The Lounge in County Durham

At £28 per person from one of the top hotels in the North East I was expecting a lot better, 4 small finger sandwiches each, 4 scones and small cakes. Not a lot of effort and no selection of desserts cakes and pastries as advertised. I had a flat white which was cold so asked for another and received a cold cappuccino! We had been gifted afternoon tea for 2 as a birthday gift (£56) and so I emailed the hotel to ask if I brought my niece and nephew would I have to buy another two teas and was told no. We were seated and I gave my gift voucher to the staff explained it was two teas. Embarrassingly we were charged £56 for an additional two teas. Also £11 for a glass of wine!! Not recommended at all. Very disappointing.

Had afternoon tea here on the day we arrived. Nice compact little bites, but had to ask our server what was what. Not what I would expect from a 5 star hotel (small moan, I know). All very tasty and all tasted even better with a bottle of Tattinger rosé (much recommended). Good wine choice from the bar, but was really surprised to hear that the staff on duty (I know there was reduced staffing) hadn't heard of a common cocktail, didn't know how to make it and didn't offer to try when a guest asked about it. But there is a good choice of wine, champagne and spirits in the small bar which we enjoyed each night.

Booked here as treat as visiting family nearby. Enjoyed afternoon tea in a variety of places and Seaham hall is lovely and feels luxurious. Menu explained to us and we decided on £24 afternoon tea. Everything was fresh and tasted ok. Frustrating was the fact we had to ask for used cups, tea pots and dishes to be taken off table and each time we wanted a refill we had to stop a passing waitperson and ask. Service was professional just not attentive. Food was good but not great.

Worst place we have ever been for afternoon tea and worst service I think we've ever received. We were given a voucher for Christmas for afternoon tea. We booked for 2pm, arrived 10 minutes early. But we were taken straight to our table. Our drink order was taken and we waited for our food to arrive. We waited and we waited. Another group of 3 arrived, they were brought their food shortly after being seated. Another couple came in and again their food arrived soon after. We had finished our drinks by 2.20. A waitress asked another couple if they were okay for drinks, but still no sign of our food or another drink. We were still waiting at 2.40, 50 minutes after being seated. I was about to go and see what was happening when they arrived with our food. By this point we'd already decided we weren't staying, because of how ridiculous it was. We explained that we'd been waiting for too long and would just like it boxed up to go. I explained that two other groups of people that arrived after us were already nearly finished. We got a rather miffed, insincere apology. We then waited another 15 minutes for our food to come back. I've worked in many hotels, restaurants and pubs and it's never taken 50 minutes to get food out to someone. Definitely won't be back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. If I could leave no stars I would.

My husband and I visited their restaurant on valentines day. The servings were absolutely tiny, extremely overpriced and I found the Shepherd's pie to be so salty I had to send it back. The message from the chef was simply "That's how it should be"! I also asked for an extra piece of toast and we discovered that the half slice which was delivered cost us an additional £8 on the bill. Very unhappy and will never return. I can't speak as to the quality of the hotel facilities. J. Blyth.

I loved sitting in here with a cocktail or a coffee. The staff are so attentive and it is so relaxing. We also took a coffee out on to the terrace, I could have sat there all day!

Beautiful place, great atmosphere, friendly staff. Service was excellent too. Afternoon tea was nice but spoilt a little bit due to the sandwiches. Sandwiches were chilled which subdued the taste of the filling. We were the first customers that afternoon so maybe if we’d booked half an hour later they would have been better. Two types of scones - both excellent. Served with lemon curd, strawberry jam and clotted cream. Then 4 cakes which again were excellent. I would go back but I wouldn’t book an early AT.

Booked for afternoon tea with friends costing £96 for the four of us on booking we were shown to a lovely room with garden views and advised that would be where we had tea, however when we arrived we were shown to a small room seated right at the back by a door leading to the reception very draughty and not what we were advised, afternoon tea consisted of 3 small sandwiches which were nicely arranged 2 fresh scones and an assortment of cakes again nice enough, choice of lager very limited and very expensive, service very good however a lad that seated us said anything you want just ask when we asked for more coffee advised to ask the lass that was bringing sandwiches, would we go back maybe not the cost doesn’t justify what we get.

