The Shangri-La in the Shard brings some festive magic to the heart of London…

A great many things were lost and found this year. We spent time apart, cancelled weddings, worked from home and shelved travel plans. At times we felt overwhelmed but we made it! For all that we were forced to give up in 2020 Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London is aiming to bring cheer and laughter to end the year. From a nostalgic Austrian Christmas to breakfast at the first sunrise of 2021, the hotel has created a tantalising series of events to bring back the magic.

Bar 31

Your winter escapism to the Alps starts on the ground floor at Bar 31. General Manager Kurt Macher is clearly missing home because he has recreated his boyhood spent in snowy Lech, Austria in eye-watering detail as a gift for us to enjoy. There are ferociously romantic outdoor lodges for two complete with fur rugs and soft cushions where you can hide away in style. If you get peckish for something other than each other, order hearty Austrian winter food straight from Bar 31’s menu. That classics such as raclette and schnitzel, made using Macher family recipes, are unmissable should go without saying. The real heroes though are the apfelstrudel and glühwein which are borrowed recipes from Kurt’s mother. We are told that Mama Macher’s apfelstrudel is Kurt’s favourite when he’s home. Order it and find out why. Other treats on the menu include hot toddies and hot chocolate. My advice? Stay long enough to taste it all. 

TĪNG Restaurant

Take the Alpine romance up a notch (literally) and book yourself an après-ski afternoon tea at Ting on the 35th floor. The entire floor has been transformed with wooden facades, sleighs, a gondola and a fairy tale town made of gingerbread. It has the feel of an Alpine ski resort and it’s impossible not to be enchanted by it.

I have experienced afternoon tea at Ting several times. It’s an all-sensory experience. I’ve brought my mother here, visited with friends and even had tea on my own. It remains one of my all-time favourite things to do in London. 

Of course the food is always delicious. The après-ski afternoon tea (£59 and £69 with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne), for example, serves truffles and egg mayonnaise on brioche, roast turkey breast with cranberry on carrot bread and scones with spiced plum sauce. All of it seasonal, themed and delicately delicious. The welcome tea ceremony is wondrous and theatrical; you feel all the emotions of watching Swan Lake or Madam Butterfly. It’s moving, tender and devastatingly beautiful to watch.

Yet, there is something even greater at Ting. After all your food and drink has been experienced you will find it difficult to leave. The staff make you feel welcome to such a heightened degree that you wouldn’t dare break the spell by imagining anything as inconceivable as leaving. The space is so tranquil and voices so hushed that the experience of Ting becomes the epitome of Shangri-la of Lost Horizon (1933).

Then what of the horizon itself? I have spent hours mesmerised by the view here. Tower Bridge sits in the distance but close enough to touch. Boats glide across the Thames and chocolate box London ebbs and flows right beneath your eyes. It is pure magic. I have returned to it time after time and been captivated each time.

Reserve afternoon tea at Ting: SpecialEvents.slln@shangri-la.com or call +44 207 234 8000.

Christmas Day

Spend Christmas Day at Ting Restaurant between 12.00 and 16.00. It will be a thoroughly British affair with Norfolk turkey or roast beef and Christmas pudding with brandy anglaise. This special menu is priced at £200 per person or £285 with wine pairing. It includes a vegan amuse bouche and glass of Champagne on arrival. A children’s menu is available for £85.

If dinner is more your style then prepare to be dazzled as Ting takes on a moon-lit air after the sun goes down. Lights are dimmed and the restaurant evokes entirely new feelings altogether. Christmas Dinner will be served between 17.30 and 22.00 on Christmas Day. Expect ham hock and foie gras terrine, roast rib of beef and spiced flan with pear sorbet on the menu. The dinner menu is priced at £200 per person or £285 with wine pairing.

Christmas lunch or dinner at Ting: SpecialEvents.slln@shangri-la.com. Alternatively call +44 207 234 8000.

Last Sunset and First Sunrise at GŎNG Bar

If you fancy watching the last sunset of 2020 at the highest bar in Europe (52 storeys high to be precise) with Champagne and sashimi you can do so between 12.00 and 18.00 on New Year’s Eve at the hotel’s GŎNG Bar. There is a DJ set between 17.30 and 22.00 and you’re guaranteed a table by the window for unforgettable views.

Tickets are priced at £200 per person for reservations between 12.00 and 18.00 and £230 per person for between 18.00 and 22.00. This includes one glass of Champagne on arrival, two cocktails and a selection of sushi and sashimi. 

You can also witness the first sunrise on New Year’s Day, between 7.00 and 9.30, at GŎNG Bar with breakfast and unlimited breakfast cocktails. This experience is priced at £125 per person or £155 for a premium package including a guaranteed window seat. 

Last sunset and first sunrise at GŎNG Bar: SpecialEvents.slln@shangri-la.com. Alternatively you can call:  +44 207 234 8000

New Year’s Eve Après Ski White Party

There is only one place in the world that I’d want to be this New Year’s Eve and that is at Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard’s Après Ski White Party. A five course dinner menu with wine or non-alcoholic pairings, music and comedy entertainment all wrapped up in Shangri-La hospitality. Frankly I couldn’t think of a more alluring place to be. The set menu is priced at £321.00 per person with wine pairing. Children under 12 years of age have a set menu of £85.00 per person.

New Year’s Eve White Party: SpecialEvents.slln@shangri-la.com or call +44 207 234 8000.

NYE In-Room Celebrations in the Sky

For the ultimate in luxury you can party like it’s the end of 2020 in the privacy of a room at the hotel. It will be decorated with New Year party favours. A bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne and meat and cheese platter (vegan option available) will be delivered to the room between 22.30 and 23.30. You simply dance like no one is watching with your SO in your room. The package also includes access to the gym, sauna and sky pool on level 52 and is priced from £1,290. There is a room-only price from £950. 

For terms and conditions email – SpecialEvents.slln@shangri-la.com or call +44 207 234 8000.

All that’s left for me to say is Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year London!