To make lunch from the buffet breakfast at our (frankly) ludicrously expensive hotel in Crete

[luverlyjubberly]

We are off on holiday tomorrow and we booked this a year ago.....before my dh lost his job and before we couldn't really afford it. However, it was too late to cancel without losing our money and we didn't want to disappoint the kids, so we are off anyway. This means we are staying in an expensive 5 star resort on a small budget. I'd already paid for the bed/breakfast so I'm thinking, since they have a massive buffet (we've been before) that we ought to stock up on rolls, cheese, ham, fruit etc and feed ourselves this at lunchtime to save money. We have two kids who would be happy enough with this and I reckon it would save us a small fortune. However dh is really against it saying that it's something he'd never do, we'd have to do it on the quiet - which he hates the idea of - and he thinks it's giving our kids the wrong message (like we are stealing or something)....

Views please.. don't kill me please - I'm just trying not to go into mounds of debt...

This snobbery is really unpleasant! Lets hope you lot never find yourselves on a budget!

"i go 5 star to get away from this sort of thing" WANKER

Late breakfast - perhaps a piece of fruit to take away- can't see the harm in that for the children. If the breakfast is open late and you are going to the beach/pool you can go there first and come to Brunch afterwards. This would mean that you would at any rate not need a full scale lunch later and if you want to have a snack I am sure the hotel will have shop that sells crackers etc - they generally do

Most places tend to over cater on buffets and alot of food gets thrown away unfortunately. I have worked in several hotels that did breakfast buffet and the early staff had breakfast from the buffet that had been out for up to 4 hours. None was given away/staff took none home.

That's not quite what I said, Lucyellensmum (you incorrectly imply that I stay in 5-star hotels all the time).

However, the tone of your reply has been noted and I wear my "wanker" badge with pride. Thank you.

I've only read the OP.

In all honesty, I would feel really uncomfortable doing it but really, I don't see why you shouldn't - you've paid for the buffet breakfast. Other people might eat the equivalent of 3 courses while you only have a bowl of cereal so I don't see what's wrong with taking a roll and some fruit.

My pleasure word, you were right though, i did misquote you, i apologise!

By Word on Tue 05-Aug-08 16:58:50
Onceinalifetime - Well said. If I stay in a 5-star establishment, it's to get away from this sort of behaviour. Bloody chavs.

Have another badge, fuckwit!!

I will be going on my "9.50" Sun holiday this year, to a chavtastic caravan site, and if it aint nailed down, im avin it!!

Oh, and Lucyellensmum, for your info, I've just done 7 years of self-catering holidays in Cornwall.

Interesting that so many people who cry poor have enough money to stay in hotels abroad. I would say, if you can't afford to feed your family on holiday, you shouldn't book it in the first place.

I'm not of course referring to the OP, whose circumstances changed.

'My dh once had seven different puddings from abuffet, just because he could.'

Priceless MD

I must admit, I've taken pieces of fruit from the buffet at hotels, or a muffin or something to eat later. Being the sort of person I am I felt a bit 'off' doing it but in my rational mind I know there is no reason not to.

Are you in therapy now word? For all those years of struggling? Please tell me it wasn't in a caravan - god forbid. But wait one goddamn minute, don't you have to remortgage to holiday in cornwall these days??

lucyellensmum, looks like you misquoted me too. I didn't say anything about staying in a 5 star establishment to get away from anyone, just behaving appropriately, chav or otherwise.

Do I really deserve to be called a fuckwit? Why are you so angry?

Apologies, just realised you are calling word a fuckwit - still wholly inappropriate for a thread like this.

onceinalifetime - don't go around stealing other peoples badges!!! ask me nicely and i'll give you one of your very own, i was quoting Word. But then ive always had problems with that particular package?

Why am i so angry - cos its tuesday and thats my angry day

Actually, yes LEM! Also, I've been told that Cornwall is where all the posh people go, whilst the Med is now ruled by all the buffet-stealing chavs.

Judging by the plummy accents I heard on the beach (not mine) it may be true....

I stayed in a 4* hotel with DP when i went to switzerland on a conference, so, not only did i bung a couple of croissants into my bag for lunch, i wasn't even paying for it in the first place . I think i put on a stone in about a week Everyone did it, but to be fair, most of us were students so thats OK

If you have paid for a B&B, go to the breakfast buffet but don't eat any of the buffet at that point but put it into your handbag to eat at another time - say around noonish, 1pm - is that still stealing?

Hmmm, this is a tricky one. Having worked in hotels and often in the restaurant area I have seen many guests take extra stuff to eat later. Some tried to hde it and stuffed it in hand bags or wrapped in napkins but tbh us staff would always spot it a mile off and snigger at you trying to pretend you are not taking more for later.

I always remember one particular guest who stayed on a regular basis and alwys took rolls, meat, cheese, yoghurts and pastries away for his lunch, he was very open about it. We just accepted it.

They can't stop you really. It's all what you feel comfortable with.

Padstow is boden on sea don'tyaknow.

JT took a pastry out from the buffet when we went to Rome - I was like 'god, don't walk out next to me' - har har! stupid really.

At last a sensible post Dr Northerner. I was quite open about my pilfering, the staff remained friendly with us and i only noticed something dodgy floating on my cappuccino once

Oh and the suggesstion that a hotel calculates how many rolls/grams of cheese per guest per breakfast serving is bollocks I'm afraid - they just fill up when it's running out. And believe you me, even a bog standard 3 star hotel makes a HUGE profit on B&B rates never mind a 5 star one.

If you do do it luverly you won't be the first!

haven't read the whole thread but I do this everywhere we stay with breakfast and always have and so do my parents.....incidently dh finds it totally embaressing but we still do it!

It would be hard to smuggle out enough for 4 though wouldn't it? Eek, I wouldn't like to try but if I saw a big bloater eating tons of food I'd think 'why not'. I barely eat anything at breakfast.

Having said that, I like the 'brunch' idea better - that would take you to tea.

Word, thankyou for taking my posts in the manner in which they were meant

I would hate to go to one of those all inclusive holidays though, loads of fat tattoo'd women shouting at tyrone and tianna to stuff as much food in as they can, its free you know - NO it ISNT free, you have paid through the nose for your holiday to eat as much lard and cardboard food as you like!

Sorry, had to get that out

My parents were the strictest ever when it came to morals and anything that could be construed as stealing, yet always took food away from hotel buffet breakfasts for our lunch.

My mum is tiny and can't eat much, so it must have worked out the same or less as one person with a hearty appetite eating as much as possible in one go. And unlike buffets in restaurants, I've never seen a sign in a hotel saying that taking food away is not permitted.

I always take fruit and yoghurts quite openly away from hotel buffets, and no-one's ever said a word. Sometimes I've put a roll or cake in my handbag, but usually I just stuff myself and then have snacks for lunch - I like going round foreign supermarkets and markets in any case.