Afternoon Tea at The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath sub-mediocre

Last weekend I went to Bath, which is about an hour and a half west of London by train. I had a fabulous time there, about which I will write more later.



One of my first experiences there was to go for afternoon tea at The Royal Crescent Hotel. The setting is quite spectacular, with the Royal Crescent of buildings sitting atop Victoria Park.

The entrance to the hotel is in the middle of the crescent, just to the left of the bush, between the facade that has double columns instead of single columns. Once I entered, I was ushered through that building to another building in the back, where the lounges and dining areas are located.



When I arrived in the dining areas, I just stood there while various wait staff walked around, gossiped, did things on their computer screens, etc. Finally, I had to approach one and identify myself and mention that I was there for tea. The polite young man, said something like, "Oh yes, I've arranged for you to sit out here, but if you wish, I can seat you somewhere else."



"Out here" meant in an enclosed foyer, on a hard chair at a glass-topped table. Not my idea of a setting for posh afternoon tea, so I suggested that I would prefer sitting inside, in the lounge, to which he readily agreed. Soft chairs, tablecloths, carpets — much nicer.



The one positive standout from my visit to The Royal Crescent was that for some inexplicable reason, I decided to try Lapsang Souchong tea, which I really enjoyed. My description will not do it justice: it is peaty and smoky-flavoured. I refer to it as "The LaPhroaig of Teas." (I also like peaty, smoky Scotch Whisky). But that was the highlight.



Overall the service was intolerable. I was ignored much of the time, and when things were brought, I felt as if the wait staff was schlepping stuff in a diner rather than serving tea in a "tony hotel".



Furthermore, the sandwiches were dry and uninteresting. There were only four, each the size of my thumb, and I was not offered a refill.



The scones also were dry and cold. It was as if they had been made in the morning. Again, I was not offered a refill.



Finally, the desserts were just plain awful. Dry, unappetizing, and meagre.



I'm not even glad to have had the experience. I would avoid this place if you are looking for a nice, proper English afternoon tea.



Addendum: When the proprietress of the B&B where I was staying asked how I enjoyed the tea at the Royal Crescent Hotel, I pretty much told her what I have said here. She responded that she had heard similar things from others who, in general, thought that afternoon tea there wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Comments

[Joshua]

Once again, my suggestion fell on deaf ears:

Best afternoon tea in Bath?

Ston Easton Park

Near Bath, Somerset, BA3 4DF

"Ston Easton Park is a Grade I listed palladian mansion, built in 1740 and set in parkland created by the 18th century landscape gardener Humphrey Repton. This country house has exquisite furnishing and paintings decorating the fine public rooms where guests can enjoy Afternoon Tea. Ston Easton Park was awarded 'Best Tea' for 2000 by Michael Winner in the The Sunday Times"

http://tinyurl.com/2ts2gl

Incidentally, most food in the UK outside of London is fr***in' awful. In terms of food, as Winnipeg and Calgary are to Montréal and Québec City, the provinces are to London.

[Tea Party Girl]

Well, that is really a drag. I wonder if places like this sit on their laurels, figuring they've got it made-tourists will come even if everything is lousy because of their reputation.

No one should have to endure a lousy afternoon tea!

Tea Party Girl