Our Tea at the Chesterfield was enjoyable, starting with the trip there. Just crossing the bridge over the Intracoastal onto the island of Palm Beach felt like a vacation. We immediately started chatting about how lucky we feel to live in this paradise of warm breezes, blue sky's, and palm trees. The picturesque village didn't disappoint, with its lovely old-Florida charm and tree lined streets. We thought we’d have difficulty finding parking, but we were actually able to find street parking just down from the hotel- and for free!
We wandered into the historic hotel through a garden seating area and entered the large, airy lobby. There we were greeted by a concierge who called someone down to receive us and walk us to our table. We were seated in the Library, which looked exactly how you might imagine a small library in an Old Florida mansion to look. When we entered, we were the only guests in the room, and that gave us some time to inspect our surroundings. The walls were lined with antique books, the room full of large, over-stuffed leather chairs, and pictures of old hunting scenes adorned the walls. I couldn't resist picking up some of the books and thumbing through the pages. There was even a large magazine selection. The environment was surprisingly unpretentious.
Once we were comfortably seated, our waitress provided us with menus and descriptions of some of the items. We both ordered the High Tea for $28, and I started with the White Tea and Michele had the Decaf. English Breakfast. They brought out our beautiful tiered tray in short order. It was full of the usual selection of finger sandwiches: cucumber, tomato and cheese, chicken, as well as salmon. When the waitress brought our tray, she told us that the scones were baking and would be out in exactly 17 minutes. They would be served hot and fresh out of the oven! We had to be careful not to eat too much after that news. When the scones were brought out they were wonderful, definitely the highlight of our visit. They were warm, soft, fragrant, and delicious! After indulging in so much clotted cream and jam, we almost didn't need desert… but we didn't let that stop us! The desert tray was filled with brownies, pastries, and a fruit tart. All were equally cute and tasty. We were in no hurry to leave, but alas, we were all done. On our way out we asked for the mandatory photo opp, and before heading home, we took a stroll around the block. The Afternoon Tea at The Chesterfield Palm Beach made a delightful outing.
