topping

We were planning to go out for breakfast in Paris, but saw that the local establishments charged the same as our hotel (7 Euros) for much less. The hotel offered bread, croissants, orange juice and fruit cocktail (okay, it was canned, but still a nice touch) and as much coffee as we wanted, which was a real plus! It also was convenient and we could chat with other guests if we wanted.

I consider the convenience of not having to rush out in the cold to buy breakfast even if it's a bit cheaper at a cafe. As someone mentioned, the hotel offers unlimited coffee and at other hotels even if it's continental buffet it's all you can eat or a volante. Plus you don't have far to go back to your room to freshen up after breakfast if you eat at the hotel. Just my personal choice.

I think it all depends on the hotel and area. I followed Rick Steve's advice and opted out of breakfast at a ** hotel in Paris and used the money to eat at a nearby bakery. I had a good time sipping coffee and eating pastries whiling watching the locals come and go.

<BR>As someone mentioned, often (at least in my experience) the hotel offers unlimited coffee (or a refill or two) which compared to a cafe, can help make up for a higher overall breakfast price at the hotel. <BR><BR>It also depends on the hotel. I've had breakfasts in hotels that I thought were a very good value and breakfasts in others that I felt weren't. <BR><BR>Going out to a cafe to watch people can be very enjoyable but you can also meet interesting fellow tourists at your hotel breakfast.

We always venture to the Rue Cler to take breakfast, read the paper, etc. Who cares about the cost, you're on holiday !!

Well, sure cost comes into the picture for us. Just because we're on vacation we don't want to spend unnecessarily. For us, we would take breakfast at our hotel provided it's worth it. For example, if the cost is 8-9 euro for a buffet continental or full buffet breakfast then we'll stay. But if the cost is the same and it's not a buffet then we'd probably go out. However, we always stay at hotels that offer some type of a buffet b'fast because we really wish to stay in and eat breakfast.

Even on holiday, I don't care to waste money, so if I can get a hearty breakfast at the hotel for the same price as a meagre breakfast at a quaint bistro, I'll opt for the hotel. An exception: On one trip to France, we were planning to leave the hotel early in the morning and get on the road, so we decided to skip the hotel breakfast. After driving a little while, I saw a &quot;routiers&quot; sign and pulled over. One of the most memorable experiences of my life was having fabulous croissants and coffee at this little Alsatian truck stop where no one spoke English, and a huge German Shepherd roamed around greeting all the diners.

I never thought I would be glad to see a MacDonald's ever again, until I spent time in Europe. <BR><BR>I love local cuisine and try every new food (within reason) I can get my hands on but I find I crave an American breakfast after about four or five days. The hotel breakfasts are usually a rip-off. Tepid milk with cereal is hard for me to get use to. <BR><BR>As much as I hate to even see a MacDonalds sign, they are great for a breakfast fix.

McDonalds is an American breakfast. Not the part of America where I am. Get a life !!

JJ - stick to what you know Disney world

Except for very expensive hotels (like the Ritz, etc), I don't think you'll pay much different in a cafe vs. the hotel. I think people should decide based on whether they like to go out or not, whether there is a convenient place near their hotel, and things like that. I usually eat breakfast in my hotel except in Paris where there are cafes all around. It's not usually that convenient in other places I've been, and I will agree it is nice to have breakfast and then go back to the room to collect things, last bathroom stop, etc. Of course you can get something cheaper in Paris if you want to eat standing up or on the street or in a place that doesn't have a nice ambience (and many bakeries don't have tables), if your main goal is to save a euro or something. But if you eat in a nice cafe at a sidewalk table, it isn't cheaper than hotels for a full breakfast (and perhaps not even for coffee and a tartine or whatever you order). You usually get more coffee in a hotel, also, and it won't be espresso. That's one reason I like hotel breakfasts, to get good black coffee because I prefer it black.<BR><BR>I think McDonalds is fine for convenient drinks or a snack but calling their slop a good American breakfast is insulting to any adult with tastebuds and all Americans. Sure, some people like eating that garbage, but surely you realize most Americans do not call that a good American breakfast. Even their hamburgers are better than their breakfast fare which is on the level of a very bad school cafeteria or vending machine (or airline). I've never been in a French hotel that only served tepid milk and cereal for breakfast, either, that is really odd--they've always had some bread product at a minimum for a continental breakfast and much more for the buffet ones, so that might be a function of the level of hotel (even 2-star hotels I've been in were better than that).<BR><BR>I sometimes wonder why people can't people make simple decisions like where to eat breakfast for themselves based on their own taste and money standards.