One lump or two?

26 November, Friday afternoon; Cape Town, South Africa. On our Australian trip, we had high tea one afternoon at our hotel and I was hooked, even though I’m not really a tea drinker. There is something so civilized about sitting down and taking a break from the day with tea, finger sandwiches, scones and cakes. We went searching for a hotel that served afternoon tea. Overwhelmingly, we were directed to Mount Nelson Hotel for their famous Afternoon Tea. Apparently, one simply must have tea at the Mount Nelson. I disagree. It was just OK. The grounds were manicured and the hotel was beautifully decorated. It was lovely to sit outside on the patio and enjoy tea. Service was abysmal. The tea we both chose was delightful. The food was hit or miss. The egg salad sandwiches were AMAZING, and I’ve never enjoyed an egg salad sandwich in my life. The scones were yummy and the cakes were so-so. In all, an enjoyable afternoon, but I wouldn’t visit again. Next time we’ll try another hotel for afternoon tea. I know….I’m such a food snob. I blame all of the wonderful restaurants in San Francisco for setting my standards very high. At least I’m not a tea snob as well. Except that I am becoming a spa snob. Ben would have told you this ages ago; I’m hesitant to admit it. We, I mean I, booked a spa/tea package. Two sixty minute massages and Afternoon Tea for less than $150. What a steal! Ben’s not big on spa stuff, but I think he was looking forward to it after all of our walking around Cape Town. I feel bad for the guy to have to navigate these spas, which often don’t have much of a focus on the men’s areas and don’t provide the right amount of guidance to newbies. It seems that they require you to wear your underwear during your massage and they didn’t make this very clear. I definitely notice when spa staff are helpful enough and have a genuine concern that you relax and not worry about how/when/where to do stuff. The massages were OK. Here’s where the snob comes in. Keep in mind that the day before I’d had a massage at the One and Only Hotel, which is a 5* hotel with an appropriately appointed spa and I had one of the best massages ever. For starters, the lockers were not all appointed correctly. Ben didn’t get a robe and didn’t know what to do. We were given 1 towel only. I’m all about conserving water and in my hotel room, I reuse my towels. Not in the spa. I don’t want to reuse my towel that many times before/after/between the shower, steam and sauna. Gross. Plus I need something to squeeze the water out of my swimsuit that you made me wear despite the fact that it’s actually MORE hygienic to have folks NOT use swimsuits and to give them towels to sit on. However, I shouldn’t be so picky. There WAS a sauna, steam room and small pool in the ladies locker room. Oh, I love that! I guess the other part that I should have anticipated was that I just don’t feel that 60 minutes is long enough for a full body massage. This is the part where I finally admit that I’m a full-fledged spa snob.


Quite an entrance

Yummy snacks.	Mmm…tea.

Scones, jam and clotted cream	Ben’s fav’s – egg salad sandwich and eclairs.