i do exactly the same, granola yogurth and fruits I find at the local market or supermarket. the one thing I only bring with me is rice cakes cause they are nice as a snack or for breakfast when decent bread isn't available!

I agree this is a huge problem - my work trips are interstate in Australia and you can't take food between states unless it is packaged but the supermarket is an important stop and the hotels charge like wounded bulls (which even when work picks up the bill seems immoral)

I like buying a packet of english muffins, little tins of baked beans and little tubs of fruit in juice - I try and stay in a served apartment rather than a hotel so I have a kitchenette with a toaster and microwave rather than soggy overpriced breakfast that has been sitting around in the bain marie

Oh, you are so right! I find hotel breakfasts to be such a depressing start to the day.

In European hotels, whether Spain or Slovakia, I find always the same spread of salami and cheese (for breakfast?) alongside giant bowls of fruit cocktail.

I get the yogurt, some powdery muesli, and pay €14 for the privilege.

Blecchh.

I improvise the way you do, bringing homemade granola. If by chance I land in a hotel without minibar or ice machine (like last week) I might venture out for breakfast, but there's nothing like those quiet moments in the morning with comfort food that I know will fuel my morning.

I am sure you would love travelling through brazil then. even the most simple hostel serves lots of fresh fruit and all sort of cake, bread, homemade corn or maniok treats, cheese, ham, egg etc. boa viagem!

I completely feel your pain. I take breakfast *very* seriously, and I am consistently disappointed by hotel breakfasts and their exorbitant prices. That said, when I was recently in Asia, breakfast was included in all the hotel fares and the breakfasts offered some tasty options: fresh plain yogurt, granola, breads, porridge, fruit, etc, on top of some Asian dishes. But when that is not the case, I usually pick up food at a local shop and stash it in my mini fridge. For me, skipping breakfast is *not* an option, so I do what I can!

I firmly believe breakfast is the most personal of meals. Unless you are prepared to be flexible, breakfast elsewhere other than in your own home is likely to be a challenge; and who is really flexible when they first get up? Myself, I have no problem eating unusual food for lunch or dinner, but when it comes to breakfast, I long to be coddled not challenged.

I completely agree on the poor state of hotel breakfasts. Moreover, in addition to the poor quality and high prices, I find I don't feel well after eating a typical hotel breakfast (too rich, too much processed food, etc). When we travel, my wife and I try to find a grocery store, but failing that, even drugstores in Canada and the US will have some food items (cereal, milk, raisins or other dried fruit). Organic peanut butter is one item we try to pack with us to supplement whatever else we can find. I find that I feel so much better by avoiding the breakfast buffet. If I have to eat at the hotel, I try to find the plain oatmeal and order a bowl of fruit. Although the pricing for those items is outrageous, at least I feel reasonably healthy (other than the sharp pain in my wallet). Interestingly, it seems that the problem may be primarily an issue in the "western" world. I recently came back from a trip to Oman where the hotel breakfast buffet (included with my stay) featured absolutely delicious vegetarian Indian food in addition to the eggs, sausage, etc. (Oman has a very large Indian ex-pat population). Similarly, in Vietnam, I enjoyed delicious pho at a couple of different hotels (in Vietnam, pho is viewed as a breakfast food).

I always get really excited about hotel breakfasts, thinking "ok, this is your chance for a good, fatty breakfast" as a change from my normal fruit and oatmeal. But it's always disappointing - the eggs are rubbery, the bacon like plastic, the pancakes too sweet - and I end up wishing I'd stuck with my oatmeal.

In the US, hotel breakfasts are painfully overpriced, and even in the best places are often of mediocre quality. As someone who travels frequently but rarely has time to luxuriate in my robe and slippers in the morning, my solution is to find a good cheap breakfast place near the hotel. In major cities like NY, Chicago, or SF, there is always a good Mom and Pop diner close at hand. In the worst instances I'll grab coffee and a bagel or pastry from a street vendor (in NYC the food from the carts is actually pretty good). Also in NYC, the coffee from the carts is just fine and spares me the tedium of Starbucks.

Zone bars and tea bags.

