Hi! A friend & I are taking a girls trip to London next month. Thinking of doing a day trip to the Cotswolds; can anyone recommend best way to get there and best locations?
Also looking to do afternoon tea in London. I have been researching and know there are a ton of options, but looking for some favorites! Right now we're leaning toward the Orangery, Claridge's and The Berekely; would love input if you have been to any of these!
Thanks!
My wife really enjoyed...
http://www.palmcourtlondon.co.uk
But those you mentioned seem fine too... Check Trip Advisor to be sure. Thousands of places you could go. Groupon are always doing deals on afternoon tea which could save you a lot.
Cotswolds are BEST seen by car. Check to see if London Walks has a tour the days you are in London. www.walks.com. All three of the afternoon tea options are fine. As noted check Trip Advisor for reviews.
Can also use this forums search engine to read about afternoon tea options.
For afternoon tea, we loved Sketch. It's on (I believe) Conduit Street near Carnaby Street in Soho. We made reservations in advance, just in case they were busy that day. Tea cost 40 pounds per person, pricey for me but a cool experience. Half the fun was the wacky room (we were in a room that was all pink and copper - walls, chairs - and the "bathroom" was an experience unto itself. The toilets are inside giant eggs and pedestal sinks are along the walls. The white stairs up to the bathroom go on either side of what looks like a white spaceship designed in the 1960s.
We used Evan Evans day tours to the Cotswolds. It is also the same as Gray Line Tours. They subcontract it out to Evan Evans. It was a great tour. Unfortunately, it was only for one day. We would have loved to spend more time there. We enjoyed all the day tours we took with Evan Evans/Gray Line.
We also have enjoyed having afternoon tea (scones, tiny sandwiches, tea cakes, tea, coffee, etc.) at Harrod's Dept. Store. It is upstairs in the Georgian Room. It is a lovely location. We have had tea there four times. We have also enjoyed having the lunch buffet in the adjacent room. The buffet is only opened until 3:30 PM.
I've recently had tea at the Orangery. The location is beautiful, but the food is absolutely tiny. I had a groupon offer and still felt it was overpriced. I've never seen such tiny dolls house sized nibbles. The sandwiches (lol) were the size of mini kit kat sticks and the salmon bagel was maybe the same size as a 50p piece? The scones were like d cell batteries.
My current fav is the Library Lounge at the Marriott County Hall. I've been for the unlimited bubbles option and they're not stingy with either the bubbles, or extra scones, cakes, etc.
Best tea in England: Badgers Hall in Chipping Campden. We stayed there in the lodgings and afternoon tea was included ! The chef/husband is an amazing cook and baker. The setting is historically perfect architecturally too.
Cleo
I took a group of 4 ladies to London last summer. We did tea at fortnum & Mason, at 181 Piccadilly. It cost about 40 pounds each and was a fun experience. Reservations are needed. Check out their website. https://www.fortnumandmason.com They specialize in teas and are a old traditional British store. My sister who lives in England made the arrangements - she has been to a number of places for teas and preferred Fortnum & Masons.
As for the Cotswolds, beautiful country villages but would really need more than a day and car to see it all. You can get day trips out to Oxford and the Cotswold villages, some include Bampton where Downton Abbey was filmed and some include HighClere Castle. - Which we visited along with stonehenge. I do not have experience with tours as we were fortunate to have a car. (we stayed in a cottage outside of London). We had the best girl trip! have fun.
Can I be honest and say that afternoon tea at The Ritz, Claridge's etc etc are not very good value.
I may even venture so far to say they are a rip off.
There are many top London restaurants that offer great value lunch menus (2 or 3 courses) at similar prices.
For example, Gordon Ramsay's wonderful Petrus in Knightbridge does 3 courses for £37.50.
https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/petrus/menus/#Lunch%20Menu
Or, The Square in Mayfair does 3 courses for £40.
http://www.squarerestaurant.com/?page_id=21455
Many other places with Michelin stars do likewise. Similarly look for pre theatre meals in the same restaurants if you fancy an early dinner.
You can get the train at Paddington Station in London for Moreton-in-Marsh, it's a 1 1/2 hr trip. Once you get to Moreton, I would suggest going to Bourton-on-the-Water, you can either take a taxi (11minute ride) or bus #801 (20 minute ride) the leaves from in front of the Corn Exchange. You and your friend could have a lovely day there. For Afternoon Tea in London, The Orangery at Kensington Palace (I have to strongly disagree with the above post when it said "tiny dolls house sized nibbles") the size of their finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries are the same size as other afternoon teas. We have tea there very year when we are in London, we enjoy it very much.
It is a very lovely place to have afternoon tea.
British Museum's Great Court Restaurant at £19.50 pp for afternoon tea is pretty good value.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/at_oct_menu.pdf
I have not had afternoon tea at the Ritz, the Berkeley, or the Orangery, but I have done at Claridge's (autumn of 2014). I know it is expensive but for me, it offered good value because of the overall experience, the service, and the very high quality of the food. Definitely the best clotted cream I've had anywhere.
I think if you are wanting that sort of hotel afternoon tea experience, and the cost fits into your budget, that it is worth it. Obviously, this is not for everyone and depends on what you are after. I will add I've eaten scones and cream and jam in many locations and enjoyed them all for what they had to offer, but it can be pleasant to get dressed up and have a "fancy" afternoon tea...or not, as you prefer. Despite the cost, I would return, because it was such a positive experience overall.
I guess my eyes see it differently. I had to get dressed up for Claridge's every day. I worked there !!
