High Tea in Asia

Leave it to the English aristocracy to turn a simple afternoon snack into a full-blown production, complete with artfully prepared petits fours (bite-sized snacks) that look so nice they actually invoke a twinge of guilt when bitten into. Just a twinge, though. I mean, honestly – you’re supposed to eat them.

Fortunately for today’s travelers, you don’t have to be a duke or a duchess to count yourself among the socialites at a high-brow afternoon tea affair. Some of the finest high tea affairs in the world are staged in five-star hotels across Asia – and particularly in former seats of the British colonial empire. To that end, let’s have a look at a few of the best places to enjoy high tea in Asia.

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New Year’s Eve Celebrations in Asia’s Big Cities

Spending New Year’s Eve in a strange city is always a bit daunting. Where do you go? What should you do? Where’s the best place to experience the holiday as the locals do? With that in mind, Agoda.com contacted some locals in Asia’s biggest cities and asked them where they’d go if they wanted a good show, some great fireworks, and big crowds of people celebrating their entry into 2014.

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Big City Transit: Singapore

You’re never far from where you want to be in Singapore – and that’s just one more reason to love the local transit system. You can wheel around in a trishaw or board a bumboat to cruise the Singapore River and admire the skyline. For pure transit needs in this world-class city, you’ll find everything you need between the MRT, taxis and buses. And as with so many things in Singapore, you can expect that the infrastructure is going to be well-organized and spotlessly clean.

Residents and long-term visitors carry an EZ-Link stored value card, which covers both the MRT and bus networks and eliminates those awkward scrounging-for-change-in-your-pocket moments. If you’re just in the city for a few days, pick up a Singapore Tourist Pass for a few bucks per day and enjoy unlimited access to the MRT and buses. 

Read on for a breakdown of Singapore’s transit system:

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Singapore: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Singapore

Like Hong Kong, Singapore resembles a giant gleaming bazaar. In particular, that revamped one-way Singapore boulevard Orchard Road draws the hordes because it covers just about every retail angle – every consumerist whim imaginable, parading a succession of megamalls.

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singapore: 24-hour stopover

J’adore Singapore. Fantastic city.  Similar to Hong Kong in many respects but completely different all the same. Twenty-four hours to blow?  Here’s what I’d do.

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singapore: the best high tea

With its colonial influences and history as a bit of a tea trading post, the popularity of high tea and tea rooms – especially among visitors and expats – has deeply cemented roots. And, of course, with good teas come some highly-praised baked goods: delicious macaroons, scones and even old-fashioned cookies. Here’s a selection of tearooms and high teas in Singapore to get your journey brewing.

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food blog: singaporean mooncakes

For a country with such a ubiquity of delicious foods, there are surprisingly few fat people in Singapore.  I think I saw one the whole time I was there and that person probably had thyroid problems. Just like Thais, whose national pastime is eating, the Singaporeans just don’t seem to convert their constant snacking into body mass.

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worldwide club guide: singapore

To be brutally honest, I don’t really care for Singapore much – in fact, I care for it very little. But I travel a lot and Changi Airport is one of south-east Asia’s biggest hubs, so I’ve visited the tiny island nation more times than I like to remember. Apart from Singapore noodles and Singapore Slings, the city-state has two other things that can make stop-overs fun – shopping and super-clubs.

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