I buy yogurt too. Also,I usually buy some oats that can be microwaved in the room and a box of healthy cereal like Kashi. I keep a few bananas, some dried fruit and nuts on hand too. You can make a filling, high fiber breakfast with these few ingredients; I know cause I do it all the time. Thanks for a great topic, Clotilde!

I always pack breakfast food whenever I travel, both for price and taste reasons. It all goes back to the overpriced soggy spaghetti I had several years ago delivered to my room compliments of the hotel restaurant...(This is what I spent ___ on?!?! I could have bought postcards and eaten them for that price! And probably would have tasted better)

Protein bars are definitely a staple, along with nuts. Also, individual cartons of soy milk and powdered breakfast shakes do well too.

Or, if I can get away with it, sleep in late and when I wake up it will be time for lunch somewhere in the town!

My strategy is generally not to eat hotel breakfasts at all (unless they're included), but to find a decent cafe or bakery near the hotel instead. (I'm also a big advocate of keeping a stash of fruit.) That said, I have had a few truly memorable breakfasts in my travels (if you ever have occasion to visit Edinburgh, stay at the Walton Hotel - the breakfast there is so good that my mother and I stayed there twice solely based on that!) but 'a few' is definitely the key phrase.

May your book tour be as devoid of depressing hotel breakfasts as is humanly possible!

The only good hotel breakfasts I have had were at the two 4* hotels my husband & I stayed in on our honeymoon in Italy - both had good coffee (as if you'd expect anything else in Italy), masses of fresh fruit, and good selections of yoghurt, cereal, baked goods (both breads & pastries) and juices. Even the 3* we spent a night in mid-trip had a good spread of fresh, tasty goodies. (And, in all cases, breakfast was included in the price of the room)

On our last trip to Paris, however, we just headed out to the nearest bakery or market each morning - we didn't even try the hotel breakfast (but then we were staying halfway between Poilane & the Boulevard Raspail Farmers' Market!)

Mel

PS: VERY excited as I had an email at the weekend to say that my copy of "Edible Adventures..." has been dispatched!

I try to do the same, especially since I usually have my young children with me. They wake up starved and it helps to have a little something available as soon as they wake. My only advice is to avoid the glasses provided by the hotel. There was an expose recently in the US which showed that hotel staff used cleaning fluids like windex to clean those glasses. Or, worse, they didn't clean them at all - just swirled a little tap water in them. For my future hotel stays, I'll be bringing my own little dining set.
Take care,
Kelsi

Like many others I travel for work once a month. I usually carry granola bars, fruit and nut mixtures (Marks & Spencer in the UK/Ireland does a fantastic almond and yogurt covered cranberry mix). Dried fruit - particularly apricots are a morning fav on the drive in. Even though I travel on an expense account, I cannot face paying €20 for mildly warm breakfast.

For late night snacks in the hotel I usually carry dark chocolate covered ice cakes and gummies and buy sparkling water from a nearby shop.

Coffee is essential in the morning - but can usually be found once we reach the office.

Ooooh Clotilde, I'll be having dreams about that picture, it looks absolutely mouth-watering!

a recent solution I developed with more frequent traveling:

instant oatmeal with dried wild blueberries, and almonds and good chocolate on the side - totally portable and unspoilable!

I take a swiss army knife, spoon, and small electric kettle along as well - you never know what you might find in the local markets you'd want to try!

When I'm absolutely stuck with no provisions of my own in a hotel that claims to have a "continental" breakfast, here's what I do.

Take one of their ever present red delicious apples, which are eerily red and far from delicious, and one packet of plain instant oatmeal. Plain here refers to not being loaded with so much sugar that it will involuntarily remove your wisdom teeth for you. Add hot water to the oatmeal, and stir in crude slices of apple that you cut with one of those pathetic plastic knives.

While you can pretty much bet that you're getting your daily dose of herbicides, fungicides, and food grade petroleum, at least you're not adding any junk of your own. It's not a crepe, but it beats the shrink wrapped bagels.

www.teaandfood.blogspot.com

Well, I have been to South Tyrol (Italy) in a lovely hotel and I had a great breakfast with yogurt, cereals, fresh fruits and so on - I LOVE IT!!! For me breakfast is the most important meal! That means: bad breakfast - bad day... ;-)

Kirsten

The worst was a hotel chain that provided _instant_ coffee for breakfast. We'll not be staying there again!

