Lobby Tea Court at the Phoenician

This is the 6^th year i have returned for a holiday tradition my daughter and I have. This year was TERRIBLY disappointing. The service was inexcusably poor and they crammed SO MANY tables in there to maximize revenue it was not personalized AT ALL. The servers randomly walked around with their trays so that each table didn’t have a dedicated server. We were approached THREE times for the first course… when we were already on our SECOND course. Had the servers bothered to look down at our plates they would have realized that (but they were clearly SO overwhelmed they didn’t know which way was up). I understand the need to make money, but NOT when it is to the detriment of your service levels, and your reputation. With a bill of $ 174 for two, it was certainly at the price point I’d expect from the five star Phoenician, but the service was 3-​star at best (by the way, I did NOT appreciate you automatically including a 22% banquet gratuity on a TWO top!!)

How disappointing! So unfortunate for such a lovely property. The view is beautiful and the ambiance is amazing. Unfortunately the service is very slow. Plan on spending the entire afternoon there. The older woman walks around to each table with a huge phony smile at the table and then grunt and groan with a scowl as she walk away. it is time to move on, or retire. One server shows up at the table and then another. You have no idea who your server is. Very confusing. And none of them look like they have any idea what is going on. The one server said the exact same statement to every table. It was not personalized service at all. We did not feel welcome. She saw us getting ready to approach the manager to complain and gave us a phony hug and was oozing about how happy we joined them today. What a joke! She didn’t even realize that we never paid our check. The manager was very apologetic and told us not to worry about paying the check. We will not be back.
Looking at a previous review that stated there were over 100 people and service was poor, well when we were there, there was definitely not 100 people and the service was still horrible. Doesn’t matter, service is bad.

My mother and I have been enjoying hi tea at the Phoenician every holiday season for almost 20 years and it is one of my most special and anticipated holiday traditions. Every year we are awed by the beautiful decorations in the lobby with the exquisitely decorated trees and mantles. The tea, sandwiches, scones, and desserts are also something I look forward to (and diet in anticipation for) which is why we have not minded the price of the tea increasing each year to an all-​time high of $ 75/​person.
This year, however, the tea experience was unlike anything we had encountered before — and not in a good way. The tea room extended the length of the entire lobby and with nearly 100 guests per tea sitting, it was impossible to get near the Christmas trees or mantle to take our traditional tea photo, which broke my heart that my mother and I will not have a photo to add to our tea scrapbook this year. Additionally, the noise from all the tea guests seated at large banquet tables overpowered the beautiful piano music from the live pianist who we’ve also gotten to know over the past 20 years. Perhaps the most disappointing part of tea this year is that the tea wait staff, who have become part of our extended holiday family, were so slammed with the number of guests the reservation center had made that they did not even have time to engage in a conversation with us other than to serve the tea. It was not their fault as they were doing the best they could with the insane number of tables they were waiting on, but we truly missed their delightful presence as part of our tea experience. Ultimately the number of tables also detracted from the level of service we have come to expect with the $ 75 price tag — my Mom asked for a new cup for her tea once it became cold and the poor servers were so busy, they did not have time to bring it before our tea service ended.
The food was incredible, but it is devastating to see the Phoencian selling out and loosing its charm. This tea, which used to be better than hi tea I’ve enjoyed in London, DC, and New York, has lost its special ambiance in favor of mall-​food court environment where the focus is on volume rather rather than elegance. After our disappointment this year, it might be time to start a new holiday tradition next year that does not involve hi tea at the Phoenician.

This is the place to be when you’re feeling British and want to have some afternoon tea and eat some finger food and desserts. Opt for the unlimited champagne as well. I’ve seen the same staff for years too and they’re always friendly and attentive.
The deets:
I’ve been coming here for years and the menu hasn’t changed. It’s been delightful from the first day to my most recent visits. I always opt to get the basic champagne package as well. Afternoon tea just isn’t complete until you have some champagne. I never tried the higher tier champagne, however the basic one is good enough for me.
You can try as many of the tea as you wish. I think I probably have tried them all. I usually stick with the lighter types of tea. I don’t like the berry or fruity ones as much, but that’s just personal preference. I think all of them are great qualities even if the flavors don’t suit me.
My favorite finger sandwiches are the asparagus & garlic herb mousse and salmon. They are a good blend of veggies & cream/​mousse. Though I always get all the sandwiches, I still think the cucumber has a bit too much of cream cheese. You may love it because of the strong cream cheese flavor. The sandwiches are my favorite course.
The next course are the buttermilk and cranberry scones. They come with devonshire cream, lemon curd & strawbrry preserves. The Devonshire cream is the best. Light, fluffy and wonderful with the buttermilk scone. Maybe not as amazing as the authetic Devonshire cream in the UK, but pretty good. I think the cranberry scone has a bit much cranberries.
The pastries are cute and tasty as well. My favs: eclairs, mango dome & chocolate covered strawberries.
You can eat and drink as much as you want from the menu, so be prepared to have a very light dinner later.

T’was a lovely way to while away the afternoon… sipping Tea and champagne and nibbling on delicate sandwiches, scones and desserts whilst gabbing with the girls and enjoying the piano music. Very nice and elegant and delicious. I was pleasantly surprised about the amount of food because I arrived hungry. The grandeur of the Phoenician adds to the experience and this is a special day out.

Afternoon tea at the Phoenician was an exquisite experience. I took my mother for her birthday as she loves a good traditional English afternoon tea. I picked the one at the Phoenician because of several reasons: The tea is served daily, the property is beautiful, it had good reviews, and it was a great value. We were sat at a super comfortable couch, with the live piano player and the canopy of palm trees in clear view. It seems as if all the servers work together, as they all came to our table throughout the meal. We never felt rushed and we ate to our heart’s desire. We picked our teas; I had the White Orange Spice and my mother had the Jasmine Pearls. The White tea was excellent and it was served in the most beautiful china. After the tea had time to steep, they brought the sandwiches which were superb. We tried them all and had seconds of our favorite ones. My mother liked the Phoenician’s Lemon and Thyme Chicken Salad while my favorite was the Crisp Asparagus and Garlic Herb Mouse. Once we had enough, our server asked us if we were ready for the next course of fresh baked scones. They came out warm but after all the sandwiches, all I did was taste them with the Devonshire cream, lemon curd (my fav), and strawberry preserve. The grand finale was the tea pastries and we also had to try one of each. They were beautiful and our favorites were the Mango Dome and the Eclairs. At the end of the meal, we each got a beautiful red rose even though it was Feb. 16! I will definitely be back as it was worth every penny.