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The Location
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The Ritz is to be found in the St James area of Central London, adjacent to Picadilly. The tube station of choice is Green Park and the Ritz is a very short walk from the station.
Tea is taken in the Palm Court at the Ritz hotel. ... Read review
excl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - The world's greatest hotel, as conceived by the ... more
world's greatest hotelier. For over a century The Ritz has been the benchmark by which other hotels are measured. Top UK business hotel 1999 by Condenast Traveller Maga...
Opened by renowned hotelier Cesar Ritz in 1906,The Ritz today still retains all the ... more
glamour and excitement synonymous with this world famous hotel.Perfectly located in a landmark position on Piccadilly in the heart of London's West End,the 136-room lux...
Opened by renowned hotelier Cesar Ritz in 1906,The Ritz today still retains all the ... more
glamour and excitement synonymous with this world famous hotel.Perfectly located in a landmark position on Piccadilly in the heart of London's West End,the 136-room lux...
Opened by renowned hotelier Cesar Ritz in 1906,The Ritz today still retains all the ... more
glamour and excitement synonymous with this world famous hotel.Perfectly located in a landmark position on Piccadilly in the heart of London's West End,the 136-room lux...
Location. The Ritz London hotel in London, England, is two blocks from the Bond Street ... more
and within one kilometer of London attractions including Oxford Circus, Westminister and Knightsbridge. London Heathrow Airport is 45 kilometers away. Hotel Fea...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Opened by renowned hotelier Cesar Ritz in 1906,The Ritz today still retains all the ... more
glamour and excitement synonymous with this world famous hotel.Perfectly located in a landmark position on Piccadilly in the heart of London's West End,the 136-room lux...
Location. The Ritz London hotel in London, England, is two blocks from the Bond Street ... more
and within one kilometer of London attractions including Oxford Circus, Westminister and Knightsbridge. London Heathrow Airport is 45 kilometers away. Hotel Features. The Ritz London was designed to resemble a Parisian block of flats. The lobby features high ceilings with glass chandeliers, fluted columns and a leaded glass ceiling topping the three story rotunda. The high quality of service includes amenities like complimentary newspapers in the lobby, a multilingual staff and concierge services. Tea is served each afternoon in the Palm Court. The Ritz Restaurant, where the Queen held her private Golden Jubilee party in 2002, serves breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas and dinners. The Rivoli Bar is open from late morning to early hours. There is a dress code in the Rivoli Bar, Palm Court, and the Ritz Restaurant. Men are asked to wear a jacket and tie. Jeans are not acceptable in these areas. The hotel offers a fitness center and a 24 hour business center. Guestrooms. The seven story Ritz Hotel's 133 guestrooms are furnished in the Ritz colors of blue, peach, pink and yellow. The rooms feature crystal chandeliers, wall accents in 24 carat gold leaf, silk covered headboards and restored antique furniture. Room amenities include minibars, in room safes and private bathrooms. The marble bathrooms feature bathrobes and slippers. Most rooms look over Westminster or Piccadilly. All accommodations featurecomplimentary high speed Internet access. Expert Tip. The Ritz's most famous facility is the Palm Court, an opulently decorated cream colored Louis XVI setting for the world famous institution that is ''Tea at the Ritz'', once frequented by King Edward VII, Charlie Chaplin, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Noel Coward, Judy Garland and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mot
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Location. The Ritz London hotel in London, England, is two blocks from the Bond Street ... more
