A perfect hotel breakfast — or, at least, as close to perfect as possible — is the one thing which can drag you out of a hotel-perfect bed before you are fully awake.
Nobody talks about it — except many frequent travelers, of course — but a first-rate hotel breakfast can be one of the best parts of your leisure vacation or business trip. Take away that breakfast and you will hear the uproar of those frequent travelers…
The Best Hotel Breakfasts Around the World in Almost Every Capital City
…so where are the best hotel breakfasts around the world in almost every capital city — as well as in every state in the United States?
I have been given express written permission to use the maps and the verbatim text from this article from Mornings.co.uk, which highlights the most popular digital banks in almost every country in the world. This information is general in nature only and does not constitute personal advice. While Mornings.co.uk has endeavored to ensure the information provided is accurate and current, it cannot guarantee it. Neither Mornings.co.uk nor The Gate accept liability for the information which is presented in this article.
Research was conducted to identify the international hotel breakfasts about which holiday makers are writing home.
The mentions of three search terms — “best breakfast,” “great breakfast,” and “excellent breakfast” — were used for hotel and resort properties in many capital cities around the world and every state in the United States via Tripadvisor by keywords and location on the “Hotel” tab. The number of mentions for each term for each hotel and resort property were extracted and then ranked them by the combined mentions across all three terms — and the best ones were mapped…
…because when 5,000 people recommend a hotel breakfast, it is probably worth the journey.
The data were collected in September 2021; and quotes from reviewers have been tidied up for spelling and punctuation.
Key Findings
- Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London has the best hotel breakfast in the world, with 5,363 glowing mentions.
- The best hotel breakfast in a North American capital is at the Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, with 3,545 top reviews.
- The American state with the best hotel breakfast is Louisiana, where the Hotel Mazarin in New Orleans has earned 3,385 superlatives on Tripadvisor.
Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London is the Best Hotel Breakfast in the World
Built on the site of “one of the ugliest buildings in the UK,” the Plaza has had something to prove since opening in 2011. The surest way to a guest’s heart is through their stomach, as 5,363 satisfied breakfasters will tell you. The Plaza’s “superb breakfast with so many choices” extends to a “wide variety even for my fussy 10-year-old.” One reviewer who was shocked to find a lack of fried eggs was reassured by the hotel that, on request, they’ll do your eggs any way you please.
In second place is an Italian breakfast, at the Hotel Artemide in Rome. The Artemide promises the waiting staff will attend your table, “bringing you the delicacies of the chefs and patisserie, such as tiramisu, hot bruschetta, Sicilian cannoli, and a bevvy of other ever-changing temptations.”
Europe
It is perhaps a shock that the UK’s capital should feature three of the top 10 best capital city breakfasts in the world. England is not known for its cuisine – but as a traveller hotspot, London’s hotels are compelled to step up. Europe’s number one, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London, serves occupants of up to 1,019 rooms every morning.
At the other end of the scale, Sarajevo’s Hotel Halvat is just a small family-run bed-and-breakfast – but the breakfast is their “speciality.” Say guests: “breakfast at the guesthouse is very extensive, and you can tell the host what kind of breakfast you would like to eat. From fried eggs to pancakes and roasted vegetables and fresh fruits, everything is possible.”
North America
In case you were unsure if a trip to the Bahamas might be nice, be reassured that the Sandals Royal Bahamian offers the best hotel breakfast of any capital city in North America. The five-star spot houses ten restaurants, with award-winning chefs serving everything from “classic French cuisine at La Plume to Kanoo Caribbean cuisine.” “The Bacara (French) was truly a treat both for dinner & breakfast,” according to reviewers.
Cuba’s Iberostar Parque Central is just 100 votes behind the Royal Bahamian. “I am sure this is the best breakfast that any city hotel has in Havana,”writes one reviewer (correctly). “So much variety, fruits, jams, cheese, pastries, sealed yogurt, eggs at your choice, natural juice, butter, oats, coffee, milk, you will love it.”
South America
Buenos Aires is the only capital in South America with a four-figure-rated breakfast. The Fierro prides itself on being a hotel for foodies: the breakfast is “to die for,” according to one such epicurean; “so good and tailored to what you wanted rather than buffet style,” says another. Yet another entreats you: “Have breakfast at the hotel, it’s a foodie delight with specially made…well, everything on the menu is specially made.”
Breakfast is homemade at Alma Historica Boutique Hotel, Montevideo’s top-rated hotel – “a gourmet breakfast to gain some kilos for.” The “delicate China cups at breakfast, the warm croissants, the pretty doilies on the plates all added to a feeling of good old-fashioned charm and high standards,” assures another reviewer, attesting to that ‘boutique’ breakfast experience.
Middle East & Central Asia
It’s ‘adults only’ at the Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives, which may already be all you need to picture a blissful breakfast. Highlights include a $140 ‘floating breakfast,’ while Ocean’s restaurant offers a “fab breakfast buffet with Indian items.”
