The Empress Fairmont Hotel, 721 Government Street, Victoria, British Columbia

Afternoon tea overlooking the beautiful harbour!

An institution in Victoria BC, "The Empress" one of the many impressive Fairmont hotels is well known for their high tea.

At the higher price end of the high tea scale the menu is sumptuous and a first for me the fresh strawberries and cream as a starter.

Then the traditional three tiered stand with sandwiches, scones, jam, cream and excellent cake selection.  There is a small selection of teas, unfortunately, this did not include a green tea and found when paying the bill an extra $30 had been added for the privilege for the two of us. ugh.

The service was attentive and expedient despite being very well patronised. The waiter looked smart and extremely knowledgeable when questioned on various aspects of the hotel.  I would still like to see a white linen table cloth to finish off the lovely setting.

If the Empress is on your bucket list, I'm sure you will enjoy the experience.

M/S Amsterdam, La Fontaine Dining Room, Holland America Line, Alaskan Cruise, North America

Wonderful scenery included with afternoon tea!

For a high tea lover, the afternoon teas offered on the Amsterdam Alaskan cruise were one of the highlights of the cruising day (along with happy hour)!

A couple of stand outs were the Indonesian Crew High Tea and the Royal Dutch High Tea.



The lovely Indonesian crew happily serve teas and coffees sourced from Indonesia along with delicious and colourful treats.  My choice was the Indonesian Jasmine fine green tea.  The traditional scones, jam and cream were also offered and I found all most tasty.

The Royal Dutch High Tea presented as a smorgasbord was quite the indulgence. Many guests partook in this lavish afternoon tea. There were literally trays upon trays of beautifully presented afternoon tea delights.

If you ever get the opportunity to cruise with Holland America, I truly hope you love the afternoon teas offered.  The crew are very professional in all they do.  Excellent job...