By Kate Youde
For vertiginous variety
The rooftop terrace of this four-bedroom penthouse apartment in Dubai is spread over two levels, providing a plant-filled patio seating area and an upper deck with views across the city’s skyline to the Burj Khalifa. This higher level has further seating areas, a lap pool and an outdoor bar. The interior of the property, which can be opened to the lower terrace through the 8-metre-high glass sliding doors, features travertine flooring and wall cladding, a large internal staircase and a 10-seat cinema. The property is on the market for Dh183.6mn ($50mn).
For outdoor living
Warm evenings need not be spent inside at this six-bedroom house on a gated private road in London’s Knightsbridge. The property’s roof terrace has a lounge area with television and surround sound, in addition to a full outdoor kitchen. The interior of the property, which is on the market for £21.95mn, was designed by Katharine Pooley and includes a gym.
For sea views
The shrub-lined roof terrace of this French Belle Époque mansion in Cannes has panoramic views over the surrounding neighbourhood and out to sea. The main five-bedroom home, which was built in 1880 and set within a landscaped garden, comes with a two-bedroom guest house and a one-bedroom building that could be used by a caretaker. The property is on the market for €15.9mn.
For an elevated dip
The new residents of this seven-bedroom villa in the Mexican town of Tulum can cool off on sunny days in its rooftop pool or pour themselves a refreshing drink at the adjacent bar, which has been constructed from bamboo. The terrace also has a seating area in which to relax post-swim. The three-storey house is on the market for MXN34.1mn ($2mn).
For al fresco dining
The roof deck of this three-bedroom townhouse in Brooklyn Heights, New York, accessed via its home office, has an outdoor kitchen for preparing summer meals, as does the patio garden situated off the open-plan living/dining/kitchen space on the ground floor. The property, which is priced at $11.975mn, has a lift for travelling between its four storeys, a drive-in garage and high ceilings throughout.
Photographs: Luxhabitat Sotheby’s International Realty; Alex Winship/Savills; Côte d'Azur Sotheby’s International Realty; Gavin Higgins/TulumPhotography/Engel & Völkers; Michael Weinstein/Mayfair International Realty