11.08.2015

time for tea @ the thistle

As a Mother's Day treat in April, Sarah and I whisked our dear mothers to the oasis of the The Thistle Afternoon Tea at Marble Arch, a four star Art Deco themed hotel located just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of London's Oxford Street.



I'm not sure if it was because The Thistle had such a tough act to follow, but suffice to say that sadly it didn't live up to expectations at all. The now newly refurbished Amba Hotel, boasts four stars, a dramatic foyet, and an AA Rosette awarded restaurant, but prior refurbishment, when we sat down to enjoy our afternoon tea the setting felt dim and stuffy.

I fell in love with the kitsch service, the crockery was all so charming and a delight to use but unfortunately that was the most memorable thing about this afternoon tea. From memory, the sandwiches were dry and staff went to know extra effort to substitute for my friend who was unable to eat most of what they had to offer. The scones were served cold, and desserts were fine, if considerably plain.

We purchased this tea, with champagne, at a 50% off price with Groupon, and sadly I do feel that the we got what we had paid for in terms of value. As I mentioned previously, the hotel has now undergone refurbishment and though I'm not incredibly anxious to do so, I would head back to try it again if I could get as good an offer as before. The location is incredible, the actual hotel and decor is so lovely to explore, a really cute touch is that they offer Afternoon Tea for Little Ones. I do feel that this could be the perfect place to treat yourself and unwind after a hard morning's shopping! But when tried at tested I'm saddened to say that it was forgettable at best.

65 comments:

  1. very cute tea set :)

    http://allornothing-blog.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. Got me craving for some tea time =)

    - Cielo
    Mermaid in Heels

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  3. Aww I wish it would have been a little better, especially since you guys went there for Mother's day! But I guess there has been so many great high tea adventures that it's gonna be hard for some to live upto! The photos you took are lovely though Raj, I just love how cute and colourful the decor is! :)

    Raashi
    http://raashiagarwal.blogspot.com.au

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  4. This looks so good, but I'm sorry the experience wasn't as amazing! That defensively happens 😔

    -Lily from With Love Lily Rose

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    Replies
    1. Definitely*

      (Lol stupid auto correct)

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  5. Your pictures make this tea look amazing. I'm sorry to hear it was not the greatest when it came to the food and service. Thanks for sharing this with us.

    Kathy
    http://www.glamsimplified.com

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  6. This tea looks so cute!
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  7. It looks very yummy! Great pics Raj! ;)
    ♥♥♥
    Jeanne
    http://fashionmusingsdiary.com

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  8. This looks amazing, great pictures! Those desserts looks absolutely delicious. I'm sure you had a wonderful time!

    http://www.theaisleofstyle.com/

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  9. Anonymous9.11.15

    So cute! I can't live without my tea on the afternoon haha

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  10. I like this! Great post. :D

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  11. I love how colourful everything is!
    Charlotte // charlottespicks.blogspot.com

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  12. very beautiful photos!
    Thank you dear, follow you №149
    http://www.mosaictrends.com/

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  13. The tea set is so cute! It's such a pity, that it wasn't as good as expected. But the main thing is that you spend some time with your mother! Franz xx

    http://franzilgilbert.blogspot.de

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  14. Lovely, lovely photos <3 xx

    www.aishettina.blogspot.it

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  15. I am such a fan of high tea! I love the decor and these pics are perfect. :)

    http://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  16. Def referring ur high tea recommendations on my next trip to london!
    Chichistashan.blogspot.in

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  17. I love the china - so colourful and pretty <3 Shame you didn't enjoy it as much as you expected!

    Gisforgingers xx

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  18. Aw, it sucks that your experience wasn't so great but obviously that happens. If anything else, at least the tea sets and tableware looks super cute and girly! (I'm a huge fan of pink if you can't tell haha). Hopefully they'll get better, the location sounds amazing!

    Sam | http://mybeautycloud.com

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  19. I just bet both of your mothers had a wonderful time there as well. There's just something wonderful and magical about this place. And those sweets, love them.

    Kia / KTS
    www.houseofkts.com

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  20. Sorry to hear the story about dry sandwitches! But on the other hand, I agree with you, this place looks adorable!

    http://crafty-zone.blogspot.com/

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  21. Lovely photography! They look amazing! XO

    Courtney | Courtselizabeth | Instagram

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  22. looks like a fun time! i love the tea set!

    and thanks for the comment :)

    love, rach.
    So, hi.

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  23. Awww, looks so yummy! *o*

    I hope that you visit my blog too and maybe follow: SPIKED-SOUL.BLOGSPOT.COM :)
    Have a nice day!

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  24. So yummy and cute too!

