Of Tea & Chatter
How a good, old afternoon tea at the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa is an easy way to revitalise.
Fruit flans and fine bone china, wood-smoked cheddar-filled sandwiches and Choux pastry with cream. For centuries the preserve of the rich (mainly because tea leaves were expensive and the working classes rarely had time to sit down for a two-hour affair half-way through the day), afternoon tea is to this very day an elaborate ritual.
But invited to afternoon tea at Orange Grove Brasserie within the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa in Attard, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to just chill. And over a myriad of savoury and sweet delicacies – and many a glass of Prosecco and cups of coffee (ironically, we didn’t actually have any tea) – we literally whiled away a whole afternoon, and we felt all the better for it!
As Elizabeth in Eat, Pray, Love rightfully pointed out, the Italians have a knack for the dolce far niente (translation: sweet doing nothing), and that’s what afternoon tea is all about, particularly if like us you’re lucky enough to be taken under the wing of the superb hosts, Charlotte and Raymond, who made sure everything ran smoothly and the Prosecco never ceased.
The Corinthia, for all its calibre and high-ranking amongst Malta’s most elite of hotels, truly has a knack for making people feel at ease and able to relax. And what better place to do it than in a shrine to classical architecture built in a mix of Regency and Art Deco styles? None, I say, none!
So my final verdict? Afternoon tea at the Corinthia is a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours in style and comfort. The finger food is delicious and the assortment means that there’s something for everyone’s taste. The service is flawless and tailor-made to its customers’ needs. A truly pleasant experience at a fabulously lavish hotel. Five stars indeed!
- Left to Right: Lorraine Dunnett, Becky Micallef
IggyFenech.com along with Anna Marie Galea, Mark Josef Rapa and Rebecca Micallef, would like to thank Keith Mifsud and Lorraine Dunnett from the Corinthia Palace for extending a welcoming hand and showing us a great time. (We’d also like to nominate the wonderful Charlotte for a promotion.)
The Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa is a five-star luxury hotel located at De Paule Avenue, San Anton, BZN 9023. You can keep yourself updated by following them on Facebook or by contacting them on +356 2144 0301 or at sananton.palace@corinthia.com