Park Lane Hotel Palm Court Afternoon Tea

The Sheraton Park Lane Hotel has an iconic Art Deco setting for afternoon tea with The Palm Court.

The delightful venue, exceptional staff and delicious tea and cakes make this one of my favorite afternoon tea venues in London.

For more afternoon tea reviews see:
Best Afternoon Tea in London.

Venue:
Palm Court London, The Park Lane Hotel, London Piccadilly, London W1J 7BX

Days and Times:
3-6pm weekdays, 2-6pm weekends

Cost: From around £30 per person.

Dress Code: Smart casual (no shorts).

Reservations: 020 7290 7328 or book online.

Music: Harpist plays in the afternoon.

If you enter the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel from the Piccadilly entrance you will reach the Palm Court before the Reception, as that is actually at the back of the building. When I visited, the Palm Court had just received the Tea Guild Award of Excellence 2010.

Palm Court
Staff greet you in Palm Court and you can't help but be impressed by the magnificent Art Deco room with a harpist by the entrance. This large, tall room is decorated pale green and gold leaf with large oriental-style bird and trees murals on the walls, a stunning glass ceiling and a feature Art Deco bar at the far end.

Seating is mostly luxurious gold sofas and armchairs with large coffee tables that are high enough for you to get your knees under so you feel comfortable and able to dine.

Staff
Incredibly smart and very welcoming, I found all the staff at the Park Lane Hotel to be all you would hope for at a top London hotel. I like staff serving afternoon tea to be able to advise and explain the teas and the staff here could do so with confidence. I was also impressed that they poured nearly every cup of tea for me and even knew about brewing times and came back accordingly.

Tea Selection
There are around twenty teas to choose from but no own blend. Tea is served in silver teapots with a silver pot of hot water and a large silver milk jug. I indulged in my old favorite of Organic Silver Needle White Tea and later enjoyed Flowering Red Amaranth served in a glass teapot so you can watch it unfurl at your table.

Vegetarian Options
The finger sandwiches and roll were wonderful with a good selection of fillings for vegetarians. Different breads made the sandwiches visually appealing too, especially the delicious soft raisin bread.

Sandwiches are served first on the unusual S-shaped, two-tier, silver cake stand on white crockery with an Art Deco design.

Scones arrive at the table warm and wrapped. I enjoyed wholemeal and plain scones, not fruit, with seasonal preserves.

The cakes/fancies are brought to the table next to go on the top of the cake stand and staff can describe each in detail.

I visited at the weekend and even though the room was full the atmosphere was relaxed. I spoke to others in for afternoon tea who weren't keen on the fact hotel guests walk through the room but as Reception is actually at the back of the building this will always happen, and it is not uncommon in top London hotels.

I came away really impressed and very willing to recommend the Palm Court at Park Lane Hotel. I honestly have struggled to find fault with afternoon tea here and I hope to return soon to try another of their special seasonal afternoon teas.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.