The Terra Nova was always one of those institutional paradoxes that, though located along one of Kingston’s busiest thoroughfares, feels completely removed from the pulsing urgency of an urban environment. It’s a leisurely stroll (or ride) along a perfectly manicured lawn before one reaches its main foyer. The soft lights shimmering from the crystal chandeliers and the handsome orchids placed about add to the effect of being a world away.

High tea is served on the terrace, starting at 3:30 every Thursday afternoon. The terrace, with its lovely cinched curtains and old-estate charm, offers calming vistas of the surrounding landscape. The trickle of a nearby stream and the trickling sound of the piano keys combine to enchant the senses. The notes are contemporary (Billy Joel at one point) but they’re delicately struck. The overall effect is pleasantly soothing, which is the exact mood the Terra Nova hopes to inspire.

“It’s a real delicate, relaxed English setting,” says Arlene Wynter, banqueting and sales manager at the Terra Nova Hotel. “It’s comforting; people love it. It’s so relaxing they don’t want to leave.”

This idea of comfort is also reflected in the food. One won’t find here samples of exotic cuisines from faraway lands or wildly experimental fusions. Certainly, there are nods to the tropics — the fruity lychee cake, scrumptious ackee pockets and the delightfully rambunctious Rum ‘n’ Raisin log — but the selection is largely familiar: thumbnail cookies and cherry cheesecake; delicate cucumber sandwiches and scrumptious petits fours, and, for the palates that require something more filling, smoked marlin, satay chicken and chicken salads.

The tradition and comfort is seem to draw patrons here.

“It’s my escape from the challenges of everyday life,” says Safiya Chisholm, owner of popular pastry restaurant Pastry Passions and a frequent guest of High Tea at Terra Nova. “And the staff — they’re excellent. They know what I want before I even order” (As if on cue, a server brings her a glass of Chardonnay, which, she says, she hadn’t yet requested).

The servers, trays at the ready, are attentive but not officious. They come when called and are politely helpful. Which is handy, since there are many types of tea to choose from, over twenty, in fact. So what will it be: Loose leaf or tea bags? Ginger? Chai? Jasmine? Chamomile citrus? Or Ceylon orange pekoe? How about Earl Grey? (A crowd favourite).

Guests make their selections and the white-gloved servers pour hot water from finely polished silver, gliding away as imperceptibly as they came.

Watching the tea pour freely and listening to the trickling symphony of the nearby fountain, one can hardly imagine that, just beyond the property’s lawns and canopy of trees, a congestion of cars are blasting their horns all along Waterloo Road.