To kick off the official Afternoon Tea Week in the UK a few weekends ago, a group of bloggers and I were invited by Starwood Hotels to sample 4 of their afternoon teas in one day. If you’re not familiar with Starwood Hotels, they are the owner, operator and franchisor of some of London’s most beautiful hotels including W Leicester Square, Le Méridien Piccadilly, Sheraton Park Lane and Park Tower Knightsbridge. I had barely eaten any breakfast that morning to prepare my stomach for all the deliciousness that was about to come and none of us were disappointed!
1. The Park Tower Knightsbridge
Our first stop was in Knightsbridge at the Park Tower, conveniently located next to Harvey Nichols and Harrods. The lounge is so beautiful, bright and airy. This place is a great spot to take a short break and escape the manic shopping area. We started off with a glass of champagne, some tea and went straight on to some samples of mainly desserts.
Park Tower was the best in terms of flavours. I’m usually the pickiest when it comes to desserts but they really nailed it. My favourite was their signature swan pastry. It was so beautiful you almost didn’t want to eat it.
Prices start at £37 per person.
Address: 101 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7RN
2. Sheraton Grand London Park Lane
Next we hopped over to Sheraton Grand in Park Lane to sample their Dalmatian-inspired afternoon tea. That’s how they’re celebrating the 55 year anniversary of 101 Dalmatians. In case you didn’t know, Sheraton is actually a dog friendly hotel and this tea honours all doggy tourists, although there were none to be seen around while eating of course. The Dalmatian tea was so thoroughly prepared and the presentation is beautiful, with everything from the pastries to the hot dog looking smoked trout sandwich. It was delicious.
The tea is served at the Palm Court and was the best in terms of ambiance. The harp playing in the background, along with the cosy seats and interior, makes Sheraton Grand the sort of place you want to relax your whole afternoon away.
Prices start at £37 per person.
Address: Piccadilly, London, W1J 7BX
3. Le Meridien Piccadilly
If there was one hotel that wowed me in terms of discovery, it was Le Meridien. How did I never come across this hidden gem before? It’s so central yet so discreet, located right between Green Park and Piccadilly. The afternoon tea is served at the Terrace Grill and Bar which offers both indoor and outdoor seating. We kicked off with some Gin & Tonics and the tea stand had already been served. By this time we started to struggle for space but managed to squeeze in some finger sandwiches which were delicious. What stood out about their sandwiches was the fresh bread, ranging in different flavours from Basil Bread to Mediterranean Bread.
On a beautiful (rare) sunny day in London, Le Meridien is the place to have your afternoon tea. I am without a doubt returning to Le Meridien, even to just have another G&T on the terrace.
Prices start from £34.
Address: 21 Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BH
4. W London – Leicester Square
Last but not least, we finished off by saying hi to an old favourite of mine – W Hotel! We started off with a delicious passion fruit cocktail while waiting for the cake stand to come out and let the other 3 visits digest. The cake stand arrived so colourful and vibrant, made to celebrate 40 years of Punk. In this selection we found ‘God Save the Queen – The Sex Pistols’ cakes / a red, white and blue Battenburg with a marzipan icing crown / a ‘Shut-Up – The Stranglers’ treat / a pair of strawberry mousse red lips sealed with a silver zip.
W hotel out of all the above hotels is the trendiest afternoon tea you can go for. I’m talking about of the afternoon tea.
Prices start from £30.
Address: 10 Wardour Street, Leicester Square, London, W1D 6QF
Each location has it’s own uniqueness and are all beautiful in their own ways. Through my social media I had asked which of these you wanted a full review of and it ended up being the pretty Dalmatian Tea at the Sheraton which I visited yesterday. Stay tuned for a full review!
Thank you to Starwood PR for such an incredible day and doing a fantastic job in organising all of it. You can get 15% off any of the above afternoon teas by quoting “tea-thon” when booking in advance. The code lasts until end of September.
