Breakfast club: Le Royal Monceau; St James’ Court; Pullman Bangkok

Treat yourself to the very best of hotel morning buffets.

Chefs in La Cuisine, Le Royal Monceau Raffles, Paris.

Treat yourself to the very best of hotel morning buffets.

LE ROYAL MONCEAU RAFFLES PARIS: Designer Philippe Starck was given free rein to create the interiors of Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris during its two-year restoration; within days of its 2010 reopening it was the talk of the French capital. He has successfully recaptured the feel of the late 1920s, the original hotel’s heyday as a gathering place for artists, writers and the intellectually adventurous. Coco Chanel swished through; Ernest Hemingway was in residence. You may not rub shoulders with luminaries of such an ilk browsing the petit-dejeuner spread in La Cuisine, but this bright restaurant, all cascading chandeliers and curtained nooks, serves a fabulous morning spread. The piece de resistance is a display of flaky Ispahan pastries filled with raspberries, rose mascarpone cream and lychees. These are the creations of Pierre Herme, acknowledged master of the macaron, who has partnered with the hotel to provide all things sweet and sinful. There are glass jars of yoghurt, too, in lovely berried flavours, breads, cheeses and cold cuts, plus hot dishes cooked to order. La Cuisine overlooks a pretty courtyard, available for dining in summer, and also offers such French follies as a granola atelier on the first Sunday of each month, during which you can customise your granola bowl under expert supervision. Mine would come with an Ispahan popped on top, merci beaucoup.

More: www.leroyalmonceau.com.

SUSAN KUROSAWA

Breakfast in camp, or out in the wild, at Duba Plains camp, Botswana.

DUBA PLAINS, BOTSWANA: You might just spot the king of the jungle while eating the breakfast of kings here at Duba Plains in the heart of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Yes, you could sleep in and take a lazy breakfast in the open-air dining rooms at Great Plains Conservation’s Duba Plains Camp, opened in March, and Duba Expedition Camp. Or you could set out at dawn, watch the wildlife animating the islands and woodlands and the rising sun gilding the floodplains, and, when your tummy starts grumbling, eat your breakfast in the bush. Before you can say “I’m hungry”, Ayour guide will have set a portable table with a sumptuous buffet that’s fresh, sustainable and low-carb. “We believe our food shouldn’t put you to sleep after eating,” says executive chef Pierre van Zyl. “This keeps our guests energised and ready for what’s to come around the next corner.” And so I fill up on freshly baked zucchini, pumpkin and seed bread and eggs baked with savoury fillings, fresh fruit and yoghurt, homemade muesli and fresh berry coulis, rusks and a tasty assortment of cheeses, juice and coffee. And I go back for seconds, because you never know what might be around the next corner.

More: greatplainsconservation.com/duba-plains-camp.

CATHERINE MARSHALL

ST JAMES’ COURT LONDON, A TAJ HOTEL: Tucked away inside a collection of townhouses adorned like gingerbread, steps from Buckingham Palace, this eminently comfortable and very busy hotel opened in 1902 when breakfast was quite possibly the most important meal of the day. Nothing’s changed with service in the light-flooded, ground floor bistro beginning at a sensible 6am (perfect for jet-lagged Aussies who find themselves awake before dawn and pacing their rooms, tummies rumbling). The carefully curated buffet is not the enormous, oft overwhelming spread found in many Asian and Middle Eastern hotels, but includes all the English essentials: scrambled and boiled eggs, good smoked salmon, proper sausages, Marmite and piping hot pots of tea served by a polite and nimble-footed crew. What sets this buffet apart are the Indian curries and breakfast dishes, two or three every morning, served alongside Indian breads and rice. We can thank today’s owners, the Taj group, for this delicious bonus; the presence of the on-site Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Quilon doesn’t go astray either. Pick up a paper at reception, grab a window table and watch the world go by on bustling Buckingham Gate. Breakfast doesn’t finish until 11am (11.30 on weekends) so there’s always time for another pot of tea. Pop back at afternoon tea for pasty chef Nikhil Vyas’s fantastical creations; the Sherlock Holmes tea includes a stout cupcake and caramel mousse cigar.

More: stjamescourthotel.co.uk.

CHRISTINE McCABE

DIY Bloody Marys for breakfast at the Pullman Bangkok Sukhumvit, Thailand.

