Astral Bar
Cocktail Find us
The full profile of the Astral galleon in daylight: timber hull, two masts with crow's nests and rigging, cream awnings over the deck.

The venue

The ship

A full-size timber hull on the Levante quay, with a cocktail bar inside it. Here is what you actually walk into.

From the street

You see it before you see the sign.

Horizontal timber planking, oval windows, a round porthole, a carved scrollwork prow and a black balustrade along the top. Two masts carry rigging nets and crow's nests above the awnings.

It sits on the quay rather than in the water, at the point where the Puerto Banús marina begins — so you pass it walking in from the beach side, and again walking back out.

The timber hull from the street, with oval windows, a porthole and a carved wooden board carrying the orange Astral wordmark.
The hull from the pavement, with the carved name board.

Inside

One slab of mahogany, under a ceiling of coloured glass.

The bar runs most of the length of the main deck. Above it, the roof is panelled in blocks of red, yellow, cobalt, green and white glass, so the colour falling on the counter shifts with the sun.

Behind the bar: racks of bottles, carved wooden figures, mosaic lamps, and open trays of pineapples, bananas, mangoes and citrus held in carved wooden hands. The fruit isn't decoration — it goes into the drinks.

Looking down the mahogany bar beneath a ceiling of red, yellow, blue, green and white stained glass.
The glass ceiling over the bar.
The main deck in daylight: broad timber planking, a mast through the centre, cream awnings overhead and guests at tables.

The main deck. Timber underfoot, canvas overhead, a mast running straight through the middle of the room and a planted well around its base.

The upper deck with chunky timber furniture, cobalt-blue railings, a stained-glass tree panel and a riveted orange steel arch.
The upper deck, through the riveted arch.

Up top

The upper deck is the seat worth asking for.

A riveted steel arch marks the way up. Above it: heavy timber tables and benches, cobalt-blue railings, a barrel with an olive tree growing out of it, and painted glass panels set into the woodwork.

From up there you get the marina on one side and the hills behind Marbella on the other. Early evening is the best light on it.

After dark

The lighting does most of the work.

The rigging is lit red against a black sky. Green uplights come up through the planting around the mast. The painted glass panel over the gangway is lit from behind, and the lanterns on the deck are amber.

Astral at night from the street: masts and rigging lit red, the white entrance arch glowing, warm light spilling from the deck.
From the street, after dark.
The deck at night, full of people, with green uplighting, an amber lantern and the painted glass panel lit above.
The deck, same evening.

Details worth noticing

The glass

Flat coloured panels over the bar; painted scenes of fish and sea life set into the roof above the gangway and lit from behind at night.

The carving

Scrollwork on the prow, figures along the back bar, a carved totem post on the main deck, and wooden hands holding the fruit trays.

The arch

A riveted steel hoop between the two decks, with Astral 24 Years picked out in orange neon across it.

See more of the ship Plan a visit
The riveted timber arch on the deck at dusk, with Astral 24 Years written across it in orange neon.

Twenty-four years on the same quay, under the same name.