Taiwan

High-end hotels are installing high-tech solutions to make their kitchens—and our meals—more sustainable.

Because let’s face it: everyone is going to need to recharge on the other side of all this.

The United Nations World Happiness Report remains dominated by Nordic countries. But there’s a new twist this year, with East Asian nations getting a shout-out for Covid-times quality of life.

The Year of the Ox starts February 12. Here’s a look at the celebration plans, Covid regulations and best restaurants for new year’s dinner in Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore and Taipei.

Governments around the region got you locked in? With Michelin meals, multimedia escapes and even leopard-spotting excursions, these hotels will (almost) leave you wishing that quarantine would never end.

Over the past few months, staycations and domestic travel have pushed round-the-world journeys off our agendas. Check out these deals that make it easier—and cheaper—to travel in your home country.

From mile-high dating games to temple flybys, airlines are pooh-poohing Covid border closures with plane tickets that go roundtrip in a single flight.

Here’s when and where you might be able to travel again in Asia.

Even time-honored family-travel mainstays can lose their shine—in which case, get inspired by these up-and-coming kid-friendly destinations.

Perched on Nan Shan’s 48th floor is Cé La Vi, a ritzy rooftop lounge attracting the city’s young, hip and well-heeled like bees to a nine-meter-long copper-clad bar.

Occupying the 12th floor of the recently opened Kimpton Da’an hotel, restaurant-slash-bar The Tavernist offers yet another reason to venture around this district after dark.

With a group of young, wildly creative chefs leading the way, the Taiwanese capital is emerging as Asia’s buzziest culinary destination.

Hoshinoya’s newest resort in the Taiwanese hot-spring town of Guguan invited relaxation and good qi.

Craft beer isn’t the sole domain of men anymore. Across Asia, trailblazing female brewers are transforming the industry.

Taiwan might not be the first locale that comes to mind when speaking of whisky. But Duncan Forgan seeks out the water of life here, and finds its single-malt expressions maturing mighty finely.

Asia’s craft suds scene keeps getting better. Craig Sauers checks in with six exciting breweries using local flavors and ingredients to push beer boundaries.

Taihu might be Asia’s most progressive brewery. The bathrooms are gender neutral, for starters, and when it comes to beer, head brewer Winnie Hsu is as relentless in her devotion to quality as she is in her rejection of traditional boundaries.

“We make cocktails for people who usually order beer,” says Angus Zou, the brains behind Draft Land. After building a name for himself at Alchemy, a trailblazer in Taipei’s speakeasy scene, he opened this taproom in 2018 to take the fuss out of ordering a mixed drink.

Like most speakeasies worth their salt, the first rule of Staff Only Club was, “do not tell anyone.” But good news travels fast, and soon after opening late last year, this members-only club became Taipei’s worst-kept secret.

This tiny cocktail kitchen in buzzy Da’an district actually serves up a full culinary experience. In his space of dimly lit booths around a stage-like bar, owner Seven Yi takes guests on a two-hour tasting journey.

Located in the heart of the city, Mandarin Oriental Taipei offers the perfect fusion of classically inspired design and contemporary luxury.

Built around a volcanic geothermal hot spring, Villa 32 draws heavily on its natural environment to create open, invigorating spaces in the busy northern district of Beitou.

The splashy W Taipei blends the feel of a relaxing resort with a smooth, urban vibe. In step with the W brand, whimsical art pieces punctuate the hotel, including flying metal shards in the lobby by Japanese artist Sawada.

Le Méridien Taipei, the hotel group’s first Taiwan property, stands out from Xinyi district’s crowd of business hotels with its arts-oriented approach.