The Imperial Hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel on The Spit in the northern Gold Coast of Queensland.

In the hotel’s beautiful lobby they offer a Couture High Tea, which I sampled recently with my 9 year old daughter.

Here’s my full review of the Imperial Hotel high tea.

The Imperial Hotel

The Imperial Hotel, formerly known as the Palazzo Versace, is a grand 5 star luxury hotel on the Gold Coast.

It’s a beautiful place to stay, as we found out when we recently had a 3 night mini-break here. You can read the full hotel review here.

The Setting

The high tea is served in the beautiful Le Jardin lobby of the hotel, full of marble floors and glass chandeliers. With floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pool, it’s a lovely spot to spend a relaxed afternoon.

The Menu

As well as the full high tea on the menu, Le Jardin also offers “tea sets” where you can choose just the scones, or just the sweets, or just the savouries. This is a nice touch, especially if you are with a group where not everyone wants to partake in the full high tea.

We had the adults Couture High Tea and the kids Little Royal High Tea.

I’m lucky enough to have been to some great high teas all around the world. Have a look at my full collection of reviews here.

The Tea

The tea selection was fairly limited, but they did have Earl Grey and Darjeeling.

For the kids they could choose juice, soft drinks or hot chocolate. It would have been even better to have a fruity tea option for those kids who like the full high tea experience without the caffeine kick.

The Savouries

On the adults high tea I had an egg sandwich, a bug brioche, a turkey, brie and cranberry sandwich and a smoked salmon cone. I was pleased to see actual sandwiches on an Australian high tea menu, including some classics. My favourite was the turkey, brie and cranberry which was delicious.

For the kids there was a ham and cheese toastie, a tuna mayo brioche and an egg slider. Rose’s favourite was actually the smoked salmon cone from my high tea. Don’t worry, I traded for the tuna mayo brioche.

As a British afternoon tea purist it was brilliant to see an egg sandwich and a tuna mayo sandwich on an Australian high tea menu!

As an afternoon tea purist, you don’t get much better than afternoon tea at The Ritz – read my full review here.

The Scones

We each got two scones – an Earl Grey and sultana, and a white chocolate and treacle. They were excellent, although they did taste very similar. The scones were served with amazingly tasty preserves and very thick cream. It wasn’t clotted cream, but it’s the closest we’ve come to it outside of England!

The Sweet Treats

The cakes were very attractive, with exquisite detail and patisserie-style presentation. On the adults high tea the sweet treats included a cheesecake, opera cake and a choux bun, and the kids also had a mini strawberry ice cream cone and a cookie sandwich.

On the adults high tea my favourite was the pistachio opera cake and the honey and caramel cake, which was presented as a beautifully glossy orange globe.

On the kids high tea, how could you resist the layered chocolate cake with bright pink fairy floss on top? The mini ice cream cone also went down a treat.

Your kids might like a themed high tea – this is the best one we have been to in Brisbane.

Imperial Hotel High Tea Final Thoughts

The Imperial Hotel is a luxury 5 star hotel on the Gold Coast and offers an elevated high tea to match its beautiful setting.

Everything was very well presented, the food quality was excellent, the setting was beautiful, and the high tea mixed some classics with some modern flourishes.

This is the best high tea I’ve had in Australia.

Where shall I have high tea next? Let me know in the comments!

Good To Know

High tea in Le Jardin is served from 11am – 4.30pm daily, bookings are not required.

The adults Couture High Tea is $69 for the basic high tea. You can add champagne or a cocktail if you wish.

The kids Little Royal High Tea is $30.

What Else To Do In The Area

The Imperial Hotel is located on The Spit in the northern Gold Coast.

To make a day of it, why not head to one of the theme parks on the Gold Coast. Sea World is right next door to the Imperial, read my full guide here. For the best theme park ticket prices or combination attraction passes you’ll want to have a look on Get Your Guide.

Where To Stay

If you’d like to stay in the Imperial Hotel you’ll find the best rates here.

For other hotels on the Gold Coast have a look here.