I recently had the pleasure of reviewing the afternoon tea that is available at the Tudor Park Marriott Country Club near Bearsted.

To be perfectly honest I did have a pre conception of what a Marriott hotel would offer as there is one local to me in Bexleyheath, which seems business orientated and built for that purpose in that particular are. However, at the Tudor Park I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. The entrance alone did not look like a standard hotel front and was very welcoming.

This particular hotel and country club has a comforting feel to it even though the reception is open, spacious, minimalist and bright. It has several different bar areas, a swimming pool, a spa, a golf shop ( with golf professionals on hand for lessons) and an 18 hole golf course. Amazingly, you do feel like you are deep in the countryside even though in reality you are literally just off the M20.

We had our afternoon tea in the Zest bar overlooking the golf course and the beautiful wildlife pond.We were very lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful sunny day and we sat at the window with the door open enjoying the sunshine and the breeze while we scoffed.

The food itself was beautiful with smoked salmon, cooked ham or cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwiches, home made scones with clotted cream and preserves, and a great selection of fabulous bite sized cakes. It is very reasonably priced from £15 per person which I think you will agree is very competitive. They also offer several specially themed ones throughout the year, for example, a strawberry one in the summer and a chocolate one later in the year. They also pride themselves on using and promoting local produce, so in strawberry season they would use local producers, local jams, they have used local apple produce when in season for the restaurant and functions. There is amazing fruit, veg, meats and cheeses all available locally in Kent so I do think it’s a great way for the hotel to put something back to the area.

We never felt rushed throughout the tea, where approached a couple of times to check if everything was OK and also if we needed more tea ( where they replenished the tea and the cups just in case you were changing the flavour of your tea), but we didn’t feel as though we were being ‘watched’ if you like- it was a very relaxing area to enjoy an afternoon tea.

We tried our best but we just couldn’t finish the little cakes that were on offer ( although we gave it a good go!) so our leftovers where wrapped up to take home which was great as our teens got to scoff the rest after their dinner.

The cakes ranged from brownies , mini cheesecakes,  banoffee pies to a mini trifle, so if you are watching your calories this is definitely not for you. However, as most people do not eat these every day then it truly is a treat to splash out an treat yourself.

It was well presented in the tradition ‘afternoon tea’ manner on a 3 tiered tray with teas separately. I think it would have been nice for something to ‘set’ the table off from all the others when having this, for example, a nice checked or vintage floral style tablecloth and napkins which I believe the staff are in talks with management about this and I think it certainly would add that certain something to the whole experience. Apart from that I found it difficult to find fault at all.

A few things that I think are bonuses from a client point of view is the excellent free WIFI available all around the premises. There is a ‘Guest’ option with gives free 24 hr use without a log in which as a blogger is something we all appreciate. Also, most of you will know I use a walking stick most days and therefore I was very quick to spot the wheelchair lift inside the reception, something that was blended into the surroundings but clearly visible  for those of use who don’t want to have to ask all the time. I also noticed another inside the Mezzanine Bar which could allow easy access to the upper level of the bar.

The hotels restaurant is also in keeping with the comforting decor and is listed in the Kent’s Food and Drink’s magazine for official guides to eating out in Kent.

The Hotel is hosting a Murder Mystery Gala Dinner on Friday 25th September, with a drink on arrival, a 3 course meal with tea and coffee for £38 and obviously then you have the option to stay over and enjoy either golf or the spa!

For more details visit the website

DISCLAIMER: I was offered the afternoon free of charge for review purposes only all my views are based on how I found my particular visit.