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Photo: Afternoon tea at Tracycakes Bakery Cafe. Source: Tracycakes via Facebook.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13, 2012 which is really just a few days away. If you’re anything like me, you might be wondering what you’re going to do to celebrate (without copying whatever it was you did last year). So why not take your Mom out for an afternoon tea? Whether you do it on Mother’s Day or get her a gift certificate to do it at a later date, you’ve got more than a few places to choose from in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region. Here’s just a sampling!

Tracycakes Bakery Cafe – White Rock

Here’s an idea for Mother’s Day. Surprise mom with a drive out to the seaside community of White Rock for the afternoon. Meander along the pier and stroll up and down Marine Drive, and then pop into Tracycakes Bakery Cafe for some High Tea. Their High Tea includes specialty loose leaf teas, finger sandwiches, Devonshire cream, jam, baby cake cupcakes and “dainty rounds” (which is, well, I’m not entirely sure, but I’m sure that it must be delicious!). They also have locations in Abbotsford and Fort Langley. Visit their website for more info.

Adorabelle Tea Room – Steveston

In a similar fashion, you could take mom out to Steveston for the afternoon, browsing through the boutiques and admiring the fishing boats. If you haven’t visited Steveston in a few years, it’s actually changed quite a bit. The Adorabelle Tea Room is one of those changes, being the new kid on the block in this historic fishing village. Adorabelle Tea Room offers a one-hour tea service four times a day with menus tailored to both adults ($23) and children ($16). Afternoon tea includes sandwiches, fresh baked scones with sweetened cream and strawberry preserves, house-made petite sweets plus an individual pot of tea per person. Visit their website for more info.

Rowena’s Inn on the River – Harrison Mills

If mom ever wanted to see Harrison Hot Springs, take her for a scenic drive along Hwy 7, stopping off in the community of Harrison Mills. It’s here where you can treat mom to an Afternoon Tea at Rowena’s Inn on the River, a short distance from Harrison Hot Springs. This daily tea service is $19.95 per person and it’s served in the Drawing Room of a beautiful English-style manor on their secluded 160-acre waterfront estate. This daily tea service includes scones with Devonshire cream and strawberry preserve, a variety of tea sandwiches (curry chicken, cucumber and butter, smoked salmon and cream cheese) as well as a sampling of cakes and pastries. Visit their website for more info.

Little White House & Co. – Fort Langley

Maybe your mom has a thing for French style? If so, delight her with a visit to The Little White House & Co. This is a charmingly sophisticated Parisien-inspired boutique located in a beautiful heritage house at the heart of Fort Langley. Not only do they have beautiful merchandise for sale, they’re also hosting a Mother’s Day High Tea for $18 per person in their Salon Café. This special Mother’s Day Tea includes pink champagne punch and pink sweet petits. Visit their website for more info.

Truffles Café - Gibsons

Surprisingly, many people who live in the Lower Mainland have never been to the Sunshine Coast, despite it being only a 40 minute ferry ride away from Horseshoe Bay (and a spectacular one at that!). If you or your mom have never ventured to the other side of Howe Sound, use Afternoon Tea at Truffles Café in Gibsons as your excuse. Vancouver-based blog Wise Monkeys wrote a review about their experience having afternoon tea there last year where they dined on smoked turkey, roast beef and onion, and sandwiches cucumber; cheese and crackers, rugelach, scones, lemon-poppyseed tea bread, blueberry tarts, merengues and a selection of teas served up in an old English “Betty” teapot. They say it’s a steal of a deal, but reservations are recommended. Read their story and check out their photos here. And seriously consider making this a Mother’s Day outing to remember.

The Shangri-La Hotel – Vancouver

Maybe your mom likes to live it up a little, and really, who doesn’t? If your mom enjoys the hustle and bustle of a city centre, take her shopping (perhaps along Alberni, Robson & Burrard?) and then take her out for an Afternoon Tea at the Xi Shi Lounge at the Shangri-La Hotel. Their afternoon tea is served daily (until June 30, 2012) and includes a variety of savoury snacks, sweet treats, and exotic loose leaf teas. Visit their website for full details.

Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont

The Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria may be the most famous place in BC (if not all of Canada) for a traditional afternoon tea, but did you know that the other Fairmont hotels in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region host traditional afternoon teas as well? All feature signature Fairmont teas, a variety of sandwiches, pastries, and scones, and are without a doubt elegant experiences unique to their properties. There’s the Fairmont Vancouver Airport which does an Afternoon Tea as you watch the planes take off. If you’re doing a trip to Whistler, why not go for at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler? And in downtown Vancouver, the Fairmont Pacific Rim does a unique take on afternoon tea in their Lobby Lounge by serving both classic and sushi-style sandwiches. Of course, there’s also the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for an “Afternoon Tea at the Castle” – a nod to their castle-like architecture; the perfect place to dote on mom.