I actually rather like hotel breakfasts, because they provide things I don't normally have at home! I don't like cereal, but do enjoy having ham and cheese, and perhaps an egg, and some fruit - and the most recent hotel we stayed in provided cucumber and tomato and so on, too. And gorgeous rolls!

In the US and Canada Fairmont Hotels have excellent breakfasts. ...but they're probably pricey for the simple fare you prefer. Still, you might be tempted by their excellent eggs some morning. You could even throw a trench coat over the jammies and take them back up to your room.

But I absolutely agree that most hotel brekkies are sad. And those places that advertise free breakfasts must never have had real food in the morning or they'd never have the nerve to call the pitiful things they put out breakfast.

I like your ingenuity and think that's the way to go. ...if you don't happen to have a fridge with leftover Indian. ;>

I find coffee is not strong enough in my travels, so I bring a heating coil, of various currents, depending on the country, and a hiking unbreakable plastic french press obtainable in a sporting goods store, and of course my blend of coffee. My wife uses cream so the mini bar is a good place to keep it cool.
Harry

Perfect picture! Mhmmm

Hmm ... I've had my fair share of bad hotel breakfast's -- generally they go by the name "Continental breakfast." I don't know what view of the continent the person had who made that name up. Anyway, in Sweden a hotel breakfast is usually pretty good -- if you like cheeses, ham, eggs, whole grain breads, yogurt, muesli etc for breakfast. The standard Swedish breakfast is often a open faced sandwich (the bread loaded with grains with a slice of cheese or ham on top and, perhaps, a tomato slice.

I prefer to get out of the hotel altogether and explore what breakfast eats the city I'm in has to offer. Especially in America, breakfast seems to be one meal where there is almost always still a distinct regional flavor, be it biscuits and gravy in Georgia, Beignets and chicory coffee in New Orleans, or bagels with lox in New York. And after all I never would have tried Jianbing Guozhi (chinese filled crepes) If I hadn't been searching for a better breakfast than the horrible one my hotel offered when I was staying in Shanghai, and that would definitely have been a shame.

This is brilliant! Usually I just try the grin and starve method, hoping for a fantastic lunch.

i knew when i saw the image of the muesli that it had to be an australian breakfast! it looks delicious, i shall have to try out this muesli once my granola runs out.

I agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I love pankakes and sweet things for breakfast, needless to say I don't eat them often.
When on a trip I usually do complementary breakfast, cereal, a fruit and coffe. If that is not available I also go to the local supermarket, buy some bread, apples, etc.
And if that doesn't work a Denny's or Denny's look alike (they have one in every crouty) and have a bagel and coffe.

Sometimes though, just sometimes I have chocolate chip panckakes, with artichoke ommeletes and blueberry muffins...!!

I like the same cookies :) Try also the ones with apples and hazelnuts

Regarding my experience with staying in hotels the last years, this discussion is funny. I am regularly staying in the most various (cheap) hotels and 'pensions' in Germany, as I have to travel for work (which mean they pay, and I just get what I get).
I work at highschools and it's hard work, in small towns, which altogether means that there is no time to eat, no, or bad, food provided for us at schools, and hard to find a decent dinner. Therefore, the hotel breakfast is often what keeps me and my co-workers 'alive', as we now know the deal and prepare bread rolls from breakfast to not starve during the day...Because of this work, I even had to switch from veganism back to vegetarianism because it is impossible to stay not hungry on bread with marmelade and fries for 3 days....I now cherish the boiled egg and sweaty cheese, knowing that these are valuable proteins which will keep the hunger away a bit longer than plant proteins can.
The only, only thing which I really do miss and is hard to bring along is a GOOD cup of coffee...Not the watery stuff hotels always serve. Try to find a good espresso in rural East-Germany...
So of course, I could rant about the bad quality -as my work always pays, I have no idea about prices for breakfasts- and cheer about the rare good breakfasts that I came across. I will stay humble though, happy with whatever edible and half-nutritious I can put in my mouth, and know I will appreciate being back in the plentiful Berlin so much more...
(For anyone interested in the food served on German schools, check my blog!)

