The Windsor Afternoon Tea

The Windsor Afternoon Tea

The Windsor Tea Rooms take you back to the times when afternoon tea was a decadent treat done in the ultimate of style.  From the moment you are greeted at the front door and throughout the silver service of your Tea the staff make you feel like a VIP.

When: Daily, midday and 2.30pm.

Where: The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street MELBOURNE

Cost:  Monday-Friday $69 per person.  Saturday-Sunday $89 per person (includes an indulgent dessert buffet).  Click here for more information.

Review

On a cold wet Thursday during the school holidays three drowned rats (aka the kids and I) arrived on the doorstep of The Windsor at midday.  The doorman warmly welcomed us and remarked how much he loved the rain, giving the kids a wink, he then asked if we were there for Afternoon Tea and swept open the doors for us to come in.

Our charming waiter Ali never let a glass go empty and happily joked around with the kids.  The dinning room is a beautiful room and for a weekday it was surprisingly busy – the gentle hum of conversation and service meant that while my two were on their better behaviour there wasn’t any need to shh them, inside voices and giggles were the perfect accompaniment to our Afternoon Tea.

While this Victorian tradition is called Afternoon Tea, for us, given it was served just after midday, it was our lunch.  We enjoyed the three tier plates of sandwiches, cakes and scones – it was all delicious and despite arriving hungry it was impossible to completely finish.  Adults were served a complimentary glass of champagne and the children enjoyed raspberry lemonade.

We had such a lovely time nibbling our treats and sipping bubbles and tea while the rain fell outside that there was no rush to leave – and for a rare occasion the kids agreed with me, so we sat for nearly an hour and a half enjoying our special treat.  Towards the tail end of our afternoon the arrival of two super soft Harold Windsor bears saw the kids disappear for a teddy bears picnic under the table (this was not covered in the etiquette book but I don’t think anyone else noticed or minded given it was a very quiet game).

Afternoon Tea at The Hotel Windsor is definitely a special kind of treat that a grandmother (or anyone really) would love, and given Mother’s Day isn’t far away I can’t think of a better excuse to head back.

The Windsor caters to gluten free and vegetarian diets.

Thank you to The Windsor for inviting us along to make a beautiful school holiday memory – and thank you for the lovely, and already much loved, teddy bears!

Before or after your tea if the weather is fine why not visit the Fitzroy Gardens.