Afternoon tea is something that I’ve enjoyed since childhood and to this day my mom and I try to enjoy an afternoon tea at least once or twice a year. The Ballantyne, A Luxury Collection Hotel, is located in the Ballantyne neighborhood of Charlotte, NC and afternoon tea is served Wednesday through Saturday from 1-4pm.
The hotel lobby is currently undergoing renovations so for the time being afternoon tea is located in one of the rooms in the ‘Overlook’. Since we arrived at the hotel early, we decided to have a look around and find a few locations where I could capture some photographs of the Gal Meets Glam Collection dress that I’ve been looking forward to wearing for months. The Margaret is a beautiful blue climbing poppy floral Jacquard dress with puff sleeves making it the perfect choice for special occasions such as afternoon tea. While you can pair it with strappy heels and a dainty clutch, I went for nude pumps and a classic Kate Spade bag for my afternoon tea look.
Margaret Dress, Kate Spade bag & bracelet, Madden Girl Pumps
In future the afternoon tea will possibly be located at the bottom of the grand staircase above. While we were looking around at the areas of the hotel. The area nearest the gallery restaurant and leading up to the lobby have already undergone renovations, and I really love the blue color scheme they went with for the new carpeting.
Time to head off to tea… for those not familiar with The Ballantyne Hotel, this walkway is adjacent to the Gallery Restaurant, and it’s a must visit spot for brunch at the Saturday mornings (or lunch/dinner during your stay at the hotel.)
Love the pockets
We arrived shortly before our 1pm tea time, which allowed us to secure one of the tables for two near one of the windows overlooking the golf course.
Since we visited last, the Ballantyne has added quite a few decaf option for most of the Harney & Son’s teas on the menu. I always go with decaf when I have afternoon tea, having learned my lesson at a previous afternoon tea experience where I overdid the caffeine. Chamomile tea not only blends well with the sandwiches, scones and desserts that you will enjoy during your afternoon tea experience at the Ballantyne, it also makes for a more relaxing afternoon.
While both the scones and the profiteroles were delicious, the golden raisin scones were so delicious we wished we could have had a whole plate of them (along with the chef’s recipe!) Scones are after all the quintessential afternoon tea treat.
Cucumber and Strawberry sandwiches with cream cheese and Quiche topped with Tomato Jam.
An afternoon tea classic, smoked salmon with cucumber and cream cheese on a croissant.
Lemon meringue with blueberries and gold leaf.
While I normally go with the dairy-free option for afternoon tea, I decided to trust my Lactaid tablets and enjoy some of the goodies that I normally don’t have the option of enjoying. The chicken salad sandwich with bell peppers and arugula was my favorite out of the sandwich options.
This delicious cake was my absolute favorite of the desserts that I enjoyed while at the afternoon tea (the rest of the goodies we brought home with us because even between two people you can only eat so much!)
Mid-way through our afternoon tea the rain that had been threatening for most of the morning finally decided to come through, so we decided to head to the hotel lobby to check out some of the recent renovations (which included the former afternoon tea area.)
One of the more modern and oh, so chic additions to the hotel lobby.
Obsessed with these couches and the grey paint they went with the bookcases and fireplace area. Perhaps I will paint the walls of my writing studio grey after all?
We absolutely love the chic look that they’ve gone with, and hope that there’s a possibility that we might be able to enjoy either afternoon tea or a lunch from the nearby hotel bar once it re-opens. It’s the perfect space to relax the afternoon away in, and we just might have to do a stay-cation here once the renovations are complete.
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