As I mentioned previously, Im currently on a trip with one of my best friends, Matt. Were planning the trip day-by-day, which means Ill be writing the trip report more or less live. Matt will be sharing his thoughts as we go along as well — here’s his second installment.
Continue reading: The World’s Most Over The Top Afternoon Tea
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Gotta Love Dubai. It is one of my favorite destinations and though I will be living in Abu Dhabi i see myself making frequent trips to Dubai. The Tea time there was pleasant and truly enjoyed it. The view for me was the real winner and can't beat that drinking some good champagne or a nice cappuccino. Headed back to the Middle east in 2 weeks and I am already looking forward to that heat ;). Great report from your experience!
@Andy -- We just made reservations for an upcoming trip and it's now going for 620 AED. About $170 before any taxes/service charge. That upgrade to Dom is another $70 for just one glass!
Hah! Much obliged, and you still retained all the prized sass! I'm spending a day or two in UAE next March on my EY apartment trip; I'll have to put afternoon tea here on my to-do list. Looking forward to hearing how you guys spent 6 hours in the EK F mall/lounge.
So much food! Was it planned that you guys just had breakfast and nothing else before 4PM ? I know I would plan it that way!
Looks very fancy of course.
I'm still not a big fan of the FLASHY Dubai / Abu Dhabi.
I've been to both and spent a decent amount of time at both.
I found myself trying to get away from all of this and seeing as much of the old town as I could and enjoying the local foods and dishes at a fraction of the price. Maybe its just me, but afternoon tea for $170 is really not appealing. I will take the $2 local food i can find elsewhere.
Calling it "chai tea" is a bit redundant. Ok, not a bit, very redundant.
Hopefully this will be the last set of Emirates/Dubai reviews we get in a while. Still enjoyable, but we're almost at the same tipping point of Lufthansa First Class Reviews Fatigue...
I've done the afternoon tea and while the experience was great was the drinks, but I found the food to be mediocre, especially at the price point.
Is the purchase of afternoon tea not coded as a hotel purchase? For some reason I thought you could cover this with arrival+ miles.
Very comprehensive review and beautiful pics!
Some other things I think you would enjoy:
Afternoon Tea at The Ritz London
Venice Simplon Orient Express
Hotel Cipriani Venice
Per Se NYC
Maxim’s de Paris – Pan Am’s First Class catering unit in the 60s/70s 😉
Wow how refreshing to not get Ben's obligatory mention/photos of how the tea service was paid for with a CSP.
I'm a devotee of afternoon or high tea. I remain convinced that the English do it best, and commend to you afternoon/high tea at the Dorchester, Lanesborough, Savoy or Claridges in London.
The Dorchester is my favourite, but Claridges probably carries more prestige. All are outrageously priced - but money isn't everything. I also suggest you do it as a group, not as a couple - much more fun. At the Dorchester in particular, they just keep offering you more - so you will never have to eat again.
Having said all that - if In Dubai, I probably will venture to the Burj to see how they do it.
Fun report! Personally I feel this was the biggest disappointment / waste of money when I went to Dubai though... Honestly other than the Instagram factor / novelty of telling people you went, the actual experience was very blah. I've had far superior (substantive) service at many high end restaurants in the US with more tasteful decor and the food was underwhelming and forgettable. I had high expectations going in but I think the quality was more worthy of a $30-$50 tea service than something approaching $200.
Very much looking forward to your write up on the flight to MAN as its my home city and I hope to be using the EK service soon. I hope you get to spend some time in Manchester itself - The Midland Hotel is recommended for its history (where Mr Rolls met Mr Royce !), and for its Afternoon Teas !
What? No photo of Matt enjoying afternoon tea?!?! ;o)
Great review. I feel full just reading it!
I want to see the ek17 report - done this leg 2 times in f this year next one on 11 sept. Never a shortage of people at the bar!
Should high tea not be like:
- Showcase of tealeaves then blended and poured by staff with instructions on how long to set
- Tea being the delight (not champers) with the right set of savoury sandwiches and smaller sweet treats
- In asia or arabia hosting a big buffet too