Afternoon Tea at the Alexander House in Mid Sussex

Just awful. Gave it a second chance. Horrible tasting chicken. From a tin? When I told the serving lady that it was horrible and I could not eat it she just asked if I wanted to take it home! The rest of the food was poor to mediocre. Very unpleasant. The chicken dish was on the bill, although it was obvious it was virtually untouched. Didn’t quibble, couldn’t wait to get out of there. Service slow.

We had a gift voucher for afternoon tea and decided that even though we only stayed here about 10 days ago, we wanted to try their Christmas themed afternoon tea. The staff were very friendly and efficient, and we were shown to a lovely table near the fireplace straight away despite being half an hour early. The room is warm and inviting with a view out onto the lawn. The menu was explained, and our order was taken quickly and delivered promptly too. The sandwiches were first rate, fresh bread with very tasty fillings and a lovely warm sausage roll. The drinks were replenished throughout our visit. The sweet treats were divine, the star being the Eggnog & Cherry Egg Custard Tart Bauble and the Chocolate and Peppermint Santas Hat, seriously, it was like Christmas in cake form, absolutely delicious! This was followed by two enormous scones each, one plain and one cherry, with oodles of clotted cream and jam, we had to take 3 home with us as by the time we got to them we were beaten. This was definitely one of the nicest afternoon teas we have had and we will definitely come again in the summer to try the non Christmas menu.

We went to celebrate two birthdays one 90 and one 80 and have great experience of afternoon over the last 25 years. Having been to Alexander House before decided to visit again. The sandwiches were excellent and enjoyed the sausage roll the scones which we always rate the afternoon tea on were very hard and mentioned this to the young lady so we left them. The cakes okay.

What a disappointment, it has changed hands and for the worse, booked for my friend’s birthday, three of us, they ballsed up the booking, then the menu was wrong, got given a few finger sandwiches, some cakes & scones, a cup of tea and cost us £125, the sandwiches were a bit of ham, a sprinkle of cheese, egg, hummus and avocado , my friend was so disappointed, our 3rd time of going, but now our last, definitely will not be going again, would rather of saved the money & gone for a Macdonalds, honestly dreadful

Had a gorgeous afternoon tea at The Links. The staff were lovely and very efficient and made us feel very welcome and comfortable. Great selection of sandwiches, cakes and desserts and plenty of tea or coffee. Would love to go back

It is very rare for me to do a review with less than 4 stars. We had lunch at the Reflections restaurant, and we were quite disappointed. The starter was fine, we ordered a cote de boeuf to share at £80 we thought it would be something special, it was very disappointing, very tough, we were given cold side plates to eat our food from! We had ask for hot dinner plates! We couldn’t believe it! We had one recently in an Angela Hartnett restaurant and it was very good. The would have been fine in a Pizza express, but not in a five star hotel. The cutlery was very basic. The menus were falling apart and with stains on them. The venue decor was bland and uninspiring. Not 5 stars in many ways. And expensive.

Beautiful crockery. Sandwiches I suspect were filled with shop bought fillings. Cakes Ok. Scones were nice, cream and jam good. Not offered any refill of drink. Thou the room that hosts the cream teas' is beautiful there was a fly problem.

A group of friends and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon high-tea in a beautiful outdoor setting. The food was plentiful, delicious, freshly made with lovely staff delivering a first class service. We look forward to returning 😊

We had a delicious afternoon tea, overlooking the delightful gardens of the Hotel. Scones in particular was yummy!

Very nice afternoon tea. Quite large, but they do provide takeaway boxes for those who cannot finish it all!

I brought my Mum and Nan here for afternoon tea in the summer. I had booked a table outside but the weather wasn't great so they moved us inside with no issue. The staff were attentive and polite, including the gentleman that greeted us at the entrance. They didn't seem to know that we had booked champagne afternoon tea but this was soon sorted and they apologised for the mix up. The staff filled up our teapots twice during our afternoon tea without being asked and where happy to meet all of our requests. The afternoon tea here is good value for money in my opinion. There was so much that we took a couple of the cakes away with us in little boxes that they provide for you.

Very poor afternoon tea, sandwiches very poor quality, there was a an inedible thing on my plate ,staff not very attentive did not ask if we would like more tea just plonked the tray of food down did not say what was in the sandwiches just had to guess ,would think twice about going back

Having moved to the area and heard wonderful things about the infamous Alexander House Hotel, we thought we’d give it a whirl for Afternoon Tea. I had booked the ‘Nyetimber Afternoon Tea Experience’ for our 12th wedding anniversary, we were served by Corina Zamfir and her trainee. It was the first time we’ve been out to eat since Covid, so we were looking forward to alone time without the little one. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to remind them which afternoon tea we’d booked, but we’d changed our mind by the time we’d got there, so it wasn’t important. We were given the basic afternoon tea which was delicious nonetheless. The room itself was nice, but lacked atmosphere- no music and there were crumbs on the floor near my seat. Overly picky, I know, but genuine feedback if the Hotel is to improve its standards. Corina was just lovely; friendly and professional and we were delighted to receive some treats to celebrate our anniversary! Such a lovely touch- thank you!! I was on my lunch break, so was very pleased about the efficiency of the service!! We really enjoyed the selection of teas, and we had done cakes leftover which Corina kindly offered to box up for us. We had a little time leftover for a little walk around the grounds and back to our day jobs! Thanks to the friendly and welcoming staff at the hotel! Keep up the good work and hope to visit again soon!!

