An early Thanksgiving gathering with extended family put me
in the Christmas mood and I found myself singing carols in mid-November.
With that came a hankering to watch the BBC version of Pride
and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. I’m not sure why Christmas
makes me think of Jane Austen, but it does. And one place that comes to mind
when that happens is The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.
I know it was built 200 years after Austen wrote and it probably isn’t historically accurate to the
time period, but I love the old-world luxury, crown molding, wallpaper and chintz
fabrics, and sweeping staircases and balconies that make up the Fairmont.
I particularly love The Georgian Restaurant in the hotel. It
has enormously tall ceilings and large paned windows, and it is painted a
creamy yellow that makes it cheery. Ornate chandeliers, along with detailed
molding, elegant furnishings and white tablecloths complete the picture for an ideal
setting in which to have formal tea, and December is the best month to enjoy
it.
I say that because the Fairmont goes all out for Christmas,
and I love that. Entering the downstairs lobby, you step into a holiday scene
of Santa in red long johns “checking his list” in preparation for his Christmas
Eve ride. At the top of the escalator you enter the grand lobby, decked with
garlands and an enormous, real Christmas tree in the middle of the floor, covered
with oversized ornaments and lights.
Each day at noon during December, a different group sings carols
at the Fairmont. The day my friend Nancy and I went for tea the group was from
Stadium High School in Tacoma and they were fabulous. The girls wore sparkly
red dresses with matching shoes and the guys had on gray suits with matching
red ties.
One of the hotel’s traditions is its gingerbread sculpture. This year it is a model of the
Seattle waterfront, complete with Ferris wheel. It is quite amazing and worth the trip
downtown to see. And, if you have kids – or even if you don’t – you have to see the
other fun tradition: The Teddy Bear Suite.
We were delighted with all of this, but our real reason for
going to the Fairmont was for tea. We were seated in the Georgian Restaurant
and brought fresh fruit and pots of tea with a silver serving set for cream and
sugar. Then a three-tiered plate rack was placed on our table, holding crab,
egg salad, and shrimp sandwiches; berry scones – the kind that have a layer of
crisp you bite through on the way to the melt-in-your-mouth center; and
desserts – a chocolate cookie covered with powdered sugar, a marzipan Christmas
tree shaped bar, a lemon tart with meringue, and stollen.
Tea always looks so dainty, but it is really a substantial
amount of food. It’s hard to say which bite was my favorite – the tart was lemony
strong and tangy; the scone was one delish – and I smothered it with Devonshire
cream and homemade raspberry jam – yum!; and the marzipan was satisfying. It
was all festive and I would return for another taste without hesitation. But,
really, it is the entire experience that makes a visit to the Fairmont so
delightful – especially for tea, and especially during the holidays.
All photos by Elizabeth Griffin.
Full disclosure: Elizabeth and her guest were hosted by The Fairmont Olympic Hotel.