Almost a month ago, on a Sunday, boyfriend & I headed to Shangri-La Hotel for high tea. It was an impromptu session. Having heard much about the highly-raved high tea buffet at The Tea Lounge of The Regent Hotel, we decided to give a shot. Called to make a reservation but was told that it was full house. Hence, we headed to The Rose Veranda at Shangri-La Hotel instead.



Hello, boyfriend <3



Our outfits of the day: SUPERDRY's couple-tee!







Ratings: 3.5/5
We opted for the International High Tea Buffet instead of the English High Tea. Boyfriend had coffee while I ordered Pure Chamomile tea. Free flow of drinks unless there's a change in your beverage. Both of us liked the ambience very much. So cosy and relaxing to sip on a cuppa while savouring the dishes. As a whole, the food tasted mediocre. There weren't much varieties, especially the cakes and desserts. Nonetheless, we had an enjoyable time! Anyhow, it was our first time having high tea together~

The Rose Veranda
22 Orange Grove Road, Mezzanine Level
Tower Wing, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
Singapore 258350
Tel: +65 6213 4486
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/bars-lounges/rose-veranda
English High Tea: 3pm - 6pm (Daily)
International High Tea Buffet 11.30am – 6pm (Daily)
Nearest MRT Station: Orchard

Labels: boyfriend, buffet, date, Dear Daniel, dessert, food, High tea, Shangri-La Hotel, Sunday, The Rose Veranda

Less than two months ago, boyfriend suggested a short getaway trip and both of us settled on a 2D1N stay @ Batam. Therefore, we purchased a deal on All Deals Asia and decided to travel on a Sunday, which was three weeks back. The night before the trip, boyfriend came over my place to sleepover as we needed to wake up at six o'clock the next morning (we needed to catch the first ferry at 8.30am)! Poor him, didn't sleep well as he was not used to sleeping on my bed. And for me, I didn't catch a single wink too, as I was down with a flu! Took a pill of Clarinase & because it was a non-drowsy medicine, I ended up losing my sleep though it cured my flu! Anyway, I downed a bottle of chicken essence before setting off!



Collected our boarding passes at Harbourfront Centre and we boarded the ferry in a jiffy!



























We arrived at Sekupang Ferry Terminal (the "Terminal") in Batam Island within fourty-five minutes. Met up with the tour-guide and boarded onto a bus where there were several other tourists as well. After thirty minutes of waiting, the tour began! Our first stop was Batam Chocolate House! Some of the varieties can be found in Singapore, so boyfriend & I bought two boxes of Tiramisu chocolate, which could only be found in Batam.









The second stop was Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple ("the Temple")! It is the largest temple in Southeast Asia. Many different statues of the Laughing Buddha can be found in the Temple. As we toured around, we saw many paintings with inspirational quotes as well! There is also a vegetarian restaurant in the Temple, but we didn't manage to eat there due to time constrain. We were so famished as the last meal we had was the dinner the night before! Luckily, there was a stall selling some vegetarian foods where we could just grab & go!











The two sticks of doughnuts, mixed fruit drink & the cute tortoise-look-alike vegetarian "char siew" bun only cost us S$1.50!





The next stop was Batam Layer Cakes. We were allowed to sample different types of kueh lapis before placing our orders. Didn't buy any as we don't really fancy them. As the others were queuing madly to get their orders taken, boyfriend & I went to watch a culture show nearby. The three men, who were half-naked, performed different stunts. The first men tore the bark of the tree trunk using his bare teeth! The second one chewed on glass & the last one, ate the flames of the fire! Didn't take any photos as it was already halfway through the performance!





Finally, it was time for lunch! We had a seven-course seafood lunch at Golden Prawn 933 Restaurant. Didn't manage to take any pictures as we were seated together with eight other tourists from Singapore. They were very friendly as they helped us scoop the dishes. All of us, except boyfriend, ordered coconut drinks. However, most of us were disappointed in the drink as it tasted like plain water & there was no flesh in the coconut!



Anyhow, we continued to First Factory outlet and Polo Ralph Lauren store where they sell branded wear, bags and accessories at a very low price! The last stop to shop was Batam City Square Mall (the "Mall"). It is a huge shopping mall located in Nagoya where there are so many retail stores selling all kinds of merchandise. You will definitely be spoilt for choice when it comes to food as they have so many eateries for you to choose from! You can basically find everything you want from the Mall, ranging from clothes, jewelleries, accessories, nail saloons, massage parlours, arcade, handphone shops, cinema, and many more! You name it, you have it~ After almost two hours of shopping, we left for our last programme with the tour - massage! We had our one-hour massage at First Choice Spa, Massage and Reflexology & we almost fell asleep! Hahaha~ It was around six thirty in the evening when it ended. Then, we headed to our hotel - Gideon Hotel (the "Hotel")! We were the first few to alight as the Hotel is just a five-minute walk from the Mall!





The superior room, which we stayed in, was indeed spacious and cosy! Boyfriend & I liked it very much~



Headed out for our dinner shortly as we wanted to retire early. We decided to settle our meals at A1 Foodcourt, which is just located across the street from the Hotel.



Char Kway Tiao
S$1.50
Ratings: 4/5



Oysters Omelette
S$3
Ratings: 5/5
This is so damn good! Look at the number of oysters given!
I doubt we can find such dish at such a steal in Singapore~



Mutton Satay
S$2.50
Ratings: 3/5



Chicken Satay
S$2.50
Ratings: 3/5



Hokkien Mee
S$1.80
Ratings: 4/5

We ordered two canned of soft drinks which cost about S$2.50. In total, we only spent S$13.80! If we were to have these dishes in Singapore, we could have spent S$10 more! Anyhow, we were so darn bloated aftermath! Headed back to the Hotel as we were too worn out due to lack of sleep & the whole day of walking! Back to the Hotel before knocking out before eleven o'clock!

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We got up at seven o'clock without any alarm clock as we're so used to waking up at that timing for work. Headed for the breakfast buffet downstairs after showering.



We took a bit of everything, except the noodles, to share. It was my idea, actually! Hahaha~ Initially, boyfriend asked if I could finish them all. Without second thoughts, I nodded readily! In the end, he helped me to wipe out all of them. Hehehe! I know I was being very greedy, but I really wanted to try all of them!!! We were so bloated that we decided to take a walk at the vicinity. However, after walking for about ten minutes, it started to drizzle. Therefore, we headed back to the Hotel. I dozed off while watching the television and woke up an hour later. Boyfriend was very sweet to do the packing of our luggage as I was still in a "just-wake-up-and-in-a-daze" mode. Hahaha!



The view from the Hotel.



Goodbye, Batam! Till then~

Overall, it was an enjoyable and memorable staycation for boyfriend & I as this is the very first time we stay overnight in another country! The deal package, which includes the ferry tickets, Hotel stay, seven-course seafood lunch, massage and tour, only cost us S$158! We will certainly go back there again~

Labels: 2D1N, Batam Island, Dear Daniel, first, food, Gideon Hotel, hotel, Indonesia, overseas, shopping, short getaway, staycation, travel, travelogue