alice

For my daughter's 10th birthday I want to take her to a fancy afternoon tea: pastries, scones, strawberries, etc. How do the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, or ???? compare? She loves good French pastry. Thanks!

xxx

Which city please? Boston?

Christina

I presume DC, it's in the heading (I know I miss those sometimes when reading the post, also).

I can't offer you personal preferences as I don't go for that event, but from what I've read from reviewers (if you can't get personal advice) around DC is that the Hay Adams is most elegant, then Four Seasons and Willard are nice, also--maybe the Jefferson HOtel, also. The Ritz Carlton is a new hotel and luxurious, I'm sure, but doesn't quite have the history of the Hay Adams or Willard. I would go to the Hay Adams, it's just been renovated, is very elegant and is right across from the White House. I think that might be the most memorable but there are lots of nice ones. Here is an article I found in the Post which lists a few other choices I wasn't aware of that might be worth considering (ie, the Mayflower or Henley Park, although latter not in part of town I'd want). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ternoontea.htm

martha python

I assume since the header mentions DC, she's talking about Washington.
I was not impressed by tea at the 4S, although friends of ours love it. Not traditional enough for my taste
The Ritz at Pentagon City was good.
My favorite used to be the Hay Adams, which I think has reopened. I haven't had tea at any of these in a few years, however. Now I go for the cheap stuff in Alexandria at the Tea Cosy (I think it is) on Royal Street.

tea

Just had tea at the Ritz in Pentagon City 2 Saturdays ago. Very nice - excellent service and an exciting atmosphere. The Jefferson was very nice, but in more of a clubby atmosphere - may not be for a mother-daughter outing.

Anna

I've only been to the Four Seasons for tea, but I was extremely disappinted, having paid about $30 for one cup of coffee (don't drink tea) and about 3 little pastries. I should have just gone to Misha's in Old Town for a cappucino and croissant.

Chris

The Ritz Carlton at Tysons Corner has a wonderful tea for about $27--unlimited tea, a plate full of tea sandwiches, and more little sweets than I can ever finish. Service is lovely, room is beautiful, a tinkling piano. I imagine the other Ritz locations would be similar. Champagne and strawberries also available...

carolyn

It's been years, but I had tea at the Willard. Very 'proper' atmosphere, lots of florals tablecloths, etc.

I thought it was a great place for an afternoon tea.

travellyn

I took my kids to a "Tour and Tea" at the National Cathedral 3 years ago. My daughter was 9 years old. We really enjoyed it. The tea takes place in one of the towers, so you can see the city well. The food quality was just as good or better than that of some nice hotels, and I liked the fact that the money went to a good organization.

amy

I think the WNC idea is interesting, found this link:
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/visit/tourandtea.shtml
Otherwise, the Hayes Adams should be memorable, being so near the White House.

suzy

The Ritz Carlton at Tysons has a very nice tea. You can always combine it with some shopping before or after!

Alice

Thanks for the great advice. I had thought that the 4 seasons would be the best based on the Washington Post article but the Ritz sounds great (the shopping part appeals to my daughter). Which one would you recommend: Tysons Corner, Pentagon City, or is there a new Ritz downtown now?
Good pastry is VERY important!

martha python

The new Ritz is in the West End, near Georgetown. I'm not sure how much there is in Georgetown to appeal to a 10 year old's shopping preferences. If it were up to me, I'd go with Tyson's or Pentagon City. The Tyson's Ritz has a good reputation for food, although I'm not sure how much of that spills over into the quality of pastry at tea.
(By the way, thanks for calling it afternoon tea and not high tea.)

E.

My vote would go to the Willard, for its lovely pastries and elegant atmosphere. While the Ritz's in Tysons and Pentagon City are great, they're inside shopping malls, and surrounded by nothing but raffic and parking lots, which don't spell magical atmosphere to me.