Just received an email from Lion d'Or in Bayeux and they want to know if we are interested in taking breakfast only or half board. I don't quite understand this part. Please help. Thank you.

In my experience usually half board means breakfast and dinner. But I would clarify it with them in case they mean breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast & dinner.

Interesting take, crusieluv. I've never run into "half board" specifying breakfast and lunch. Most often it is breakfast and dinner, but sometimes you have a choice of dinner OR lunch. I've just never run into one that makes it lunch but NOT dinner.

Meanwhile, be aware that many places even with a nice dining room, the half board dinner is NOT the same as choosing what you want from a full menu, but rather being given a couple of options.

neopatrick,

I have never seen it either. I just suggested she clarified it with them in case for whatever reason it meant something different to them.

Half board is always breakfast + dinner.

Usually the dinner changes daily, and often it is somewhat simpler than the food which is served a la carte. But you can upgrade to a la carte food.

Thank you. I guess we will take the breakfast only.

Thanks again wonderful people!

Half board is also known as Modified American Plan which is breakfast plus another meal usually evening.

Then what's the normal American plan ? Full board? Is this an American term? Sorry, too lazy to Google.

Hotel Dining Plans - American Plan - Modified - European PlanLearn the difference between the American Plan, Modified American Plan, and European Plan when booking a hotel.
honeymoons.about.com/od/hoteldiningplans/Hotel_Dining_Plans.htm

for the OP cafegoddess to understand it all.

I'd never heard of American plan or European plan!
How strange that European plan is no meals - that seems to be the norm in most US hotels, but not in most European ones.

Forget about those "plans".

We are here on the European forum. In Europe, it is "breakfast", "half board" or "full board". In French and German "board" is "pension".

or pension or demi-pension in some countries

Desayuno, media pensión y pensión completa in Spain

Half board is not necessarily breakfast and dinner; we've always had a choice of lunch or dinner.