and within one kilometer of London attractions including Oxford Circus, Westminister and Knightsbridge. London Heathrow Airport is 45 kilometers away. Hotel Features. The Ritz London was designed to resemble a Parisian block of flats. The lobby features high ceilings with glass chandeliers, fluted columns and a leaded glass ceiling topping the three story rotunda. The high quality of service includes amenities like complimentary newspapers in the lobby, a multilingual staff and concierge services. Tea is served each afternoon in the Palm Court. The Ritz Restaurant, where the Queen held her private Golden Jubilee party in 2002, serves breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas and dinners. The Rivoli Bar is open from late morning to early hours. There is a dress code in the Rivoli Bar, Palm Court, and the Ritz Restaurant. Men are asked to wear a jacket and tie. Jeans are not acceptable in these areas. The hotel offers a fitness center and a 24 hour business center. Guestrooms. The seven story Ritz Hotel's 133 guestrooms are furnished in the Ritz colors of blue, peach, pink and yellow. The rooms feature crystal chandeliers, wall accents in 24 carat gold leaf, silk covered headboards and restored antique furniture. Room amenities include minibars, in room safes and private bathrooms. The marble bathrooms feature bathrobes and slippers. Most rooms look over Westminster or Piccadilly. All accommodations feature complimentary high speed Internet access. Expert Tip. The Ritz's most famous facility is the Palm Court, an opulently decorated cream colored Louis XVI setting for the world famous institution that is ''Tea at the Ritz'', once frequented by King Edward VII, Charlie Chaplin, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Noel Coward, Judy Garland and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mot
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Christmas at The Ritz London with the choir singing carols in the opulent Palm Court and ... more
the Long Gallery lined with Christmas trees is a glorious celebration of this age-old festival. This charming Edwardian-style book captures the essence of a traditional Christmas showing how you can recreate this elegance in your own home. The innate sense of tradition style and sophistication of The Ritz is embodied in the delightfully illustrated collection of sumptuous recipes with literary and historical descriptions of Christmas past and Christmas present. "The Ritz London Book of Christmas" captures all the great traditions of The Ritz London to make your Christmas an exceptional and elegant event. Over fifty delicious recipes are included for all aspects of the Christmas festivities from traditional mince pies and roast turkey with chestnut and sausagemeat stuffing to Dr Johnson's punch.
Advantages: A fantastic treat Disadvantages: Could be thought of as pricey!
...known only as "Tea at the Ritz".
So if you want to know all about the hotel - you're reading the wrong review!!
Tea at the Ritz is a dining experience best experienced with someone else. Take your wife, spouse, fiancee, girlfriend, mother, granny, husband, boyfriend, partner, or granddad (but not your pet gerbil), and they will enjoy one of London's most unique dining experiences.
------------------ ...is to be found in the St James area of Central London, adjacent to Picadilly. The tube station of choice is Green Park and the Ritz is a very short walk from the station.
Tea is taken in the Palm Court at the Ritz hotel. Lest you be uncertain of the route from the side entrance to the Ritz (which is now the main entrance) there are plenty of staff willing and able to direct you through the lobby.
This review pertains only to that quintessential London dining experience known only as "Tea at the Ritz".
So if you want to know all about the hotel - you're reading the wrong review!!
Tea at the Ritz is a dining experience best experienced with someone else. Take your wife, spouse, fiancee, girlfriend, mother, granny, husband, boyfriend, partner, or granddad (but not your pet gerbil), and they will enjoy one of London's most unique dining experiences.
------------------ The Location ------------------
The Ritz is to be found in the St James area of Central London, adjacent to Picadilly. The tube station of choice is Green Park and the Ritz is a very short walk from the station.
Tea is taken in the Palm Court at the Ritz hotel. Lest you be uncertain of the route from the side entrance to the Ritz (which is now the main entrance) there are plenty of staff willing and able to direct you through the lobby.
The hotel is elegance itself in Louis XVI style, and you will enjoy looking at the fine jewellery on offer and counting the zeros attached to the price tags. As you walk into the palm court area the decor changes subtly. The palm court has a mirrored wall behind, and a glass ceiling from which elegant chandeliers are suspended. The central area is raised and you climb polished marble steps and pass between two huge marble columns as the maitre d'table shows you to your place. The are is bright and open, with Louis XVI furniture (which is surprisingly comfortable).
