Why I stopped booking hostels with free breakfast

Last trip to Lisbon I booked a hostel because they promised free pancakes every morning. Saved me maybe $6 a day but I had to eat between 7 and 9am or miss it. Then I'd be starving by noon and blow $12 on a sad sandwich near the tram stop. Switched to an Airbnb with a tiny kitchen for the same nightly price, bought eggs and bread for $5 total, and ate whenever I wanted. Has anyone else done the math on free hotel breakfasts and come out behind?

1 comments

1 Comment

schmidt.grant23d ago

Those 7 to 9 windows are brutal. Hostels do it on purpose so you eat fast and clear out for cleaning. My last place in Barcelona had a sad toast and cold eggs situation, and I still had to set an alarm on vacation. You basically pay with your sleep schedule and your freedom. Plus that 12 euro sad sandwich thing, I felt that in my bones. Buying a few things at a local market is always the smarter play, and you get to eat like a local instead of a tourist herd.