The Connaught

It is 50£ per person for high tea and worth it. Wonderful atmosphere, outstanding service — we even had a live harpist playing everything from Mozart to John Legend. They do tend to turn their tables, though, so after a couple hours they may move you to another table. Then you’ll ask yourself, how did those 2 hours go by so quickly? :-)

My friend and I went there for the afternoon tea on Monday. Overall the quality is great!
5 star for food, 3 star for service.
Pros:
Great testing sandwiches! Love the smoke salmon and crab ones. Definitely one of the best fingering sandwiches I’ve ever had!
The french bakeries and scones were very very delicious.
Cons:
Last time I visited London I had afternoon tea at the Corinthia Hotel, they brought a full sret of the french bakeries after we finished ours, and asked if there is anything we wanted more (almst like an All-​you-​can-​eat style there). This time I made sure to ask them before we started, if it’s ok to bring more once we are done (because I went with a friend, we needed to figure out if we are going to share every bite), and he promised me that’s ok. However when we were done with all 6 french bakeries and asked if we could get more, he said this was actually the portion of 2 people. I would have been ok with it as long as he told me beforehand. Instead I left regret with not trying 4 out of 6 of the bakeries.
There were some road work outside the hotel and we could here it (although barely) when we were inside.
Would come back again for how delicious food was, but we need to make sure to share everything as there is no refill on bakeries.

Nice hotel, very nice toilets especially, like the hand towels, I hate using hot air hand dryers. The bar is a bit dark, it has won lots of awards and the staff are beautiful and attentive, but the darkness did make it hard for me to pinpoint where my date was sitting post enjoyable toilet break and to be frank it did have a bit of an old farty vibe. I am sure the rooms are gorge but this is definitely a hotel for an older, more discerning crowd.

So I’m in England for a week with family. Half of the family is female and wanted to go to High Tea. Sounds fine with me, I’ll go to the pub but that didn’t fly and all the guys ended up at tea too. Don’t tell anyone.
It was actually quite a feast. Sandwiches, desserts, scones with quite possibly the greatest condiment (?) ever created — clotted cream. We were so stuffed, delayed dinner about 2+ hours because of it.
Beautiful hotel with the finest service. Not my thing usually but a one time thing with wife and family… worth it.

One of the best afternoon tea experiences! The service, view, food, and tea were all exquisite! I have tried a few places for tea in London, but this hotel is one of the best!

I fell in love with this property on my first stay and have been in love ever since! There is nothing imperfect about this property. It is small, quiet, ideally located, modern/​posh in style and décor but old-​school in service. Every employee at this property was friendly, smiling and helpful. I especially appreciated my room’s Butler, Jonathan. Jonathan is a gem! From the heated marble floors to the fantastic beds to the amazing closets… I LOVE this hotel. The restaurants and bar are also great! I’m posting this after a recent dreadful stay at their sister property, Claridges. If you stay at Claridges, you’ll wonder how two «related» hotels can be so very different (and disappointing, in the case of Claridges). This is my favorite London hotel and it will be your favorite as well :-)

The rooms combine classic elegance with a contemporary sense of style and gives a unique feel among luxury hotels in London. The dining restaurant serves hake from the highest class and the wine list will satisfy even the most capricious connoisseur.

Bomb cocktails, world-​class service and über-​posh setting. The rooms can be small, and justifiably ridiculously expensive, but the service, atmosphere and attention to detail make this hotel and bar a classic English establishment

All I can say is that this is one lovely hotel. The staff is friendly and accommodating. Even if you are not a hotel guest, I highly recommend afternoon tea the at the Espelette. Be sure to make a reservation tea time gets busy.

Simply stated, devine !
The only drawback I would have to say, too many yuppies at the bar trying to impress one another.

When you live in London, it’s never necessary to stay in a hotel. But I came back here as a tourist this year and had the pleasure of staying at this beautiful hotel for a week. The location is great because it’s a short walk from all the retail shops, restaurants and nightlife. The lobby of the hotel is very small though so when I walked into the hotel, I was a little concerned of how small the rooms were going to be. But for a London hotel. the room was a nice size and I loved that we had a HUGE bath tub in our room.
The fitness centre was small and lacked a number of basic machines but they had two Pilate type workout equipments (assumed they were). I didn’t get a chance to look at the pool but from the photos, it looked very nice. I wouldn’t really recommend room service food though, judging from the food I ate there, I felt you could get a much better quality meal out. You are only a short walk/​cab ride away from everything.
Service was great too.
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!!!

