Melissa Heckscher > Staff Writer

 If you thought you had to have a British accent and a feather boa to have a proper "afternoon tea," think again. Whether you're looking for a traditional tea-and-scones experience or simply want a quiet place to satisfy your midday appetite, the following are LA.COM's recommendations for where to have tea in the L.A. area.

RELATED: Tea etiquette

>ritzy

HOTEL BEL-AIR

>701 Stone Canyon Road, Bel Air; (310) 472-1211, www.hotelbelair.com.

You'll feel like one of the privileged folks just driving to the Hotel Bel-Air,

a little piece of paradise north of Sunset Boulevard amid a lush and quiet residential neighborhood.

The hotel has a private feeling to it - making it easy to understand why it's long been a hideaway for celebrities. Take your tea on the outdoor patio beside the hotel's pond, where a family of swans basks in the sunlight like perfectly placed props.

Hint: Don't miss the chocolate-covered strawberries (they're included with tea); they're practically apple-size and arguably the best dipped fruits in L.A.

>Teatime: Seatings between 3 and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; between 3:30 and 4 p.m. Saturday.

>Cost: $48 (includes champagne).

>traditional

TUDOR HOUSE

>1403-1409 Second St., Santa Monica; (310) 451-8470, www.thetudorhouse.com

A British flag marks the entrance to this small and simple tea house just east of the Santa Monica shoreline. Besides the traditional English tea (even the staff here is British), a small market sells myriad imported items, including jams, sauces and teatime paraphernalia.

>Cost: $15.95 per person, $34.95 for two.

>Teatime: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to  5:30 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

LADY EFFIE'S TEA PARLOR

435 E. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 749-2204, www.ladyeffiesteaparlor.com

Step inside this five-bedroom home - a hulking haven within an unspectacular neighborhood a few blocks east of the Shrine Auditorium - and you'll feel like you've stumbled into another time and place entirely.

The 100-year-old home, designated a historic landmark by the city of Los Angeles, has been passed down through generations. It's now owned by the sweet and grandmotherly Vonnie Gipson, who acquired the house when her aunt, Effie Miles (aka "Lady Effie"), died in 1993.

It's as homey as a place gets. Gipson does all the cooking while her daughter, Sonya, does the serving. Old photos hang on the walls, family heirlooms fill the floor space, and each of the dining rooms is named for a different relative.

As for the tea, Lady Effie's has one of the best selections of loose leaf teas around, with more than 50 blends Gipson mixes herself.

>Teatime: By appointment only.

>Cost: $20 (food and tea also available a la carte).

ELISE'S TEA ROOM

3924 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach; (562) 424-2134, www.elisestearoom.com.

Pink walls, gold chandeliers and delicately painted china teacups give this place a cozy, dollhouse-like ambience. Located in the heart of Long Beach, the tearoom offers daily teatimes as well as etiquette classes for kids and adults.

>Teatime: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

>Cost: Menu is a la carte (prices start at $6.95 for a scone and a pot of tea).

THE GILDED ROSE MANOR

>17114 Devonshire St., Northridge; (818) 831-0511, www.gildedrosemanor.com

"An experience in Victorian splendor" is the tagline for this quaint tearoom that looks more like a grandmother's living room than a restaurant.

The Manor offers lunch and breakfast, as well as afternoon teatime. Homemade pastries are available at the gift shop if you want to take some sweets home.

>Teatime 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; seatings at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday; seatings at noon and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

>Cost $11.95 to $26.95.

>scenic

TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF CLUB

>1 Ocean Trails Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes; (310) 303-3260, www.trumpnationallosangeles.com

If it's an ocean view you want, this is the place to be. Donald Trump's elegant and spacious dining room is perched on the Palos Verdes Peninsula like a lighthouse. Consequently, its 180-degree view of the coastline allows you to simultaneously sip your tea and watch for whales.

>Teatime: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

>Cost: $29.95 per person (includes champagne).

THE ROSE GARDEN TEA ROOM

>Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; (626) 683-8131, www.huntington.org

Stop and smell the roses. The Huntington Garden's tearoom sits in a white-columned house at the foot of its colorful three-acre rose garden. Each table gets its own pot of brewed tea and a basket of freshly baked scones, but unlike most tearooms that serve snacks on a three-tiered platter, the Rose Garden serves sandwiches, fruit and salad items via an all-you-can-eat buffet.

>Teatime: Noon to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 10:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. From May 29 through Sept. 2, the tearoom is open from 10:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Tuesday.

>Cost: $24.95; $12.49 for children 4 to 8.

Melissa Heckscher (310) 540-5511, Ext. 329; melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com