I realise that at this point you might say ‘Damn you’ve been to way too many afternoon teas in the last year’ and to that I would probably respond ‘there is no such thing as too many afternoon teas’ 😉
This afternoon tea was by far the best. It was the afternoon tea at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. T had mentioned it and said it was the best afternoon tea one could possibly experience. EVER! I was obviously intrigued to go see what all the fuss was about. So we reserved (as you should for afternoon teas) for us and her grandmother just a few days before my departure. It was going to end this trip on a high note!
Mount Nelson is a high end hotel in the city centre, right at the foot of Table Mountain. It has the look of a giant doll house with its unusual pink colour.
We arrived at the hotel and it was grand! Absolutely beautiful inside and out! Pictured below is the tea room. It was elegant, cosy and classic. Upon our arrival we were quickly seated in a nice little nook of couches and lounge chairs.
We were then greeted by our waiter who explained how things worked. We were given a menu for tea and there was an incredible choice of teas included. We all took the South African classic, rooibos tea. Mine was the ‘children’s favourite’ (this always happens to me…), the strawberry and cream flavoured tea. Delicious!
The food portion of this afternoon tea was a buffet – and by buffet I mean a massive table FILLED with all kinds of delicious finger food from pastries to sandwiches. The waiter took our order of tea before T and I headed directly to the food table…as we do.
Our goal: taste everything on that table! It was a hard challenge! We started with the savoury, with little sandwiches and rolls and every thing you could possibly think in terms of savoury finger food. When we weren’t too sure of what it was, we could simply ask the chef who was standing by the table to advice the tea lovers and refill the table if need be.
We then quickly jumped into the sweet treats. Cheesecake, marshmallows, macarons, chocolate cake, eclairs, and all kinds of pastries were offered to us. I think I tasted almost everything I wanted to taste, but I was really really stuffed! We even took a break to go walk around the hotel gardens in between two plates of delicious sweetness.
one of my many plates including : scone with cream, bite size carrot cake and fruits.
The afternoon tea was 235 ZAR, which is roughly £13. Very affordable for the quantity and quality of food they offered. The service was amazing, and the décor breathtaking. For all of those reasons, I give this experience an overall 9.5/10…and that’s simply because nothing can be perfect. Obviously I highly recommend it! xx
P.S. This is sadly the last post of my Afternoon Tea series for 2013. However, I will be going to a few afternoon teas in the upcoming months to be able to resume the series later on in the year, so stay in touch for more tea love!
You can catch up on the Afternoon Tea Series here:
Part 1 – Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Part 2 – Old Course Hotel, Scotland
Part 3 – Dovecliff Hall Hotel, England
Part 4 – Pierneef at La Motte, South Africa
