Breakfast is, perhaps, the most important meal of the day. You can’t say it enough. All kinds of experts – fitness or diet or food – concur that how you start your day matters. So why compromise when on vacation? We, therefore, asked our travel writers to remember their best hotel breakfast to help you make that perfect vacation booking. Read on, and slurp!
Healthy yet yum breakfast at CGH Brunton Boatyard, Fort Kochi
– Bindu Gopal Rao
On a visit to CGH Brunton Boatyard, Fort Kochi, I had a breakfast that had several novel elements driven by the philosophy of clean and healthy eating. Called ‘Conscious Borma’, this is part of the CGH Earth experience where the hotels always offer local, fresh, and mindful cooking. As a small part of this thinking, this property serves freshly baked whole wheat and millet breads that are nutritionally dense and gluten-free. I sampled some excellent fare – croissants, buns and breads that were soft and tasted great – the millet never felt different which is a great ode to the talent of the chef team here. The best part is that real butter, natural palm sugar and/or brown sugar is used in the baking process that will ensure you enjoy the delicious boulangerie. Wash this down with freshly squeezed fruit juice and you are ready to start your exploration on the right note.
For bookings, visit the hotel website.
Farm to fork breakfast at Jehan Numa Retreat, Bhopal
– Nikita Vivek Pawar
Jehan Numa Retreat has a farm-to-fork cafe called the Green House Bistro that celebrates the slow food philosophy. The cafe is a greenhouse-like structure with Indian blinds and antiques that give it a rustic yet fresh vibe. Circular tables make for the best breakfast tables, and picking your own produce from their gardens is an added plus. The cafe serves some of the most delectable salads, cold-pressed juices, gourmet breakfasts, burgers and desserts. For breakfasts, I recommend the Italian Eggs Benedict and a soul-filling smoothie called The Healer. They also serve the best chicken burger of my life – Chicken Katsu Burger. This cafe is great for breakfast or even for brunch with your friends.
For bookings, visit the hotel website.
A breakfast for kings and queens at The Leela Palace Jaipur
– Soumya Jain Agarwal
Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day when you are traveling. Whether you are going exploring after that, or simply lounging on the beach, you don’t want to be worried about a grumbling stomach. Hangry is a real feeling after all. However, going beyond just the food, The Leela Palace Jaipur elevated the art of breakfast for me. One fine day, instead of choosing their breakfast buffet, I opted for the Maharaja Bhog. As the name clearly suggests, it was a thali full of delights. From the quintessential Rajasthani mirchi pakora to khichda to besan cheela, I relished these hearty, savoury dishes. Don’t leave out the pyaaz kachori – a delicacy from the region. Kadhi and aloo bhaji paired perfectly with the ker sangri paratha. Sweeten it up with delicious malai ghewar, malpua and laapsi. The small bowls don’t end here. But to top it all is a giant brass tumbler of Maharaja Lassi – a sweet, chilled, rich yogurt drink. Adding to the royal feeling is the fact that the server got our Maharaja Bhog to our plunge pool villa – giving us the freedom to have a relaxed breakfast, beside the pool, or while swimming, in privacy, at our pace. End it with kesar chai or badam milk, and you’ll be satisfied to the brim. An unmissable, regal experience!
For bookings, visit the hotel website.
A gheelicious breakfast at Suryagarh, Jaisalmer
– Suman Tarafdar
An admission off the bat! In my travels in about 50 odd nations, meals, especially breakfasts, have been significant – often because the rest of the day was unpredictable! And the most sumptuous hotel breakfasts (home meals are not comparable) are at Indian luxury hotels where a breakfast buffet could easily offer two hundred items, while 50 to 80 is the norm! However, a memorable one for me was one that had its own name – the Halwai breakfast at Suryagarh, near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. An option for the first meal of the day, it is of course based on traditional breakfasts of the region, and it starts off with nine platefuls of different mithais. This may sound a little excessive for the average human, this smorgasbord is but a starter to the actual meal, which travels through pooris, kachoris, chaat, dal pakwan, mirchi vada, jalebi, pista milk… Yes, they also seem to be of a particular deliciousness that is not easily matched! While really tucking into these carb-fat-rich but delicious items with an abandonment of the really young is well beyond the capacity of most, the staff cajoles the usually weight-obsessed guests to try to sample as many dishes as possible! Did I mention that the presentation and plating lead only further the path to indulgence? Do try, even if you skip other meals of the day!
For bookings, visit the hotel website.
A taste of home for breakfast at The Kumaon, Kasar Devi
– Tejashee Kashyap
Nestled in Uttrakhand’s Kasar Devi, The Kumaon might be a little long drive from New Delhi. But its breakfast spread sets the tone for the rest of your day. As you watch the rays of the sun kiss the snow-capped peaks, sipping on hot tea and gorging on phulkas served with the earthy flavours of pahadi aloo ki sabji becomes a delight. The best way to savour breakfast at The Kumaon is at the open dining area, basking in the sun and overlooking the parallel mountainscape. Although you get a selection of international favourites with bread and omelettes, the taste of local flavours and a ghar-wali (homely) feeling make it special. No breakfast at The Kumaon would be complete without a taste of the region’s famed fruits. Dive into bowls of ripe mangoes, juicy lychees, and succulent berries from their farms. The hearty breakfasts here have always slid me into a happy food-induced coma.
For bookings, visit the hotel website.
Vietnamese delights for breakfast at Fusion Original, Ho Chi Minh City
– Usman Riaz
Every culture around the globe has that one rustic dish its natives swear by as the ultimate comfort food. They constitute a complete meal, striking the perfect balance of carbs, veggies, and protein to sustain you throughout the day. For the Vietnamese, that dish, undoubtedly, is Phở. This hearty aromatic soup comprises rice noodles with locally sourced herbs, bean sprouts, and steamed chicken (or beef) in chilli and black bean sauce. Hailed as the ideal remedy for a hangover, Phở holds quite the cultural hero status in Vietnam. The ingredients and flavours vary slightly from region to region. One of my most memorable breakfast experiences was having Phở at Fusion Original, Saigon Center, in Ho Chi Minh City. Situated at a stone’s throw from the premier and bustling sites of the city, as well as the quaint streets of the historic Saigon, Fusion offers a picturesque breakfast setting at the 24th-floor Miss Thu restaurant. My suggestion if you find yourself here: resist(!) the enticing buffet spread and straight up ask for Phở. Follow this with a steaming cup of Cà Phê Trứng—the famed Vietnamese egg coffee, and you’ll be ready for anything.
For bookings, visit the hotel website.
