But some people really do overdo it.
In Cyprus at an upscale beachfront
hotel, I asked a fellow traveler if he
knew why the bowl of fruit wasn't in
its normal place. He (who had been staying at that place for many years)
volunteered to go get me a banana for
my cereal explaining that the _______s*
had arrived and management knew from
experience none would be left for the
a.m. guests.
Another trip: Rhodes. I could not
believe the tour group of ______s*
who were filling up their plastic
food market bags w/rolls & anything else edible.
Later, on the beach out came the bags
producing lunch.
They must have had great choppers because I couldn't eat the rolls when
they were 'fresh'.
*Don't want to start a war by naming the nationality but they were not American.

>My husband brings home his sandwiches from his school cafeteria when he doesn't finish them at lunch. Sometimes has them a day or two later. <

Brings home sandwiches from the school cafeteria!!!!?????

>I once picked up three young Brits ... and i was appalled that they were shoplifiting every store en route ..<

And you allowed them to stay with you?!

>I go down and have breakfast and then take a roll and a yogurt back up to the room with me for him,...<

That is perfectly acceptable, assuming that you have asked in advance, since it is an alternative to having bkfst in the bkfst room.

I expect that if you asked, they would give you a tray.

((I))

I could well understand this sort of thing in a youth hostel or pack-packers place as these people are on tight budgets - but really for grown-ups it's all a bit much.


And PalQ - Bob: Never give rides to scousers - that's what they're like.

About taking food back to the room - more hotels are asking guests not to eat in their rooms. We encountered three last spring that made it quite clear that we were welcome to bring food into the breakfast room but not up to our rooms. Probably a pretty sensible request considering the invasion of ants at Mas des Carassins in St Remy.

Yes, ira, I asked and yes, they were fine with it. However, a tray would have been an annoyance since I usually have the dog to contend with as well. Easier to carry the unopened yogurt and roll in a plastic bag.

The point is, don't automatically assume that everyone who leaves the breakfast room with some extra food is stealing.

There is frugal and then there is cheap.
I fear I assign Mr. Steves to the latter category, despite his economic success.

I agree with him on the breakfast deal about as much as I agree with him on the selection of Gimmelwald as the garden spot of the Berner Oberland. Now people go there thinking they will find something special but still unknown.

Well there is a nice watering trough near the cable car station where one can get a cool drink before heading out on a hike. (I wonder if Rick took along an extra jug so he could fill up with free mountain water at the Gimmelwald trough? I can see it now, Rick trooping down the hill from Mürren lugging several gallon containers, filling up with free water, and struggling back up the hill with his liquid booty. He then goes to eat at a restaurant and enjoys a free swig of Gimmelwald spring water.)

And some of the alp cheese sold in Gimmelwald is excellent.

I suppose there is little differnce between stuffing yourself needlessly at the breakfast buffet so that you don't need lunch and taking a few rolls and pieces of cheese with you. But the practice hits me as cheap. If you are that needy, why are you spending thousands of dollars on hotels and air fares to travel to Europe?

bob_brown wrote: "If you are that needy, why are you spending thousands of dollars on hotels and air fares to travel to Europe?"

Just a reminder: some of us spend only dozens of euros.

I would not feel right taking food from a buffet in hardly any instances. However, if my spouse (for example) couldn't make it down to breakfast, I would talk to the person from the hotel/breakfast area and let them know the situation and ask if it would be okay. Otherwise, I think it is tacky. If you can spend the money to travel, you can spend the money on a lunch...even if it isn't fancy.

There is a difference between wise spending/finding a good deal (which I LOVE to do!) and being tacky!

If this type of service is abused, hotels may start to raise the price or offer a lesser quality breakfast buffet. This would be a shame as I personally appreciate a great breakfast buffet vs. a roll and coffee!

(I'm an American tourist from the western US)

Why is it so difficult for people to simply find a market to buy items if they want to make a sandwich for their lunch later in the day? That would seem to be a much more sensible solution rather than taking items off of the breakfast buffet for lunch. It is called a breakfast buffet for a reason folks, it is to be consumed for breakfast, not lunch. I don't care what nationality you are, I think that taking items from the breakfast buffet to be consumed for lunch is theft. Would you go to a market and buy one sandwich and feel free to help yourself to enough extra meat, cheese, and bread to make a sandwich for dinner later in the day? If you would not do it there then how can it be acceptable to do it in the breadkfast buffet? Spend a few extra euro and buy the fixings to make a sandwich at the local market and show a little class for goodness sakes.

