Last night the girls and I dressed to impress in honour of the long-awaited grand opening of The Vermont Hotel's Sky Lounge and Garden, and boy, is that place special.
Having spent a good proportion of my wages at the hotel's sister bar, Livello, in the past, I was intrigued to see how the elder sibling would match up. If Livello is the good looking Brad Pitt/Ryan Gosling/David Beckham's of the world (delete as appropriate), then The Vermont is without doubt the charming Jay Gatsby. Livello oozes style with its cool, contemporary furnishings and sculptural lights, whereas The Vermont boasts an effortless elegance associated with the roaring twenties and thirties thanks to the deep mahogany woodwork and leather Chesterfield sofas in the Redwood Whisky Bar and boudoir-style Bridge Brasserie.
Emily and I arrived shortly after seven and sank into one of these sumptuous chairs with a glass of champagne. It wasn't long before we were treated to the selection of canapes on offer - starting with a juicy burger topped with streaky bacon and a cone of chips, followed by deep fried prawn with a delicious sweet chilli dip and the cutest mini shepherd's pies I have ever seen. Naturally, I gobbled them down before I even thought to take a picture, but they were so dainty and topped with creamy mashed potato and a single pea, I'm going to try and recreate them at some point! After sampling all of the savoury canapes on offer (for research purposes of course) we moved on to a trio of desserts: fresh strawberries dipped in molten chocolate, chunks of pineapple rolled in coconut (a surprisingly nice combination) and a tangy lemon posset encased in thick, buttery shortbread.
The atmosphere was genuinely enjoyable, we weren't bothered by over-zealous staff and we were left alone for a well deserved catch up. I felt so relaxed and happy. and with champagne, canapes and your best friend - what more could you want? It wasn't long before we were invited to see the Sky Lounge and Garden. Stepping out from the twelfth floor I can honestly say the view took my breath away. The Vermont's convenient city centre location is already a fantastic asset, but the new rooftop area captures exclusive views of the city from a unique bird's eye view. I've lived in Newcastle all of my life and I love wandering along the Quayside at night, but seeing it in panoramic version from so high up is miles better!
The lounge features its own outdoor bar for private functions and plenty of rattan furniture and marquees to sit and schmooze at. My favourite touch was the spotlights in the floor that gently lit up and changed colour every so often, complementing the bright lights of the city beyond. It was clear from the enthusiastic exchanges and rush to take photographs that every body else was taken aback by the view too, if only it wasn't so difficult to take a good shot of the lounge in the dark!
Before we knew it the rain clouds descended and our rooftop adventure had to come to an end. Stopping for one last drink, we made our way to Livello downstairs to catch up with every one else and sample a few of their cocktails (well, it would be rude not to).
If you're looking for somewhere special in the city centre as a birthday or Christmas treat then I highly recommend The Vermont, it's conveniently located to pretty much everything - the train station, metro, city centre bars and restaurants, the motorway. As the cold, dark nights draw in, I can see myself slipping into The Vermont for a night cap, it's always nice to try somewhere new now and again don't you think?
P.s) if anyone has any other recommendations of hidden gems/must not miss places I should try then I'd love to hear them! Similarly, if you're looking on advice on places to go around town then I'm sure I can point you in the right direction.
Wow, this looks so so good! I'm a little obsessed with roof top bars so it's good to know there's somewhere so lovely to go in Newcastle :)
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