Fancy a cuppa?

AS temperatures dip in New York City, travelers and locals alike can traverse the City streets in search of a steaming cup of tea to counteract the frigid blast. Try one of these hotels, traditional high tea parlors, specialty leaf purveyors, and modern venues for the ideal cuppa.

The Plaza Hotel and the Downton Abbey Exhibition have a new tea collaboration in NYC, being served in the Palm Court while afternoon tea at the Lowell Hotel is steeped in elegance and rooted in ritual. Firmdale Hotels’ the Crosby Street Hotel and the Whitby Hotel offer afternoon tea with gluten free, sugar free and Vegan options, ideal for travelers with dietary restrictions. Two E, at The Pierre, a Taj Hotel, offers legendary traditional afternoon tea service, paired with scones and petit fours baked fresh in-house each morning.

Chic décor and exclusivity meet at Lady Mendl’s Tea Parlour (which can be discovered thanks to a teacup-engraved plaque on the brownstone's façade) while Tea and Sympathy NYC serves up British comfort food and traditional high tea. McNulty’s Tea & Coffee Co. Inc has offered locals and visitors alike a taste of specialty tea in Greenwich Village since 1895.

For visitors seeking colorful whimsy and fantasy-inspiration Alice’s Tea Cup Chapters I, II and III are can’t-miss! Cha Cha Matcha is an Instagram-darling’s delight, with vibrant neon signage and the matcha to match the hype.

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Best Teahouses & Tea Rooms in Orlando

FLORIDA Vacation Homes By Owner (FVHBO) have released their guide to the best teahouses and tea rooms in #Orlando for those of us Brits on holiday in #Florida who are struggling without our favourite beverage. . .

Dandelion Communitea Cafe – Mills50 Neighborhood, Orlando, FL
This popular gathering place serves organic loose leaf teas and herbal tisanes, as well as fair trade organic coffee, craft beer, and wine.

Garden View Tea Room – Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL
Located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Garden View Tea Room offers relaxing ambiance in which to enjoy afternoon tea.

Infusion Tea – College Park Neighborhood, Orlando, FL The College Park section of Orlando is a quiet, pedestrian-friendly area with a commercial strip along Edgewater Drive with lots of independent restaurants, cafes, and stores. Among them is Infusion Tea, a local favorite for loose leaf teas and healthy vegetarian fare.

KrungThep Tea Time – Winter Park, FL
“KrungThep” is the Thai word for Bangkok, which may tip you off that this place features Thai beverages and cuisine. Indulge in unique Thai-inspired sandwiches and exotic teas bursting with flavor, and please, don’t skip dessert here.

Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria – The Milk District Neighborhood, Orlando, FL
This establishment is worth patronizing as much for the delicious, creative sandwiches as for the lovingly prepared tea. There’s a Thai influence here too, as owner and pastry chef Pom Moongauklang is a Thailand native. 

Tea and Tea – Winter Park, FL Choose from nearly 100 different types of loose leaf tea and enjoy your selection traditional style or blended, hot or iced. There are also sandwiches, muffins, scones, pastries, cakes, cookies, and other goodies to accompany your beverage. 

The Tea Room – Thornton Park Neighborhood, Orlando, FL
For a modern tea room experience capturing all the charm and sensory delights of the afternoon tea tradition, visit The Tea Room. 

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Hop-off for Afternoon Tea

#EDINBURGH BUS TOURS is giving visitors the chance to experience not only the best views from the top deck, but some of the best tea, cakes, and sweet treats the Scottish capital has to offer. 

Visitors can enjoy a set of exclusive offers – available until the October 29 – on Afternoon Tea experiences when they hop-off with their MacTours City Tour ticket. Holidaymakers can save up to 25% at five venues.

Kenny Campbell, tour operations manager at Edinburgh Bus Tours, said: ‘In recent years, Edinburgh has gained a reputation for offering some of the country's best foodie experiences. We are always looking to give our visitors more reasons to hop-off our tours to enjoy the very best of Edinburgh before hopping back on and continuing their sightseeing.’

Tours are available every 30 minutes, with frequency increasing to every 20 minutes in July and August.

MacTours tickets cost £15 for adults and £7.50 for children, with family tickets from £36 for two adults and up to three children.

www.edinburghtour.com.

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Eating out . . . Guernsey to Edinburgh

GUERNSEY’S food festival (September 18-27) will harness the island's produce and unique dishes in special dinners, tours, and interactive events. 

As well as cook-offs and live cooking demonstrations, there will be opportunities to sample the island’s one-of-a-kind gastronomy which has grown from its position as an island between England and France.

Full details at www.visitguernsey.com/food-festival

EDINBURGH’S historic Signet Library has opened its newly-refurbished doors as one of the city’s most glamorous lunch and afternoon tea venues. 

Following a £250,000 restoration of the library interiors, the lower library opens for lunch and afternoon teas under the name Colonnades, a reference to the building’s classical pillars. 

The venue has its own tea sommelier, Champagne experts, and an on-site pastry chef. Its signature afternoon tea will change with the seasons and reflect the best of Scottish produce. 

The Signet Library, in the centre of Edinburgh’s old town, was built in 1822 as the library of the prestigious Society of Writers to her Majesty’s Signet (also known as the WS Society), an association of Scottish lawyers and one of the oldest professional bodies in the world.

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Picture Credit: Guernsey July 2010 107 by Man vyi - Self-photographed. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons