Floating Feasts

Floating Feasts

PHOTOGRAPHED BY HEATHER FORD

In the old days, breakfast in bed was the hallmark of any holiday. They were resplendent affairs, with silver serving domes and white table linens on wheeled carts, and lots of privacy. Today, indulgent floating meals will have you reaching for your (hopefully waterproof) smartphone. As travel makes a beeline back to normalcy, questions abound, not the least of which is what do we do with the buffet? But there should be no hesitation for the breakfast that floats.

TANAH GAJAH, A RESORT BY HADIPRANA

Key to the success of any floating breakfast is the backdrop. Let’s face it, an egg’s an egg no matter where it’s served. But an egg that floats at sunrise on a tray made of coconut wood, in a pool filtered by elephants and moored out among the lush rice paddies of Ubud, well that’s an egg for the ages. At Tanah Gajah Ubud, visitors can breakfast in the estate’s main pool or in their private pool (when booked into a private pool villa). We suggest a dip following a sunrise hot air balloon ride where you can drink in views of Mt. Agung.

BANYAN TREE SAMUI

Circle your selections—pancakes, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, bacon, sausages, Earl Grey tea, coffee, croissants, perhaps a platter of cheeses, cold cuts and olives or even Champagne and orange juice—and lo and behold, it arrives on a trolley the next morning at the requested time. All that remains is for the waiter to delicately place your breakfast on a giant floating basket and glide it across to you as you wallow on a lilo. What a great way to start the day! And because breakfast is included in the daily rate, the price for such lavishness is just an additional service fee of $15 per villa. Just remember—the camera always eats first!

MELIÁ KOH SAMUI

About the only way to beat waking up to a lagoon pool that meanders through Meliá Koh Samui’s grounds like a river is to add a floating breakfast to its surface. A must-try for anyone staying in rooms and suites with private terraces that segue to the lagoon pool, the floating breakfast makes for a mix-and-match affair. Guests select whatever they wish from the resort’s a la carte menu that includes eggs benedict, pastries, delectable Spanish cold cuts and cheese, and fresh fruit as well as coffee, tea and freshly squeezed juices. If you’re feeling up to it, opt for a glass or two of bubbles.

BANYAN TREE LANG CO

In a nation as replete with visual manna as Vietnam, it takes something truly jaw-dropping to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, that’s what’s on offer at Banyan Tree Lang Co where one of the nation’s most striking vistas provides the ultimate floating breakfast pick-me-up. While the views over the East Sea and the resort’s private beach—a pristine 3-kilometres long stretch of sand—certainly grab the attention, the repast itself is equally memorable. Breakfast—either Continental, Healthy or American—comes served on a fetching sedge tray. Guests can also upgrade with a 375-mililetres bottle of Champagne. Now that’s what we call a beautiful start to the day!

ALMA CAM RANH

If you’re not quite content with a floating tray experience at your pavilion’s private pool, Alma’s 12 swimming pools are also on offer for the picture-perfect feast. Guests populate their tray, available for breakfast and meals throughout the day, by choosing from a broad spectrum of Vietnamese and international dishes on offer at Alma’s host of dining outlets. Whether savouring bacon and eggs or a banh mi and banh xeo for breakfast or fresh seafood or a pizza later in the day, from the right photo angle the meal will look like it’s about to float away to the next pool or nearby sand and sea. Did we mention Alma offers heart-shaped trays in addition to rectangle ones?