Another cold, rainy day in London, but we’re on vacation so it’s all good and we’re not complaining.  I put on the only long-sleeved shirt I had, a cardigan and a scarf. One unexpectedly cold weekend at Disney World taught me to always travel with at least one long-sleeved shirt, even in July.

After sightseeing all day, we returned to the hotel for a quick change into fancier clothes. If you have been reading about our adventures so far and keeping track, this would be our 3rd Afternoon Tea experience. We love tea! Thanks to a summer I spent in London as a college student where I discovered Afternoon Tea, my kids have been having tea and cookies as an afternoon snack from the time that they were little. We often have Afternoon Tea at hotels in Atlanta or when we travel to New York so of course we must have tea in London! Right before we left home I had learned of an Afternoon Tea at a boutique hotel in Knightsbridge from a young traveler; she raved about this tea and strongly suggested that we try to get reservations. My daughter was so excited and talked about this tea all week long. She picked out her dress to wear and made sure that the rest of us looked as good as she did.

The Berkeley Hotel was lovely, the lounge was beautiful and the Afternoon Tea was incredible. Yes, the tea was good. Yes, the little sandwiches and “taster spoons” were divine (our favorite was the “lobster mango nori wrap.”) But what made this tea really special was the theme: Prêt-a-Portea. The tea is fashioned (literally) after fashion designers. The treats change with the season and right now they are serving the Spring and Summer collection by Marc Jacobs, Victoria Beckham, Miu Miu, Tory Burch, Jill Sander, Roger Viver, Tom Ford and Stella McCartney.

This tea was our biggest culinary splurge so far, but it was worth every penny. The customer service was impeccable – we even had a personalized place card – and the food was beyond delicious. We were not rushed and encouraged to have as much as we could eat. Let me tell you, my son ate enough sandwiches and taster spoons for the whole restaurant and my daughter ate a plate full of the “sell-out Miu Miu vanilla bikini biscuit (cookie) with navy icing and signature white bow”, her favorite.

My favorite sweet to eat was the “Tory Burch strawberry and rhubarb bavarois dress with flattering gold button detail,” but my favorite design was the cute little “peach-coloured Victoria Beckham sponge cake tote with chocolate crocodile print.” Even after we were too stuffed to move, the hostess insisted that we take some boxed sweets to go. We were barely back in our hotel room before my daughter ate another bikini cookie! I think I’ll have another Tory Burch cake as a midnight snack. 🙂

Until next time, Cheers!

*I am posting  from my iPhone and iPad so please excuse any typos.