And indeed, you do look over the apes. The breadth of the city vista and the delight of the changing sky are the best reasons to let afternoon drift to evening as you loll on the teal window-side poufs. 

 We sipped our elderflower tonics and debated whether to order a trio of hummus or a New York cheesecake. The coffee (whether for the sake of the joke or just because the Kreuzberg roastery is utterly reliable) is from Five Elephant; the sodas by Berlin manufacturer Thomas Henry. The service was disorganized and cold, an unfortunate combination, but we found the storks engrossing enough not to mind waiting a half-hour (and talking to three waiters) before we could pay. 

A generosity permeates the space. Tiered benches let strangers share the view. The entire hotel was designed by Werner Aisslinger's studio, and I was pleased, on going home, to recollect a visit I made to another space he created, which similarly blurred the division between the intimate and the out-of-doors.

Monkey Bar, on the top of the 25Hours hotel at Bikini Berlin, Budapester Str. 40, Berlin-Charlottenburg (map), spacious hotel bar full of nooks, with a terrace and a fireplace, made for sunsets. 
Open 3pm til late

 

Comments

[Suzy]

So many new places. Happy to read about them here.

[Hamish Healys]

I go through different travel sites and I’m overwhelmed with the many new places or those I’ve just heard or seen (in photos) for the first time. Monkey Bar in Berlin is one of them and its simply stunning.