High tea at the Palace of The Lost City 

Sun City is in North West Province, South Africa. I first went there when I was 7 years old with my parents and older sister. Since then I have been back several times with friends and family and each visit has been unique – it never gets old! This time, I was there to celebrate my friend’s birthday. First, we enjoyed swimming and sliding at the Valley of Waves. However, what made this trip special was indulging in high tea at the five-star Palace of the Lost City Hotel.

Everyday from 15:00 until 17:30 high tea is served in Crystal Court of the Palace. This is a buffet of savoury and sweet delicate treats accompanied with a wide selection of teas and enjoyed in a grand African palace setting. The architecture of the Palace was inspired by the idea of a lost African kingdom. Dining in this setting of high, painted ceilings and detailed, African decoration makes you feel like royalty.

You will find a booklet titled “The Story of Tea,” placed at your table. This is a menu of the teas served. The list ranges from green tea, blue tea, rooibos tea, chocolate tea, chai tea and many more – most I had not heard of before. It’s quite a vast list so you are spoilt for choice. If you are unsure about which tea to try, the staff are happy to recommend. Fortunately, you can try as many teas as you wish. We each ordered a different tea and tasted each other’s then ordered another batch and so on. We were the first ones in and last ones out as we tried to taste as many of the teas as we could.

Although savoury foods were also available, I enjoyed the desserts most because I have quite a sweet tooth. Each dessert is presented so beautifully and the flavours range from light and fruity to rich and chocolatey. It was an opportunity to enjoy an abundance of 5 star desserts more affordably. I loved it!