On a very sunny Friday afternoon (probably one of our last warm ones) my lovely Mam (the little speck up there on the steps) and I went for afternoon tea at Bellinter House, Navan. Located on 12 acres of land tucked away on the banks of the River Boyne, Bellinter House is an intimate luxury spa hotel with gorgeous furnishings and all sorts of antique touches, which all make the place a gorgeous and elegant retreat.
Bellinter House offers a great variety of packages and even though it’s in a quiet area, there’s the spa (seaweed baths available here!), restaurant, bar, bakery, library, afternoon tea in the drawing room..so you’re never short of something to do.
Mam and I went for the latter, as she received a gift voucher for afternoon tea from a very kind friend, and decided to take yours truly along for the treat!
Afternoon tea is served in the drawing room. The above picture is part of the drawing room and it’s a little crooked. I hope I never have to hang a picture on a wall in my lifetime because I’d be terrible at it, yet my parents can see something off or crooked from a mile away. Where did I get it from?!
We were shown to the drawing room by a very young girl who worked there. She seemed a little unsure of herself and we weren’t really sure if she heard us properly. We ended up asking the receptionist after a few minutes to clarify that the voucher was given and she was far more confident and chatty.
There were plenty of newspapers in the drawing room, with a mix of music echoing in the background…first we heard some Bob Dylan, then some jazz and a few radio familiars in between. I’d prefer the jazz throughout, but we were chatting so much I didn’t really notice.
We started with a glass of champagne and told the girl we’d have tea and coffee. She left us alone for a while to enjoy our champagne and we did – the drawing room is quite cold though, I’d bring a cardigan if you go along!
She then brought out the sandwiches and cakes. I thought these would be brought seperately and maybe they are in other places but the food was lovely all the same – ham & cheese, chicken salad and smoked salmon sandwiches, brownies, meringues, cookies and strawberry tiramisu for dessert.
The coffee couldn’t have been better in anyway. It was perfect and I’m very fussy about coffee.
Afternoon tea was a great start to the weekend and although it’s not presented with as much attention than bigger hotels in Dublin who offer afternoon tea (The Westin, The Shelbourne, The Westbury..) it was very relaxing, the food was perfect and Bellinter House is worth a visit just for a nose around.
One more thing, as I like to provide an honest review – when we were collected and we drove up toward the car park to turn the car, I was disappointed to see rubbish all over the grounds at the back where the bins are. This could have been due to wind but it would improve the image of the hotel greatly if it was kept neat and tidy like the rest of the premises.
I have a friends birthday coming up and this definitely sparked an idea as afternoon tea as a gift!
I mentioned a few above, any other recommendations for afternoon tea?
Here is my review for A Most Peculiar Afternoon Tea at The Westin Dublin and my review of afternoon tea at The Shelbourne.
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