Best Hotels for Afternoon Tea
There are some great British traditions that never die, and the comforting ritual of Afternoon Tea is one example – indeed the classic British Afternoon Tea has undergone a bit of revival in recent years, with hotels all over the country outdoing each other with the variety, inventiveness and sheer deliciousness of their teatime offerings, some of which are served all afternoon from lunchtime onwards. Some of our favourites are listed below, but first of all, what is Afternoon Tea, and will it be enough to keep you going till dinner?
Start with the basics – a good selection of finger sandwiches, maybe a scone or two, hopefully with cream and jam on the side, and a colourful and calorific selection of cakes and dainties to finish the whole thing off, along with lashings of good, strong tea by the unlimited pot to wash it down.This is the minimum you can expect and yes, it will be enough to last until dinner, even if you skipped lunch. But there are plenty of variations on the theme. If you don't have much of a sweet tooth, you could try 'Afternoon Cheese' instead at Norwich's Assembly House. Chocolate-lovers and parents might want to sample the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tea at One Aldwych in London, while for those who want an Afternoon Tea that's a cut above the rest you can't do better than the superb spread they lay on at Michelin-starred Morston Hall in Norfolk. But all of the places below will deliver a real treat – browse our selections and then collect the full set!
Best Hotels for Afternoon Tea in Britain
A colourful and very comfortable boutique hotel on County Antrim’s Portrush Peninsula
Elephant Rock Hotel, 17 Lansdowne Crescent, Portrush, Antrim BT56 8AY
Holidays in Ulster NI
Holidays in Antrim
Holidays in Portrush
Hotel-style rooms and suites in the green surroundings of the Yorkshire Wolds
Kilnwick Percy , Pocklington, Kilnwick Percy, York YO42 1UF
Holidays in North East England
Holidays in North Yorkshire
Holidays in York
Contemporary country house hotel in the charming Ribble Valley
Mitton Hall, Mitton Road, Mitton, Whalley, Lancashire BB7 9PQ
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Lancashire
Holidays in Clitheroe
Cool and comfortable hotel rooms to suit everyone – including your dog – on the leafy side of Birmingham
Edgbaston Park Hotel, 53 Edgbaston Park Hotel, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2RS
Holidays in West Midlands
Holidays in Birmingham
A fabulous boutique hotel and restaurant bang in the heart of beautiful Norwich
The Assembly House, Theatre St, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1RQ
Holidays in East Anglia
Holidays in Norfolk
Holidays in Norwich
A dog-friendly hotel on the Furness Peninsula, just south of the Lake District
The Dunes Hotel, Roanhead Beach, Hawthwaite Lane, Cumbria LA14 4QW
Holidays in North West England
Holidays in Cumbria
Holidays in Barrow-in-Furness
Modern comfort at a historic riverside hotel in Henley-on-Thames
The Relais Henley, Hart Street, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 2AR
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Oxfordshire
Holidays in Henley-on-Thames
The luxury lodges on this beautiful Sussex wine estate are the ultimate romantic escape for two
Tinwood Estate, Tinwood Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0NE
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in West Sussex
Holidays in Chichester
A unique five-star hotel in the heart of Mayfair, classically English with strong eco-credentials.
The Athenaeum, 116 Piccadilly, London W1J 7BJ
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Greater London
Holidays in Westminster
Contemporary boutique inn in a great location in the historic, foodie, market town of Abergavenny
The Angel at Abergavenny, 15 Cross Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 5EN
Holidays in South Wales
Holidays in Monmouthshire
Holidays in Abergavenny
A historic country house hotel in the grounds of a Kent safari park
Port Lympne Hotel, Port Lympne Reserve, Lympne, Near Hythe, Kent CT21 4PD
Holidays in South East England
Holidays in Kent
Holidays in Hythe
A first-rate North Norfolk boutique country-house hotel with a superb Michelin-starred restaurant
Morston Hall, Hall Lane, Morston, Near Blakeney, Norfolk NR25 7AA
Holidays in East Anglia
Holidays in Norfolk
Holidays in Blakeney
