The journey to INK 360 begins before the first sip of a cocktail. Guests arrive via a golden bubble elevator, its curved glass glowing softly as it rises with a quiet hum. Inside, anticipation builds with every floor. When the doors glide open on the 19th level of InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort, awe takes over. INK 360 is no ordinary rooftop bar — it is an experience suspended between sea and sky.

Step inside the bar and the sense of wonder deepens. Ashley Sutton, the Australian designer celebrated for his theatrical nightlife spaces across Asia, brings his dramatic vision to Phú Quốc with INK 360. Inspired by the legendary Kraken, the interiors seem to breathe with life: sculptural tentacles coil across the ceiling, their matte, time-worn textures evoking relics from the deep. Shadows ripple through the space like shifting currents beneath the sea. INK 360 is a dreamscape where myth and design entwine.

As daylight wanes, the bar becomes the island’s most spectacular stage. From its lofty perch above Long Beach, guests watch the sun lower into the waters surrounding Pearl Island, igniting the horizon in waves of amber, violet, and rose. Glasses are lifted, conversations soften, and the moment takes on the reverence of a ritual. Yet as twilight fades, the atmosphere changes. The DJ’s rhythms pulse through the room, laughter mingles with music, and the bar glows with a magnetic vibrancy. What begins in serenity at sunset evolves seamlessly into a glamorous night, where elegance meets energy and Phú Quốc itself seems to come alive.

It is in this setting that the cocktails reveal their true magic. At INK 360, every creation is a chapter in a larger myth, a voyage that begins in light and descends into mystery under the watch of the Kraken. The journey opens with Lucky Coral, bright and playful as the reef. Citrus and sea salt sparkle like sunlight on water, a reminder of innocence and beginnings. Darkness soon follows with Kraken’s Deal, where fiery Phú Quốc pepper entwines with cinnamon, clove, and Italian cherry liqueur, leaving a lingering depth. From there the path drifts to the Mysterious Beach, a tranquil blend of rum, herbs, and mint, kissed with sea salt. It is a drink that lingers like footprints fading in the sand. The siren calls with Mermaid Tears. Delicate and perfumed with sim berries, its sweetness balanced in fragile harmony. And finally, Davy Jones’s Heart closes the tale: dark, smoky, and uncompromising, it is a cocktail that beats slow and steady like the pulse of the deep, where the Kraken retreats into shadow and memory.

Mermaid Tears, Dave Jones' Heart and Fountain of Youth.

Yet the story doesn’t end with the printed menu. The truest enchantment may lie in the man behind the bar, who will gladly create something special on request. With a few local ingredients — sea salt, fresh mint, wild sim syrup, and rum infused with Phú Quốc pepper — he can summon Sea and Shore, a drink that captures the island’s sunset in liquid form. One sip, and the island itself seems to dissolve on the lips: the warmth of the sun, the salt of the sea, the breath of the forest. Here, local ingredients are no longer mere flavours, but passports into the soul of Pearl Island.

Lucky Coral, Kraken's Deal and Mysterious Beach

It is this alchemy that elevates INK 360 beyond the notion of a rooftop bar. From the anticipation felt in the golden lift to the Kraken’s mysterious embrace, from the ritual of the sunset to the legends distilled into every glass, the entire experience is designed to awaken the senses and carry guests into something rare and unforgettable. What endures is not just the memory of a night, but the resonance of its bold, comforting, mysterious aftertaste.