There’s something about London’s
The Berkeley Hotel
—It’s quite posh… and I do mean that both literally and figuratively. Not only does the elegantly discreet Mayfair hotel play host to major British bold-faced names like
Kylie Minogue and
Victoria “Posh” Beckham, it also entertains fashionable ladies who lunch as well as a few wannabe Brit celebs like
Madonna who famously took up residence in the hotel’s Pavillion Suite at a cost of some £3,800 (($7,700) per night prior to becoming the lady of her own English manor.
For his 44th birthday, even pop crooner / sometimes bad boy,
George Michael, took over the chic boutique property and gave a swanky, blow-out bash attended by everyone from
Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and supermodel
Elle MacPherson to
Little Britain’s
David Walliams and
Matt Lucas and
French and Saunders’
Dawn French. How very… very…
On a recent visit to London, I popped by The Berkeley to take in their darling daily event called Pret À Portea, which is most appropriately billed as a fashionista’s afternoon tea. Served between 2 and 6 pm, Pret À Portea is a traditional tea service highlighted by a range of specialty teas like Pear Caramel, African Amber and White Peony stylishly complemented by a variety of ‘cakes and fancies’ in the colors of the current fashion season and inspired by the style of the world’s leading designers.
Let’s see… There’s an
Emanuel Ungaro peach and blackberry mousse topped with Champagne jelly and served with
Manolo Blahnik shoe shaped treat; a
Valentino brilliant yellow exotic fruit mousse with coconut jelly and mango tulle; and a
Michael Kors pale pink chocolate bow biscuit, just to name a few.
All are divine to look at and even more satisfying to digest (especially with a glass of chilled Couture Champagne like Laurent Perrier Rose or Bollinger). Then, just to take the whole experience completely over the top, the china used for the tea service is a glamorously multi-hued pattern conceived by designer
Paul Smith originally for
Sir Elton John himself. Dreamy! The cost of this pre-twilight fabulousness is approximately $75 - $110 per person… a steal for this level of grandeur.
Oh, and if you really want to make it a decadent day, visit the rooftop spa at The Berkeley, which in addition to having some of the most luxurious and cutting edge beauty treatments in le tout London, also happens to have spectacular view of the city and an open air pool that is positively to die for.
And don’t worry, the pool is covered in anticipation of those all too common rainy days in London, so you can still have a proper swim no matter what the weather. How swell is that?