We took our in-laws for a special treat to the Alexander for afternoon tea. It was a special offer we found online through a website so we didnt pay full price but from the delicious sandwiches through to the tea selections and cakes, even at full price we would have been happy to pay it.

everything you can imagine and so much more, beautiful building grounds, atmosphere, lots of parking.

Such a shame seeing quality dropping down so drastically within a year!! The service was ok, but again charging extra £20 while afternoon tea already comes at premium is overkill. Coffee/tea marks on menu, crumbly cold scones with strong taste of baking soda, not the freshest clotted cream... really really disappointed!!! Need a new place - any recommendations anybody?

Lovely setting. However, overpriced, not enough jam and clotted cream for the scones, pitiful number of tiny sandwiches.Would we return? Unlikely. But then we also stayed at the hotel for two nights and encountered many issues so perhaps our judgement is somewhat clouded by our wider negative experience.

I was really looking forward to this as I have had tea there before but what a disappointment it was. There were two finger sandwiches and a weird roll of slices of squashed dark and light bread (I assume but it could have been cake) sandwiched with cream cheese and thinly sliced cucumber. Frankly that was disgusting. The red velvet cake looked like they had been bought from M&S and the lemon meringue and coffee eclair both felt soggy as if they had been defrosted..the price for tea at Alexander House has gone up significantly this year and whilst I can understand that to a certain extent, it's difficult to accept when the standard was so disappointing. It didn’t fee like a special occasion at all.The venue is gorgeous and the staff were very good but the food was dreadful.

Had afternoon tea in the AG room which was quite formal compared to the lounge area and as was a Bank holiday Monday was busy. Sandwiches were nice, scones were great & cakes were ok. Service was slow but friendly.

I took my 11 year old step daughter for her first afternoon tea experience and although she thoroughly enjoyed it, I was disappointed. When we arrived there were three other tables seated, but everyone was having to whisper as the room seemed to carry sound. There was no background music which even my step daughter commented would have been nice. Forty minutes later they put on some background music finally. The sandwiches were disappointing. They were tiny. A suitable size for a small child and nothing like in the pictures I’d seen online. The red velvet cake was ice cold in the middle like it had been taken out the freezer earlier and not quite defrosted. The lemon meringue tart was over cooked as were the scones, which disintegrated when cut in half. The mini eclair and the slice were nice though. Although the staff were friendly enough, we were there a hour and a half and not once did anyone come over to ask if we wanted more water or another drink. It also took quite a while to get someone to bring the bill as half the time there was no one in sight or when there was, they didn’t look in our direction. The bathroom wasn’t sign posted well at all and out of the two soaps, one was empty, which in a COVID world just isn’t good enough. For the two of us, with no additional drinks, it cost £72 (which included a service charge), which I think for that price, the service and standard of food should have been of a much higher standard. I’ve had better value afternoon tea in London! In the past, I’ve been to quite a few afternoon teas and this was by far the most disappointing. I often book venues for a variety of work events so was using afternoon tea as an excuse to come look at the facilities. On my way to the bathroom I did walk past a few of the fine dining rooms which looked nice. However, despite it being a nice looking venue, I left disappointed and will not be considering it for anything in the future!

No acknowledgment when we arrived and booking not found. Attention to detail needs improvement. The food was very good but disappointed when I got home to find my cake that was leftover, wasn’t in the box

What a lovely hotel . Had such a nice afternoon tea . Fresh sandwiches . Nice scones . Such a great way to start the new year

Came for champagne afternoon tea with my partner, my mum and my sister, staff were professional and slick , food and drink top notch, highly recommend , will come back in the summer if not before

Simply the best .. lovely atmosphere. We were looked after and the sandwiches were delicious . Wonderful treat .

This spa hotel ticked all the boxes for a lovely Birthday treat in December. The staff are all so welcoming and have made sure that we will want to return to this excellent establishment. The log fires and cosy lounges added to the warm ambience and our Spa Suite was so nice. Food was first class and cooked to perfection.Thank you everyone who made this such a nice stay and we look forward to our next visit.

