Tea Time (Again) At the Claremont Hotel

Last weekend was another weekend for a tea outing

A couple of friends wanted to check out the Claremont Hotel for tea so I made the reservations and off we went!

While I wasn't super impressed with my first tea outing at the Claremont Hotel, there were things that made this trip worth giving tea here a second chance.

When we first got to the Claremont the front parking lot was completely full so we drove around to the side of the building to find more spaces. Parking on the side and walking along the pathway to the entrance allowed us to have a different view of the hotel I didn't have the first time coming here. Now this was the Claremont I expected to see coming up here!

Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA

Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA

Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA

Seeing this different view point of the Claremont and comparing it to the strange entrance I saw upon my first visit here made me wonder if maybe I've been coming through the back entrance of the hotel these past two times. Maybe next time I'm here I will drive or walk around to the other side to see if there is some other kind of grand entrance fitting for the grandeur of this old hotel. A grand entrance does seem like something you would expect from a hotel like this.

Hall to the lobby of the Claremont Hotel... eerily reminds me of The Shining

Anyhow, the tea, as with the first tea trip here, was very elegant, refined, and relaxing... not to mention very modern. The food was delicious as was the berry berry herbal tea I picked for my tea choice of the day. They didn't change anything in the pre-fixe menu from my visit about a month ago but they did somewhat change the seating arrangements a bit. Everything that I loved and enjoyed from my first visit did not change a bit. 

Tea time at the Claremont Hotel

A treat to start and to "cleanse the palate"

The full tea spread- tea for three

Overall, knowing what to expect this time around, it was a lovely tea and a great time spent out with friends. Also, knowing this time to be mindful of parking, I learned that after getting our parking ticket validated there's a window outside of the hotel right by the valets where you can pay. If you pay at the gate, it doesn't recognize your parking validation. Parking this time came out to half the price what we paid the first time around!

While it will probably be a long while before I come back for tea at the Claremont again, I definitely wouldn't mind doing so again in the future.

Til the next time Claremont!

Having tea at the Claremont Hotel

Outfit of the Day:

I originally had a completely different dress picked out for tea time but seeing that it was a cool overcast gray day, I decided to wear one of my cooler weather dresses. I figured it might be a while before I would be able to wear my winter wear again so I might as well take advantage of the cooler weather now. I wore my Trashy Diva Mansfield dress in Bordeaux. I recently got this dress from a swap and sell group so I was also happy to have the chance to wear this one out. I paired this with a burgundy beret I got from Forever 21 a last year, a black faux fur scarf I got from ebay also last year, and a pair of mary jane heels by Softspots which I got from Zappos several years ago.

Trashy Diva Mansfield dress in Bordeaux- Front View

Trashy Diva Mansfield dress in Bordeaux- Side View

Trashy Diva Mansfield dress in Bordeaux- Front View

Trashy Diva Mansfield dress in Bordeaux- Side View