When I used to live in Bangkok, I had a favorite place that I would go and write every so often.
It was about a 30 minute walk from my apartment, and it was in the lobby of the tallest building in Thailand – the Bayoke Sky Tour.
There was no free wifi in the lobby, but I used to go and sit at the same table, and think about how cool it was that I was able to work from that spot in the middle of the week. I still look back and think it might have been the best office I've ever had – well, maybe…
While in Thailand I worked on tropical islands, and in the dingiest apartment imaginable.
But it was those experiences that inspired me to write a post about the "coolest offices" I'd ever had.
I felt like I was proving to all the naysayers that I really could work from anywhere, despite plenty of people at the time saying I was full of it.
Since that time, my annual "coolest offices" post is the only post I've done each and every year since.
Some of the offices are more elaborate than others, like last year:
Elaborate:
Not so elaborate?
My Deck:
But they've all been cool or meaningful to me in one way or another.
It's not about finding the most extravagant or expensive places imaginable – quite the opposite. As nearly all of my high end experiences are either done through points, or other connections.
It was also this series that was the inspiration for The Desk:
The crux of Location Rebel was built around the idea of doing interesting work, from interesting places, which allows you to do more of the things you find interesting.
And the annual coolest offices post is the epitome of that.
Anyway, just thought a little backstory would be interesting on why I do this and how it came to be.
And now, let's just jump right into the best offices of 2016!
10) Brinc Headquarters, Hong Kong
Back in April I started doing a daily vlog. I realized about 4 days into it that I was going to need to plan something a little bit more interesting if this thing was going to be worth watching.
So I took off for Hong Kong to meet my friend Nick who is a partner at a startup accelerator there.
Their offices are right in the hart of SoHo, and I spent a week working from this very spot.
9) Islay Ferry, Scotland
After my friend Matt and I spent 4 days touring the island of Islay, it was time to head back to the mainland to cross off some more golf courses in my quest to play the Top 100 in the world.
That means I had about 2 and a half hours to actually get some real work done, and I intended to make the most of it.
I tried to buy some coffee and was politely informed that they didn't take credit cards for anything under 5 pounds. So I said just charge me 5 pounds.
She said she couldn't.
And then she shrugged and said, "just leave and don't tell anyone."
Then I got to work
8) Mckenzie River, Oregon
This one makes it nearly every year, quite simply because it's one of my favorite places on earth.
My grandmother has a cabin on the Mckenzie River in Oregon that I've been visiting ever since I was 3 years old.
I sit at a desk that was built by my great grandfather and look out on the river.
This is the spot where I first announced Location Rebel Academy back in 2011 and it's one of my favorite places to go when I just need to get a way for a bit and work.
7) The People's Palace – Glasgow, Scotland
I'd only driven past Glasgow on the freeway in the past, so it was nice to at least have an afternoon to spend in the city on this past trip to Scotland.
Really cool city, with a nice student and arty vibe.
I insisted to Matt that we stop and answer a few emails here – because hey, that's a pretty cool view!
6) Conrad Hotel, Bangkok
One of the biggest reasons I'm here today is because of Dan and Ian of the Tropical MBA. They gave me an opportunity back in 2010 to move to Thailand, and I made the most of it.
So it's pretty pathetic, that I didn't attend their conference, DCBKK until the 5th iteration this past October.
At least the wait was worth it.
I sat at this table every afternoon I was there, and met with people who were much smarter than me and got their advice on business and life.
The free happy hour each evening and the views certainly didn't hurt.
5) Ballyneal Golf Club – Holyoke, Colorado
In my quest to play the top 100 golf courses in the world, there's no arguing that Ballyneal is the most remote course I've played.
You fly into Denver, then drive 3 hours until you hit a dirt county road.
Then you drive another 10 miles, where you arrive at a very small sign letting you know you've made it.
There's nothing out there, and you have to be a true golf fanatic to make the journey.
It was sunsets like this each night that made it worth it.
4) Penthouse at the Bellagio – Las Vegas, Nevada
Every year I go to Las Vegas with some other blogger friends. This year we decided to up the ante, and rather than getting a bunch of separate rooms, we got one giant ass suite.
I think the whole thing came to 3,000 square feet.
It was unreal, and I got to see plenty of it while I missed meals and pool time to make sure the vlog got edited
3) Hotel Jen, Hong Kong
Hotel Jen is one of my favorite hotels in the world.
I've stayed there a few times now, and the reason I like it so much is because it represents one of the best values I've ever seen.
I usually pay around $150/night, which isn't exactly a bargain basement price, but when you consider it's right in the middle of Central Hong Kong, it's a pretty damn good price.
The rooms are quite nice, but it's the rooftop that makes it such a no brainer.
There is a giant rooftop pool, patio, and gym. On this past trip I had the whole place to myself and I'm always excited when I get to stay there.
It was also the last episode of the daily vlog:
2) The Old Course Hotel
As a golfer there are few things more monumental than playing The Old Course at St. Andrews.
And my experience could not have been better. We stayed right on the 17th fairway (Known as The Road Hole), and when I was drinking my morning coffee and preparing to head down to play my round, I was treated to this view.
If that isn't a sure sign I was in for a good day, I'm not sure what is.
1) Singapore A380 Suites Class
If you follow this blog, I don't think there was any surprise about what this was going to be.
This was a true bucket list goal of mine, and it was worth every penny of the $312 (and a ton of Amex points) that it cost to take a Suites Class flight.
It very well may never happen again, but I sure am glad I got to do it once.
Want More Cool Offices?
Check out the @locationrebel instagram for starters. We're posting cool photos of offices and travels from our community members every day.
Want to check out previous years best offices posts? Great!
And here's one more video of my quest to find the most exotic office in the world:
The post The 10 Coolest Offices of 2016 appeared first on Location Rebel.
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