Coats may be left in the cloak room (which someone will happily guide you to) and there is no fee for this, although a tip tray is of course provided. The toilets are located near to the cloak room although when I visited, the ladies was being refurbished and a suite on the first floor was being used as a temporary measure.
------- Tea -------
Tea at the Ritz is far more than a quick cup of char.
After you have been shown to your seat, the waiter (no waitresses that I saw) will offer you the menu card to look a. Soon after, the waiter for your area will glide over and ask sir or madam what they would like to drink. There is a wide selection of teas available (7 types including Jasmine tea and green tea), and of course coffee. On request however the waiters are happy to provide hot chocolate and possibly other beverages.
Tea is served in a sliver (coloured anyway) teapot with jug of cream (or milk) and the other acoutrements neccessary for a pleasant cuppa.
This includes a tea strainer.
Yes, one dining pair of ladies were astonished to discover that there was no teabag in their tea pot!
I opted for Hot Chocolate (not being a tea or coffee drinker) and this was a rich drink indeed served in a silver (coloured) jug. There are no fripperies such as whipped cream and marshmallows and the taste of the chocolate would take a chocoholic to heaven and back. No grittiness either!
The drink is never ending, and the waiters will periodically pop over to offer refills.
Of course after your drinks have arrived, a 3 tier carousel arrives and is placed on the table.
-------------- The Food --------------
The bottom tier is comprised of soldier-cut sanwiches in 7 varieties. Two each of:-
Smoked salmon with lemon butter on brown bread Poached salmon with watercress on brown bread Roast turkey on sun dried tomato bread Cream cheese and chives on caraway bread Cucumber and dill on spinach bread Egg and mustard cress on brown bread Salt beef and mustard on granary bread
These are freshly made and taste superb. No sogginess at all.
On the second tier there are scones, two plain and two fruit. These come with pots of strawberry jam and clotted cream. There are also little slices of madeira and dundee cake.
On the top tier you will find one each of
Apricot, mango and passion fruit mousse Three chocolate mousse Raspberry tart Mixed fruit tart Lemon meringue tart Millefeuille
These almost command a review by themselves. The Apricot, mango and passion fruit mousse is delicate and flavoursome and very moreish. The chocolate mousse is incredibly rich. So rich in fact that between two of us we only managed about two thirds of it. The fruit tarts were delicious with fresh crisp fruits in glaze. The lemon meringue was exquisite and very light. My fiancee greatly enjoyed the millfeuille too.
We had half of each cake and that was more than enough to make us feel bloated!!
Of course, should you run out of anything on the carousel, the waiters will immediately refill the plates should you wish. We had a sandwich refill.
-------------------- The ambiance --------------------
Whilst you eat, on weekdays a pianist will play soothing melodies from bygone days on a grand piano. He will happily play a song for you and yours, and if you tip the nod to the waiter that a member of your party has a birthday, the waiter will present your loved one with a small cake with a single candle in, whilst the pianist plays "Happy Birthday" in a soothing manner. This of course will be followed by a polite round of applause. No bawled singing in the Ritz!!
The waiters are expert at their job, and the merest nod in their direction is enough to bring one gliding over to your table. Their job is to make you happy, and they are very professional indeed.
At the end of your meal you will be politely passed a slim leather case, into which you can place your payment. At this point, your waiter will surprise you (unless you read this review) with a créme brulée.
Really want to impress your partner / granny / boy friend etc? Why not order a glass or two of champagne. There are two on offer both of which I was assured were superb. We opted for the cheaper superb champagne (£9 per glass) rather than the more expensive one (£12.50 per glass) reasoning that if both were superb, then it seemed silly to spend more.
------------ Booking ------------
Booking is essential. Tea at the Ritz gets booked quite quickly. The Ritz recommends you book at least 6 weeks in advance. However I managed to find a table for two only a week in advance.
There are sittings at 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 15:30 and 17:30 according to the online booking system. However I made an error and although booked for the 13:30 sitting, ended up at the Ritz at 12:30 instead. We were shown straight to a table.
