AIBU to ask what you’d expect from a “continental breakfast”?

[Aberforthsgoat]

If you were staying at a hotel and continental option was offered what would you expect that to include?

This is why I no longer opt for hotel breakfasts unless they are included.

Overpriced and frequently disappointing. Unless you are staying in the middle of nowhere, you can usually go across the road and have a nice breakfast at a cafe for half the price.

Decided this after a bitter experience in Salzburg when we realised we could have paid less to eat breakfast at Cafe Sacher than we did in our hotel.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget can I come please?

That is shocking.
Complain OP.
I'd expect a variety of pastries, toast, nutella and jams in little pots, cereals Inc nice granola, ham, salami, cheeses (albeit edam or gouda.....shudder).

That's rubbish, OP. IMO 'continental' means a very light breakfast of pastries, fruit, tea, coffee and orange juice –not more than that even in a four-star place –but a crappy pre-packed croissant and slice of cheese just isn't acceptable.

I think I might complain.
The disparity between the cooked breakfast offering and this was so wide!
Good idea to the pp who suggested seeing if there are pics on the website, I’m going to have a look.
There was tea and coffee offered - nice coffee, lattes, cappuccinos etc, but no toast or bread or anything like that unless you ordered cooked and then you pay the premium
Cooked breakfast price. I was surprised there weren’t even any cereals or yogurt or anything.

That is really crap!

I do hope they weren't charging extra for that - as opposed to including it in the room rate I mean?

If they were, I'm afraid I'd have a lot to say about it, probably on social media

DH still moans about one Travelodge we stayed in (on the day of my uncles funeral!) because the breakfast box was a cereal bar, a hard long life croissant and a yogurt they didn’t have a kitchen (go figure)

OP that does sound rubbish tho.

Which hotel is it?

A sad selection of toast and cereal.

That’s terrible!

Bloody hell, that's crap. My uni hall of residence at least offered wet ham and processed cheese with its croissant or toast , on continental breakfast days.

I'd expect this

I would expect it to be entirely made up of items I cannot eat (coeliac). Really irritating when places only offer rates which include breakfast.

At a 4 star hotel, you should get at least everything you get at a premier lodge, except for the cooked breakfast.

Breads/toast/pastries/yoghurt/cereals/fruit/fruit juices/preserves/hot drinks.

premier inn now charge 9.50 (in my stopover bookings for this years holiday) for the full English option, and it's excellent value. Yes, I could probably pay a bit less elsewhere, but it's nice to roll out of bed, roll into the breakfast bar, and have a pleasant breakfast with my OH,

Continental breakfast on offer at hotel in Brussels (therefore, v definitely 'on the continent)..

Tea
Coffee
Pancakes
Waffles
Pastries
Cereals
Sliced cheeses
Sliced cold meats
Fruit
Toast/bread
Jam/nutella/honey
Fruit juices

Continental breakfast as per Doubletree Hilton, Sheffield

Exactly the same minus the pancakes. (oh and ok the pancakes and waffles in Brussels were served from a VAN inside the hotel, freshly cooked but DIY, the waffles in Sheffield were pre packed, toast them yourself jobs).

What you have described is not a continental breakfast, it is a shit breakfast.

@soulrider

if you don't have a coked breakfast, and choose a continental option - what would you expect other than fruit and yoghurts - would you expect coeliac bread, or more than that?

Oh my goodness. Complain! I live for a continental breakfast:

Croissants
Pain au Chocolate
Potentially danishes, but I can live without them
Jam, nutella, butter
Different loaves to make your own toast
Yoghurt
Muesli
Dried fruit & seeds
Cold meats & cheeses
Condiments

My campanile breakfasts in France are always adequate. Not as substantial as English offerings tend to include, but ample. It's a nice surprise when I get the cheese and cooked meats, because I don't really expect it.

Please name and shame, so we can avoid that hotel.

I’d be devastated. I love a continental breakfast. I’d expect at the bare minimum toast, cereals, fruit, juice, milk, tea, coffee. In a 4* I’d definitely expect the above plus decent pastries and sliced meats and cheese. Absolutely complain. I get that it’s included in the price, but that doesn’t mean they can just chuck any old crap at you and expect you to be grateful.

It depends on the price but at minimum I'd expect:

Fruit
Yoghurts
Bread for toasting
Pastrys -min. croissants
Jams/marmalade
Cereal selection
Juice + coffee

If I'd paid a bit more if expect some cheeses/cold meats as well. Maybe a hardboiled egg if I'm lucky.

In Amsterdam I was paying 3€ in a hostel for ham, cheese, pain au chocolate, bread, hardboiled egg, coffee and a juice, was heaven. Would go back just for that breakfast. Plus unlimited cereals. If a hostel can do that for 3 Euro I think a 4 star hotel can do it!

Are we talking U.K. hotel? The standard is somewhat different dependent on where you are.

Gth1234

I'd never choose a continental breakfast, but i've been in hotels for work when it's been on offer and generally there's nothing i can eat. Yoghurt and fruit would be fine, but whilst that seems to be offered when places do cooked breakfasts, continental breakfasts often only offer cereal and bread products.

@BlueCornishPixie

3E for that lot is a great deal.