Living a life of luxury every now and then is, let’s face it, uplifting and just awesome. Having an English High Tea experience in an elegant, decorative space is one way to live it up. The Living Room at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills is my absolute favorite so far in Los Angeles for their traditional and inclusive high tea experience.
The Living Room is your home away from home as you lounge in comfortable couches by ornate fire places and crown-molded floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden. Not to mention the gold star butler service – they come to pour your tea, refill your champagne, everything you could need. The Peninsula Hotel definitely comes with the five star experience you would expect from Beverly Hills, so expect to pay for valet and dress up to code.
The Living Room’s Afternoon Tea include an optional glass of Champagne, a tower of traditional finger sandwiches and petite pastries, and your choice of tea served in a classic, decorated tea pot with a silk warmer. Depending on the package you choose, you could also walk away with a dessert gift of some sort (a mini cake or macarons most likely). The Living Room has several options for tea split into four categories: traditional, green/oolong, flavored/scented and herbal infusions. My usual choices are a traditional (English Breakfast or The Belvedere, The Living Room’s signature tea) or the Genmai Cha (a classic Japanese green tea made from Sencha leaves). Both types go great with a little milk and sugar, which is just how I like my afternoon tea.
As if this wasn’t luxurious enough, special occasions, like Easter, call for special additions to the menu. On Easter Sunday’s High Tea, you start with some strawberries and homemade whipped cream as a palette cleanser. Also, your parting gift is usually Easter-themed or colored, like decorated macarons. Finally, they add special pink or yellow centerpieces to the tables to make it feel more like Spring. The Living Room at the Peninsula Hotel is pure luxury, so sit back and enjoy.
The Living Room (9882 South Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212) 310-551-2888