The Peninsula Hotel

If you really want to treat yourself to an afternoon of outrageous style and opulence then afternoon tea in the stylish lobby of the Peninsula hotel is a must on your Hong Kong itinerary. It's even better to stay there yourself and therefore get first dibs on afternoon tea tables (waltzing straight to your table past a line of hungry would be customers may not be kind but does feel great!)

The afternoon tea is served at linen covered tables in the marble lobby with a string quartet playing from the gallery. The cream didn’t taste like real clotted (although it was imported) and the scones were fine but not exceptional. The silver teapots are gorgeous and have specially designed little serviettes to be placed over the handles so we illustrious guests didn’t burn our hands while pouring.

The patisserie consisted mostly of chocolate truffles and some rather dull lemon cake and could have been more creative. The tea list is long and comprehensive and is all loose leaf and exceptionally good. The service is also, as you would expect, superb.

I have to say I think places like the Peninsula go back to an Empire level of service that has been completely forgotten in the rest of the world and while I applaud the democratic and egalitarian traditions that have brought that to pass – it’s nice to be waited on by a uniformed flunky sometimes!