Destination • January 2014
Sidestep the velvet rope
How? Take a tip from our fearless correspondents and tireless scenesters who have found the world’s party places that only the insiders know
Moscow, Russia
The challenge: Navigating an impossible guest list
The scenester: Aliona Ermakova, founder of supper club Stay Hungry Moscow
A lot of Moscow’s best bars and clubs use ‘face control’ (letting in only people with more aesthetically pleasing faces), so the best way inside is to find someone who can put you on the list. But you can still dress to fit in. For example, at Strelka a popular summer hotspot, try to look like you’re a hipster from Williamsburg in New York. There are also several secret speakeasy bars where you need to know someone to get in, like Chainaya. It’s hard to find the location – it’s in the backyard of a sushi restaurant chain with no sign and just a red door. Ring the doorbell, have a conversation and you’re in. Being a tourist actually helps, as they are more likely to let foreigners in.
Berlin, Germany
The challenge: Going deeper underground
The scenester: Simon Harris, editor of insider city guide Unlike Berlin
Berlin’s nightlife is not the secret that it once was, but its underground credentials still surpass most other European cities. Thanks to increasingly strict door policies, camera bans, an anti-VIP mentality and a network of semi-secret mailing lists, the authentic spirit of the Berlin party scene lives on. Case in point: if you want a spit-and-sawdust, 1990s-style rave, head to Golden Gate underneath Jannowitzbrücke and take it from there...
Tel Aviv, Israel
The challenge: Keeping up with the fash pack
The scenester: Eyal de Leeuw, head of external relations at Design Museum Holon and one half of fashion blog Ha-Garçonnière
The story of Tel Aviv is all about opposites attracting – it’s energetic yet laid-back; beautiful and ugly; people welcome you warmly on the edge of rudeness; it is provincial yet it feels like the centre of the world. The best way to get a taste of the place is to hang out with its cool night owls. Head to The Breakfast Club, where the fashion crowds come for Thursday’s infamous cheesecake party.
Sao Paulo, Brazil
The challenge: Discovering the other carnival
The scenester: Scarlett Lapidus, Brazilian insider for nightlife specialists BarChick
Dress up for the roving bloco (street party) Acadêmicos do Baixo Augusta in the area of Rua Augusta (28 February-2 March). It’s mega. If you’re in need of a mid-party breather, stop off at Drosophyla for a couple of artisan cachaça shots (a distilled spirit made from sugarcane juice) to refuel your party spirit. Pitch up early to the festival and don your best glad rags to blag your way into Hotel Unique and mingle with Brazilian stars at Vogue’s annual pre-carnival party.
Galle, Sri Lanka
The challenge: Finding the new beach hotspot
The scenesters: The Asia Team from travel experts BlackTomato
Galle is much more off the beaten track than somewhere like Thailand. By day, relax on a sunbed overlooking the emerald waters of Wijaya Beach, but as the sun sets, it becomes the perfect place for a few late night drinks set to the soundtrack of easy-going house music. If you’re looking for a late-night drink surrounded by Galle’s ancient ramparts, then Pilgrims Lounge is a feast for the eyes with an Indian Ocean outlook and a chilled-out vibe.
Ibiza, Spain
The challenge: Being both exclusive and inclusive
The scenester: Jack Penrod, owner of the new Nikki Beach
While I spend my summer days in Ibiza at Nikki Beach, there are some other exclusive, but not restricted, places to spend your evenings, like Cipriani the world-famous Italian restaurant and lounge, which now has a fashionable late-night scene with Booom!. The entertainment at Lio during their dinner service is also fantastic.
This article has been tagged Fashion + Style, Food + Drink