Afternoon Tea and Dining at the Grand Hotel

We arrived on the island around 11:00 a.m., and did some sight-seeing [tomorrow's post] before checking into our room and getting ready for Afternoon Tea at 3:30 p.m.

A sign was posted in the parlor announcing it was time for Afternoon Tea [sorry for the glass glare].  A harpist played from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

The table that was bare the night before [except for the fresh floral arrangement] was now filled with champagne, sherry, and non-alcoholic sparking grape juice for Afternoon Tea.

Our servers were very attentive, but not intrusive.  Crisp white linen napkins are placed on the lap of guests by servers when dining.  We saw the man on the right in the dining room that night carrying a large tray of dishes laden with food on his head with no hands. Amazing! Several of the Grand's service staff are from Jamaica, and come to the Island every spring to work at the hotel.

The tea meal - five savories, a scone with cream and jam, a chocolate covered strawberry, and four sweets.  They were all very good.

I love the way this picture turned out.  Should I offer it to the Grand Hotel?  ;-)  The tea was English Breakfast by Harney & Sons.

Shhh... don't tell that Jerry and I temporarily removed our napkins for the photo.  ;-)

After tea we roamed around the lower level of the hotel where the gift shops are located.   The name of the hotel tea shop is Carleton's.

I try to get a teacup as a keepsake of the places I go, so Jerry bought me one from the Grand.

There used to be a room at the Grand dedicated to the movie Somewhere in Time, which was filmed there in 1979.  Now pictures and memorabilia hang just outside the Carleton Tea Shop.  The movie starred Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

For fans of the movie, the hotel has a Somewhere in Time weekend every October.  This year it's scheduled for Oct. 16-18.   There will be a screening of the film, discussion of the movie's production, and Jane Seymour will be making a special appearance.  I bought the CD in the gift shop while we were there.

At 7:30 p.m. it was time for dinner, hungry or not.  It was part of the package price.  Dining at the Grand is grand!  After 6:00 p.m. there's a dress code - coat and tie for men, and dress-up for ladies. Salle à Manger is French for Dining Room.

I passed on an appetizer, but ordered a delicious black bean soup, and steak.   The Grand kitchen staff prepares 4,000 meals a day!  For dessert I had a scoop of butter pecan ice cream, but when I go back next spring I'm definitely going to get their signature Pecan Ball. It's so popular that over 50,000 are served every season!

~ Interior of the dining room. ~

Morning rolled around quickly, and it was time to return to the dining room for breakfast [also part of the package price].  Guests had the option of ordering off the menu or choosing the buffet. Jerry and I chose the buffet.  [I still haven't had to courage to step on the scale since I've returned home!]

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end!  We took the hotel horse-drawn taxi to Shepler's dock to catch the 10:00 a.m. ferry back to Mackinaw City, but I look forward to returning next spring with several tea friends.  I'm sure they'll leave the light on for us.  ;-)

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Tomorrow's post will conclude the Mackinac Island series with some sites on the island.

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Even though I'm a day late, I'm linking to the following blogs today:

Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday

Bernideen's Tea Time Blog for Tea in the Garden
Martha's Favorites for Teacup Tuesday
A Delightsome Life for a Return to Loveliness