My sister and I started a Christmas tradition a few years ago of taking our daughters (ages 6 and 7) to afternoon tea. This year we decided to try Low Tea at the Schuster Mansion. I truly wish I had read the reviews beforehand, because we would not have booked — and after our visit, I now understand why so many others had similar experiences. I noticed from those reviews, the owner seems to respond by gaslighting those who gave negative reviews- very unprofessional behavior. But here’s our story anyways.
From the moment we walked in, the tone was unwelcoming. The owner immediately made it clear that children were not really wanted there, repeatedly saying that “this is for adults” and that the girls would need to “act like adults.” She even told them they should feel lucky to be allowed there at all. When my daughter simply looked at a bowl of candy near the entrance, she was sharply told that the candy was only for adults. Expecting young children not to even look at candy felt unreasonable and unnecessarily harsh. Absurd.
We were told to wander while our coats were taken, but when we did exactly that, we were abruptly scolded and made to feel like we were doing something wrong. At that point, we honestly should have left.
When we were seated, the tablecloth was still dirty and there were crumbs left behind. The owner continued to lecture us about how the space was meant for adults, insisting tea was meant for ages 8+. That directly contradicts their own website, which states that tea is appropriate for ages 5 and up. The atmosphere became so uncomfortable that my sister even asked the owner whether it would be better if we left.
The tea service itself was disappointing. The tea was lukewarm at best even after being told that we had to wait while the tea was being warmed. We were never told what the desserts were, and we were not offered water refills. While seated, I also overheard the owner speaking negatively to other guests about a previous guest she had from England, which added to the uncomfortable feeling. The area near our table was dusty and clearly hadn’t been cleaned in some time.
We left as soon as we could — and it felt like the owner was eager for us to go as well. The bright spot of the afternoon was a kind guest who came over specifically to tell us how polite and well-behaved our girls were. Afterward, we took the girls to Colectivo for hot chocolate, which they enjoyed far more. They even said they felt happy to finally be somewhere they could just be kids again.
Overall, we felt like an inconvenience rather than paying guests. The tone from the owner was condescending and unfriendly, especially toward children, which made the entire experience stressful instead of special. We will not return and unfortunately cannot recommend Schuster Mansion to others.
