Afternoon Tea



Sniffing was encouraged

Our first stay at the 111-year-old Moana Hotel would not be complete without afternoon tea. It's so very proper and civilized....and in keeping with the spirit of the Moana's first owner, Englishman Walter Chamberlain Peacock.

Afternoon tea isn't rushed. It should be savored with companions who are willing to silence their cellphones and who don't mind practicing the dying art of conversation.

Tea at the Moana is not conducive to haste. First the waiter served the soup of the day---it was pumpkin bisque---and asked us for our tea selection.

Pumpkin bisque

The tea was served loose in individual pots filled with boiling water; leaves were screened by strainers that are designed to fit over the cups. The waiter brought out plates of finger sandwiches, followed by a tower of desserts. Though we hadn't eaten lunch none of us could finish it all. Our guests were not too proud to ask for a take-out container. The leavings made an excellent snack the next day, they said.


Finger sandwiches

Afternoon tea at the Moana seems indulgent, but at $34 per person it's not outrageously so.

For a couple of hours, sitting in the shade of the veranda a few feet from the historic banyan, the white sands, and the breaking waves, one can imagine oneself to be a turn of the century gentleman, partaking of a little reminder of the England he left behind.



Leave low-carb diets at the door.