    God bless,
    XO, Claire
    Http://www.littlemissfashionqueen.com

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  25. Sorry to hear the food wasn't that good. It looked very nice! Great pics.

    Sarah
    sarahjustinestyle.blogspot.com

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  26. Very cute tea party! Thanks for commenting on Qing's Style. Please always keep in touch! I am also inviting you to join my giveaway here

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  27. Everything looks so delightful but it's such a shame about the experience, ah.

    May | THE MAYDEN

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  28. It's a shame that the place didn't live up to your expectations - the food looks yummy at least in the pics! x

    Kay
    http://shoesandglitter.blogspot.co.uk/

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  29. That's kinda disappointing but still, it looks so good though in the pictures xD

    Joyce // Joycentricity

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  30. Sorry to hear that the place was a bit of a disappointment :(

    Rae of Love from Berlin

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  31. So nice the pictures! it looks yummy !

    THE CLASSIC V - www.theclassicv.com

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  32. The plates and tea sets are so cute, it's a shame everything else was a let down! At least you didn't pay the full price.

    The Velvet Black | UK Style & Beauty Blog

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  33. crockery <3

    Really loving your blog.
    xxx Keep in touch
    beautydrugs.blogspot.com

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  34. How cute does everything look?! So lovely!
    WritingMonique

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  35. Those little things are so cute. I'm sorry to hear though that it did not meet your expectations..
    Xoxo,
    Jaimie MERMAID IN STILETTOS

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  36. So cute!!! :D

    Kiss kiss.*Jo
    http://joandcompanystyle.blogspot.com/

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  37. An English tea spot got it wrong?? I am so sad and surprised to hear. Aren't these tea places like, staples of British culture? How is this place even still operating :) Regardless, sorry to hear of your misfortunate experience. Better luck next time??? Happy Shoesday Tuesday to you gorgeous one!

    XOXO
    http://www.kellmenow.com/blog/
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  38. oh looks amazing. I want to go. There's nothing better than afternoon tea
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  39. Adorable :)))

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  40. Such a shame the food wasn't as nice as the setting!
    http://carolinapage.eu

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  41. Ah it all looks so so pretty! I love the crockery, it makes for such gorgeous photos.
    It's a shame the food wasn't that amazing as you'd expect it to be for a London tea room. Hope you still had a lovely time anyway! Xx

    Sophie Elizabeth
    www.popcornandglitter.co.uk

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  42. These tea time photos are so beautiful ♥♥

    summerdaisy.net

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  43. This looks like a dreamy place!!
    Dora www.bangsbang.com

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  44. Looks like a cool spot. I love the color & boldness to it. Sounds like a perfect spot to hang out on a cool day. :]

    // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲

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  45. It looks like such a lovely place to take your mothers :) The food looks lush too

    Rachel xx
    http://www.thedailyluxe.net

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  46. This is pretty amazing
    I love it

    The Bandwagon Chic | Instagram | Bloglovin | Snapchat: bandwagonchic

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  47. On the first look this place looks nice, but too bad you had such a bad experience.

    TRENDGALORE
    BLOGLOVIN'

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  48. This looks amazing xo
    http://fridaynightstyle.com/

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  49. Ohmygoddd, the food looks incredible! Also love the setting, super pretty and elegant! x

    TOUCHOFGUCCI // BLOGLOVIN

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  50. Anonymous13.11.15

    How disappointing, because it looks so lovely from the photos and I love the bright tea set! I hate it when that happens, but hopefully you managed to have a nice time together at least.

    Lucy x- Yellowicing

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  51. I love afternoon tea! this looks so cute!

    Kisses,
    BLOG | Taislany

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  52. Looks like so much fun! Love that tea set!
    Fashion Soup

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  53. Tea set looks so cute however it is shame that it wasn't as expected!

    www.elabellaworld.com

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  54. I just had an operation so i’ve slept for literally three weeks and i’m having so much fun catching up on your content!! xxx



    Pink Sleep In roller Review

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  55. Loved seeing these pics again!! So beautiful!
    Chichistashan.blogspot.in

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  56. it looks super yummy
    http://www.queenhorsfall.com/

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  57. I've stayed at a thistle hotel before and it was lovely! I love how bright and colour their afternoon tea is!

    Musings & More
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  58. so cute!

    http://claresloves.blogspot.com/

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  59. Oh my god, this looks so lovely! I've never actually sat down for formal "tea" before.
    It looks like it would be so pleasant -- all of the china is so bright and pretty. I'm sorry that you didn't have the best experience though :(

    -Alex
    A Northern Light

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  60. Oh gosh, I want the whole plate thingie with cakes and cookies and stuff :(

    http://www.randomstein.com

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