As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And that goes double for a vacation. There are few pleasures sweeter than either sauntering down to an awaiting hotel breakfast, coffee already made, pancakes at the ready, or even better, simply sitting up in bed and calling downstairs to have it delivered right to you. For me, it's the epitome of the vacation experience, as it's one little thing someone else can do for me, rather than having to do it myself. A good hotel breakfast is a moment to savor. And when I asked our community to share their most unforgettable ones, I wasn't surprised that dozens of people jumped in with their favorites. However, what did surprise me was how many different shapes an "unforgettable" breakfast can take. Take Cap Rocat in Mallorca, where breakfast doesn't come to your table. It's set down on your daybed. "Just fill out the menu card, order as much of everything as you want, set a time—any time—and they will bring it," writer Isabelle Kliger said of her experience at the fortress-turned-hotel's private, in-room-style service overlooking the bay of Palma. As a bonus, the resort's falcon patrols the sky to keep gulls away while you eat. At The Setting Inn in Newberg, Oregon, breakfast appears in an adorable picnic basket outside your door, ready and waiting for you to devour. "Waking up to a flaky, buttery Bouchon Bakery croissant spread with jam, a hard-boiled egg, and some just-squeezed OJ, all without having to change out of my robe? Sold!" writer Karla Walsh said. And at Ibiza Gran Hotel, breakfast is less of a single dish and more of a performance. Here, the daily spread runs more than 350 dishes deep, with roaming mimosa, oyster, and caviar carts and live Spanish guitar in the garden, ensuring you're never hungry, thirsty, or bored. "No matter how late you stayed up the night before, the Grand Breakfast is always worth getting up for," the hotel's F&B Director Carlos Sanchez said. |
One more not to miss, according to reporter Sarah Rappaport, is Borgo Santandrea on the Amalfi Coast, which she called "the best coffee and croissant of my life." Though journalist Olivia Bria said that, for her, Fausto by Andean in Lima is best-in-class. Here, she said, the five-room hotel's open kitchen turns breakfast into a personal show. "The breakfast room is in a stunning, quiet nook in the center of the hotel, decorated with greenery," Bria explained. "Each breakfast comes with meats, cheeses, fruits, and pastries/bread. The specialty isn't the standard breakfast itself—it's the chef just on the other side of the counter of the open-concept kitchen who's continually making items from scratch, like smoothies based on the fruits of the day and eggs." And at Porto's Villa Foz Hotel and Spa, they serve oysters and Veuve Clicquot at breakfast, which editor Jessi Walker called "an overall perfect experience, 10/10." Vienna's Hotel Altstadt earned high praise from East End Taste editor Vanessa Gordon, who would go back for the eggs Benedict alone. And in the Maldives, journalist Rosie Bell still dreams about a "lick-the-plate great" glass noodle dish from LUX* South Ari Atoll's breakfast buffet. And really, to me, all this means is that I need to add a few more overnight flights to my travels this year, just so I get there by breakfast time. |