I booked a table for three, about three weeks ago, for afternoon tea. I arrived five minutes before our allotted time, and checked in at the afternoon tea desk. My friends arrived at 4 so we went back to the desk, but were told out table wasn't quite ready, but if we would wait by the fire nearby, they would get it ready for us. After we'd waited over 15 minutes, we went back and asked when we might be seated. We were told that the afternoon tea room was full. They suggested we could sit in another room, which they showed us to. This room was very dark and had one couple sat in it, who looked uncomfortable to be interrupted when we were shown in. There were no tables set for tea in this room and there was no atmosphere at all. We said we weren't happy to be seated there and asked if they could check again in the main room, which they had indicated was the room for afternoon tea. There was still no table available. We asked to speak to the manager, who suggested we could sit in the champagne bar. This was also very quiet in terms of guests, but there was quite loud music playing. This room was more pleasant than the other one we had been shown but we would still have preferred to be in the main room. The manager insisted that they used all three rooms for afternoon tea, although if this is the case, it doesn't make any sense that we were kept waiting so long for a table when we could have been taken there immediately. We were told it would be at least another half hour wait for a table in the main room, and we had timed tickets for an event later in the evening (and were very hungry by this time!) so accepted the table offered. The tea itself was very nice - there was a selection of sandwiches, cakes and pastries and warm scones served part-way through the tea (one scone was not cooked in the middle but it was very large so I was able to eat the top and bottom of it). The selection of teas was not huge but I tried the chocolate brownie tea which was very nice. My friend had to move some chairs and drag another table over so that we had enough room for the teapots, cups and plates, and they were low tables, so we ended up with our plates on our knees, but we enjoyed the food and the tea. As the table was not set for tea, there was no sugar on the table, and I had to ask for it, and my first cup of tea was rather cool by the time the sugar arrived. One member of staff noted that I had mentioned that I was getting very hungry and brought us some complimentary crisps and olives while we waited (it was around 50 minutes after our booking time when our food arrived) and other staff members were very helpful. They offered multiple refills of tea, allowing us to change our selection if we wished, and also brought extra cream and jam for the scones and also offered more scones if we wanted them. There was more than enough food and we were very full when we had finished. We had planned to have the champagne afternoon tea, and the manager gave us a full bottle of champagne to share, and also charged us for the standard tea and also applied a 50% discount to the price, so in the end it was excellent value for money, but on balance we would have rather had our table at the booked time. The manager mentioned when seating us that the afternoon tea works on a first come first served basis and also that they can't control how long people spend over their tea, although I note that their website makes it clear that you only have your table for two hours (which is plenty of time). One other point to note was that the toilets were not regularly cleaned. On one visit one toilet bowl was full and when we went back again just before we left this had still not been flushed. There was also toilet paper on the floor and in one cubicle there was a roll of paper balanced on top of another on the holder. This is not the standard you would expect from a 5 star hotel.I wouldn't recommend this afternoon tea to anyone based on this experience, but I would note that after a very shaky start, they did take steps to make our experience more pleasant with the champagne and the discount.

They offered so much to eat and drink and they did not scrimp on the sandwiches. Every sandwich and dessert was scrumptious. Five stars

I do recommend the Champagne afternoon tea, there is just enough top tie you over to diner, a good selection of pastries and a peach sorbet , along with huge scones with cream and jam

Took my wife her as a treat and it was beautiful. We had sun, amazing food, a nice drink and she really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially to get in the wife's good books.. haha.

My daughter and I visited the hotel for the weekend a birthday treat. We decided to have a champagne afternoon tea, I have had many afternoon teas and unfortunately this one did not come up to scratch.The staff in the Hotel were very pleasant, the sandwiches were to say the least nondescript, the cheap bread made the fillings wet and soggy, especially the cheese spread! the salmon pate was on hard baguette bread, nearly broke my tooth. The scones were dark brown overcooked and dry, the tiramisu looked like the one in Lidle, altogether a great disappointment would never go here again when there are much better hotels which serve a palatable afternoon tea.

lovely afternoon tea with my mum for her birthday. got a great deal online and was a little apprehensive as to what we would get but wow it was great value for money and the staff were so attentive too a great find.

Didn't enjoy this afternoon tea as we were all jammed in on little tables and turned around so fast for the next session of people. The food was good as was the scones and some sandwiches. Didn't care for the savoury slices which wasn't really afternoon tea. The jam was weird and tasted like chutney and has to argue with a waiter to get jam from the breakfast tables which is a strange set up in a 5 star hotel. It was so busy and our table the waiter had to put the water bottle on the floor next to us. Having said that the surroundings and hotel are beautiful and in a wonderful location. I would rather go somewhere else where the service was a little more elegant.

Fabulous afternoon tea, wonderful pool but awful facial and for that reason I wouldn’t return. I would live to go back for the tea as I really was amazing and although the spa is lovely my facial was hurried, un relaxing and the lady talked the who,e way through so I didn’t feel relaxed at all. The gentleman on the spa reception was fabulous with great products to buy. Worth a visit but be careful of the treatments you choose.

My daughter and I were both really looking forward to our afternoon tea in this 5 star hotel however, we were both really disappointed by what we were presented with.

We visited Alexander House Hotel for afternoon tea on the May Bank Holiday weekend. The occasion was my mother’s 70th birthday. My wife mentioned this when she made the booking and the hotel said they’d have a birthday plate ready.