You hit the nail on the head about hotel breakfasts! Our survival techniques:

1) Pack granola and fruit to get us through the flight (and admittedly, the odd cookie or two!).

2) Upon arrival, look for a place to buy yogurt and additional fruit.

3) Take a selection of our favorite teas with us, since most hotels offer crummy teas in the room, and we nearly always want herbal tea in the evenings as we wind down.

And Kelsi is quite correct about the cleanliness of the cups & glasses provided by hotels. The ick factor is pretty high once you see how the staff 'cleans' them. I once did a little smudge test at an upscale hotel - the smudge lasted through an week long visit. Ick. Wash all cups & glasses before use or pack your own!

Enjoy your trip! I only wish I could visit one of the cities while you were there. The book tour will be fantastic, and the lucky folks that get to attend one of the signings are in for a treat.

Vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit (peaches, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries...) with Grape Nuts sprinkled on top starts my day right. With coffee, of course. Lots and lots of coffee.

ooh i love those biscuits too!
avec un bon chocolate chaud :)

I hear your pain, but as a visitor I must admit my love of breakfast in our room in Paris. Rolling over in the morning and calling the desk and ordering up juice and cafe au lait for me and a full PD for my husband is one of life's most pleasant luxuries. Altogether this menu costs us 17€, highway robbery, but worth every penny. We often "suitcase" in yogurt or cheese or unusual pastries we have come across the day before, and stash them outside our window during the night. Breakfast away from home can at least provide time for stretching, leaning back, enjoying a readable newspaper and organizing one's day. For us, one of the most sublime parts of travel.

I also do yogurt and granola, and I'm glad to hear others do this too - last time my fellow travelers laughed at me for preparing my own breakfast, although I can't believe they were happy with a Starbucks muffin.

When there's no refrigerator, I buy individual cartons of soy milk. Not as tasty when warm, but it's better than the alternative.

Please tell me about the wonderful breakfast you have posted over this entry....

Oh my - how absolutely scrumptious looking !!!

I never ever eat hotel breakfasts. I always shower, dress and go out to the nearest cafe which I find by a Google search before I go or a wander around the area after I arrive. I'm one of those people that can't bear to be in their hotel room in a foreign city. I like to be out exploring every moment I can. Congrats on the new book Clotilde and have fun on the tour.

I too prefer to gather my own ingredients and eat in my room, particularly if it is going to be a long stay.

You might want to consider packing a plastic cup / small bowl of your own however. I recently saw a news clip video on how the glasses provided in hotel rooms are rarely ever properly washed - backed up by hidden camera footage. This was in a high-end hotel chain as well. Scary stuff.

Depending on whether I'm driving or flying... if driving, I go to Trader Joe and buy individual fage yogurts to last the entire trip, plus trail mix or granola and fruit (apples or something similar). I find that the yogurt keeps just fine without refrigeration (I used to make my own by putting it on the windowsill to "cook") unless it's very hot. I mix the trail mix into the yogurt and maybe eat some of the fruit, too. Then I go out and get a coffee. If I'm in NYC, I sometimes go to a Korean Market and get some grapefruit slices, strawberries and some hard boiled eggs to eat in my room. Once in a while I treat myself to a bagel or (my favorite) a bialy.

If I'm flying, I go to the nearest Trader Joe, WholeFoods or other natural foods grocery as soon as I can, and get the above!

Unless I'm in Paris, then I go to a bakery! :)

Like you, I need my own space in the AM, to sort out my day! (BTW, I'm the person who gave you granola + chocolate when you were in Cambridge at your booksigning @ Chez Henri last year! Has it really been almost a year!? ) Have a great trip! Wish I could make it to one of your signings! But instead I am going to TJ for the above for a biz trip to NY a few days after you are there. :(
Can't wait to read your book... it's sitting here waiting!

Clotilde, I love how you captured the idea of captivating breakfast intimacy!

Woohoo! I got the new book this morning, and it's fab! I'm just disappointed that I won't get to use it soon enough...

On an aside, I gave a friend the C&Z cookbook for her birthday recently, and last weekend she made us the chocolate & raspberry cake from it (though as rasps are absolutely not in seaon here at the moment she used frozen blackberries & blackcurrants instead)- speaking as a person who isn't that into chocolate cake, it was absolutely divine and up there with the best desserts I've ever eaten.

