PEAKLIFE

These are just a few of the settings and happenings across Asia this New Year’s Eve. Have a look below at what’s brewing.

Marvel at fireworks from a rooftop in Taipei, soak up Halong Bay’s awe-inspiring limestone karsts, participate in traditional Japanese traditions in Tokyo, indulge an evening inspired by a Thai temple fair in Bangkok –.Asia’s all geared up for the biggest celebration of the year! Welcome the new year in full fervour in:

TAIWAN: WATCH ONE OF ASIA’S BEST FIREWORKS DISPLAYS UP CLOSE

Named by CNN as one of the world’s top ten spots for ringing in the New Year, Taipei is annually flooded with visitors who come to view the breathtaking fireworks show at Taipei 101. Revellers looking to kick off 2020 with a bang should look no further than the iconic Grand Hyatt Taipei. Located right next door to Taipei 101, the city’s largest five-star hotel guarantees a night of fun and excitement with a countdown party at The Residence – featuring entertainment, snacks, and free-flowing drinks as well as exclusive access to the hotel’s outdoor terrace to witness the spectacular fireworks up close and personal. The party runs from 10 pm – 1 am and tickets start from NT$3,680 per person.

JAPAN: USHER IN NEW YEAR WITH AUTHENTIC JAPANESE EXPERIENCES

From local culinary customs to a host of musical performances – both traditional and modern – Palace Hotel Tokyo is setting the stage for a memorable start to the year. At the iconic, moat side property essential culinary customs, such as toshikoshi soba — eating soba noodles prior to midnight on New Year’s Eve —  and osechi-ryori — feasting on a bento box of specially chosen foods on the first few days of the year — will be presented by the hotel’s esteemed Japanese chefs. These culinary experts will also bring the tradition of mochitsuki(mochi-making) to the fingertips of travelers staying at the hotel. On the first two days of January, guests will also have a chance to witness the first Japanese tea ceremony of the year, Hatsugama.

From mochi to melodies, there will be a New Year’s Eve Jazz countdown cocktail party from 11 pm to midnight featuring free-flowing drinks and a live performance by a jazz singer accompanied by a quartet. The main lobby will be filled with the sounds of Koto (a traditional Japanese instrument) on Jan. 1 and 2. Jan. 2 is only one of two days in the Japanese calendar where parts of the Imperial Palace’s private grounds are opened to the public. Sacred for the Japanese and surreal for foreigners, the experience of waving New Year’s greetings to the Imperial family has long been a treasured experience.

CAMBODIA: UNRUFFLE AT RAFFLES

In the capital Phnom Penh, Raffles Le Royal is hosting a Dom Perignon Dinner on New Year’s Eve when they will even teach you the ancient art of “sabrage” – slicing the top off a champagne bottle with a sword. Or, if a New Year’s Day brunch is more your cup of tea, book at Le Royal Restaurant for a feast including lumpfish caviar, French oysters, a foie gras station, imported cheeses, and many more culinary delights.

Meanwhile, up north in Siem Reap, Grand Hotel d’Angkor’s recently launched restaurant “1932” is hosting a New Year’s Gala Dinner at the hotel poolside where guests can be sure of much merry Khmer music and dancing, culminating in a fireworks display at midnight. And if the whole festive season is just too much for you, why not treat yourself to some tranquil time at the Raffles Spa, which is offering a special “Coconut, Citrus & Bubbles” promotion until 31 December.

THAILAND: SHAKE YOUR TAILFEATHER AT A SAMUI BEACH PARTY

Countdown to 2020 on a mesmerizingly magical beach at Banyan Tree Samui with a cool sea breeze and palm trees swinging to the dancefloor beat. The party goes barefoot on the white sands as midnight approaches and the corks start popping. Cocktails and martinis galore will be shaken and stirred at the mobile cocktail caravan on the beachfront – a bar created from a 1950s Thai tuk-tuk. Banyan Tree will also be hosting a sumptuous 5-course dinner (15,000++THB per head) at its signature Saffron Restaurant if you wish to pre-empt the party while taking in a wondrous vista of the moonlit sea.

VIETNAM: MARK THE NEW YEAR AT CAM RANH WITH CHAMPAGNE, CAVIAR AND MORE 

Indulging exquisite food and wine is the order of the day on New Year’s Eve at the Anam on Vietnam’s upcoming Cam Ranh peninsula. Following high tea featuring Osetra Prestige Caviar by Kaviari, foie gras, a bottle of champagne, vodka, chocolate pralines and more served at The Colonial restaurant from 11am until 5pm, the 12-hectare beachfront resort will host seven-course and five-course dinners at The Colonial and The Indochine respectively, and a barbeque buffet at Lang Viet restaurant.

To a backdrop of live classical music on a baby grand piano, the Colonial’s degustation menu by executive chef Peter Ye includes pan-seared Hokkaido scallops with green pea puree, prosciutto crisps, buttered spring peas and chive oil, sous vide Black Angus beef short rib with charred baby leeks, pan-fried foie gras, roasted artichoke crème and truffle jus, and raspberry semifreddo with thyme jelly, earl grey gel candied thyme leaflets and raspberry coulis — all of this paired with wine, of course. Revellers will then ring in 2020 at a countdown party at The Beach Club replete with fire dancers and DJs spinning house tunes.

VIETNAM: STUNNING NEW BEACH RESORT MARKS ITS FIRST NEW YEAR’S EVE

After celebrating its grand opening in April this year five-star Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort, overlooking Ho Tram beach within easy reach of Ho Chi Minh City, will soon mark another milestone; its first New Year’s Eve countdown. On December 31, the 17-hectare resort, deemed one of the most prestigious properties in the Meliá Hotels and Resorts portfolio globally, will host a delectable buffet dinner at its lush gardens surrounding its lake by the beach.

Diners will be spoilt for choice with a vibrant array of stations. A live BBQ station will brim with lobster, tiger prawns, crabs, tuna fillets, rib eye steak, lamb, veal, chicken, clams, snails and more. A carving station will feature roast sirloin steak, beef medallions, and braised leg of lamb. A Vietnamese station will offer a host of favourites ranging from seafood Banh xeo (savoury pancake) and steamed the whole grouper to caramelized pork in a clay pot. In addition to main courses such as red snapper and Vietnamese chicken curry, vast selections of appetisers, cold cuts, international cheeses, salads, mezze and more will be served. The merriment will continue at Vietnam’s first Spanish beach club, Breeza, where there will be free-flow beer and wine and live entertainment in the lead-up to the countdown.

Picture Credits: Balcony Media Group