The buffet breakfast at One King West condo-hotel, Toronto, $18.00 Aside from that hit of humidity you get disembarking a plane in the tropics, nothing says time off like indulging in a hotel breakfast. For me, it's an elemental part of hoteling. Wake up in soft sheets, don't do the bed, put on your leisure suit (tasteful or not) and saunter down to the restaurant for your ready made buffet of cereals and eggs, fruit and yogurts, sausages and bacon, coffee and baked yummies. Is there anything better than deliberating between the french toast or the cheese danish? Right -- why not have both? Well, seeing as this is one of my passions, I thought I'd share with you some of the most memorable hotel breakfasts I've had the pleasure of enjoying. I got the idea having recently stayed with Toronto's fancy condo hotel, One King West , where the buffet breakfast was just perfect (pictured above.) It wasn't an extensive cornucopia of the likes of an all-inclusive, but it was exactly what I was looking for: a fresh, fluffy, aromatic assortment of breakfast essentials. While marveling at my artful plate (above), I thought to myself, "I really, really, really love a hotel breakfast." My top three fave hotel breakfasts of the recent past are: The Tides, Riviera Maya, Mexico We stayed at this oasis for our honeymoon. I'll spare you my lyrical account, and simply say that this esteemed resort of only villas, each of which has a private pool and luxurious veranda, offers the chance to have three breakfasts. But it was the first breakfast that really blew me away. Somehow, around the time you naturally awoke, the hotel fairies deliver a gorgeous ceramic food dome with heavenly coffee, freshly squeezed OJ, and a tidy selection of the fluffiest, butteriest baked goods with some preserves, right to your veranda. If you dared, you could proceed to the restaurant for breakfast proper, and then top up at the beach bar. But honestly, that fragrant food dome will stay with me forever. The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX This trip was especially enjoyable because it came out of the blue -- my husband surprised me by inviting me and the kid along on one of his business trips. Unexpected vacation + a per diem = Good times. And so, my gal and I took extra care to relish our mornings on San Antonio's River Walk, where the luxurious Westin Hotel served a most delectable breakfast buffet I've had in a long time; it was the standard selection,...

There are few things that get the day started better than freshly brewed coffee and a glass of pressed orange juice served alongside two eggs Benedict . The decadence of a perfectly poached egg topped with a smooth, velvety lemon and butter sauce is one of the best ways to begin the weekend. These restaurants are my three favorite Montreal brunch spots : they all serve up their own style of eggs Benedict, good karma, and a guaranteed line-up after 10AM. Bagel Etc. 4320 Boulevard Saint-Laurent (514) 845-9462 For those who enjoy breakfast on a smaller scale, Bagel Etc is a local favourite, tucked in among the shops and restaurants on St. Laurent Street. The restaurant is intimate and bustling, with bright colored walls, and a myriad of anachronistic decorations that oddly meddle quite well with one another. The restaurant is bursting with kitsch, in the most charming of ways. This place hits a soft spot because the eggs Benedict are served atop a toasted bagel. Try the goat cheese, tomato and spinach bagel with its homemade potatoes; it’s the perfect way to enjoy the dish. The trademark hollandaise sauce tastes light and airy (although let’s not fool ourselves, it’s in fact anything but!) and is the finishing touch that completes an amazing brunch. L'Avenue Restaurant 922 Avenue Du Mont-Royal Est (514) 523-8780 L’Avenue is one of those perfect brunch places. Big comfortable booths (if you’re lucky enough to get one!), multicolored graffitied walls and anything you could possibly want for breakfast with no misses. The potatoes are absolutely amazing. They are served in little red marmites, and are definitely one of the highlights of the restaurant… as are their eggs Benedict. They twist up the classic with Chorizo Eggs Benedict (with chorizo, onions and red peppers), and Steak and Eggs (with flank steak and mushrooms), but my all-time favourite is their Sucre Sale. If you’re like me, you get torn by indecisiveness at breakfast at the prospect of having to choose between a sweet or savoury dish. Here, you get the best of both worlds with a perfectly moist French toast, maple syrup, gruyere cheese and black forest ham (I substituted the ham for a few slices of crisp bacon and couldn’t have been happier). Eggspectations 1313 De Maisonneuve West (514) 842-3447 Sure, it’s a chain and franchises have popped up in most cities around the country, but their eggs Benedict have never failed me. Their Florentine Eggs...