Four Seasons Boston, about 15-20 years ago.

There were no waiter's stations or computer terminals in the dining room. They set the tables from supplies stored in beautiful antique cabinets in the room, and dirty dishes were whisked out of the room without being stacked - no clattering of dishes or cutlery.

I've always remembered that, and wondered why other restaurants can't manage it.

The other was Kviknes Hotel on the Sognefjord in Norway. An incredible place.

Don't really have a best, per se, but some very memorable good ones...

1) Embassy Suites downtown Philadelphia. Breakfast is on the 2nd floor of the restaurant next door (Chili's or TGIFs?). A very well done operation. Obviously, the full range of usual buffet options, cooked to order omelletes...

2) Any Hilton property in the UK with their breakfasts. Top notch. You can either go English, or American, or both.

3) Breakfast in the Exec lounge at Hilton CDG looking out at the Concord whilst eating.

4) Rambaugh Palace in Jaipur, India. Nothing like sitting on the porch in front of a beautifully manicured lawn, looking out at a fountain, eating both American and traditional Indian foods. I forget the name of the Indian entrees I was eating, but it was good.

The El Tova lodge on the north rim of the Grand Canyon does a pretty good breakfast to. It's the veiw more than the food though as it is close to the edge with alot of glass, and the room has a sort of old fashoined feel to it. It was pleasant.

Yada

More info please? I tried to find it by Googling but found I was slogging mostly through Berlin sites, at least on the first page or so, so I gave up--quicker just to ask you. Specifically, are you talking about Fredericksburg, TX? And what items on the buffet, for a general overview?

In general, to the OP's question: I thought breakfast buffets were the main reason for traveling. (No, no, I don't mean it. )

I posted a similar thread over in the Hilton forum about two years ago, “Most Enjoyable Breakfast Buffets,” started June 21, 2005,

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=445491

I was such a newbie at that time that it didn't occur to me to use this forum. So glad someone started a general and a recent thread! Update since then--not buffets in general but buffets containing specific items:

Smoked eel at the Rome Hilton Cavalieri this past Easter. Bless them, my DH's favorite dish, and difficult to obtain--last time we encountered it was at the food section at the KaDeWe department store in Berlin.

Pancakes at the Embassy Suites at Hot Springs (I didn’t dare try them—my conscience got the better of me, fortunately or unfortunately—but they looked magnificent, dark brown, exactly like those I remember from childhood)

Marinated, presumably uncooked fish-sauerkraut rollups in a hotel on the town square at Cesky Krumlov. One time in a lifetime is enough for this dish, but once, what fun!

The deep red orange juice made from freshly squeezed blood oranges at the Cavalieri and at the Rome Airport Hilton

For non-buffets, a dish remembered from years ago: Omelets, at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, many years ago. (The Inn of Mtn Gods website calls this place a new resort/casino, but I’m not sure why. The Inn of the Mountain Gods has been there for ages, near Ruidoso, NM.) The omelets were puffy beyond puffy and deep, deep brown.

With all those memories, time to get moving: Am going to jog today, tomorrow, the next day, and. . . .

Sorry, this is becoming OT, but that brings back memories of the Coquilles St. Jacques (sp?) for lunch. A very good place based on memories of that one outstanding dish. ^ It's been years. . . .

doh, brain not working this early. TXL is the code for Tegelhof (Berlin), i originally put TEX

it wasn't a buffet. they served a traditional german breakfast to your table, you could order from the menu, and they brought around ~3 trays of tasting dishes. there was also a continental station with croissants, juice, etc. and having unlimited water for free was a huge plus.

http://www.askoxford.com/languages/c.../germany/brot/
fairly good description. there were also soft boiled eggs, fruit, muesli, and im sure im forgetting things.

Sort of related, something that can quickly turn any breakfast bad is
the presence of loud TV's. I often try to arrive early so I'm the first/only
person and turn it off...usually it takes about half an hour for a hotel
person to realize and turn it on, and by then I'm almost done.... Once
I tried doing the straightforward thing and asking for them to turn it
down/off (at a Hampton). She said "policy" made them have it on, and at
a certain volume, even if no one was there who wanted to watch.

