The Merchant Hotel

Having found myself stranded in a tiny village for 6 weeks I was going stir crazy and was desperate for some bright lights and a bit of style and civilisation. Luckily my knight in shining armour arrived with a silver Lexus hire car and whisked me off to the Merchant hotel in Belfast for afternoon tea. The Merchant is a 5 star hotel in a beautiful Victorian building and tea is served in the great room under an impressive dome. There are cherubs and chandeliers in profusion and beautiful tea pots. The presentation is excellent. We enjoyed delicious tea and a tasty glass of champagne as well. The scones were cold and a little disappointing but the miniature fruit tartlets on the top tier were a delight. There was also some rather uninspiring pound cake. I almost forgave them their average scones given the beautiful surroundings, excellent service and tasty tea. Almost!