Yea! It was my first time having afternoon tea, so it’s safe to say I was VERY excited.
Although I wasn’t dressed as nicely as I wanted to be, they made us feel comfortable and they were very very nice. I love the décor, and even the view outside was lovely (it had rained, so view was perfect!).
You order tea first (and/​or champagne if you want). I had the green tea and my friend ordered the earl grey. It comes in a cute teapot which you can pour refills yourself, or the waiter does it from time to time. He also replaced our teapots if the tea got cold.
Then come the courses. We had tea cakes, sandwiches, mini desserts, and finally topped it off with scones and more dessert.
You can ask for more sandwiches etc. if you want. But trust me, you will get full, so don’t eat too much!
The waiter was charming and explained all the teas they offered and the waitress who brought our courses was an expert in all the little delicacies brought out.
I felt like I was at a sane Alice tea party. I finally got to try clotted cream, which is just like a dense, thick, super heavy butter. It is so dense, you just have to experience it firsthand.
As for the food? I could spend all day talking about the delicate, thinly sliced cucumbers in the cucumber sandwich, or the light green tea cake or saffron topped chocolate bomb. But I’ll just leave you with some pictures to see for yourself.
Bottom line:
The experience is very memorable; the food and desserts are amazing/​interesting, and the service is top notch. I would highly recommend coming here for noon tea.

For years, I have fantasized about what it would be like to have High Tea. I imagined a beautiful interior with large windows that would allow for tons of natural lighting, lush chairs to perch on, delicate china to eat upon, cute and delicious little things to nibble on, silver tongs for the adorable cubes of sugar… and a kick ass waiter with a posh ‘tude.
So when I came to London for the first time, I put High Tea on the top of my priorities list.
I am so fortunate my friend knew about this place because it truly met my expectations and more.
My friend and I were seated immediately after arriving and were greeted by our French waiter (+1 for ‘tude)! He pulled out the chairs for us and placed the napkins on our laps in such a fluid manner that I didn’t even realize someone else was doing this for me! Skills, I’d say. The tea room was also so beautiful and allowed for all the light from the outside to pour in! As a Seattlite, I’m acutely aware of how precious sunshine is… as I’m sure Londoners are.
Anyway, he places our menus in front of us and proceeds to describe every single thing that we are about to enjoy. He discussed the savories, the pastries, the scones, the French imported jams and of course, the Tea! We chose the Paris blend which was so delicious that we couldn’t stop drinking it! Here’s the menu :(
)
What’s also fantastic was how efficient the whole staff was! Our food and tea was replenished constantly and the waiters were very attentive to our needs. There was no need to flag down someone for assistance because it seems they just *knew* when you needed something! Odd… but I like it.
As for the price, it was quite steep (and shocking to see when it was converted to $$ on my credit card statement), but totally worth every penny (or pence).
I will definitely come back whenever I find myself back in London.

The afternoon tea at the Espelette was an experience to remember. The service was a little slow, especially since we arrived a bit early and had to kill time before our scheduled afternoon tea, but the staff helping us during the tea service more than made up for it. They were attentive, helpful, flexible, and humorous, and that really added to the experience.
I had the Paris tea, which had a beautiful fruity aroma that paired really well with the desserts (the berry-​flavored ones in particular). The courses came in the typical high-​tea style: finger sandwiches, bite-​sized desserts, followed by scones and tea cakes.
Of the finger sandwiches, my least favorite was the cucumber sandwich because it was rather tasteless. The rest were all excellent — the smoked salmon sandwich, egg salad sandwich, and the chicken aubergine sandwich. The chicken aubergine sandwich was probably my favorite because it was different from the regular finger sandwiches. It had a firmer bread (almost like a mini-​ciabatta), and had a teriyaki-​like sauce to go with the juicy chicken and aubergine.
The desserts were all pretty good. There were quite a bit of strawberry creations, which helped bring out the fruitiness of my Paris tea. IMO the least successful was the matcha puff since the matcha flavor didn’t really work with the rest of the filling. My personal favorite was the coffee chocolate hazelnut mousse. Those are super-​classic flavor combinations that just go together.
Then comes the scones. Oh the scones, the golden, buttery, crumbly, moist, delicious, scrumptious scones. I don’t think I’ve ever had a scone so perfectly baked! Combine that with the clotted cream and Espelette’s special jams (we picked the pineapple + vanilla and the rhubarb + strawberry + raspberry?), and it’s ambrosia! I couldn’t help myself but keep stuffing my face…
Last came the cakes — chocolate and rose raspberry cakes. They were not as impressive after the scones, and tasted a bit dry. Oh well, I was perfectly happy with the scones and couldn’t really eat anymore after that.