The Iranian breakfast at Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran features cucumber, tomato, local bread, honey, cream, and an Iranian style omelette. It’s both “tasty” and “memorable,” according to reviewers, and a variety of options are available.
Rest of Asia & Oceania
Kuala Lumpur’s Traders Hotel offers one of the very best hotel breakfasts in the world. “Breakfast is buffet style and choice after choice after choice…” says one reviewer; “a large choice of eastern and western style foods.”
In New Zealand, it’s the Rydges Wellington that takes the crown. They do the simple things well: “perfect barista coffee, fresh juices and seasonal fruits, hearty grain cereals, and warm baked goods, alongside towering bennies” (Eggs Benedict rather than Benzedrine). “Very tasty and well served” – what more could you ask?
Africa
The Ramses Hilton in Cairo is Africa’s top capital city breakfast, with nearly double the top-rated reviews of any other African capital city. Here’s one light sleeper’s testimony: “in the morning, we had a full breakfast buffet, which included local and international delights, made-to-order drinks (ask for Turkish coffee!), and egg dishes, as well as freshly squeezed juices (mango, guava, strawberry, orange). All breakfast items were seriously delicious, and it gave our days a very nice start.”
You can expect personal service with optional chat at Jacana Gardens Guest Lodge in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. A “feast in itself,” the lodge’s breakfast features “a wide range of options in a nice garden setting with trees and flowers from all over Zimbabwe while listening to some Jazz and Swing Music in the background – what more can you ask for to start your day?”
The Hotel Mazarin in Louisiana is America’s Best Hotel Breakfast
Breakfast is a big deal in the US, and a hotel breakfast tour of every state would not be inappropriate. You only need one map: the one below.
It reveals that Louisiana’s Hotel Mazarin has the best brekkie in America. “Great breakfast, comfy bed,” raves one reviewer of the New Orleans hotel, while others define it as “yummy,” “delicious,” or “super tasty.” “You get all of the works,” enthuses another. “Buttered grits, bacon, fresh coffee, warm pastries etc. I enjoyed the breakfast so much that I cancelled all of my breakfast and lunch reservations.”
How about a Nag’s Head breakfast? Not at a Peckham pub, but a North Carolina town. The Surf Side Hotel is another four-figure wonder. The complimentary breakfast is offered with sea views – and it’s “hot and plentiful,” just like the surf.
Wake with a Smile
If you’re still fine-tuning your bedroom set-up at home, why not treat yourself to a perfect night and glowing morning with a stay in a fine hotel? We’ve put all our data in the interactive table below so you can find the one with the best breakfast in a city near you.
Final Boarding Call
What constitutes the best breakfast is extraordinarily subjective; so there is bound to be some controversy over the final selections for this article.
Breakfast is my least favorite meal — but I do appreciate it in the morning when I travel. I have dined on breakfast in the Ramses Hilton hotel property in Cairo; but I still have yet to write about my dining experience. I can vouch that it was one of the best breakfast experiences I have had in Egypt at the time, which was back in 2015.
Among my nominations for best hotel breakfasts include the buffet at the Holiday Inn Vilnius hotel property; and the best breakfast I had at a Hampton Inn was at the Hampton Inn Chester hotel property — but I have had some amazing breakfasts at Hilton properties around the world, which include the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa, the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre, and Hilton Brighton Metropole, which is another experience about which I have not yet written…
…but enough about me: what would you say would have been your best hotel breakfasts? You can even cite the worst ones in the Comments section below, if you choose.
Other articles at The Gate which pertain to hotel breakfasts include:
- Warning: Watch Out When Booking Breakfast Room Rates During the Pandemic
- Morning at Katse Lodge in Lesotho — Including Breakfast
- Should Tip Jars Be in Buffet Breakfast Areas of Hotel Properties?
- Stupid Tip of the Day: 7 Factors When Considering Hotel Room Rates Which Include Breakfast
- What to Do When Breakfast Hours at Hotels Do Not Fit Your Travel Schedule
- Are the Free Continental Breakfast Buffets at Hotels Disgusting? Some Tips For You
- Using a Suggestion Box as a Tip Box at Breakfast
- Should Breakfast Attendants at Hotels Receive Tips and Gratuities From Guests?
- Update: Hilton Daily Food and Beverage Credit Extended and Increased 2022 in the United States
- New Free Breakfast Policy in Effect at Hyatt Place
- What is the Big Deal About Free Breakfast at Hyatt Place?
- Tru by Hilton Improved Its Breakfast Options?
- Would You Wear Pajamas and a Shower Cap To Breakfast at a Hotel? This Woman Did
- Should a Hotel Property That Offers Complimentary Breakfast Pay for Breakfast for a Dissatisfied Guest?
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
