I love high quality products/experiences that fall under a Walmart price range. Unfortunately, the rest of the word is still convinced that one should pay top dollar for quality products. So, from where do I get my inspiration to live lavishly but within my budget? Through my guilty pleasure of watching reality tv of course! After getting inspired by a scene from one of the many shows I watch, I went on the hunt for a spot that not only matched my desires but also  fit within my budget. Of course the fitting into my price range didn’t always work out so I bit the bullet at times, but whatever. Here we go!

High tea. I attended an all girls catholic high school, and vaguely remember having a high tea experience prior to graduating. Then, several years later, I watched the Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP). On RHOP the ladies went to have high tea at the Willard Intercontinental in Washington D.C. The event looked fabulous, so my friends and I decided we’d go have high tea at the Willard too! Let me tell you, the finger sandwiches and pastries are AMAAAAZING! We were not disappointed. The price tag  for this tea experience is around $50.

Enter the high tea experience at the Henley Park Hotel. My mom and I were at home, bored, and wanted something to do. I suggested we go enjoy a high tea experience somewhere. Unfortunately, the Willard was booked. Then I remembered a college friend who told me she went with her work to high tea at the Henley Park Hotel in DC. The maximum price for tea was $35, but honestly the sandwiches and pastries weren’t that great. I did love our server though, but I was there for the tea so on to the next one!

The third location where I’ve had high tea was Lady Camellia’s in Georgetown. My friends and I had just returned from a two week trip in Uganda, and we wanted to still hang out with each other before we started back up at our respective jobs. Lady Camellia’s was a cute spot. The space itself was small. However, you have tea options for DAYS! The teas on the menu were arranged from the most caffeinated to the least caffeinated. The maximum you’ll pay for tea here as of July 2018 is $32 for the full tea experience. The food is delectable, and the decor I appreciated.

So where in the world will Celeste Kahuno go next for her high tea experience? Well, the Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental came highly recommended. But, as usual I’ll be the judge of that when the time comes. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted!

IMG_0436

The place setting at Lady Camellia’s in Georgetown.

About the author

Kind of Kenyan holds: a B.A. in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture from the University of Maryland at College Park, an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Lesley University, and an M.Ed in Education of Students with Moderate Disabilities from Lesley University. When Kind of Kenyan is not in the classroom she enjoys reading (roughly a book a week), learning languages (French and Arabic), sipping afternoon tea, traveling, and getting in touch with her Kenyan heritage. Her pronouns are she/her/hers and she is fluent in Spanish. She manages the personal blog musingsofamillennial.blog and is working on her eponymous blog kindofkenyan.com set to launch on December 12, 2020.