A top tip here is not to bother with the online booking system though. I used this in the first instance and for some reason the system failed. I was then told that there were no tables left for my chosen time of 13:30. On phoning however, I easily obtained a table in that sitting.
The Ritz accept visa, mastercard, diners club etc to secure the booking. Money will not be taken from your card though (unless you fail to turn up and haven't cancelled 48 hours in advance).
You can purchase gift vouchers for Tea for Two if you want to make a nice present for someone.
--------------- The Price ---------------
The bit you have been waiting for.
Tea at the Ritz is £32 per person. This is inclusive of service and VAT.
OK - pick yourself back up of the floor and keep reading!
This may seem a high price for tea, but the fact is that you can eat and drink as much as you like. Everything on the carousel and all the tea, coffee, and hot chocolate you can drink is included in the price.
Tea will take you between 1 and 2 hours, and you will not want much for dinner at all. You certainly won't want anything sweet later on in the day!! I would recommend taking the lunch time sitting, or having a light lunch and taking the evening sitting.
------------------------------ Some Dos and Don'ts ------------------------------
Don't: Wear jeans or trainers. They won't let you in. It's posh you know.
Do: Wear a jacket and tie if you are a gentleman. They won't let you take tea without them and you'll feel a chump having to wear one of their emergency jacket and tie sets. Especially if you've got the wrong sort of shirt on.
Don't: Sing happy birthday. Just clap politely.
Do: Feel free to ask the waiter for refills.
Don't: Be amazed that for £32 you are getting real tea.
Do: Enjoy your experience
Don't: Whizz around in the revolving door to the lobby. It's silly and may engender disapproving looks.
Do: Make sure you have a little wander.
Don't: Try and stuff your face in the first 20 minutes. It's not the Pizza Hut eat all you want deal. You've got hours to enjoy.
-------------- Summary --------------
An exquisite experience of the opulence offered by the Ritz. This is an enjoyable tourist attraction and well worth doing as a special treat if you are visiting London.
Make sure you book though to avoid disappointment. Make sure you have lots of time - don't rush the experience. An added treat is to nip into Fortnum and Mason and look around afterwards.
Advantages: Service, style and fine dining Disadvantages: £££!
Since the early years of the 20th century, The Ritz Hotel in London has been synonymous with luxury, elegance and fine dining. While it is a destination that most of us couldn’t afford to patronise on a regular basis, for those lucky enough to have saved the wherewithal for a ‘special occasion’ visit it is a highly desirable location. I was fortunate enough to spend two days there in Jan-04…and they were two days I won’t be forgetting in a hurry.
... ...the NCP car parking facilities just around the corner from the hotel. Having duly paid our congestion charge (another topic in its own right!) and braced ourselves for the bill for a couple of nights parking in Central London, we found ourselves hitting the Ritz entrance around 3.45pm on a Friday afternoon. Immediately on entering, the smart but subdued atmosphere made itself apparent. Being the weekend before Twelfth Night, there were some pretty ...
anthonyi 04.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ritz, London
Advantages: Great if you can afford it Disadvantages: Absolutely none
LIVING IT UP AT THE RITZ
Munching British Rail sandwiches on Lincoln station was hardly an inspiring start to a weekend at the Ritz, one of the world’s most prestigious hotels. My fault for not double-checking the departure times so my wife was quick to point out – but then she would say that wouldn’t she?
It wasn’t the end of the world and it was a beautiful summers day when we eventually arrived in the capital, where ... ...hotel to freshen up after the tedious journey. Don’t get the impression that we drop in at the Ritz on a regular basis – this visit was in the nature of a celebration and we were booked into the Piccadilly Suite, a gracious and elegant bedroom with adjoining sitting room, where we found a note saying “When you are ready please ring for service when your bottle of Champagne will be delivered.” Wow! what a way to start our celebration. ...
rokkafella8 22.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ritz, London
Advantages: Location Disadvantages: Cost and Staff
...booked us a night in the Ritz as my 21st birthday present. As soon as i found out we were staying here, i was telling everyone who came into my sight. On arriving at the hotel there was a note on the front door to tell everyone to use the side door as the front door was not working.....nice!
