If breakfast is included - yes, I eat.

If not, I need coffee first thing in the morning, so I would probably buy it either in the hotel, or next door.

In the US, if there is no coffeemaker in room, I bring a small coil and a plastic cup to boil water to make my own coffee.

In Europe it would be difficult unless I can buy something cheap.

I never get the breakfast if it isn't included. Don't drink coffee, don't care for baguette for breakfast and can only take so many croissants before I feel like my cholesterol level goes up. And I don't like getting dressed and going downstairs or out for breakfast which is why I always rent an apt now, even if it is just me alone.

sf7307 interesting responses indeed, actually they are not so far apart, had you mentioned that the breakfasts you were thinking of are those in massive big hotels like in Cairo of course I would have said I did not like them either, I am not a big eater and usually I agree I hate dinner buffets.
I was thinking small hotels because those are the hotels I usually stay in.

They have gone a long way, in Spain as I mentioned even the Paradores which are not that small have good buffets with a certain charm because on top of everything they have always a small table with the local specialities, which are ...WOW usually delicious, it is a great occasion to sample them and they have not one kind of Olive Oil but several unique ones. I enjoy the simple breakfast of Spaniards , fresh bread with a little olive oil, fresh ripe tomatoes, a dash of garlic...and may be a slice of a local salami or ham or
goat cheese...
In Italy the same, small hotels do not over do it, with
gargantuan tables, but they offer good quality, the orange fresh juice of those RED oranges, the cappuccino on demand, a brioche here, a brioche there, a good cheese, and sometimes home made marmalades.
In Bariloche, Argentina we stayed in a hotel medium to small size, everything was home made in the hotel, croissants, bread, juice ....delicious, and if asked for eggs they were made on request.
As it goes I believe that breakfast is a highlight in our trips.
Unfortunately I was not as lucky as Travelnut and in our hotel in Amsterdam it was so expensive over 30 euros that we missed it. ( Probably I got a good deal in the internet and breakfast was taken away?)
I had fun reading so diverse opinions I would agree though that I can live without
Starbucks, I do not like their coffee either it is too bitter for me and I would hate to have my breakfast in paper cups. For the food....not much.

Depends - I love my morning coffee so if the hotel breakfast is included in the rate or reasonably priced I go for it, but if it is expensive (or lousy) I go elsewhere.

sf7307, all true, but if you go to Greece, don't fail to have some yoghurt for breakfast, even if it's being served in your hotel.

Graziella, you're absolutely right that in my initial post, I was contemplating those big, faceless buffets, not some lovely food and great coffee served in a charming courtyard of a small hotel LOL!

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If I'm in Europe I tend to go out for breakfast. Most hotels I've stayed at in recent years charge 8-10 euro for breakfast, which is more than I care to pay and usually more than I want to eat. SO I go to a nearby cafe and have a coffee and a croissant or tartine or cornetto or something small. Or if there's a minifridge in the room I'll buy yoghurt and fruit and just go out for a coffee.

In Africa and Asia I have always eaten breakfast at the hotel. It's usually included in the price, is always interesting, and there typically haven't been local places right down the street as options anyway.

Yes.

I eat at hotels (usually small ones, or B&Bs) if breakfast is included in the hotel room rate.

If it's not included, then I usually don't.

But if I'm traveling with DH, we almost always eat at the hotel if the breakfast price is "reasonable". For example, in Paris or other parts of France, the breakfast is usually 10 euros per person. For me, it's really not worth it as I am not a breakfast person. But for DH who eats a lot @ breakfast, it's a good deal. He enjoys having multiple cups of coffee and multiple glasses of OJ, plus a couple of bread rolls with cheese and one or 2 croissants. That alone cost more than 10 euros.

Hotel breakfasts are often expensive, but we usually get them--I roll out of bed early, pull on something, and go down (looking like a homeless person), while my husband showers. Then he joins me and I leave him to finish while I head up to get my shower. Efficient start to the day.

And some breakfast rooms add to the experience of our trip. At the Albergo del Senato in Rome, for instance, the breakfast room was charming and memorable--very much worth the price.

In my latest trip to Italy one month ago, this was the first time I did not eat breakfast in my hotel because............. no breakfast was offered!!! We stayed in VERY small B&B's for the most part (i.e. 3 or 4 rooms only), and for the first time ever, walked to whatever nearby cafe was open and had a wonderful (for the most part) cappuccino and cornetto de crema for our breakfast. It was MUCH less than what I normally am used to but it was wonderful and satisfying nontheless and we did not eat more or more often because of this. We usually had a light lunch and a more substantial late dinner.