PULLMAN BANGKOK GRANDE SUKHUMVIT: Whoa, back up. Are those the fixings for a Bloody Mary right next to the juice bar? At the Pullman Bangkok Grande Sukhumvit, you can begin the day with a DIY breakfast cocktail. The civilised arrangement comprises a bottle of vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, pepper and a bucket of ice, along with garnishes (lemon, celery and cucumber — it’s practically a breakfast salad). The hotel’s international breakfast buffet impresses in other ways. Along with all the usual suspects (cereals, yoghurts, breads, cheeses, fruits, eggs every which way), this particular spread stands out for the Japanese-themed corner where you can ladle sweet pork curry on to steamed rice straight from the cooker, or load up on sushi, soba noodles and miso soup. Elsewhere, steamed pork buns and custard buns lurk within bamboo baskets while another station turns out pancakes, waffles and French toast. Australians should feel comforted by the sight of Vegemite among the spreads (the hotel is helmed by an Aussie general manager, Rod Munro). The Pullman sits near the junction of two train lines. Once you’re hungry again, ride the BTS Skytrain to the trendy Ekkamai district to dine at superstar chef Gaggan Anand’s Meatlicious or head the other way, to Chit Lom, to reach his eponymous fine-diner, Gaggan.

More: pullmanbangkokgrandesukhumvit.com.

KATRINA LOBLEY

There are plenty of breakfast choices at the Grandhotel Giessbach, Brienz, Switzerland. Picture: Kendall Hill

GRANDHOTEL GIESSBACH, SWITZERLAND: Cornice cherubs and chandeliers loom above wide-eyed breakfast guests as they navigate the Grandhotel Giessbach’s sprawling ballroom laid with 21 types of pastries and breads, various smoked and cured fishes and a morning banquet that exceeds their wildest dreams. An enormous central table supports a frame of honeycomb (“Made by bees,” a sign says helpfully), lactose-free and traditional butters, at least four types of cheese, pickled apricots scented with star anise, three groaning platters of cold meats, fresh horseradish, a Caprese salad, copious yoghurts and cereals and enough fresh fruit for a fiesta — including pineapple, mango, papaya, three melons (water, honey, rock), orange and grapefruit, and a separate tiered tray stacked with cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and bananas. There are juices and jams — from wild berry to green tomato — and a squirrel’s banquet of dried fruits, seeds and nuts. Covered cloches offer fried eggs, eight-minute hard-boiled eggs and five-minute soft-centred ones, bacon and sausages, mushroom and tomato, pancakes and maple syrup. Beyond the ballroom’s picture windows a wild waterfall tumbles down a vertical rock face, lending extra drama to an already impressive setting. Fittingly, all water served in the hotel comes straight from the cascade. Still or sparkling: take your pick.

More: giessbach.ch/en/home.html.

KENDALL HILL

Morning meals don’t get much more decadent (or typically Russian) than at Moscow’s Hotel Baltschug.

HOTEL BALTSCHUG KEMPINSKI, MOSCOW: Vodka cocktails, blini with caviar and sour cream, crab omelets topped with yet more caviar … morning meals don’t get much more decadent (or typically Russian) than the one at Hotel Baltschug. Perched on the Moscow River, this grand hotel doesn’t cut corners in the dining room. The breakfast buffet features more than 100 dishes — plus extras made to order — which means you can savour coffee and a croissant with fresh honeycomb, move on to house-cured salmon and champagne, shave ham off the bone and straight on to warm bread, and then think about what you’ll have for your main course — and dessert. There is, of course, the option to sip freshly squeezed green juice, but we recommend heading straight for the counter of sweets, which groans under the weight of halva, gingerbread, pastila and vatrushka (soft buns filled with baked cottage cheese and fruit puree). While many do check in here for the food alone, many more come for the views: get up early and you’re guaranteed a table by the windows, with an unbroken outlook across the river and Red Square to the colourful domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral.

More: kempinski.com.

NATASHA DRAGUN

Breakfast in the Glass Brasserie at the Hilton Sydney.

GLASS BRASSERIE, HILTON SYDNEY: Chef Luke Mangan’s glass brasserie is a design masterpiece (courtesy of interior whiz Tony Chi) and I am happy just to sit in this grand space and look through dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows across George Street to the elegance of an architectural gem of another era, the Queen Victoria Building. But the aromas from the buffet are driving me on and the selection is in keeping with the environment. There’s an enticing Asian breakfast section, but I’m going to go the Full Australian — how can I resist the streaky bacon, grilled sausages, hash browns, mushrooms and grilled tomatoes, with brioche French toast? And, of course, eggs to order. Everything is so freshly prepared. I’ve visited the cereal and gourmet muesli bar and the Chobani yoghurt build-it-yourself counter, and soon I’ll mosey over to the breads, muffins, doughnuts and pastries. There’s glorious honeycomb (although a fellow guest is hacking liberally at the frame; leave some for me) and exotic jams. I should just check out the cured meats and smoked salmon before I return to my table, via the fresh-juice bar, and order another perfect flat white. And do you know the best part? This buffet is in my home city, so any time I want to impress as I set up a CBD deal (most unlikely!) or simply give myself a morning lift, it’s right here.

More: hiltonsydney.com.au.

GRAHAM ERBACHER