The Over 30 Girly's Edit

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while now, but because I had never actually planned on having a blog, I didn’t really take notes on anything, for that matter. That’s challenging if I want to reference the drink names, obviously, so please bear with me here. I promise I will take notes from now on!

Both my husband and I are not big drinkers, but we do appreciate a good cocktail. We enjoy our own cocktails at home on Fridays and Saturdays, and lucky for me, Toby reads up a lot about this topic. Every time we travel, we want to find a great spot to relax, wind down, and just enjoy a glass or two. One thing to note here, though, is that we don’t seek out the well-known ones. For the most part, it’s either the bar(s) at the hotel we stay at or something we’d stumble upon. For the most part, they are all quite good. Below are the ones that stand out the most for us (not in any order).

1. Vibe check and Drinks check – Kona Island, the Talk Story Bar

Since my previous blog was about the Kona Village Resort in the Big Island, Hawaii, it’s an easy one to start with: the Talk Story Bar. It’s definitely the only bar in the entire resort worth going to for cocktails, since they are so delicious. The menu is not large, but it has everything that will satisfy any palate – from sweet and fruity drinks to a well-balanced, liquor-focused drink. Toby did enjoy their version of an Old Fashioned quite a lot, so much that it is now a staple on his drinks-of-choice list since we came back. Same with the Old Fashioned, their Original Mai Tai (pictured above) was good and very boozy (as it should be). My go-to there, though, was the Skinny Margarita that was perfectly balanced – not too sour, not too sweet, just right.

The location of Talk Story bar is another highlight – quite literally on the beach. It’s a beach shack. It’s the most relaxing spot to enjoy the sunset, listen to the ocean waves, smell that salty air, and cheers.

2. Not your usual local bar – Tokyo, the Gold Bar at the Edition

Look it up on Google and you’ll see plenty of photos of this stunning place. I, on the other hand, took maybe two or three pictures there because a) I was very tired and b) it was a dark spot. Immediately upon opening the door of the bar, you would not see anything – it was just pitch black, and that carried through into the main area of the bar. Very swanky at the same time, without a disco ball, if that makes sense. Although I think that place turns into a nightclub after a certain hour at night? I’m not quite sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. It does have that vibe! We got there at 6 or 7 pm though, so the place was empty, but it did fill up when we left.

The menu was a book of illustrations and descriptions of what that specific drink was inspired by. Their menu was definitely huge for specialty cocktails, obviously focused on very Japanese flavors. If I were to be honest with you all, I didn’t remember what drinks we each got, but I did have one with tomato water (I believe), and that was hands down the best cocktail I’ve ever had in my life. To this day, it’s still the one drink I have to mention every time we sit down at a new bar/restaurant. It was so good that I was shocked to find out they only placed 56th in Asia’s Best Bars in 2023 and 76th in the same list for 2024. Just not possible. Reservation is strongly recommended.

Since I’m on the Tokyo segment (and the Asia’s Best Bars list), let me just say that we also went to Virtu, located at the Four Seasons Otemachi on the same trip, and I have to say the drinks we had at the Gold Bar were a lot better. Virtu was placed 20th in the same list for 2023, and for 2024, they were at 11th! I am so surprised by this. Don’t get me wrong, their space is amazing – brighter with plush sofas and the most glamorous entrance. It screams Four Seasons luxury which is rightly so; the Four Seasons Otemachi is the best city hotel we’ve stayed at so far. Maybe a retry next time?

(I did take more photos here)

3. Best restaurant and best bar? Best of both worlds – Vancouver Canada, Published On Main

We’ve dined at Published On Main in Vancouver, BC, twice now, and every time I do, I declare to the table that it is in my top 3 best restaurants. Now that I think about it, top 3 may be a bit too rushed of a decision – although I cannot think of other restaurants for which I have this strong of a feeling other than the other 1 & 2. That is to say, their food is out of this world, and since the menu is family sharing style, we ordered a number of dishes both times. I don’t think there was a single plate that we did not gasp after taking the first bite.

But, onto the cocktails – they also know how to run a great cocktail program here. My first time there in 2023, I only had one drink (but perhaps a few more orders): Pina Colada. Yes, I know. It’s not the sugary, creamy, heavy Pina Colada that you’d get anywhere else but this place. Please don’t ask me what’s in it; all I know is that it was the perfect (almost too easy) cocktail. Needless to say, I was sad not to see it on the cocktail menu during our second visit there.

Now, without the clarified Piña Colada, their other options are truly and equally phenomenal. The American Dream (pictured on the left) – whiskey with corn – was a repeat for many of us at the table that night. They smoked the drink right at the table before serving, which was great for a show but also drew you into the smoky allure of the drink. It did remind me of the corn cocktail we had at Alinea in Chicago, which was also a fond memory. Lost in Translation (pictured on the right) was another great choice.

4. Parisian does it better – Paris, Bar Les Ambassadeurs at Hôtel de Crillon

Lastly, for now, it is the best bar we’ve been to. This might change fairly quickly, though, because we have a number of planned trips coming up in 2025, so TBD on that. However, this one shall be in the top 3 or 5 for a long … long time, and it deserves it. Hôtel de Crillon is an iconic hotel in Paris, so their bar has to also be outstanding. I’ve heard this place is a spot for celebrity sighting, although I did not spot any while we stayed at the hotel and went to the bar almost every night. This bar is very sexy, very elegant, very “rich,” and it’s very hard to feel like you’re part of the high society in the 1920s.

Their menu was not the biggest cocktail menu out there, but it was enough for Toby to rotate a few drinks. For me, there was one drink and one drink only that I consumed every time: Plum. This is where I regret so much not taking photos of the menu because what the heck is in a drink called Plum? Who knows. It was very, very, very delicious, though. Almost (again) too easy to drink.

And that’s all for now, folks. There are many more we enjoyed, and a lot that we didn’t (trying too hard, pretentious, etc.), but once we’ve found a solid spot, it’ll always be great memories and something we’d try to replicate at home.