Maxine W
Google
Oh my, where do I start?! This was my second visit to the Sandringham Estate and most special. As a treat we booked the Exclusive Access Tour which included a beautiful afternoon tea.
We arrived on a day in August which turned out to be very damp when we arrived. We were advised to arrive ahead of our afternoon tea which commenced at 15.00 to give ourselves plenty of time to visit the church and gift shop.
The gift shop had so much wonderful merchandise and the visit to the quaint church was a delight. To image the Royals worshipping there at Christmas felt surreal.
Just before 15.00 we made our way over to the restaurant next to the gift shop and cafe and were warmly greeted by staff and shown to our table. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and spacious with plenty of room between tables too.
Afternoon Tea arrived with glasses of Prosecco or apple juice as an alternative. Tea was served on the most beautiful china and looked absolutely stunning. It all tasted as good as it looked! We enjoyed every bite! Leftovers were kindly placed in boxes for us to take away (or put away in the car since we were heading to tour the gardens and house next!). However, just as we were finishing tea the heavens opened with a long lasting downpour. It was torrential. So much so, the tour manager had to confer with the estate manager to discuss what to do.
All I can say is they pulled out all the stops to make our exclusive tours top class exclusive indeed!! I won’t go into details but all I will say is that they had to get special permission to give us a very different twist to our tour! Wow, wow, wow! Thank you Bob!!!
The changes which the King has made to the front lawn is just amazing. I could not believe my eyes as it was literally just a lawn previously and now it is bursting with flowers and a maze!! I wonder what The late Queen would have made of it?!
The house is so charming, so many treasures for the eyes to take in. It was so lovely to be part of a much smaller group after the estate is closed to the public, to be taken around by the dedicated tours guides to hear all the lovely stories about the house and our beloved Royal Family.
Honestly, we had the most wonderful afternoon and evening that I’d do it all again and again!