Had afternoon tea here recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Lounge has an appropriate ambience for this while being a bit modern in its décor.

We had a lovely afternoon tea in the lounge. She quality was superb and the atmosphere perfect. The range of teas available was super, a definite must.

Part of an excellent weekend at Seaham Hall a high standard and great service. Menu had good choice and waiting time was minimal.

We went to Seaham Hall for afternoon tea and left very disappointed . Both the service and the quality of the food was poor. There was not enough staff on so I found myself having to go looking for staff members when we required more tea/ coffee. The quality and variety of the food was poor in comparison to other establishments in the area. I had to go and ask for a box to take home the cakes that were not eaten and a very nice lady came and handed me a box and said ' there you go ' Needless to say we wont be returning .

My daughter took me for afternoon tea as a treat and I must say, a treat it was. We were quickly shown to our table by a charming member of staff and almost immediately, we were greeted by our waitress for the afternoon, She was delightful to say the least. Charming, friendly and obviously, her task for that day was to ensure our visit was a memorable one for all the right reasons. Our drinks order was taken and a pot of steaming hot tea and another of coffee soon followed. The waitress returned with our afternoon tea (on a proper stand) and she described in detail the delights on the stand. All I will say is, it was superb! We all have different tastes and I won't bore you with a long description of each mouthful but you must go and try it for yourself. It was a great way to spend a few hours chatting with my daughter in beautiful surroundings with exquisite food and fantastic service. Looking forward to staying at the hotel very soon and trying out the amazing Spa!

I attended with a party of 5 this weekend. We had afternoon tea in one of the restaurants. The staff didn't know which room we were in to start off with and had to walk round every room to check instead of having a list at reception. We weren't impressed with the layout of the afternoon tea, it didn't come on a stand. We were presented with a small plate of sandwiches then a plate with scones on. (The cream and jam was warm on the table when we arrived) The cakes came after this on another plate. It was nice and the scones were lovely but we expected it to be presented better.

Called in on a whim. This hotel is lovely and it's a touch of class on our doorstep. We were made very welcome, the staff were very attentive and service was superb. The surroundings were very comfy and cosy.

The food was fantastic I was There for breakfast and afternoon tea also dinner the service was 10 out of 10 and more

I had tea in the luxurious lounge with its velvet sofas and stylish mirrors and beautiful accessories.The service was impeccable and the food was delicious.I enjoyed a relaxing experience with constant Earl Grey tea,delicate sandwiches,fresh scones,loads of clotted cream and jam and several mouthwatering picture perfect cakes.All this and Champagne!! Wow, heaven.

After a brisk walk along the sea front building up our appetite we headed for the warmth of Seaham Hall. It's a beautiful looking hotel which was decked out in its Christmas finery.

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for the fantastic hospitality you showed to us on Saturday. We brought my grandmother for afternoon tea to celebrate her 88th birthday and we could not have been happier with the setting, food and service (special thanks to Eva). The private room was an unexpected treat and was especially appreciated by our two young daughters, as was the hot chocolate Eva supplied!

My daughter and fiance booked Afternoon Tea at Seaham Hall for my birthday. It is a beautiful place. The Hall and gardens are wonderful. We were looked after by Youseff who was amazing. He showed us into a lovely relaxing room and talked us through the menu. Afternoon Tea was beautifully served and was gorgeous. We all agreed the scones were the best we'd ever had!! A very relaxing experience, made special by Youseff. Before we left, we were taken on a look round the Hall. One room was ready for a Christmas Party and looked amazing. Will definitely return. The staff are so friendly and helpful.

We went to Seaham Hall for our anniversary. The service was spectacular. The staff were very professional and made us feel very welcome. Thank you so much for making our day so special. An extra thanks to Dawn for being so polite. Can't wait to visit again soon.