The tearoom and garden just a short stroll down the lane from the Bella at Moulin Huet is the oldest in Guernsey, dating back to 1922.  Prior to the tearoom being built, Moulin Huet had been a popular destination for informal picnics enjoyed by locals and such prestigious visitors to the island as the author Victor Hugo and impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir.  Nestled in the valley leading down from the bottom of the Water Lanes towards the beach, the tearoom still occupies its original pavilion-style building with terraced patio areas and a lawn with incredible views across over Moulin Huet to the Pea Stacks on the western tip of Jerbourg Point.  The building looks just the same as it did in postcards and photographs from the 1950s, whilst the views that it enjoys are unchanged since Renoir painted them in the summer of 1883.  Photographs and postcards have been uncovered dating back to 1912 that show people dressed in their Sunday best enjoying tea on the beach, prior to the establishment of the tearoom and gardens.

"Tea at Moulin Huet, 1912" from the collection of Mike Deane and reproduced with permission from www.deanephotos.com.

The valley and the land on either side of it that runs down to the beach, including the derelict cottage that appears in one of Renoir’s paintings and where Victor Hugo is known to have spent time with friends, is owned and looked after by the Le Page family who used to run the tearoom.  The valley sides are covered in wildflowers and hydrangeas, with hydrangeas also making up the boundary hedging of the tearoom garden.  In recent years there was a programme to clear the valley and the banks of the stream of invasive Japanese knotweed that the Bella Luce assisted with, and which we are pleased to announce has been successful in helping native flora to re-establish itself. 

Open during the summer months until October, the Moulin Huet Tearoom and Garden is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the Guernsey classic beach kiosk fare of a crab sandwich and cool drink, or a pot of tea and a cake with a dollop of Guernsey Dairy’s extra thick double cream on the side.  If you are enjoying a beach day within walking distance of the hotel and you’ve found your dream spot on the sand at Moulin Huet, then we highly recommend the tearoom – it’s a great spot anyway, but particularly if you don’t want to stray too far from the beach for lunch or refreshments!