I love the Connaught. And while we have never stayed at the hotel, we love to come for the Coburg Bar (see separate review for the bar). I also brought my mother here for afternoon tea at the Espelette when she visited us in London this summer.
What can I say? This place is splendid. The atmosphere in the Espelette is very light and airy during the day, no matter how gloomy the weather outside (which is a definite plus in a land where there are three gloomy days for every sunny one!). Tea was an experience; although, I don’t think it was anything out-​of-​the-​ordinary in terms of high tea in London. The tea selection was fantastic, as was the champagne. The tea sandwiches were pretty standard, and so were the sweets. All in all, it was a very relaxing experience for a weekend afternoon. Albeit, an expensive one!

The flight over about killed me, and then I arrived at the Connaught with the full on flu. When I checked in, the receptionist said they would take good care of me – and boy did they ever.
Initially I was too sick at first to appreciate my lovely room and huge bed, but by day two I begin to realize I was in no Hilton. James – my private butler – yes they assign me a butler as I was in need of special assistance – brought me medicine and broth – and eventually a doctor when my fever wouldn’t break.
By the 3^rd day I was back to normal – just in time to go to work, but I had 3 additional nights of pure bliss. The high tea was fantastic and the tube was right around the corner. Not for those watching every pound but what a treat it was.

We’ve just wrapped up our stay at the Connaught and I must say, it was lovely. Though they first put us in a itty-​bitty room with barely a window, my mother raised a fuss and we eventually got placed in a large room overlooking Mount Street. Not a fan of the 8 am jackhammer wake-​up calls from the construction outside, but what can you do.
First-​class service. Breakfast in bed, turn-​down service, knowledgeable concierges. The restaurant downstairs was overrated but the hotel itself is wonderful. The spa in the basement was relaxing and accommodating. The staff was helpful and always had a smile on (regardless of how they may have felt about our constant neediness.)
I would not necessarily recommend Espelette downstairs but the Connaught Bar is pretty spectacular for a drink before or after dinner.

I had the most amazing high tea of my life here. The dining room is stunning and the afternoon tea service truly is perfection. One would never had known that right outside the hotel the entire street was being ripped up and repaved, because once you stepped inside this fabulous place the world just seemed to melt away.
It is quite expensive, so come prepared to drop a bundle, but it worth every pound!

Highlights– afternoon tea, top notch hotel personel (helped me get a afternoon tea reservation last minute at claridges which is next to impossible), adequate gym with nice equipment and free weights, waterfall pool… very relaxing and not crowded, and Connaught bar had nice drinks, atmosphere but expensive even for hotel bar standards.
Drawbacks– none really. Will definitely come back.

I went to visit my friend who was fortunate to be staying at The Connaught in Mayfair and this is certainly luxury at its best. On arriving in a black cab, the doorman immediately opened the door to help me inside. I felt like such a lady!
I peeked into the restaurant which is beautiful — very decadent and comfortable. The interior of the hotel is traditionally English and the staff are fantastic. My friend was staying in one of the Superior King rooms which is actually smaller than I envisaged but beautiful. The bed is absolutely huge and there is even a TV practically inside the bathtub. We ordered room service of a glass of wine each and sushi which arrived in record time.
If you are lucky enough to be able to stay here — make the most of the wonderful service. Reception will help out with any requests which you may not have time to take care of — booking restaurant reservations for example. The hotel doesn’t have a spa but if you request a treatment will send you to Claridges just around the corner. Oh for the life!