As for contents, I like a good selection of fruits, cold/hot cereals, and teas.
Particularly if a person is a vegetarian or keeps kosher, it's good to have
lots of non-meat (or even non-dairy) selections.

--LG

That would be the El Tovar, and it would be the South Rim.

Two hotel breakfasts come to mind, both buffet as it happens. The first was at the Scots Hotel in Tiberias in the Galil (Israel) and the second at (what is now a Sun but was then) a Holiday Inn at JNB airport.

The Scots Hotel (actually owned and operated by the Church of Scotland) featured a top-notch Israeli breakfast spread, but also had an equally top-notch "British" breakfast feature (best bacon in Israel but that isn't saying much) in addition to amazing cheeses, breads, and the usual eye-popping array of fruits and salads.

The JNB HI had delicious everything, with the passion fruit and local S. African cheeses being a big hit with my spouse. SA cheeses don't get much attention out of SA, but they should.

Most dramatic breakfast would probably be the one delivered by canoe to your overwater bungalow on Bora Bora... most of the hotels there do it.

But one of the things I most enjoy when on vacation is the ability to sit peacefully, with very few people around, and drink coffee with my wife for a couple of hours while gazing out at the ocean before beginning to actually eat breakfast. This was likely accomplished best when we were at Bora Bora Nui and a the Sheraton Pattaya. Key ingredients are that the breakfast restaurant isn't too crowded, noisy... that it have a wonderful ocean view... and outstanding, strong coffee (with soy milk or at least 2% for mrs. gleff and half and half or heavy cream for me). Details of the buffet itself are almost secondary, but some noodle dish and dim sum are pluses. Interestingly, breakfast was included both times (at the Nui I understand breakfast is no longer included for all guests, and at the Sheraton Pattaya they offer that as a SPG Plat benefit).

Room service breakfast: best omellette I've ever eaten was actually delivered by room service at the W Seattle, a wonderful yet simple avocado and bacon omellette.. avocado perfectly ripe, bacon of high quality, little fat, firm and crisp but not overcooked.

So true. Usually I note spelling errors, and this didn't seem quite what I remembered, but I suppose I must have been thinking more about the scallops than about the name. As to north/south rim, I usually refer any questions about recollections to the DH, whose memory and power of observation exceed mine. I forgot to ask him to confirm direction. (Grand Canyon, that describes it closely enough in my memory. )

[QUOTE=Gardyloo;7601141]That would be the El Tovar, and it would be the South Rim.

Give the man a coconut , I digress to he's better recollection of my trip than I. I was going to be all cocky and say it was a deliberate mistake to keep you all on your toes , but no you got me. I just have a really crappy memory.

Sorry for the mistake and thanks for correcting me.

Yada

In Helsinki, Finland at the Klaus K. It was so amazingly fresh and replenished in small portions so it never sat out, which is one reason most hotel buffets are so vile. The dining room there was lovely too and the food was delish, and the setting peaceful. It was quite ideal and I remember it so vividly, even though it was only a bit over a year ago, as the gold standard of hotel breakfasts.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. It was the first time we had stayed at a hotel which offered a MAP.(breakfast & dinner included in rate). We could order anything or everything from the menu, either via room service or in the dining room.
Some of the items included fresh fruit, macadamia nut waffles with coconut syrup, banana pancakes, banger sausages, about 4 kinds of bacon, any type of omelette, eggs any way you desired (including Benedict), steak and eggs, variety of fresh juices. I have visions of those fresh-baked banana muffins with poha jam. Coffee and tea were served in pretty china pots with the MKB hibiscus logo. When you ordered room service, the server brought a toaster to your room. Sitting on that balcony eating that scrumptious breakfast is a cherished memory and one which we were able to repeat on a number of occasions at the MKB.

Best breakfast had to have been in Feb in Klon at a little hotel that had great service. A selection of cheese, yougarts, fresh juices, coffee, breads, fruits, etc. By far a great choice of foods. I will have to look for the name and post it here when I get a chance.

[QUOTE=yadayaba;7613781]Chill. ^ I'm just glad to have company. And I suspect a lot of people are.

It's a sign of something very intellectual and commendable--what, I don't know.