The Breakfast Battle: Why We Swapped Hotel Buffets for Private Chefs

If you are a parent, you know the “Hotel Breakfast Buffet” scenario. It is sold as a luxury—”All you can eat! Endless choices!”—but in reality, it is a high-stress tactical operation.

You have to wake the kids up before the buffet closes at 10:00 AM. You have to march them down to a loud, echoing dining hall. You spend the next hour jumping up and down to get juice, stopping toddlers from sticking their hands in the communal cereal, and negotiating with a picky eater who only wants the stale pastries. By the time you sit down to your own cold coffee, the experience is over.

The “Private Dining” Revelation On our last trip, we decided to try something different. We stayed in a villa that offered a private chef service. It changed the entire dynamic of our morning.

Instead of an alarm clock, we woke up to the smell of bacon and brewing coffee drifting into our bedrooms. We walked out to the dining table in our pajamas—no need to get the kids dressed and presentable. The chef asked us what we wanted. The kids asked for pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse? Done. We wanted a spinach and feta omelet? Done.

The Health Factor Beyond the convenience, there was the quality. Buffets are about quantity. The food sits under heat lamps for hours. With a private chef, the food is cooked fresh. We visited the local markets with the chef the day before and picked out the fruit. The kids saw exactly where their food came from. It turned a meal into an educational experience rather than a feeding frenzy.

Cost vs. Value The surprising part was the cost. We assumed a private chef was a billionaire’s luxury. But in many destinations, you simply pay for the groceries plus a small preparation fee. When you compare that to the inflated per-head cost of a 5-star hotel buffet (where you pay $40 for a child who eats one slice of toast), the private chef option was actually cheaper.

We have officially retired from the buffet line. We prefer our eggs benedict served poolside, in silence, while the kids play in the garden.