Are these the best hotel breakfasts in the world?

Words: Elizabeth Winding

An excellent breakfast always tops our list of hotel must-haves, whether it’s sunshine-yellow eggs on a seaward-facing terrace or the silver coffee pots and ceremony of breakfast at a grande dame hotel. Our list takes in eight of the greatest hotel breakfasts, from perfect pâtisserie in Marrakech to Insta-famous eggs in Las Vegas, via farm-grown feasts in Cape Town’s wine country and some serious decadence in Paris. Set your alarm – these are breakfasts worth getting up for.

Rosewood London, UK

Best for… a full English with a twist
For the most satisfying of breakfasts, check in to Rosewood London, a marble-lined Edwardian pile where nothing’s done by halves (one of  the suites is so enormous, it even has its own postcode). Resisting the temptation of eggs Benedict in bed, head to its grand brasserie, Holborn Dining Room, and order a Breakfast Pie (opening image): a full English breakfast – sausage, bacon, black pudding, beans and all – audaciously encased in pastry, topped with a fried egg and served with a tomato fondue. Balance out the indulgence with a beauty-boosting Golden Glow smoothie made with orange, lemon, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, banana and avocado.

What to order: A pie to share, plus some lighter dishes – the cloud-like buttermilk pancakes with tangy raspberry compote and creamy mascarpone, say, or a fruit salad of pineapple, melon and berries.

Take me to London

Babylonstoren, Cape Town, South Africa

Best for… farm-to-table feasting
Provenance is everything at Babylonstoren, a garden-flanked Cape Dutch homestead that’s now a wine estate, farm and hotel. Breakfasts in the old cowshed showcase the bounty of its soils, from fresh-baked breads, apricot and thyme preserve and sticky, picked-that-morning figs to buffalo-milk yoghurt with honey from the hives. Roll up by 9:30 for the pick of that morning’s harvest (there’s a slightly later-running room-service option for guests who can’t quite get out of bed).

What to order: Hand-rolled with local butter, the freshly-baked croissants are superb – but save space for the hot breakfast, which might feature flame-grilled boerewors (South African sausage) and eggs from the resident hens. 

Take me to Cape Town

Kimpton Kitalay Samui, Koh Samui, Thailand  

Best for… breakfasting in your bikini
The fastest way to rack up the likes and get Tik Tok talking? Simple: the floating breakfast. A breakfast tray adrift in an azure pool turns out to be insanely photogenic – just don’t let your coffee get cold as you chase the perfect shot. Kimpton Kitalay Samui is the perfect place to tap into the trend, with sumptuous breakfasts served on floating rattan trays in the villas’ private pools.  

What to order: Assemble your ultimate breakfast from a menu that runs from dukkah-sprinkled avocado to waffles, eggs and Thai-style congee. 

Take me to Koh Samui

The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, USA  

Best for… eggs worth Instagramming
The Cosmopolitan draws the hippest crowd in town thanks to its buzzy restaurants, which run from fine-dining big hitters to cool but casual eats such as Momofuku. For breakfast, though, the place to be is Eggslut, the hotel’s outpost of the cult, egg-obsessed LA eatery. Join the fast-moving queue for the breakfast of dreams – oozy egg brioche rolls served in brown paper bags that’ll send your socials wild.

What to order: The Fairfax – sriracha mayo-laced scrambled eggs with cheese and chives in a brioche bun, plus a six-dollar side of truffled hash browns (worth every cent).

Take me to Las Vegas

La Mamounia, Marrakech

Best for… exquisite poolside pastries
Welcome to the mythical La Mamounia, an Art Deco Moorish palace set amid rustling orange groves. Breakfasts here are dreamy, drawn-out affairs, served in the poolside pavilion and soundtracked by the birds and fountains. A lavish buffet runs from gravlax to Turkish eggs, but the Pierre Hermé pastries steal the show – think pistachio-praline brioches, candied lemon cakes and rose-scented Ispahan croissants.

What to order: The Moroccan specialities. Try the crumpet-like baghrir pancakes slathered with butter and orange-blossom honey.

Take me to Marrakech

The Wynn, Las Vegas, USA  

Best for… a buffet of epic proportions
Forget the Bellagio Fountains and gondola-dotted Grand Canal. If you want to see spectacular, nothing tops the Wynn Las Vegas’ breakfast buffet. Sixteen cooking stations and an army of chefs rustle up the mighty spread, from churros, barbecue, tacos and sushi to made-to-order pancakes, omelettes, crêpes and s’mores. With a two-hour time slot, it pays to be strategic, so do a few exploratory laps before loading your plate.

What to order: If you still have room for pudding, try the cannoli-inspired crêpe and a spin on the famed gelato wheel.  

Take me to Las Vegas

Calabash Hotel, Grenada, Caribbean

Best for… breakfast on the beach
Plenty of places serve breakfast by the beach, but the Calabash Hotel goes one better. Here, a handful of tables are set up on the powdery white sands, as yachts bob on the Caribbean Sea and the sunshine glints on the waves. Sip a freshly squeezed juice with the sand between your toes and choose from the locally leaning breakfasts, which run from souffléd buttermilk pancakes to Creole-style eggs.

What to order: The no-holds-barred luxury of lobster Benedict in a silky hollandaise sauce.

Take me to Grenada

Hôtel de Crillon, Paris, France

Best for… a decadent start to the day
Perhaps the grandest petit déj in all of Paris is served at the Hôtel de Crillon, in the intimate Jardin d’Hiver (though breakfast can also be summoned to your suite, if you can’t quite bear to leave it). Claim a palatial velvet banquette, then turn your attention to the menu, which soon strays from muesli and açai bowls into more tempting realms – the exquisite viennoiseries are a must, along with the truffle-spiked eggs.

What to order: Oeuf à la coque au caviar (caviar boiled egg), served in a silver eggcup. Breakfast will never be same again.

Take me to Paris