noticeably more than at a street-level bar. No cover charge is listed. Reservations are advisable for window seating, particularly around sunset and on Friday and Saturday evenings, and visitors who dine can usually secure better positions than walk-in drinkers. Listed hours run Monday to Saturday from about 11:45AM to 3AM, which means the venue serves lunch as well as late-evening drinks; these hours should be verified before visiting because hotel venues change schedules. Weeknights are quieter, with easier seating, while weekends fill earlier. The venue is within the Altira hotel on Taipa, so taxis and hotel shuttles are the usual way to arrive, and the location puts it a short ride from the Taipa food streets and the Cotai resorts. Photography of the skyline is a major draw, and the clearest views tend to come after dark, when the city lights are on and the haze that often hangs over the Pearl River Delta is less intrusive.