London's Sensational Suntraps...

It's June, it's officially summer, and from what I've read, it's set to be a scorcher. Last weekend's sunny, blue-skied days kicked the month off nicely, so we thought what better way to celebrate than a post about all our fav rooftop haunts to give you a little Summer 2014 inspo! 

Forget sitting curled up under a duvet hungover on your sofa - no, no it's all about alfresco drinking, catching some early summer rays and celebrating that London can do something other than rain and moan!

Us London Mice took advantage of the sun last weekend and whiled away our Sunday with good friends and cocktails at The Boundary in Shoreditch. It's amazing how once your settled in a big comfy chair, sunglasses on and a cocktail in hand you feel a million times happier and a world away from the non-stop bustle and stresses of London. 

As we're not all fortunate enough to be members of the fabulous Shoreditch house (not jealous at ALL!!) we've got our thinking caps on for non-member options. They may not have pools and a 'no photo' policy but cocktails and BBQs are pretty much a dead cert and who wants to go somewhere you can't brag to the world about on Instagram anyway?!!

Take a look at our short list and get planning your summer weekends crammed full of daytime boozing and sunny fun...

The Boundary - a firm favourite of all three Mice, you can't get much better than this. If you're after a chic Hamptons style escape then this is the one! A sea of oversized, comfy, white sofas, a wood burning stove centre piece, chill-out music and the best bread baskets I've ever had the joy to sample! Chic, beautiful and the perfect way to spend a sunny day or laidback evening with friends.

Queen of hoxton - a more upbeat option complete with fake grass, mismatched wrought iron tables and chairs, pitchers of pimms, seaside hut toilets and a killer BBQ. Fun, happening and always a great spot for people watching. 

Dead Dolls Club - not a roof we've ventured to as of yet but it's on our June agenda. Dead Dolls itself is a quirky, fun and totally crazy place but now with an added bonus of a rooftop...I'm not sure they're going to get rid of us! Officially members only however the application form is online here and all you have to do is bring them a present (we bought them a dog from Hong Kong - a twist on the China Dog category...) and the members card is yours - AMAZING!

Radio Rooftop - if you fancy something a little more central with great skyline views then The Radio Rooftop Bar will tick the boxes. It's got a strong nod to Vegas with a lot of white going on but it had a fun vibe, great music and delish cocktails - win win!!

Madison - with St Paul's Cathedral literally on the doorstep this gem is all about the view. Warning - there's a relatively high proportion of besuited drinkers here and the queue at the bar is a bit of a shocker, but when you step out of the lift and see the skyline all's forgiven! I haven't been at the weekend but as it's right in the centre of the City, I imagine a Thursday or Friday evening is when the atmosphere's best anyway.

Aqua - slap bang in the middle of town this is the ideal option for a post-shop refuel stop! A pricier option, but that buys you an expertly shaken cocktail, impressive decor and gives you the choice of two different terraces to recline on! 

Sushi Samba - another 3BM favourite, some may say a little touristy, but nobody can blame the visitors with a view like that! We love the orange tree terrace and fire pits for when the evening chill sets in - plus delectable sushi just a skip away from the bar = heaven! 

Kensington Roof Gardens - we recently posted about this little oasis of tropical calm and it's still firmly on our favourites list. A great option to instantly whisk you away from the city with surroundings of luscious gardens, beautiful people and of course flamingos - we're pretty much head over heels!

A few others that we're yet to try, but are filling our diaries with as we type...

Vista
Coq d'Argent Dalston Roof Park 
Frank's Cafe

HK Mouse's Week in Photos

Two weddings, one suitcase that went for a wander, three countries across two continents and a whole bundle of sister London fun... phew! What a week!

If you follow us on Instagram, you'll have already had a sneaky peek at what we've been up to over the last ten days. If you don't follow us on Instagram, (why on earth not...?! Do it! Immediately!) here's what you've missed out on...

Last Thursday evening I hopped onto a plane from Hong Kong to Heathrow landing in London first thing on Friday morning where I had a ridiculously tight turn around time to get on a flight up to Edinburgh. After a mad dash from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5, I made my flight by the skin of my teeth. Sadly my bag didn't...

I was in Edinburgh for a wedding. Luckily in a moment of rare organisation, I'd packed my wedding outfit and shoes in my hand luggage - wardrobe crisis averted...

After a very brief but fun-filled Highland fling, the next morning with no sign of my case, I headed back to the airport to try to track it down. Unfortunately I had zero luck, so I zoomed back to London empty handed but super excited for a 3BM reunion!

After catch-ups over Pimms in the park we headed to Shoreditch pop-up, Forza Win, for negronis and pizza.

Dining is communal and as the night wore on we got chatting to our neighbours, the super fun Henry and fellow blogger, Natalie of SmellyLion.

Dinner led to cocktails which led to three hungover and very hungry Mice the following morning. Nothing for it but a hearty breakfast at Dishoom.

Followed by an afternoon of lounging on the Boundary rooftop with the Sunday papers and a jug of Pimms.

And when Daddy Mouse arrived, we decided it was time for a little more to nibble on, cue a seafood feast...

Post-lunch, Daddy Mouse headed home and us Mice headed to the shops. When your case is lost there's nothing for it but to snap up a few essentials. Top of the list? This gorg Hipanema bracelet...

Back to Mice Towers London for a spot of snoozy late afternoon blogging before it was time to eat again. This time we ambled along the canal to Victoria Park for a five star picnic - fish & chips and Champagne as the sun set...

When Monday dawned just as hot and sunny as the weekend, we had to drag ourselves into our respective offices. My London HQ is right next door to St Paul's Cathedral and a mere hop, skip and a jump from brand new shopping centre, One New Change, ideal for a spot of lunchtime retail therapy (perfectly justifiable on the basis that there was still no sign of my suitcase)...

In the evening I went for a couple of G&Ts in Paternoster Square before heading to meet the other Mice at the Grain Store in King's Cross. More to come on that on the blog very soon, but for now let's just say that we left with groaningly full tummies and big smiles on our faces...

The next day my case still hadn't turned up so after a morning in the London office I zipped across town to Heathrow to go bag hunting. Third time lucky! We located my case and just in time as that afternoon I had to fly to Istanbul.

As with most work trips, I barely got a chance to see anything beyond the inside of my hotel room and the four walls of the Istanbul office, but I did have one evening to explore which I made the very most of.

As beautiful as my evening of Mosque-hopping was, I can't wait to go back and properly explore (and for anyone worried about protests and trouble, I didn't hear a squeak the whole time I was there and from what the locals assured me the media coverage was very much blown out of all proportion).

Then it was time to head back to London where the weather was still stunning. I love Hong Kong, but there's nowhere like England in the sun...

After an evening back at Daddy Mouse's house, it was time to head to wedding number two. This weekend's was at Highclere Castle (AKA Downton Abbey...)

The bride even made her entrance down the staircase that Lady Mary walked down on her way to marry Cousin Matthew...

The next morning with slightly heavy heads from too much Champagne and dancing, it was time to zip back to Daddy Mouse's for a last afternoon of family fun - gin & tonics in the beer garden of DM's favourite pub, more Pimms, a spot of hammock time and an enormous barbecue!

And far too soon it was time to tearfully say goodbye and head back East. 

As I find that the only way to beat the holiday blues is to book another one, I'm now off to hit up Zuji, Credit Card - be scared...