US Checking a hotel or B&B caters for vegetarians

[Alexia]

Most places do state on their websites that they do offer a vegetarian choice, however some smaller places don't and I think they should bear that in mind.

I was traveling around New England and many places didn't say they did cater for vegetarians and many were still under the belief that they ate fish. I still think it's worth stating what you do and don't eat when you book a smaller place under comments, especially when breakfast is included. Don't expect everyone to understand what vegetarians do eat and I can't have cereal as I have a lactose intolerance.

If they can't offer a vegetarian option then maybe they should offer a discount off the breakfast?

 

[kim1984]

It's definitely difficult going to places where breakfasts or meals are included but they don't incorporate vegetarian or vegan options. It's especially infuriating I think when they say they cater but have next to nothing - a salad with just vegetables isn't comprehensive enough or going to keep me full! It's hard because I think a lot of it comes from lack of awareness - like you said about some places thinking that vegetarians eat fish - it's just difficult when people truly don't know!

 

[Alexia]

It's definitely difficult going to places where breakfasts or meals are included but they don't incorporate vegetarian or vegan options. It's especially infuriating I think when they say they cater but have next to nothing - a salad with just vegetables isn't comprehensive enough or going to keep me full! It's hard because I think a lot of it comes from lack of awareness - like you said about some places thinking that vegetarians eat fish - it's just difficult when people truly don't know!

Yes, so I usually ask them what kind of meals they have and when they say fruit (I don't eat fruit) and cereal then I say I usually have toast with an egg or peanut butter. I have a lactose intolerance and can't drink milk and cereal isn't really breakfast by itself when you are paying for it. Some may feel that way, but I don't. To be honest, good coffee, a muffin and some peanut butter on toast is fine for me.

 

[Connie]

Yes, so I usually ask them what kind of meals they have and when they say fruit (I don't eat fruit) and cereal then I say I usually have toast with an egg or peanut butter. I have a lactose intolerance and can't drink milk and cereal isn't really breakfast by itself when you are paying for it. Some may feel that way, but I don't. To be honest, good coffee, a muffin and some peanut butter on toast is fine for me.

How do you manage the muffin? I'm not lactose intolerant, but allergic to dairy and find that muffins are usually made with butter or a marg containing buttermilk or similar and it means I can't eat the breakfast anywhere without bringing my own milk and marg to eat. Sometimes I can't even eat the bread there because it has got dairy in it! It makes for a very boring breakfast most of the time, so now I generally don't eat the breakfasts at all. In the larger hotels this isn't a problem and they will deduct usually £10 from the bill but in B&B's and smaller hotels it is a problem, but I can get around the issue by having a cooked breakfast (usually toast (need to check the ingredients) fried egg (I eat eggs when I really have to so that is OK, its not very often), baked beans, vegan sausage, fried tomato) so I can have something.... but I have found it is always best to forewarn places.

However, that said, some of the smaller B&B's when we have turned up in an emergency last minute, not expected to be doing anything other than camping, they have been amazingly helpful and some have even gone shopping that night to ensure I have something to eat for breakfast the following morning, but these are places where we have arrived on bikes and the weather has been totally crap. These are the places that get top notch recommendations and places I would return to. One of them wasn't even technically open (we hadn't noticed that when we knocked on the door) and they opened up for us without saying a word about it. (We didn't have a stitch of dry clothing on us at that point!)