Florida Guide > Dining
Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian (1)
On their return from Florida our friends had enthused about the Garden View Lounge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel, and so, it was put on our wish list of things to do next time we were on holiday in the Orlando area.
Well, that trip took place earlier in the year and we took time out to call in at the Garden View Lounge. We can honestly say that our friends’ enthusiasm was well founded and we spent a couple of very pleasurable hours over afternoon tea.
The Grand Floridian is Disney’s flagship hotel in Walt Disney World and is situated on the shores of Bay Lake, and together with the Contemporary and Polynesian Resorts provides direct transportation to the Magic Kingdom by way of a monorail link. The Grand Floridian can also be accessed by launch from the other resort hotels or from the jetty at the Magic Kingdom. By road the resort is well sign-posted from the pay plaza at Magic Kingdom.
Perhaps the best idea is to visit the Magic Kingdom and have a mid-afternoon break, after all, the resort hotel is only a leisurely boat ride away.
The Grand Floridian is a superb example of Victorian architecture with the Garden View Lounge located at the far end a breathtaking lobby which boasts impressive stained glass domes, glistening chandeliers, an aviary, potted palm trees and, if you are lucky, a pianist, at the grand piano, providing live music.
The Garden View Lounge is based around the quintessential English tea-shop and the Victorian theme extends not only to the period dress of the servers but also to the bone china crockery, silver cutlery and starched linen tablecloths.
The attention to detail also includes delicate finger sandwiches, beautifully made cakes in the form of birds or butterflies and a range of teas to test the most avid connoisseur.
Then there are those lovely little touches, such as tea cosies to keep your selected beverage warm in the pot, sugar lumps rather than sachets, and cakes served on double-decker cake stands.
The menu, that includes a history of tea, provides a wide selection of afternoon tea offerings with names that reflect England’s historic past, such as Prince Edward, Buckingham Palace and Sally Lunn.
The rest I will leave to your imagination, otherwise I may spoil the surprise that awaits you…. but next time you are passing this way, indulge yourself, you are worth it! !
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