Last week, my friend Dottie and I got together at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, NC to catch up and have some afternoon tea! = )
The entire experience was plotted secretly by my husband who bless his heart knows me better than myself. A cryptic message a few days prior asked that Dottie and I keep one of the upcoming afternoons open. On said day, he emailed us the address just an hour before we were due to be at this mystery place. It was all so much fun and of course a good lesson in patience too.
I checked in a few minutes early and was asked to wait in a very quaint lobby with a harpist playing some really lovely music. When Dottie got there shortly after, we were moved to the reserved corner with a great view of the garden and very plush seating. We quickly picked our tea of choice which was accompanied by a predetermined menu of finger sandwiches, pastries, and desserts. Dottie is on a gluten-free diet and they had already made accommodations for that.
Everything was so delicious. [The only thing I wish was different was the tea pots. They were glass and didn’t really keep the tea hot for too long]. Not only that, I loved being in a corner and having our personal space to catch up on everything. Dottie and I met in Chicago and have known each other before we became mothers so needless to say, it was just like old times [although we couldn’t help but talk about our perfect kids too ;)].
As always I wish I had taken more pictures. I really got so engrossed in the conversation that I completely forgot to take pictures of the two courses prior to the dessert one pictured above. This just means I will have to go back, right?
All in all, we spent three hours drinking our tea and honestly could have been there for three more. I am so lucky to have a husband like Devang (who also did this for me) and a friend like Dottie.
The Umstead Hotel and Spa – 100 Woodland Pond Dr, Cary, NC 27513
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