2012moving

Ok I know I should be asking questions re how to get there, where to stay, what I should see etc. I am researching those - including that post on Paris with 489 responses. Thanks to all for the information gleaned from this. I’m sure I will be asking some questions on these topics.

But I simply must have a good breakfast. If my breakfast was only croissants and coffee I would pass out by 10:00 am or at the very least become incoherent and mentally confused with low blood sugar. I’m not diabetic but have a metabolism that demands a good breakfast.

What is available for breakfast in Paris and France?
My view of a good breakfast includes muesli, meat, cheeses, yoghurt, fruit, bread, croissants, jam.
Do hotels provide this type of breakfast?

All feedback appreciated.

Gretchen

Some hotels do. YOu'll pay a LOT for it. You can go to a cafe and get "some" of that--bread, eggs, bacon, etc. --American breakfast.
Some hotel breakfast rooms will have yogurt.
Interestingly the hotel we have stayed at that did have that was the Ibis.
I suggest you eat again at 10--or buy some things to supplement your breakfast. You can go get a cheese and ham baguette at the local traiteur. Get some Laughing Cow cheese to keep you going.
Has this been "diagnosed" or is it "habit"--just interested. DH has a touch of this as a habit.

Cathinjoetown

Many hotels serve what you're looking for, at a price. Your best option is to narrow your hotel search then inquire about the breakfast.

In and around the 6th and 7th cafés charge around 7-9€ for breakfast but this is usually very simple--coffee, juice, croissant and petit pain. The Paul chain does cooked breakfasts.

Or, you could rent an apartment which usually works out less than a hotel and of course saves on meals.

Another idea, some hotels have small fridges in the room where you can keep extra provisions. This time of year, there's always the window sill!

downtownbrown

I've stayed in at least two moderately priced hotels in Paris that served an approximation of the items you list.

Or you could go to the restaurant "Breakfast in America." I think there are two in Paris.

mamcalice

We love the breakfasts at Cafe Bonaparte in the 6th across from the Church of St. Germaine des Pres. They serve either a continental breakfast (croissants, juice, cafe) or an English breakfast (ham, eggs, salad, bread and juice). Both are excellent. If you begin to flag at mid morning, stop for a croissant and coffee or pick up a yogurt.

anne1975

Love Cafe Bonaparte! Not so much the bill, though. If you sit at the tables outside, excellent spot for people-watching.

Dukey1

There are hotels that serve this sort of breakfast and it is included in the price, also. You simply have to find the right hotel.

Oh, and if anybody told you that "all the hotel rooms in Paris are small"...that should have been worded, "I'm too cheap to pay for a hotel that has bigger rooms" and believe me, we've stayed in both sorts.

kerouac

One reason that I nevertheless like many of the soulless Ibis hotels (and Ibis Styles) is because they have good breakfast buffets. So does Campanile. Independent hotels are extremely hit-or-miss if you eat breakfast there; you can try it the first day and if it is not suitable (too expensive or insubstantial), many cafés in the neighborhood will be happy to get your trade.

annhig

i agree that the least risky means of getting what you want is to rent an apartment - you can either then go out for what you want, or buy it in - which is likely to be a lot cheaper. most hotels in France charge extra for breakfast, and the charge gets higher with the cost of the hotel though to be fair, the quality and quantity seems to rise too.

if you are in a hotel, i agree with the trick to try the breakfast on the first day - if it's not what you want, then you know what to do for the rest of your stay.

yorkshire

I completely empathize, as I am the same way. I must have one protein--just cheese will do, but yogurt is better. Having not visited France but countries with similar breakfast habits, your best bet if you want to avoid corporate hotels is to rent an apartment.

Underhill

The Novotels have a good buffet breakfast, but the best we had was at Le Madison--an up-scale hotel that gets a lot of visitors from other European countries. As a result, the buffet is copious, with eggs (scrambled or in the shell), ham, bacon, assorted cold meats, yogurt, cereals, breads to toast, croissants, pastries, fruit, juice...we sure didn't need lunch.

2012moving

Thanks for the feedback.

I discovered years ago that my mid-morning slump was resulting from a high GI breakfast (packaged breakfast cereal). This meant I was desperately heading for morning tea and reaching for something high in sugar. All this did was give me a brief high followed by an even deeper slump. Then I became desperate for lunch! It's just the way my metabolism functions.

Oats (which releases energy slowly, low GI) and some protein proved to be the answer for me. It was my doctor who suggested "have some protein for breakfast". I'm not a bacon and eggs person but do fare well with some protein for breakfast. This sort of breakfast keeps me going until mid-afternoon if necessary.

I prefer hotels which are not chain hotels which I find can be sterile. Especially those that look exactly the same as the ones in the country you live in! I like character and local flavour in my accommodation.

I will need to try to find a French hotel with a breakfast that suits, or one nearby, or as a last resort do something like Ibis. Or a fridge in the hotel room, find some raw muesli, ham, cheese etc. Shan't do the apartment idea since am travelling alone and it's nice to have some support nearby.

It seems even some of the French are beginning to see some deficiency in their breakfast. I found this on the net.

"Since most dietary experts regard a French breakfast as petit and imbalanced, the French have strived to remedy the situation by adding servings of fruit alongside the bread staples. Sometimes, French people eat freshly sliced fruits. In winter, the French prefer to eat preserved fruits for the extra sugar that they need. Fruits are not wholly consumed. In fact, 3-4 slices of peaches are enough for every single serving of a traditional French breakfast.

