ShoFee Rooftop Bar

ShoFee Rooftop Bar sits on the ninth floor of DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island, a open-air terrace built explicitly as a shisha lounge with views over the resort's gardens, pools and the Arabian Gulf beyond. The seating is arranged in cabana clusters and low-slung corners that work for a group of four as comfortably as a couple looking for a quiet evening. The draw is primarily the shisha programme - tobacco selection is extensive and the shisha masters are named by regulars for their consistency in keeping coals going through a long session. Cocktails are competent rather than experimental, and the short bites menu does the expected job of supporting a drinks-and-smoke evening - mezze, pizzas, grazing plates - without pretending to be a full dinner destination. The published menu doesn't always match what's available, which is worth knowing before planning a meal here. The setting comes into its own after sunset. On New Year's Eve and holiday evenings, the terrace is one of the best vantage points on the island for the resort fireworks. Service is warm and the bar team handles busy nights well; come for the view, the shisha and a relaxed drink, not a kitchen-led dinner, and it delivers.