Melanie

Breakfast is so important and so poorly done in most places. It is overpriced... unless you eat like a lumberjack. But who can function with the weight of an anchor sitting at your middle?

My children and I drove across Canada (four times) and we camped the entire distance. There were no fridges or stoves. Although I love - just love - cooking, I couldn't face making breakfast then driving 800 km.

I packed nuts, fresh fruit, and dried fruit. We purchased fresh milk, bagels, and coffee everyday. We never ate in restaurants but we shopped for fresh food at the markets.

The coffee... well that was something else.

I rate a hotel restaurant (or any restaurant for that matter) how they make the scrambled eggs. And out of very sad and painful experience I have to say I finally found one restaurant that actually serves scrambled eggs the way 'nature' had intended it. No water floating around the plate, no raw egg whites and believe it or not...they really use REAL eggs (too many times have I been served egg substitutes...yuk)..if you are ever in Cork, Ireland go to Liberty in Washington Street...just bring your own granola as they are failing a bit in this department.

Awesome job on the Today Show this morning, Clotilde! And what a nice diversion for me to see your segment while puffing away on the elliptical trainer in the gym...I looked around for someone I knew so I could say "I met her in Paris!!!" but alas, no one.
Hope you get lots of book sales as a result of your appearance.

I can say that I'm a big fan of the bring your own fruit hoard as well. I love a good apple. The best I ever had was when visiting Europe this summer in Switzerland was freshly made muesli with fresh golden raisins, apples, and bananas cut up in it. Mmmmm.....

You were so adorable on the today show this morning, Clotilde! I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of your book. The tarts looked simple, delicious, and you made the recipe so accessible to people. they've got to have you on more often! (of course, if you're available :-)

I can't remember the last time I settled for a hotel breakfast. I usually use that as my opportunity to find a local cafe where I sip on a latte and eat a small dish. I use this as my time to leisurely plan my day and love it!

The best solution to the coffee problem that I have found is the Aeropress from Aerobie ($25 at Amazon), and worth every penny.

It works like a large syringe, forcing pressurized water through coffee grounds. The result is a concentrate that can be diluted or iced. It's similar to espresso, and it's of coffeehouse quality. Of course, this means you have to bring your own beans and grinder (if you're really fanatical) or grounds. I like Intelligentisa Coffee's Zirikana from Rwanda.

A foldable bowl (i.e. Orikaso)doesn't weigh more than a piece of paper and is veeeery practial. Cups and plates are also available.

I definitively love the German breakfast which is more like a brunch!

Most memorable breakfast I had was when staying at the Hotel with a Casino in Perth Australia.

Every morning I started the day with a big bowl of fresh Strawberries and cream and a hot chocolate. Served by a lovely young man in a silver service.

I now live in Perth and think of this fondly whenever I drive past.

Working as a front of the house manager at a hotel restaurant that served breakfast 7 days a week for a number of years i hopefully suprised and pleased people with the selection I had.

I had a resonable a la carte price for every item and then a "full buffet" price for the people who liked to PILE IT ON! I had lots of sliced fresh fruit, individual yogurts and museli/granola packets. Whole fruit. fresh juice/ bottled waters/ mineral waters etc available along with the typical american fair. It was a good buffet and it was only 10 dollars american for a go at it. It was better than a crusty old danish from the back of a sysco food service truck that you normally get.

when traveling i make Granola bars loaded with nuts, wheat germ, dried fruit and a drizzle of chocolate for me and my companions. Buy fruit and Yogurt when i arrive and sometimes a bit of cheese and bread. (mmm gjetost!)
Traveling with a male friend who is ALWAYS hungry you learn to have those granola bars in a baggie individually wrapped in parchment and little chocolates or crackers to satiate his need for food. Also a pint sized bottle of water is a good idea when treking around the city you're in.

Basically, you described the plight of traveling gluten-free!! That is how I eat most of the time while traveling- in my room.