My husband and i were looking forward to Afternoon tea at Alexander House Hotel on Easter Sunday, It was a very warm sunny day and the staff insisted we had to eat outside on the terrace. There was no shade,parasols or awning available so you had to try and enjoy tea in the hot sun... The waitress who seated us told us to get use to it referring to the sun!

treated my dad and mum to afternoon tea here a couple of weeks ago. We had an offer and the overall experience was lovely. I havent done afternoon tea for years but with all the lovely sandwiches and cakes and all the different teas it is a nice treat once in a while. Would definately reccommend this one especially if you can find a deal.

We had the most lovely afternoon here for our 1st wedding anniversary, thank you to Charlie for making us so welcome. The food was amazing. What a beautiful venue and lovely staff. Thank you all.

My wife, 2 daughters and I visited Alexander House today for afternoon tea to celebrate my wife's recent birthday. This was booked a little while ago and before setting off today I looked on Trip Advisor and noticed some less than complimentary reviews recently, ranging from poor service to quality of food so, with this in mind, I arrived at the hotel with some trepidation. Admittedly I'd read many excellent reviews too, but the poor ones tend to niggle in your mind.

We had received a voucher as a Xmas gift for afternoon tea and unfortunately from start to finish we were made to feel like we were on a freebie and not that someone had already paid for this experience in advance. Our only comparison is 5 star London hotels and this was a far cry from those. The sandwiches were small in number, size and content. Everything was brought out at once, so there was no sense of anticipation of something good to come. At no point were we offered any additional items of food or drink. The staff may have asked how we were once, however it felt like they were ticking a box as opposed to being truly attentive to our needs or enjoyment. It really felt mass produced on a low budget and with just some simple and inexpensive changes could be very nice.

The afternoon tea was very over priced. The scones were hard the sandwiches were ok but very boring and the cakes weren't anything special. The staff seemed unorganized and were slow to respond to requests. I think the language barrier was an obstacle . I would not visit again.

My Mum and I regularly go out for afternoon tea.We have previously try Alexander house before but this time it felt a bit lacklustre and not up to the usual standard for the price.My Mum made the booking and had requested that we did not have smoked salmon sandwiches and even confirmed it when our waiter who took our tea order. But low and behold what appeared, smoked salmon.The sandwich appeared a bit squashed but to be fair the cakes and scones were nice. The room we had afternoon tea in lacked atmosphere too. Disappointing afternoon tea. But on a positive note I do need to mention the young bellboy who kindly helped my Mum in as she has walking difficulties. He couldn't do enough for us but unfortunately I can't remember his name but thank you anyway.

Scones were lovely and warm and fresh. sandwiches were delicate and tasty. little extra's like open salmon on crouton and mini pizza with sundried tomato. the cakes were so perfect and a nice variety. the lemon poset in a tiny jar was to die for.

My girlfriends and I visited here in September as a late birthday surprise for afternoon tea. It was absolutely delicious, lots of choice and so filling!! The staff were lovely and the hotel really nice inside. The sandwiches were filled to the brim with different fillings and the cakes very fresh. The scones were big and filled me up on their own! I didn’t think I would have room for it all but I did manage to eat it all

I visited Alexander House for an Afternoon Tea with 3 friends on 15th September. We were celebrating mine and a friends Birthday and we advised Alexander House of this. Upon arrival we were asked if we were celebrating a birthday and we replied “yes” whilst laden with birthday cards and gift bags. The lady on the table next to us received chocolate covered strawberries with a Happy Birthday sign in chocolate - we received NOTHING!!!!! Not even a complimentary glass of Prosecco or a birthday wish. Really disappointed as we had told them twice it was for two birthdays. Left there feeling really let down. Will NOT be recommending.

My mother, sister and I attended the restaurant for afternoon tea, which at £30 each (exc the service charge) was a steep price for what can only be described as 'cheap food'.

We had a lovely afternoon tea with champagne at Alexander House to celebrate my 30th Birthday with my friends. The weather was perfect and we sat outside. The drinks, the afternoon tea selection with sandwiches, scones and cakes was superb. The staff were on point, friendly, offered incredible service and made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. In particular would like to say a big thank you to Dora who served us. She was very friendly, polite and gave amazing customer service - she attended to our needs and made sure we had a lovely time. Thank you for making the afternoon tea experience special.

Wunderschönes Hotel in einer herrlichen Landschaft. Der hervorragend gepflegte Park lädt zu einer Wanderung ein. Auf keinen Fall sollte man den High Tea verpassen. Bei diesem Afternoon Tea kann man erlesene Köstlichkeiten genießen. Sandwiches, Scones mit Clotted Devon Cream und Marmelade sowie tolle Petit Four. Unser guter Geist war Corina, die uns auch den besten White Tea zubereitete, den wir jemals getrunken haben

This review is based solely on the afternoon tea. It. Was. Horrendous.

Wonderful afternoon in beautiful grounds. Great service from every member of staff and the food was excellent

Quite upset to find after paying a very hefty service change (you'll find no mention of it when you book) that this doesn't go to the staff.

