Cliveden Country House – Afternoon tea and Sunday walk near London

It’s always nice to have an excuse to visit extraordinary places, and when we had family visiting this weekend we jumped on the chance and reserved a table for afternoon tea at the prestigious Cliveden Country House Hotel.

Cliveden House, an Italianate mansion and estate, is dating back to 1605 with a rich history of power, politics and parties. It’s still a house perfect for those who seek a memorable experience together with family and friends.

You drive through the park, passed a beautiful fountain and straight up to the front of the house, where there is parking available for guests of the house. They also offer valet parking, which is a nice touch on rainy days.

My in laws from Norway; excited to be having afternoon tea for the very first time.

We were greeted and shown through the lobby, a stunningly beautiful room with tall ceilings and wooden panels. It smelled of oak and burning logs on the open fireplace. Deep sofas in plush velvet, mahogany coffee tables and gold framed mirrors and paintings was complementing the grand room.

I couldn’t help thinking that it looked lovely to sink down in one of the sofas and just see the clouds drift pass out of the large windows. Perhaps even go on a weekday and have the place to yourself!

We walked on and were shown into a private room, on the inside of the lobby. It was a library with a large window facing the side of the garden. This privacy was a lovely touch as we don’t get to see my in laws very often and we really wanted to catch up and spend some quality time with them.

We have had afternoon tea on many an occasion in London, from contemporary art & fashion themed to classic and grand. And the afternoon tea at Cliveden became instantly, with its’ historically surroundings and impeccable service, among my favourites.

The place is also very child friendly -making it a perfect destination for families.

Before driving back we went for a walk in the park, enjoying cherry blossoms and getting lost in the maze…

The girls had a both a proper Alice in Wonderland moment there, trying to avoid falling down the rabbit hole.

Cliveden House is located less than 1 hour from Central London by car. So perfect for day trips -unless you want to splash out and stay the night… Find out more and book through clivedenhouse.co.uk

When we visited there was some much needed restoration work to the house which you can see in the pictures as scaffolding. This work is expected to be completed by early Summer.
Also worth mentioning; all pictures taken with iPhone so my apologies for the poor quality. In search for a new camera and can’t wait to go back and take some more decent photos of this fabulous place and glorious garden.

You can also visit the garden on its own, through National Trust.