The living and breathing antithesis to the stereotypical stuffy luxury hotel bar, The Long Bar at the 5-star Sanderson Hotel has a party streak that some clubs and bars would kill for.

The Venue
Located on the ground floor of the Sanderson Hotel, The Long Bar stretches down to the right of the main entrance until it dog-legs to the left and turns into Suka, a modern pan-Asian restaurant. As it’s made out of swathes of glass, you can see from the bar into the restaurant and vice versa. The bar itself is bright, white, skinny and lengthy, naturally. The focal point for the whole room is the back-lit ivory bar, a feature that attracts those with Louboutin heels and Chanel bags like moths to a naked flame. In addition, it has a huge selling point in a sheltered courtyard area, which has babbling water features, egg-shaped swing chairs and a fashionable, international vibe.

The Atmosphere
Once the working day is done, expect a good-looking, designer-clad, party-centric crowd to congregate around the bar. With seating at a premium – unless you get a tall stool at the bar, tables and seats are scarce - this isn’t a place to find a quiet corner; this is a place where you’re more than likely to be standing and people-watching. Tunes are provided by in-house DJs with deep house and soul classics in the mix, although the white JBL speakers the music is piped through are not going to trouble the neighbours.

If it gets too much, and the weather permits, the relative serenity of the courtyard is a superb alternative. Staff are made up of many different nationalities and the management and the female servers are particularly good at what they do.

The Food
Burgers, sharing platters and mezze dishes are available in the bar, or you can eat in the restaurant itself (you can even see if there’s a spare table from the bar). For a snack: bowls of salted peanuts or olives should do the job.

The Drink
Martinis, hi-balls and champagne cocktails take pride of place on the menu. Expect to pay £12-£14 a pop. Those with an intimate knowledge of this hotel will be well aware that if you head further down towards the reception desk, you’ll find the magnificent and covert Purple Bar, where the standard of the cocktails compares favourably to the best cocktail joints in town. At The Long Bar the quality remains high, but due to the sheer volume of the drinks and the demand at peak times, the Purple Bar shades it. Having said that, concoctions like the wintery Snow Bee martini (vodka, honey, apple and bitters), the eastern flavour of the Vesuvio (Belvedere vodka, lychee, ginger, lemongrass and chilli), and a finely balanced perfect Manhattan show cocktails are very much a forte here.

The Last Word
Young, vibrant and fashionable, The Long Bar is a rare thing amongst 5-star hotel bars: it’s a party spot and a destination in its own right.

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