Sandwiches, cakes and scones all very good although the jam and cream for the scones was insufficient for the 3 of us. The tea was most disappointing part. Tea bags! No hot water, no sugar and the choice of teas very poor. The first pot of tea was tepid and horribly stewed. Staff were very helpful when we asked for more but that was it - you had to ask for more when previously this was unheard of! Such a shame.

Treated my friend to afternoon tea and a spa day which we thoroughly enjoyed. The sandwiches tend to be my favourite so they were a little bit of a let down as the bread was a little hard as if it had gone stale. But over all the experience was lovely and I would go back and recommend.

The panacotta was sublime and my favourite item on the afternoon tea. Selection of different cakes and excellent scones although no butter provided ( I don’t like clotted cream and would normally just have butter and jam) and not enough jam but the scones did stand up on their own.

My son treated myself and my daughter and his future wife to afternoon tea. Just before their wedding there last May it was beautiful, a real treat. And we were treated so well. Food was lovely and all in beautiful setting

Been here numerous times and only once been disappointed. When brought to their attention it was quickly rectified.

Now admittedly we only stopped here for some afternoon tea, we sat in The Champagne bar next to a beautiful log burner with festive decorations all round. Very nice. Afternoon tea ordered - simple!! No cookies. No milk. No sugar. No spoons. We had to keep chasing. If you can’t get an afternoon tea order right I hate to think what dinner service is like.

Beautiful old house especially at Christmas. Attentive staff. Good food and drink. The afternoon tea is excellent sitting by the open log fire.

The hotel is characterful but the cream tea was below average. Sandwiches boring and tasteless, cakes tasted bought in and when we asked for fresh tea we were served from a large silver server not individual tea pots. An expensive and disappointing experience and we won’t be going again.

Arrived for a three day break and booked for afternoon tea on first afternoon. Served in relaxing lounge and service friendly and efficient. Selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes were good. Only downside was the limited selection of teas. Should be much more. Expected greater...

Had a great selection of sandwiches and cakes on the platter - true English afternoon tea Attention to detail was still lacking - see other reviews from me But a pleasant afternoon

This is the first time i have ever written a review on tripadvisor and feel that our review is necessary. On the 4th August 2017 i took my wife for afternoon tea at Alexandra House as a birthday surpirise. I booked online and all was well.

Service was shocking and I have complained to the hotel, giving them 24 hours to respond, which they have failed to do. They also failed to allow me to speak to a manager on the day, making me wait outside of a closed door, until I gave up and left. We were seated in an empty, dark room and basically ignored for the majority of the time we were there. The staff started to clear the other laid tables almost as soon as we arrived. Two other tables were later occupied, but the atmosphere was awful, with piped 'bar' music. We were not given the option of coffee which we later found out was available. We would have liked more jam, but no-one was in the room to serve us. I had huge tea leaves in my tea pot alongside the bags, but no strainer, so I assume they were left from a previous customer. I had to go to find someone to get my bill, at the same time another customer from the room went to find someone to give them sugar. I have eaten at this hotel on many previous occasions, but the service at this afternoon tea was awful and the way I have been ignored subsequently says it all really - they don't care. This was for my father's 85th birthday, well done for spoiling what should have been a lovely afternoon for him.

Meal was brilliant with a wide variety of cakes, sandwhiches and tea. Brilliant service and lovely dining area.

Poorly received at reception. Afternoon tea served pretty quickly.Food was laid out well on the serving tray.The Breakfast tea was like dishwater, too much water not enough tea.The tea pot dribbled. Food was good except the cream/jam was in limited supply, ie not enough for 4 scones.No one approached us during our tea to ask if every thing was ok.

Amazing afternoon tea. The scones were warm and delicious. The profiterole gorgeous and not had one like this before. The lemon meringue pie was out of this work. I tried the rhubarb and custard tea, oh my goodness, it was amazing. Thank you

British afternoon tea in high class establishments seems now to be the same everywhere, This is no exception, I have eaten better [and worse] On concern was their reluctance to keep us topped up with sandwiches!? Top price paid for just a usual afternoon tea!

Five friends got together for a birthday afternoon tea treat. We were met at the entrance by the concierge who was very friendly and jolly. Our table was fine but the seats were so deep, they could do with some cushions to help prop you up. The waiting staff did their job but no one person stood out for going above and beyond their duties. The tea itself was very poor considering the £29.50 price tag !!! The sandwiches were fine but didn't leave you feeling they were so scrummy that you wanted more. The other savouries were quite tasty. Everyone had a fruit scone and a plain scone each but there were only two v small dishes of jam and the same with cream. Being mindful that these had to be shared with everyone I put such a thin scraping of each on my scones which just didn't make them enjoyable at all, far too much cake and not enough topping. The waiter did come up after we had nearly finished them and offered more jam and cream but by then it was too late because we had all eaten at least one scone in such a way that a scone is not supposed to be eaten. It should have been made clear at the very offset that there was plenty more jam and cream available but really everyone should have had a dish of cream and a dish of jam each. You need to realise that some people are too shy to ask even if it has been offered. The cakes felt like someone was trying too hard! Elder flower profiteroles were weird, Panacotte with very strong basil on top which made the whole thing taste of basil. Chocolate and raspberry cake was ok not special and the lemon meringue was tasty. All in all very disappointing. The grounds were beautiful and we did enjoy a drink in the garden as it was such a beautiful day, before we went home.

