Top Tea Travel Guide, Part three - The Best Brews with the best views
28th March 2013
In our final instalment of our Top Tea Travel Guide, we look at Tea Guild members whose properties are set in the most glorious countryside; with stunning vistas and gorgeous panoramas. Do remember to call ahead to check if there are afternoon tea slots still available, or better still book well in advance (preferably when you book your holiday) as demand increases dramatically during peak seasons.
The Grand Tea Lounge at Turnberry Resort, Ayrshire
There are views and then there’s Turnberry. When it comes to spectacular vistas, few resort hotels anywhere can beat this Scottish stalwart. This iconic five-star hotel - now part of the Luxury Collection group - was built in the Edwardian boom time for tourism, along with its very own railway station that brought eager tourists to this prime coastal spot that overlooks the Isle of Arran. These days, the station has long gone, but the hotel remains world famous for the Open Championship golf course - the Ailsa - that sits alongside.
Know that when you sit down to take tea at Turnberry, you are following in the footsteps of those original Edwardian travellers who took tea in the Grand Tea Lounge back when the hotel first opened its doors in 1906. ‘Relaxed refinement’ are keywords here.
The tea menu boasts some 26 different choices, including Turnberry’s own blend and a chance to sample the rare Butterfly In Love - a tea from Yunnan province in China. The hotel’s tea sommeliers are on hand to help, and tea is served with a traditional samovar. Your choice made, you can sit back and take in the views.
Tea can be taken in the Grand Tea Lounge all through the day. Afternoon tea is served 12pm-5pm, seven days a week.
Awarded The Tea Guild’s Award of Excellence 2010, 2011 and 2012
Read more on the Tea Guild Directory
The Quarterdeck at The Nare Hotel, Truro, Cornwall
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but few would dare contest the scenic merits of The Nare Hotel. With all the sub-tropical delights that southern Cornwall has to offer, this really is a very special place to take tea - as the mild weather frequently allows guests to enjoy their tea on the terrace that overlooks the beach below and the sea beyond. The hotel sits close to the gardens of Tregothnan, home to the only tea grown in England. Tea is served at The Quarterdeck Restaurant, and guests will find the menu graced with a plethora of locally produced food.
Afternoon tea is served 2.30pm-5.30pm daily. Booking essential.
Awarded The Tea Guild’s Award of Excellence 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Read more on the Tea Guild Directory
The Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
As pretty villages go, you’d be hard pressed to find a finer example than Castle Combe, Wiltshire’s most famous village, untouched since the 17th century. Right on the edge of the village you’ll find the Manor House Hotel, winner of the Top City and Country Hotel Tea Award in 2010. It’s a glorious place to enjoy a pot or two of tea and well worth a visit if you are holidaying in the Cotswolds. Afternoon Tea is served in any of the hotel’s lounges, the Full Glass Bar or the Drawing Room. If you are lucky with the weather (fingers crossed), tea is taken out on the terraces where the rolling Cotswolds and lush green lawns open out in front of you.
The Manor House Hotel serves a selection of carefully selected teas including both traditional and new favourites such as Organic English Breakfast; Assam Choice Estate; Darjeeling Choice Estate; Lapsang Souchong; Organic Earl Grey; Green Blossom; Ebony Flower; Silver Needle and Earl Grey Tea. There really is a tea here to suit all tastes.
Afternoon tea is served from 3pm-6pm. Booking strongly recommended.
Awarded The Tea Guild’s Award of Excellence in 2011 and 2012.
Read more on the Tea Guild Directory
PLUS: Watch this Space!
Excitement is brewing as Tea Guild members brace themselves for the results of the 2013 Top Tea awards. The winners of the three categories (Top London Hotel Afternoon Tea Award, Top City and Country Hotel Tea Award, and The Top Tea Place Award) will be announced on April 9, 11 & 12 respectively.
Winning such a prestigious award, the Oscar of the tea world, means everything to Tea Guild members, who constantly strive to maintain and improve the service they offer.
"It’s a fantastic honour for us to win this award and we are absolutely thrilled. Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa is proud to be members of The Tea Guild and we place the highest value on the choice and quality of the tea we serve,” said Mr Krzyzstof Prokop, manager of The Ascot Lounge at Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa, upon winning the Top City and Country Hotel Tea Award in 2012.
The Tea Guild will also announce, in the same week, the 2013 recipients of its Awards of Excellence, the tea industry’s equivalent of a Michelin star.