Top Hotels With Free Breakfast In Connecticut

The Daily Meal Staff|July 5, 2014 7:00 am EST

Bed-and-breakfast establishments are not the only places that offer a traveler a meal to start their morning. Many if not most of the chain hotels offer some form of free morning repast, whether it be a full, hot, sit-down breakfast, a self-serve breakfast bar with steam tables or microwave or a grab-and-go "continental" breakfast of fruit, muffins and danishes. An increasing number of independent hotels also include the price of breakfast in their rates, and perhaps because they have to compete with both the quaint little bed-and-breakfasts as well as the big chains, the independents tend to put on a breakfast to remember. Here are five of the top independent hotels in Connecticut that offer their guests breakfast on the house.

The Whaler's Inn
20 E. Main St.
Mystic, CT 06355
(860) 536-1506
www.whalersinnmystic.com

Many of the rooms in the old Whaler's Inn overlook the Mystic River, and most also have a gas fireplace. The hotel is quaint, cozy, historic and charming, and the staff has a reputation for being personable and welcoming. The morning breakfast here is not to be missed, as everything on the menu is local or at least fresh – and that includes not only the fine selection of fruits in season, but also the bagels, muffins and other pastries, all of which are baked fresh. While the restaurant is formal at night, the breakfast is not; paper plates, plastic knives and spoons and paper napkins are laid out, as visitors to Mystic tend to want to get up and go in the morning to the aquarium, the seaport or one of the many other places to visit in this great and historic town.

Hotel Zero Degrees
909 Washington Blvd.
Stamford, CT 06901
(203) 363-7900
www.hotelzerodegrees.com/hotels/stamford

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for business travelers who stay at the Hotel Zero Degrees in Stamford, for here they can load up on a big, hot, cooked-to-order full morning repast – or just grab a cup of coffee and a muffin to go. The hotel is classy but not decadent, and comfortable yet not in a frilly or overstuffed way. The hotel bills itself as "urban chic" and it lives up to that billing. Many of the rooms look more like studio apartments than typical hotel rooms, and parking is included – which is a big plus in Stamford, where finding a place to park is often at a premium.

Ethan Allen Hotel
21 Lake Ave. Extension
Danbury, CT 06811
(203) 744-1776
www.ethanallenhotel.com

At Danbury's Ethan Allen Hotel, a sit-down restaurant breakfast for two is included in the aptly named "Breakfast Package" and in the Manager's Special, Romantic and Suite Packages. Originally founded to accommodate the employees of and visitors to the Ethan Allen corporate headquarters and flagship furniture showroom, the hotel has opened its doors to the general public. Its easy on-off access to the I-84 highway makes it especially attractive to business travelers, but the hotel also attracts families and couples, the latter of which it goes out of its way to entice by offering a remarkable, filling and sumptuous morning repast in the hotel restaurant.

Stonecroft Country Inn
515 Pumpkin Hill Road
Ledyard, CT 06339
(860) 572-0771
www.stonecroft.com

Breakfasts are sumptuous affairs at the Stonecroft Country Inn in Ledyard. The cooked-to-order morning meal is included in the price of the room, and all ingredients are fresh and local when in season. Many rooms have a private balcony, and some have either a hot tub or fireplace – or both. The bathrooms, like the beds, are huge, as are the portions at the sit-down breakfasts. Stonecroft is often included in bed and breakfast guides, but it is really an old-fashioned inn, where guests can and often do stay multiple nights (especially over the weekend), and is a full-service small hotel, albeit with the charm of a B&B.

The Inn at Fairfield Beach
1160 Reef Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
(203) 255-6808
www.innatfairfieldbeach.com

With its 14 rooms, the Inn at Fairfield Beach is perfect for those seeking a quiet, cozy, undisturbed weekend or weekday getaway at the shore. A continental breakfast is included in the price of the room, and each room has a kitchenette for those who want to prepare their own meals or snacks. Parking – and the view of Long Island Sound – is also included.

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