Staff are really friendly and helpful and the food is always excellent. The only down side is that if you have the afternoon tea you'll wish you had booked to stay the night and take in the spa treatments and pool.

Enjoyed a very tasty and well presented afternoon tea at the end of our spa day. Will certainly come again.

This was our second visit to Alexander House for afternoon tea, and neither occasion has disappointed. This time we were celebrating my Mother in laws 90th Birthday and from the time that we arrived to the time that we left we were made to feel very special and important by all the friendly and attentive staff that looked after us. The tea sandwiches and cakes were all first class and it was just a nice experience sitting back and enjoying it all in such elegant and comfortable surroundings. Thank-you Alexander House hope to return soon.

Spent a lovely afternoon in one of the gorgeous dinning rooms with a friend having afternoon tea, gorgeous as always!! Food was delicious and the selection of gluten free foods was also fantastic! My only little weeny nig is that we were charged £20 for 2 glasses of bubbles! I don't usually drink bubbles so for me this was a little pricey! But never the less was a enjoyable experience all round! Definitely would return!

We used a Groupon voucher for an afternoon tea with fizz here and it was such a great treat. The cakes and scones were gorgeous and its probably the best afternoon tea i've had! And I've had alot! The setting adds greatly to this as the room in which we had out tea was so luxurious.

I came with my wife and 2 children for Mothers Day at this hotel and it was the worst experience we have encountered. I spoke to the manager on the day (multiple times) and he just said email in !! We arrived at 1:50pm for our Afternoon Tea at 14.00, only to be told that it was at 15:00 and there was no seating at 14:00. I was told on the telephone when I booked 14:00 and even showed my confirmation email showing our time of 14:00. After many apologies we were given complimentary drinks and nibbles in the champagne bar, yet we were all very hungry, especially the children, while we waited an hour. At 15:00, we made our way back to the front entrance of the hotel to find a member of staff to seat us. I had specifically requested on the phone and been told we would be seated in the room next to the Reception. However, a lady took us to a table in a small room near the back of the hotel with no atmosphere and uncomfortable looking chairs. My wife and I, then had to find the manager to explain the situation and after around 15 minutes of back and forth from the hotel staff and management, they told us we could sit in the room we had been promised. It was lovely and after nearly 1 and a half hours of waiting since we first arrived we were seated and hungry. Our champagne arrived but it wasn't for another 25 minutes that our tea order and drinks for the children was taken. Soon, the room was filling up and it seemed the waitresses couldn't cope. By 16:00, the tea arrived. But the teapot of water wasn't working as the tea leaves inside were too big, meaning the tea spilt over the table. I also asked for some sugar which took 25 minutes to arrive. I was given another pot, but was given the wrong tea. I must have asked the staff at least 4-5 times about needing the new and correct tea before it arrived. We were starting to realise what a disappointment this Mother's Day had become. This was meant to be a real treat for my wife, and mother of my children, as she had undergone surgery 5 weeks prior. At 16:15, there was still no sign of the afternoon tea and ourselves and other guests were becoming very irritable. After getting up and down trying to find someone, our afternoon tea arrived at 16:30, but this was only to given more disappointments. A full 1 and hour hours since the seating and 2 and a half hours since we arrived. Our tea was cold and our champagne flat. So we had to request more of each. We had asked for some chicken sandwiches for my daughter as she has some dietary requirements, yet all but 3 sandwiches were chicken! We only asked for the supplement for my daughter. Myself, wife and son had only a regular sandwich each and then just chicken. But it was dry and plain as there was no mayonnaise nor butter in the sandwich, just the chicken and bread. My wife's new tea pot, again was faulty and we were just met by apologies after apologies by the staff. And one member of staff claiming he didn't work in this department! But by then our afternoon tea was ruined. The fish paste was warm and off putting and the scones must have been laying about for a while as they were hard. We heard a couple behind us complain that one of the cakes looked like it had gone off and tasted of rotten eggs, which we were completely put off by and didn't want to eat ours. I feel disgraced that I have spent money on this absolute shambolic disaster we experienced. . For a hotel, like yours, I would expect the kitchen to be able to cope and the event to be run smoothly but from start to finish it was unpleasant. I am sure our complaint will not be the first, nor last. After emailing the hotel the next day, we were offered half our money back which was an insult! we reluctantly excepted. We really expected a descent apology and a phone call from the manager but they really didn't care!! Absolutely awful customer care!! We certainly won't be returning ! There are many 5 star hotels around with better service and care in my opinion

Spent a lovely afternoon here with friends enjoying a sumptuous afternoon tea in a very tastefully furnished and decorated drawing room, with lovely large crystal chandeliers. We had a good selection of sandwiches with very flavoursome fillings. Plain and sultana scones with clotted cream and jam were on the next layer and finally some very tasty cakes which were both light and very tasty. There is an extensive menu of teas to choose from to accompany the lovely food, also champagne. We didn't feel rushed and in fact stayed for a full two and a half hours. I look forward to returning.

