Harrods , Ritz or Plump room ( Bath ) Afternoon tea?

I had tea at the Ritz with 3 friends I grew up with. (a few years ago)
It was wonderful and a memory we will always treasure.
It was pretty pricey - I don't remember the exact price - you may be able to find it online
by looking at the Ritz Hotel webpage.

Another time I had tea at Brown's and it was nice, but not as elegant as the Ritz.
So.....I would recommend the Ritz.

These are three different experiences...at three different price points. The Ritz is top of the list by far; it's like flying first class, you're paying for what you get. Lovely department stores like Harrods and Fortnum & Mason offer a nice experience for the money, and it might be easier to book on shorter notice.

For something a bit different, I saw this bus driving around with people looking they had a good time:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d3479137-Reviews-BB_Bakery_Covent_Garden-London_England.html

Thanks Frances and Mincepie. I saw the cute place BB bakery at covent garden. I will look into it.

I like your description of the Pump Room (where the water is pumped up for use) in Bath as the Plump Room!! After a few too many sandwiches and cakes there the name plump may be accurate!! But then at their prices, you may have to be, in another way!!

Oh oh, I meant Pump room. Thanks Nigel!

Like the previous poster said, they are all different experiences...
Harrod's, The Georgian, is very pink&green fru-fru, has a lovely Victorian glass ceiling, and has great views over the London rooftops.
The Ritz is opulently luxurious - don't go under-dressed. You'll feel very out of place.
The Pump Room is very austerely "proper"...watch/read Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice and you'll know what to expect! :)
No matter which one you pick you'll be happy you went and spent the $$! Or the $$$$ if you choose The Ritz.

Many of the hotels in London serve afternoon tea. Check around for prices, because tea at Harrod's can be very pricey. Their "English Fancy" tea includes three fancies (choice of different sandwiches and sweets), and tea for about $60. (£29) per person. Dress code is posted on Harrod's website. The Ritz will also be expensive. A good afternoon tea does not have to be that expensive to be a memorable experience.

Look at Bea's Of Bloomsbury for a reasonable full afternoon tea for £19 per person. We found it to be more tasty than Harrod's. The cakes were fresher, I thought.
http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com/afternoon-tea/
Reservations are required at most places that offer afternoon tea.

St. Paul's Cathedral serves an afternoon tea in their cafe for £15.95, which includes small sandwiches, scones, cakes, and tea. Very convenient if a person is visiting St. Paul's anyhow about teatime. A good afternoon break. And the profits go to the cathedral. http://www.restaurantatstpauls.co.uk/afternoon-tea/menu/

The Cafe in the British Museum serves a good afternoon tea with scones, sandwiches, and sweets. Convenient, since you may already intend to go to the museum. £22.50.
http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/uk/london/bloomsbury/court-restaurant-at-the-british-museum/

It's your vacation, so if you want to go someplace posh, I certainly would do it. You said, "We are looking at the experience at the same time good value for our £ ." So that led me to suggest alternatives. Harrod's is not a good value for the money, unless what you are seeking is a very upscale experience.

Do you know that you can't take the Underground to Bath? But if your trip includes Bath later, and you can only afford one overpriced tea, the Pump Room is by far the most historic space of those you named. I mean, who cares how many Gulf State millionaires are sitting around you, when you could have the ghosts of the British Empire sitting around you? For the same reason, you should pay to see the Assembly Rooms or the Guildhall in Bath, if they are open during your visit.

Another very good, but lower priced, and very informal tea in London, if you're going to Kew Gardens anyway, would be the Maids of Honour, across the street.

Sally wanted to take tea a couple of months ago. If she's still at it, her eyeballs are floating.

Yes, as Ed notes, the Original Poster has returned from her trip.
How was your trip, Sally?

Yes, We have returned but it is ok Ed, this is a forum and the nice part is people helping each other through their experiences. Because of our time constraint, we didn't get to try Ritz or the tea room at Bath. We tried a different afternoon tea which I would not recommend but it fits our time with same day reservation . I still love reading the responses to the thread . Ken, We love ,love London and am looking forward to our next trip- maybe next year? Next time though , I will definitely reserve the afternoon tea once we booked our air tickets .

Sally, so glad you loved London! There are a lot of us here who love London. Please tell us which tea room you visited that you were not thrilled with? Some of them do not do as great a tea as others.

Hi Rebecca, with no disrespect to the establishment ,it was not bad -just that the room was quite small and the ambience was not there. I can't remember the name of the hotel at the moment but it was very close to Harrods. It worked out well as we were able to have afternoon tea and visit Harrods.

We have had "high tea" at the Brown Hotel, and it is very lovely. For a lesser price, St. Martin's in the Fields crypt also has tea, as does Kensington Gardens. The Brown was quite expensive, but a wonderful memory.

"We have had "high tea" at the Brown Hotel,"

Was it really "high tea" or afternoon tea?

Don't go to the Plump Room.
Sally, did you know you can edit the title to this thread, it's not any more time than posting another response.
It's Pump Room.