You can't beat a Full English breakfast made for you by someone else! A good hotel brekkie is bliss. Yes they can be pricey, but I get my money's worth. I get Room Service wherever possible, so I don't have to get dressed, and pack all the cold stuff in my suitcase for later. Just mueseli and fruit is too virtuous for holidays, and you deserve a treat if you're working away from home.

Francesca from Manchester, England.

When we were travelling in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan last year, we were lucky to stay at two hotels that had really good (but odd) breakfasts, lots of fruit, yogurt and veggies... plus even a stir fried beef dish that was actually good... just too heavy for my breakfast (but my husband loved it) plus all sorts of salami and meats that the kids adored!

I just wish the coffee had been better.

I do the same thing with yogurt, fruit and granola. I can't stand those buffets with some sad cake and strange flavorless croissants.

We did experience the meat and cheese breakfast in Prague, but it was free and delivered to our apartment, so I was okay with it. It also came with these wonderful little wafers.

You know, I can eat hotel breakfast, I'm not too picky... and some times, a bagel with butter with a couple slices of bacon is not to bad... But the best is at Bed and Beakfast! They know how to make you the best breakfast and put you in the right bed! Once, I has a fresh, just fresh fruit, fruit salad as a first course - pear, apple, pineapple, banana, strawberry and blackberry - followed by a warm croissant served with maple butter and finally the choice between a fresh herb souflé or waffles with berries and clear maple sirup! Ok, I have to say, this was in New-Brunswick (Canada) but the price for the night was pretty much lower that any chain hotel.

But I have to say also, conducting business at breakfast is quite good too. In the summer time, the best light is in the morning - before it gets too warm - so you can put light bright chothes and have a couple bites of fresh fruits and some real good bread and cheese a around a mimosa. And yes, alcohol is just as acpetable at breakfast than beir at lunch and wine at dinner...

But what I forgot to say is...

One thing I can't stand when I travel is my end of the night fun...

I don't drink mini bar boose, I don't agree with that! It is so, way to expensive for crap! I wan my good wine or my good "beu" (some will understand) and I want it the right way: no in a 1/4 inch thick glass. I can go buy a good bottle at the store - which I do when I can - but I can't get a good bottle if the store is closed. So I pack some cookies one of my good friend make with me; just in case a night like that happens! You know, these "poisonus" cookies are also greaf if you are to spend 8 hours in a van with co-workers you don't talk to! And for the other nights, I carry around an open bottle: I put the cork back on - completely.

I had some wonderful breakfasts in B&Bs around Scotland. Huge slabs of home made brown soda bread and smoked salmon; locally cured bacon and fresh free range eggs cooked to order; excellent porridge... Notable for being the exception to the rule, of course.

I pretty much always buy some fruit, and usually avoid breakfasts unless it's part of a package or paid by others. When I was last in America, I had two weeks of one hotel's breakfast buffets, which was quite a trial. But eventually I figured out that corn muffins were not as sugar laden as the rest; and that nobody except me was eating the plain oatmeal packets. They all seemed to be eating the cake and donuts. For breakfast. And, oh my god, the horror that is American bacon. (Take streaky part of the rasher only, no eye, marinade in alarming amounts of RED nitrates to preserve. Or possibly it's even reconstructed meat with dyed red and white stripes. It was so eerily even.)

Well said. I think the best hotel breakfast I ever had was actually in Paris. Granted, it cost a lot to my student budget eyes, but it had food that was both good and good for you. Hooray.

Thanks for sharing your tricks!

I recently stayed in a hotel in Liverpool, UK. I completely forgot to take anything with me and I faced the same problem. The fruit was the only remotely edible offering, but I had to be selective because most of it was tinned. I was starving and feeling a little worse for wear and so I ad to make the best of it by just eating watermelon. Why? WHY?! It's just not acceptable!

rent or borrow a flat, make my own coffee and ah, the eggs in Italy, the bread in France, save some euros and relax. of course, this only works on vacation... for work, I choose a small hotel w/coffee in lobby, and bring back eggs or bagel from a nearby diner or cafe (admittedly only works in bigger cities). oh, and if all else fails, turn to the homemade trail mix in my suitcase ...

if i take the opportunity to order room service, oftentimes i will have two poached eggs and a small green salad with some balsamic vinegar. however, i am about the embark upon a week long stay in a very small and red-neck kind of town (i actually love the town), and I am going to bring some b'fast favorites with me to avoid their free breakfast buffet, which is truly unhealthy.

