As Afternoon Tea Week is right around the corner I thought I should jump on the ol’ band wagon and write a post about afternoon tea, it would be rude not too really. For some reason over the past year or so I being given the title, the Queen of Afternoon Tea by quite a few people (I’m embarrassed trust me!); unfortunately this title doesn’t come with any crown jewels and I’m not dripping in diamonds and pearls but it does come with a number of rolls around my tummy from scoffing a lot of scones. I don’t think it’s fair for only folks in the UK to be enjoying Afternoon Tea Week which runs from the 10th – 16th August this year so lets go global; Around the World in 10 Afternoon Teas!
London, England – Claridge’s Hotel
Claridge’s Hotel offers the best afternoon tea in the world, if anyone recommends a different establishment it’s because they haven’t visited Claridge’s – if you would like to challenge me on this statement then bring it on and we will settle the argument with a scone eating competition! And I will win….
And here is another knock out…Claridge’s vs The Ritz!
London, England – Brown’s Hotel
My second favourite place in London is Brown’s Hotel; I’ve scoffed afternoon tea here five times and would happily go back again and again. If you can’t get into Claridge’s Hotel then definitely check out Brown’s Hotel. The Tea Room is one of my favourite places in all of London, it feels like you’re visiting Downtown Abbey and it’s a bit of secret gem really in the London Afternoon Tea scene.
Edinburgh, Scotland – The Balmoral Hotel
I will be honest and say the only afternoon tea I’ve eaten in Scotland was at The Balmoral however I wasn’t disappointed; the Palm Court is small and intiminate, the food generous and the service glorious. Sara from Big World Small Me has recently visited so pop over to have a gander at her blog post.
Athens, Greece – The Grande Bretagne
My other half tells everyone he meets that the best scones in the world can be found at The Grande Bretagne in Athens (apparently Claridge’s falls in second place for him) and I’m pretty sure he would be happy to stand in the middle of Constitution Square with a sign around his neck stating this fact. If you’re looking at finding a way to escape the summers heat or just fancy checking out this grande dame of a hotel in Athens then definitely make a booking for afternoon tea in the Winter Garden and afterwards pop upstairs for a cocktail at the roof top terrace overlooking Athens.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Amstel Hotel
Another grande dame of a hotel is the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam and having afternoon tea overlooking the canals is a must when in Amsterdam. When we visited there was a twist which included a different tea being served with each course.
Aswan, Egypt – Sofitel Legend The Old Cataract Hotel
Ahhh The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan; would it be wrong to say that we only travelled to Egypt to have afternoon tea here and stay at this glorious hotel – I travel just to eat afternoon tea sometimes. The views overlooking the Nile at Sunset is possibly the best setting for afternoon tea anywhere in the world.
Brussels, Belgium – Hotel Amigo
Chocolate chocolate chocolate…oh yeah Hotel Amigo offers a Chocolate Afternoon Tea…when in Brussels you can’t leave until you have gorged yourself in chocolate and what better way to do that than enjoying afternoon tea at Hotel Amigo which is Belgium’s top luxury hotel.
Hong Kong – The Peninsula Hotel
I honestly think the best afternoon teas around the world can be found in the most iconic hotels and the afternoon tea at The Peninsula is definitely the best in Hong Kong. This isn’t your average afternoon tea, you actually have to queue however if you’re a resident at the hotel (which we were thankfully) you can skip the line but it’s definitely worth the wait just to do a spot of people watching in the lobby. There’s a full review coming this Wednesday if you need a sugar fix but without the calories…licking the screen is allowed!
Auckland, New Zealand – The Langham
I’ve ruined my mum by taking her to Claridge’s many moons ago for afternoon tea so whenever she goes to afternoon tea in New Zealand I get What’s App messages afterwards saying…there was no cake fork Kelly…no napkins or my goodness only paper napkins…they used tea bags….Claridge’s has a lot to answer for really! But if you ask my mum where her favourite place for afternoon tea in Auckland is, her response is always The Langham and she’s tried a few now…mother like daughter or should that be daughter like mother (oh I’m so confused…I need a scone…).
Marrakech, Morocco – La Mamounia
Hot steamy afternoons in Marrakech are best spent sipping Mint Tea in the gardens of La Mamounia while enjoying plates of delightful sweet pastries. The mint is even grown in the gardens at the back of the hotel and those macarons are some of the best I’ve ever eaten – all I needed was the flying carpet to take me back to my room!
Trust me this isn’t a full round up of places that I’ve scoffed afternoon tea while travelling, here a few more…The Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, Four Seasons in Paris, Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin and The Ritz Carlton in Vienna.
And here are some tongue in cheek afternoon tea tips from an experienced pinkie raiser; that would be me!
^^ Wearing my crown proudly…this was taken at afternoon tea number four while on holiday in Asia last month so my roll collection was growing nicely…eek it’s true what they say about gaining weight in your 30’s! Apologies but I don’t wear make up on holiday so you can see my rather glorious bags…designer under the eye bags.
Have a fabulous Afternoon Tea Week everyone and remember any afternoon tea consumed during the official Afternoon Tea Week is calorie free….if only right!
So where do you recommend around the world for afternoon tea? Remember I travel to scoff afternoon tea…point me in the right direction as I always have my passport in my handbag ready to flit off at a scones notice!
xx
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