How do you fly to Europe, stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and only spend dozens of euro?

Hitchhiked and sleep in parks?

Less than a month ago, at Hot Parsifal in Ravello, IT, I explained we had to "motor on" about 1.5 hours before breakfast and asked if we might have a piece of fruit.
The b'f chef arrived early and prepared nearly all for us.
M

brookwood asked: "How do you fly to Europe, stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and only spend dozens of euro?"

Start in Europe.

We had a boutique hotel in South Beach, I recall a French guy among others you had that horrible habbit. I guess it happens in the best families. I find it disgusting. No excuse. Unless in some very special case with children, and in such cases the guest should ask for permision to take anything to the room.
To me one of the most disgusting things I ever witness, similar but the opposite, was in beautiful Gran Caffe Gambrinus in Naples, while a pianist played, a group of awful American women sat on a table and stared drinking water from their own
bottles. As far as I saw only one of them order a coffee, the rest simply drank water.

Wow! What a discussion that followed my question on advisability of taking food from breakfast buffets for use at lunch!! I have decided that, for me, anyway, it is not acceptable, at least without asking, and have found the answer to my question: it is not a practice in Europe any more than it is in the States. Thanks everyone for your posts.

I once saw a guy take a plastic bag of white wine home from a restaurant in Florida. I don't mean that the bottle was in the plastic bag, just the wine.

It looked like he'd just bought a goldfish but they forgot to put it in the bag.

hdm,

In some states it is illegal to take a recorked bottle out of a restaurant. I have had to leave portions behind when I could not finish the bottle. The guy you saw figured out to keep the restaurant happy and keep his wine. Sounds like a good idea.

hopscotch wrote "In some states it is illegal to take a recorked bottle out of a restaurant."

Strange law. It might give people an incentive to drink an extra glass before driving home.

If I remember correctly, it was one of those 'giant portions' restaurants that gave free wine with dinner. I wasn't commenting on his savoir faire, only that it made me laugh to see it. But now that you bring it up, I guess I can see taking half a bottle of some very expensive wine home with you (but in a baggie?) but this was just free plonk.

I think the law here is that you can't have an open or recorked bottle in the car with you but you could probably carry it in the trunk.

It makes my blood boil to read people's "justification" of why they should be entitled to leave such a breakfast buffet with extra food. It is just wrong. No matter if you or your child can "only eat a little". No matter if the price was "too high". No matter if you want a piece of fruit later. No excuses. It is wrong, tacky & cheap! It does not matter which part of the world you are from or visiting! Wrong is wrong!

It is no wonder you read hotel reviews "the hotel was great but the breakfast was not that extensive..." Can you blame them? Would you put out great stuff for guests that are filling their pockets, purses & Ziploc's with extras for "later"? (which often times likely ends up in the trash as it is warm, soggy, bruised, etc.). But hey, the person taking the "extras" felt that sense of entitlement because they paid X amount for a room/breakfast.

A breakfast buffet is "all you can eat" at BREAKFAST. Not at lunch, snack, after dinner...Otherwise, it would be called "All the food you can eat FOREVER!"

Food is part of the expense of travel. If you can't afford to purchase what you and your family need to eat, you should postpone your travels.

These are the same people that block off 4 chairs poolside at 7am every day of resort/cruise vacations with no intention of sunbathing until later in the afternoon. They have a sense of entitlement and think this is MY vacation and I paid for it. To heck with everyone else!

Ok, I got all that out. Now, I can go on with my day....

tina - very very well put. One reason i kind of loathe Rick Steves, who i agree has been a seminal influence on travel, good or bad, is his suggestion, in his poorer days, of stealing from the breakfast bar - this type of advice got him notoreity and was a 'fresh' thing in guidebooks.

And though he no doubt has distanced himself from the advice - especially the zillions of folks he takes on his group tours from doing the same (unless he pays the hotel extra for them to do so?) - anyway personifying the ugly American (or ugly Brit, etc.)