We are at Alexander House for Afternoon Tea, we arrived for our table in the drawing room booked for 3pm for 6 of us, we are sat in a sterile private room at 4.45pm still with no afternoon tea, words really can't express how poor this place is, and as I walk around there are multiple pockets of people complaining! There are so many complaints I can't work out who actually has been served!Fawlty Towers is the Savoy to this place

Was treated to afternoon tea ...well what can I say.... excellent ... service staff exceptional .......venue amazing.... would highly recommend cream tea was delicious.... the building itself is very tastefully done and the gardens are immaculacy keep I would love to go back and stay and use all the facilities

I visited Alexander House for afternoon tea for my Mother's birthday. The hotel and grounds are beautiful and the staff are extremely attentive. I requested a seat next a fire and that is exactly what we got. The afternoon tea had a good selection of sweet and savouries and there was a good selection of tea and coffees. I will certainly be returning to Alexander House in the near future and recommending to friends and family. The only minor negative was when I pulled up to the entrance to drop off my Mother and partner, I then had to drive back out to the carpark to park my car and walk back in; a valet service would have made the experience and this is something that I have experienced at similar hotels in the area.

Our daughter took me and my wife for a sumptuous afternoon tea for my wife's birthday.The surroundings are comfortable and traditional. The staff were well-trained and attentive and made us very welcome.Our champagne tea was delicious. Special thanks to our lovely waitress Dora for the birthday plate she made up for Philippa.A memorable afternoon was rounded off by a walk through the garden in the welcome spring sunshine.

My mother and I enjoyed our afternoon here at Alexandra house all thanks to a thoughtful gift voucher I was given.The building itself is beautiful and i can understand why this is a very popular venue.The tea room is very opulent and makes you feel a bit special which was lovely...my mother and I rarely get a chance to get together so this was nice setting away from it all to catch up.The selection of food was great but we had to take some home with us it all got a bit to much for us...we may of loved the scones too much and dived into them very quickly.My mothers not a tea drinker but that was no issue as she got her favourite cappuccino instead and the tea I had was very tasty.This was a lovely afternoon and I couldn't really fault it...

Beautiful hotel set in gorgeous grounds. We had afternoon tea for 6 of us in front of a roaring fire, comfy seats and a relaxed atmosphere. Good variety of sandwiches, fruit and plain scones, lemon tart, rhubarb bun etc. Great choice of black and fruit teas. Great service, would recommend for a treat

Excellent choice, always ask if anyone has allergies which are then catered for, the cakes and scones always well prepared and selection is fabulous, ideal,afternoon out in peaceful beautiful surroundings and a total joy.

Had a brilliant afternoon, enjoying the champagne afternoon tea in the lovely drawing room. Enjoyed a glass of bubbly at the Champagne Bar first followed by a sumptious afternoon tea. All really fresh and tasty and beautifully presented. Staff were very welcoming and efficient, nothing too much trouble. Would definitely recommend this afternoon tea!

excellent service, surroundings and value for money. gorgeous spa, fantastic food, had dinner and breakfast. would highly recommend.

My partner booked Afternoon Tea at Alexander House on Saturday 7th Jan for my birthday, unfortunately this was not the pleasurable experience that it should have been. When we arrived we were shown to a table in the doorway of the Tea room, I asked the waitress if we could sit in the empty table by the window as I didn’t particularly want to sit in the door way. I was told that we could not sit there as it was a table for three people and there was only two of us. After some discussion she agreed to ask if the table could be changed, she returned 5 minutes later and agreed to let us move tables. We sat at our table to review the menu and later ordered our Tea. Around 10 minutes later the Tea and selection of afternoon tea arrived and the waitress went to leave without explaining to us what was on the tiers, we asked her to explain and it was as if it was an inconvenience, she swiftly left before we had chance to ask any questions. Disappointment again when the selection was not to our taste, this is always a risk with Afternoon tea as I appreciate you cannot always please everyone. We decided to make the best of a somewhat disappointing situation and to try the savory options and just ask for the Pistachio pastry to be change for an alternative. We waited a couple of minutes but there were no staff around to ask so my partner went out to the reception area to ask for the change in pastry, again the attitude from the staff was not polite and was very much an inconvenience that we had asked to change something. The waitress came to the table and asked what we wanted instead, I asked what the options were and was told what eve is on the plate. I pointed to the table behind and said something like that would be good, as they had a different selection of cake and pastries. The waitress returned with two additional Rhubarb and custard puffs, we already had these on our plate so was a little annoyed that we hadn’t been given another option like the ladies behind. Now I am sure will agree that this is not the sort of service you would expect to receive in a 5* hotel. Throughout the time in the tea room there was little staff presence making it rather difficult to get more tea, milk or anything really. When we asked for more tea, #If you are looking for a Luxury Afternoon Tea I suggest South Lodge, Lower Beeding.