For our upcoming trip to Spain, I am seeing, for the first time in my European travels, that breakfast is not included in any of the hotels there. Also the prices they quote you for the rooms do not include their taxes so basically everything we have always taken for granted when booking rooms before, is different now. I doubt I will pay even the 4-5 Euros that these hotels charge for their breakfasts (some much more too) because I enjoyed so much the experience in Italy of wandering in with the locals to a small cafe for my breakfast !!

Yes - pretty much always!

Firstly, I am seriously addicted to
coffee & travel w/my own large mug
so it is expedient to run down, get
coffee whilst readying for day...and
then go back later when hungry for breakfast.

Yes, it pains me to pay more but then I figure it into overall cost...after all, it IS a vacation
which means deviating from the norm.

This only applies to going over the Big pond; in the states there usually is a coffeemaker in the room.

Switching to hotel taxes, as Flame says in Spain there is always a small 7% tax on top of quoted prices.
Most of the time breakfast is not included, I mentioned some brakes like in Sol Melia Hotels, they have lovely small boutiques hotels, being a member of Mas you pay for one breakfast and the other is free which I have found it to be a fabulous brake.
The hotel tax is usually included in France and Italy and in other countries but it is always better to double check.
In some cities they usually included a really small fee or tax called city tax which is nothing much but the big huge VAt is included as I said MOST of the time but not always.
In Argentina they have it also and sometimes it is not included and it is huge too. Here in the US it is never included and sometimes they have more that one tax, like city. State tax ...etc
Some countries are very nice to tourist like in Uruguay foreigners are exempt of hotel taxes .
May be other fodorites can add more information on this related subject.

While what we eat for breakfast is largely a matter of taste and culture, for many people, not just diabetics, continental breakfasts are the worst possible beginning to the day: croissant, bread, and above all orange juice are just about all carbohydrate and the worst possible kind of carbohydrate (white bread has a higher glycemic index than sugar).

People with blood sugar issues (high or low) need to seek out or carry protein and have some fat to balance all that carbo. But then if you have these problems, you know this already.

If you get shaky late in the morning when you travel, you may need more breakfast or better breakfast.

Hi sf,

Some hotels have excellent breakfasts at reasonable prices.

Some hotels serve a modest breakfast in your room - which my Lady Wife likes because she doesn't have to get dressed before she eats.

Some hotels charge outrageous prices for breakfast.

((I))

Hey flame,
I thought the whole idea of a B&B was to serve breakfast...as in Bed and Breakfast??

Usually I am not willing to pay a significant price for breakfast, although I'm very happy when I get a great deal with breakfast included.

However, last year my daughter and I were in Amsterdam, and it was our first morning after arrival. We woke up early, and there was nothing much open in the way of breakfast early on Sunday morning, according to my guidebook. We had also had little for supper. So I agreed we should get the 16-Euro breakfast, and it was very much worth it in terms of getting us going on our day.

I have had great deals at some 4* hotels that include breakfast, and I very much enjoy what they provide. For example, Tryp Gran Via in Madrid, and Lindner am Belvedere in Vienna.

I think it's great that there's something for everyone. I admit I'm surprised people are willing to pay, for example, 16 euros for breakfast, but that's just because I wouldn't. We eat breakfast out every Saturday and Sunday at home --- I hate making breakfast at home (too many pots and pans that have to be cleaned) --- and it costs us about $12USD for two people. I just personally can't imagine spending $20+ per person for breakfast, which is funny, because I had no problem spending almost $5USD for a latte at Cafe Costa in London. We all have our needs! Of course, I have no objection to those who want to spend their money on breakfast - it's good for the economy!

flame, I was thinking what venezuela was thinking - doesn't B&B stand for Bed AND Breakfast? I guess you just stayed in Bs :-)

When last in Paris, at first we eschewed the hotel breakfast and went to a local cafe. But in the end we took the hotel breakfast. Instead of one cup of coffee you got a pot of coffee. (I am just not a one little cup of coffee person.) Instead of one croissant, a basket of assorted croissants, brioche, etc. And you could have breakfast outside in the garden courtyard.

When we took our 14-year-old son to Europe, breakfasts were generally included. Getting him up and dressed and down to breakfast before it closed was a chore. "But it's already paid for." "Don't think we'll buy you something to eat, just because you were too lazy to get up." And so on.

(Not often I get to use the word echew. Now I'm looking for an opportunity to use penultimate; they're surprising rare.)

Mimar, we've been faced many times with the same situation you describe in the <i>penultimate</i> paragraph of your post. :-)

(And while I agree about the pot of coffee, getting a basket of croissants, etc., rather than just one, just means you'll eat more than you should, or throw out the uneaten ones).

Smalti. homeless person? LOL...me too! This whole bkfst issue just came up today for our Germany trip. Hotel prices are dropping, and I got a great deal on Kings Hotel, but it did not include bkfst...DH said no problem...he will just make a bkfst run...and save some money. All I really need is coffee and a yoghurt. I would rather have a more bountiful lunch.