The Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina was established in 1848, which also happens to be the year in which Switzerland ratified its constitution, the so-called Bundesverfassung.
The train journey from Scuol to Pontresina takes roughly one hour and is a pleasant enough ride through some spectacular countryside.
The reservation for afternoon tea is not until 16h00, which gives me enough time to make a detour to St. Moritz, Lake Silvaplana, and Sils Maria.
The Venue
The afternoon tea at the Kronenhof needs to be ordered and reserved in advance. It is served in the main lobby on the ground floor. The lobby has huge bay windows overlooking the village and the valley.
It’s a lovely old building that has clearly been kept in top condition. The lobby looks as though it was only recently refurbished.
Our reserved table is set for two and is simply, but nicely decorated with a small candle and some flowers.
The Service
The lobby is deserted when we first arrive. Later on, a few more guests arrive, but not to the point that one could say it’s crowded.
The waiter takes us to our table, which is located in a corner of the lobby and has a lovely view. Rather unceremoniously, he asks us what we would like to drink, without even showing us the menu. But it makes no real difference anyway, as I only ever drink Earl Grey with afternoon tea. Just as he returns a short while later with the tea, the pianist arrives to entertain us. What I particularly like, is that the waiter brings a small ramekin to deposit the tea sieve to prevent the tea from going bitter.
Two Three-Tier Afternoon Teas
There are two options for the afternoon tea. The first option, pictured below, is the Engadin style afternoon tea. Instead of finger sandwiches, the savouries are served with dark bread typical of the area.
On the mid-tier, there is a small piece of delectable and sticky sweet Engadiner Nusstorte as well as a little mini Rüeblitorte, or carrot cake.
The scones are made with poppyseed and pumpkin seeds and are very good. They are served with strawberry preserves.
The traditional afternoon tea (below) is made with the traditional finger sandwiches for the savouries on the bottom tier.
The sweets on the second tier have quite a few items with chocolate, including a little chocolate cake, and a crème brûlé. The scones are both with raisins.
Conclusion
I just love a good afternoon tea, and this one was rather nice, I’d say. The ambience in the foyer of the elegant Kronenhof was great, and it certainly helped that the place was not overly busy. The service was sincere and cordial, albeit the waiters were obviously quite clueless about what an afternoon tea is and how it is served. For example, by the time the food arrived, what was left of the Earl Grey was already starting to cool down and there were no offers to replenish the teapot. Nonetheless, this was a nice experience and a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.