Recently stayed here for the 3rd time. We had an lacto free afternoon tea which they were happy too make. It's was 1st class the hotel it's self is a really lovely old building and the staff are absolutely first rate polite and friendly. Yes there are the odd spot were it needs a little tlc but it looked like this was being addressed on our last visit. The room are some of the cleanest well decorated we have stayed in far better than any Hilton. I would definitely recommend it if only for the food and experience....

A magical Christmas Eve tea party The house was beautifully decorated for Christmas complete with Christmas trees. We had a table right by the beautiful fireplace in the elegant lounge. The tea was wonderful and the waiter in the champagne bar was excellent.

Was taken here for a birthday gift from my daughter - afternoon tea with a glass of fizz. The selection of sandwiches and cakes was enormous with every bite being thoroughly enjoyed and the tea being refreshed at regular intervals - a lovely treat.

Booked afternoon tea for Birthday treat on 3rd December. Arrived on time but had to wait to be seated . They found a table in little room by fire with only half the fire alight . Ordered a glass of champagne and then the tea and sandwiches arrived at the same time !!! It would be nice to have a chance to enjoy champagne not only that the sandwiches had been left out and bread all dry on outside of cheese and pickle. Told waitress who went off then came back and took sandwiches to show chief before eventually bringing back 3 cheese and pickle sandwiches without any apologies.We then had to go and get our own bill and coats and not one reference made to BIrthday that I did mention on booking.For a 5 star hotel I think the who experience was very disappointing and very expensive.

Booked high tea for my Mother in Law who turned 65 and always wanted to go to High Tea. Unfortunately, made to sit in pokey corner and stare at Ikea frames. Table very small, could not fit tea for 2 let alone 4. Service painstakingly slow. Young girl with large hoover walking up and down slamming door next to us followed by staff carrying chairs around. Very strange especially at 5pm on a Friday. Was going to book spa and staff lunch here but definitely won't return here.

Visited the Alexander House recently for my mum in laws birthday, we decided to come for afternoon tea we were not disappointed!Good selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones on offer all freshly made on the day, nice little variety of cakes and scones with yummy local cream and jam!Nice selection of teas on offer, champagne also available - would recommend this!Very polite and friendly staff who couldn't do enough for us, my only little moan was the fact they added a £20 service charge onto the bill...Apart from this I would highly recommend the afternoon tea for a special occasion or date with the girls.

Had afternoon tea here for my partners daughters birthday. Lovely place and tea was fab.recommend it.

Excellent quality and fantastic service and reasonably priced for a 5 star hotel. The hotel and grounds are wonderful

The afternoon was a present from my daughter and it was lovely, Service was good, the food was lovely. I cannot fault itt

We were here recently with friends for afternoon tea. Luckily we were placed in a room with a lovely view over the gardens rather than a one without!A fairly traditional tea with the usual scones sandwiches and cakes although to be fair they also catered for a gluten free version and a diabetic cake selection so well done here! Sandwiches were rather bland best is the poached salmon open sandwich.A nice tea although not particularly cheap however a lovely hotel and setting so that was nice.

Afternoon tea here for a birthday celebration. Placed into the library which was cramped and had no views whatsoever. Staff tended to disappear so the service was very patchy. Quality of the drinks was average and the food was alright but considering the location very under whelming. Only one choice of jam and everything was mini sized. We went to the H10 hotel in Waterloo last weekend also for afternoon tea which was much cheaper (£20 a head as compared to £35 a head here) and everything was much better. I did not like being stick away in a room without any views. Finally the hotel decided that all patrons should enjoy their choice of jazz music. Not everyone enjoys that blaring in your ear when trying to relax. Big pity that we could not be in a room with a view.Staff were very unimpressed; service was average. Nice to come here but never again.

Six ladies in a private room for a cream tea with the bride to be - we could not have had a better time. Our waiter was perfectly attentive, our food was delicious and we all had a good time.

Myself and three friends treat ourselves to an afternoon tea treat once a year, this is the first time we have been to Alexander House, and unfortunately, we were very disappointed! The sandwiches were tasteless, and apart from the scones...that were tasty..especially with the jam and cream...we felt the cakes were pretty poor, soggy battenburg doesn't really appeal!It really was not good value for the money...and will not be back!

Afternoon tea on the lawn with all the trimmings and excellent service ,it was expensive, but enjoyed every bit ,worth every penny as a treat once !

Lovely setting as it was such a lovely day, we decided to sit outside. We started with a glass of champagne & then was given the menu to choose from a good selection of teas. The afternoon tea arrived a seperate plan was brought out with a selection of vegetarian finger sandwiches & a filo slice. Great selection of scones & cakes. All very delicious, we couldn't eat all the cakes & scones, so the waitress took them to box them up. Well worth a visit.