Waldorf Wonders

On Tuesday my dear little Granny will turn the bold old age of 93, so of course my family and I felt we had to mark the occasion in style! The Caledonian hotel is one of Edinburgh’s finest establishments, and as it has recently had a £24 million pound makeover to become a Waldorf Astoria, we thought it was worth a wee trip. As all old ladies’ love a good old cup of tea and a scone, afternoon tea was the obvious choice!

 

 

We all got our glad rags on and headed down there yesterday, and boy did it not disappoint!

 

First of all, the Hotel is absolutely to die for! Beautiful, elegant, sophisticated and chic are just a few of the words I would use to describe it. We were greeted by a delightful doorman in a top hat and tartan trousers, which just added that little bit extra charm to the afternoon. Afternoon tea is served in 'Peacock Alley', a beautiful room with high ceilings, bricks walls, and an ambience of exclusivity.

 

The service was nothing short of excellent, and we were waited on hand and foot. On arrival we were shown to our table and our coats were taken to be hung up. The table was beautifully set, and a little thistle added a lovely Scottish touch. We were then asked to choose from an extensive list of different teas, from traditional, to fruit to herbal, however uninterestingly every single one of went for the traditional Scottish.

 

 

 

The champagne was then brought over to us on a trolley, and served at the table. After all, Champagne really does go with everything... The Waldorf Astoria has gone above and beyond to ensure that you feel like royalty, and every part of the afternoon tea experience really is first class.

 

 

 

The afternoon tea itself is served on cake stands, and a prodigious selection of cakes, scones and dainty finger sandwiches are included. Smoked Salmon, cucumber and egg mayo were just a few of the sandwich fillings, and they really were delicious. We were absolutely spoilt for choice with the cakes- scones, banana loaf, Victoria sponge, lemon tart, chocolate torte and éclairs were only a few of the treats on offer, and there was plenty left over! We didn’t even come close to finishing them all, and we really had not held back on stuffing ourselves! The waiter even asked if we would like to take them away with us, but we are all so full that the thought of tucking into more cakes later was a bit too much too handle.

 

So, as you can tell I don’t have a bad word to say about my afternoon at The Waldorf. My Granny really had a lovely birthday, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something that bit extra special.

 

 

Finally, to round off this post... It’s the little things in life, like spending an afternoon surrounded by all your nearest and dearest!