--Location--
The Ritz isnt a hotel you can really miss, you can see the signs glowing for (almost) a mile.
Being a 5 minute walk from Picadilly Circus theres ... ...The hotel is next to Green Park, walk through the park and you are at Buckingham Palace.
Houses of Paliment and the London Eye are both within walking distance (1-2 miles).
LHR is around 30miles from the hotel, about an hours drive (if your lucky).
--Check In and Staff--
As soon as we started walking up the stairs to the door the doorman asked what we wanted. When we explained that we had a room booked for the night his whole attitude changed. ...
clarej69 09.01.2007 (15.02.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Ritz, London
Advantages: Luxurious surroundings and food, great service Disadvantages: Booking necessary for Palm Court
...I were in London for the day on business and, having missed lunch because of train times, decided to treat ourselves to tea at the Ritz which we walked past on the way to our presentation.
Obviously we didn't have a booking - and people do book weeks in advance - so we asked at reception and were directed to the maitre d' in the Palm Court. He was really pleasant and said that while the tea room was fully booked we could get exactly the same tea ... ...raised eyebrows, no charge for the extra cup - and were really pleased we had. There was a mountain of food which we only just managed to get through - finger sandwiches, prawn cocktail, sliced cake, fruit scones with jam and cream (3), fruit tarts and pastries. They even came and asked if we wanted more sandwiches, then more cakes and then more tea. Really generous.
Cost in summer 2006 was £38, plus £20 for two glasses of champagne. I kept the ...
tynegal 29.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Ritz, London
Advantages: Style, excellent service, great location Disadvantages: Too many tourists
The only problem with The Ritz is that being such a landmark it does attract a bizarre mixture of people.
The Rivoli Bar is perhaps a bit kitsch for some, decorated with much gold and glitz, but The Palm Court and adjoining lounge bar are sophistication in themselves and ideal places to take elderly relatives to tea or for drinks with clients/friends.
The restaurant offers the best of British in terms of a traditional menu and the room is spectacular. ... ...Rooms are excellent and of the high standard one would expect of a hotel of this calibre. Prices are high, but for that you do get the best.
The service is impeccable, the staff excellent and their attentive yet discrete manner is most impressive.
Conveniently situated on Piccadilly, the location is perfect for those looking for somewhere close to theatreland, the Royal Parks, shopping on Bond Street and Jermyn Street, etc. etc.
If you want to ...
matthewsteeples 07.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Ritz, London
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Advantages: Its the Ritz! Disadvantages: Suitable clothing is a must, no denim, ties and jackets for gents
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for the ducks to perform.
A BIT OF HOTEL HISTORY:
?The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody Hotel and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg. The Peabody is the Paris Ritz, the Cairo Shepherd's, the London Savoy of this section. If you stand near its fountain in the middle of the lobby... ultimately you will see everybody who is anybody in the Delta...? -- Author/Historian David Cohn, 1935.
The Peabody Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and the 14-story hotel has been an landmark in Memphis for many years. It was originally built in 1869 and just prior to it being completed George Peabody, a man who had contributed a lot to the America South, died and so the hotel was named in his honour. The present hotel was built in 1925 in the same style as the original Peabody hotel in an Italian Renaissance style.
Prior to ...
The Ritz London Hotel, few other places can summon such an immediate atmosphere of unparalleled style, sophistication and elegance. Opened in 1906, the Ritz today still retains the personal feel of a French country house whilst offering all the glamour, excitement and graceful living that are synonymous with this legendary, World famous hotel. Returned to private ownership in 1995, The Ritz has been totally and lovingly refurbished to restore even the fabrics to their original Louis XVI style. Attention to detail and personal service are elevated to a fine art so that guests may always be assured of a magical and memorable experience.
