If your ideal weekend afternoon involves a grooming session to go with your snacks, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi’s afternoon tea may be up your street.
The afternoon tea has the typical tea and coffee package, as well as the option to upgrade to three hours of free-flowing sparkling, but it stands out because you can also pick a package with a manicure and pedicure.
Don’t be concerned about getting crumbs in your freshly applied nail varnish because the tea and tips are separate activities.
Whether it’s just the afternoon tea or part of the package, head to the Lobby Lounge in the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi. The bright, high-ceilinged area has rich Middle Eastern décor and tables indoors and outdoors, which look out onto the Khor Al Maqta and the gorgeous views of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, for which the Shangri-La is well known.
Unlike a number of hotels in the emirate, Shangri-La doesn’t offer a locally themed tea. Instead, the plush hotel changes its afternoon tea menu every couple of months to suit seasons and events. So, you could find yourself with a Valentine’s Day afternoon tea, a pink-themed tea or a festive one.
Constantly switching up the menu encourages guests to return, and likely keeps the chef’s creativity on point, but frequently changing the afternoon tea means there isn’t a tried-and-a-true signature. During our visit, there are a few more experimental dishes we wouldn’t miss in the next edition, but then there are others we’d like to see again. (Can we put a request to the chef?)
There is choice aplenty on the food front, whereas drinks are limited to classic coffees and teas, with a handful of signatures of the latter.
The savoury portions of the afternoon tea are larger than classic finger sandwiches, while scones are smaller than those you might find at other Abu Dhabi afternoon teas, but the good news is you’ll get more of them, and there’s ample clotted cream and jams to slather on the warm scones.
Service is friendly and staff let you know how long it takes for the tea to be prepared and explain everything, then they mostly leave you be until you indicate it’s time to be on your way – possibly to a mani-pedi or a stop at the Souk Qaryat Al Beri next door.
Just make sure you get one more photo from the balcony before you head out. You definitely don’t want to be doing that with wet nails later.
Dhs110 (tea and coffee), Dhs175 (manicure and pedicure), Dhs195 (free-flowing sparkling, three-hours). Daily 2pm-6pm. Licensed. Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi, Al Maqta, shangri-la.com/abudhabi (02 509 8513).