Yoghurt

Another recent addition to the traditional French breakfast is yoghurt. Worried about the dietary deficiencies of the traditional French breakfast, families are now serving yoghurt to help rectify this lack. A cup of liquid yoghurt or a bowl of creamy, solid yoghurt can be served plain or with fruit flavors. Ice creams are also served but only during the summer."

I cannot imagine ice-cream for breakfast! That would wreck me/

Nonconformist

"an English breakfast (ham, eggs, salad, bread and juice"

The French idea of an English breakfast, I presume. Really, salad for breakfast?

Ackislander

I agree completely with Kerouac. A hotel that serves an international business clientele will have the kind of breakfast that many of us need. Need, not want. Sincee I can't afford the George V, I look for a Mercure or Ibis hotel if we are not, for some reason, renting an apartment.

Most cafes will make you a ham or ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette at any hour but it still has a lot of carbs.

The advice to stop for a croissant and coffee at around ten is well-meant but terrible. I and perhaps the OP and yorkshire are among the many who do not handle carbohydrates well. Whether or not one is diabetic, carbohydrates cause the bodies of some people to release insulin in a rush, which leads to a huge crash as the starches are absorbed, and croissants and other pastries simply prolong this cycle. This Science, not New Age woo.

The best breakfast I have ever had near Paris was in an ultimate soulless business hotel at CDG. The buffet had four lobes: Anglo-American (US and UK bacon!); German-Dutch-Scandinavian (cheeses, smoked fish, sausages, boiled eggs); Asian-Japanese (rice, egg, pickle, tofu, fish, meat); and French (pastries, breads, butter, fruit). Some of each, thank you.

2012moving

<Underhill -
"The Novotels have a good buffet breakfast, but the best we had was at Le Madison--an up-scale hotel that gets a lot of visitors from other European countries. As a result, the buffet is copious, with eggs (scrambled or in the shell), ham, bacon, assorted cold meats, yogurt, cereals, breads to toast, croissants, pastries, fruit, juice...we sure didn't need lunch">

Perfect!

I stayed at hotels with these breakfasts during 7 weeks travel in Italy and Switzerland. These were not upscale but were smaller hotels with real local character. Not 5 star, not even 4 star.

I wonder if I can import a packet of raw muesli in my luggage? This would get me through the first morning whilst I scout the neighborhood.

I always believe in doing as the locals do, but need a suitable breakfast so I can do what they are doing!

kerouac

<i>Another recent addition to the traditional French breakfast is yoghurt.</i>

This assumes that "recent" covers the last 40 years. The French have always consumed massive amounts of yogurt.

nytraveler

This is NOT a typical French breakfast and most smaller hotels will not serve anything like this - although you can typically get tea versus coffee and many now serve a small glass of juice.

This type of buffet is often available at larger and/or business type hotels - at a very high price.

I'm sure there are some places outside of hotels where you can get most of these things (although don't know where since the French breakfast is fine with us). Again, I would expect to pay a significant amount. (The last time I stayed in a hotel in Paris that did this it was the Hilton and I think the breakfast was about US $28 per person - and that was at least 10 years ago.)

fourfortravel

Ackislander, I'm with you. A little cheese, a little rice and fish, and perhaps a combination of sausage and pickles, tomatoes and hard boiled eggs, and I'm set until lunch, if I need lunch at all! That is one of the main reasons we prefer to rent apartments when we travel, even when we travel alone. A coffee and a croissant would hold us only until we could find the next cafe, so being able to have "real food" items at the ready in the refrigerator makes our sightseeing day all the better.

Even at home I've brought a container with cheese and vegetables, and maybe some ham or smoked fish to the office for my morning meal. I enjoy it while I watch those who came strolling in at 7:00 with their coffee and croissant go strolling back out at 10:00 to find something real to eat.

2012moving

Nice to hear there's plenty of yoghurt about.

Here's a further paragraph from that website.
"Difference Between English and French Traditional Breakfasts

A traditional English breakfast is the common bacon/ham and eggs served with toast, jam, and coffee. English breakfasts are a lot heavier. In fact, some dietary experts regard this breakfast as "too much to take when your body has just woken up". French breakfasts are a lot lighter and are never served with meat. However, you cannot say that none of these breakfast types are good because one is over-nutritious and the other is under-nutritious. The difference may easily be attributed to tradition, differences in climate, and the needs of the people according to their energy consumption. It always depends on a person’s preferences and customs. Whatever you choose, don’t forget to enjoy your hearty breakfast!"

I'm Australian, not English. A buffet style breakfast generally supplies all that I need - kind of a balance between heavy and light.

Another benefit of this satisfying breakfast was that while everyone else (eg bus tours) was having lunch I found shorter queues and less crowds at attractions in Italy and Switzerland.

StCirq

The breakfast you describe is typically German, Swiss, or Northern Italian, but decidedly not French. If you need a breakfast like that, as others have said you'll likely need to book at a chain hotel, book at a very upscale hotel that caters to an international business clientele, book an apartment, or shop ahead of time for the supplemental items you need. I highly doubt you'll find some little moderately priced "hôtel de charme" serving anything but the usual French breakfast fare. You will pay a lot for a breakfast like the one you've described, whether it be in a hotel or in a café...but if it will tide you over through lunch, and if you can get by with something insubstantial for lunch, the costs may even out. Seems to me the easiest thing to do would be to stop at a Monoprix or alimentaire or supermarket and pick up some ham and cheese and yoghurt (yes, France has a few thousand brands of yoghurt and has for decades) and just eat them along with the normal French breakfast.