My reccomendation would be to stay in a small intimate B&B and be looked after by the owners. Not all B&B's have wholesome breakfasts, but your chances are much greater for getting something more memorable, nutritious and delicious in a small inn that cater to their guests.
Check www.TripAdvisor.com and other type travel forums for places where you are traveling for reviews and recommendations.

I agree but not all breakfast buffets are unappealing, the breakfast buffet at the Wynn is like the breakfast buffet to end all breakfast buffets,
you can’t believe how good the tiny waffles are and they’re in the warming pan, it’s good they’re so tiny
so you can eat one and not feel guilty

I dislike any type of cereal and/or yogurt and refuse to eat either unless I really really have to.

In general you are correct hotel breakfast are not that interesting, however I have some had some wonderful breakfast. For instance in a very memorable one was in Sau Paulo a full Japanese breakfast at the Nikki Hotel. Also fresh fruit plate in hotels in Rio and Bogata, numerous hotels in Italy where the fresh cheese and ham selections were excellent.

Generally, I prefer to find breakfast outside the hotels. On a recent trip to San Diego, discovered a place near by that served Cali/Mexican breakfast that was excellent. In fact when on vacation I make it a point to research breakfast joints prior to my trip.

This past weekend I went on a trip and stayed at a hotel with a complimentary breakfast. I know I can't expect much from complimentary but I have to say the healthy options were definitely limited.

il parait que je suis du pain grillé. :(

I agree, a good breakfast is so important. My favorite is just two pieces of toast, one egg, and some really good homemade jam or local raw honey. I eat the egg with the first piece of toast, and then I eat the second piece with jam or honey. I really liked the Parisian continental breakfast the hotels all seem to serve: a simple petit pain with butter and preserves with delicious coffee. American hotels are not very good at the breakfast thing.

Best hotel breakfast I've ever had: Cab-Inn in Copenhagen, included in the price of the room. They serve several kinds of breads and rolls (including whole grain and seedy types), ham, salami, fresh fruit, muesli, two kinds of whole cheeses that you slice yourself, plain and flavored yogurt, juice, butter, jam, cold cereals, milk, tea and coffee. All in a communal dining area where you can sit in a group or by yourself with a book. I love it. American hotel breakfasts pale in comparison.

I always go for a run really early (around 6am) and then suss out the best local eatery. Hotel breakfasts are unbearable, unless of course you are staying 5 star and get it delivered to your room! ... Oh, and someone else is paying ;)

I never take hotel breakfast when staying in France, I love the bakeries too much and want to take every opportunity to try them out.

Best hotel breakfast I had was in a 4* hotel in Barcelona, where the breakfast was included in the room fee (usually out of my budget but luckily this was on a business trip and the company was paying the bills). They had a great selection of fresh sliced fruits, which were restocked several times during the morning. I don't have (or make) the time to enjoy fruit at breakfast, and living on your own, when do you have the opportunity to enjoy just 2 slices of watermelon and a slice of canteloupe? Also memorable was their cake counter, with various wedges of rich moist cake. Man, I hope I get to do that same business trip this year.

And I've sometimes been lucky in the smaller family run B&B's, where they served a selection of home-made marmelades and confiture, or asked you how you'd like your farm-fresh eggs.

I agree, finding good coffee is much easier than getting a good breakfast. I am happy with a piece of fruit and a (preferably whole bran) muffin or bagel. I like to nibble in my room and watch the morning news.

I also have problems with hotel breakfasts, but don't care for sweet things in the morning, so the yogurt, granola, fruit thing doesn't cut it for me. I'd rather eat lunch/dinner food for breakfast. I've had nice breakfasts at Asian-style hotels. Sometimes they have miso soup or rice dishes. Sometimes I'll bring home leftover dinner from the night before, put it in the fridge and have it for breakfast. Believe it or not, I like Korean BBQ for breakfast and when I stay in NYC I stay near Koreatown where there are tons of those restaurants open 24 hours a day. Next time I might even stay at the Hotel Stanford (in the heart of Koreatown) since there's one right on site.