Lilians, Lilianfels, Blue Mountains

Whenever I’m staying in a hotel or resort I always like to experience the buffet breakfast.  For a five-star resort, I think the buffet breakfast at Lilians Restaurant at Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains is very good value.  At $25.00/person if you book at the time or checking-in or $35.00/person if you turn up without a booking, I assumed this would be a continental buffet with no hot food on offer.  But no, for $25.00 the price includes the hot buffet selection with eggs of your choice being freshly cooked for you as ordered.

All set up and waiting for customers

All set up and waiting for customers

We were given a table in the sun and despite it being quite cold outside (very cold), the sunshine streaming in through the window made me feel very warm.


We started with the juices and I loved how they were served in the little bottles.  You could also juice your own OJ with a pump-type gadget which seemed quite a novelty and something I of course, had to try.

Starting the day with a few juices

Starting the day with a few juices

Hard at work juicing my own OJ

Hard at work juicing my own OJ

But I enjoy sitting at a restaurant not only for the food but also for the people-watching.  There was a man sitting behind me wearing just shorts and a T-shirt.  It was five degrees outside (41F).  He had a booming voice so none of his conversation was lost on me and he was saying with a broad Kiwi accent that he’d been outside and it wasn’t cold at all.  ‘It’s beautiful, beautiful weather and quite warm.  It’s balmy; just like New Zealand.  It’s as warm here as it is in New Zealand’.  I’d hate to see how he’d cope in a heatwave.

Bircher Muesli

Bircher Muesli

Then across from me was a couple with their one-year old son sitting up in a high chair.  They were giving him a lot of attention and after they’d eaten I saw the mother walk up to the buffet and fill a large plate sky-high with dried fruits and nuts.  She then came back to her table, opened up a paper serviette and tipped the plate-load into the napkin, wrapped it up then slipped it into a bag she had slung over her shoulder.  Meanwhile her husband had a plate stacked with bread slices and he was making sandwiches with the cold cuts of meat he’d found at the buffet.  When he’d finished being a sandwich-hand he slipped the sandwiches to his wife who by now had grabbed a few extra serviettes to wrap them in and then these were surreptitiously moved into her weighed-down bag and off they went into the grounds of the resort.

Dried fruits and nuts - you'd better be quick!

Dried fruits and nuts – you’d better be quick!

Two perfectly poached eggs

Two perfectly poached eggs

The hotel does provide complimentary apples.

Complimentary apples so you don't have to steal from the buffet

Complimentary apples so you don’t have to steal from the buffet

Two poached eggs with buffet goodies added to the plate

Two poached eggs with buffet goodies added to the plate

As a coincidence, Carl’s parents happened to be in the Blue Mountains at the same time.  The day before we took off for our romantic weekend they phoned and asked if they could catch up with us during what I would describe as our lightening-fast visit.  They had an event they wanted us to attend for about an hour on the Sunday morning.  Lacking compassion and tolerance, I just told Carl I had no interest in that event.  Actually, that wasn’t true, I had some interest but not enough to make me sacrifice a good portion of my romantic weekend at Lilianfels.

But Carl.

Carl is always a nice guy.  That’s his problem.  He agreed to go with them just to be nice so they picked him up at 9.45am and said they would be back in a bit over an hour.  I sat in the lounge and had a few beverages then wandered around the resort wishing I had time to relax in the day spa.  Time ticked on.  The first hour, the second hour, hour number three and then I was thinking perhaps I did have time for a facial, a massage, a manicure and a pedicure; maybe even a full body wax.

I wish I'd had more time to wear out the welcome mat

I wish I’d had more time to wear out the welcome mat

But I just sat there in the lounge watching other couples enjoying a wonderful high tea while I looked like Nellie-No-Friends.  Well…four hours later at 1.45pm Carl was dropped back to the resort but by then we were well beyond check-out time and we had to leave.  That was the romantic finale to my weekend away.

Never mind.

We checked out of Lilianfels and headed back down the mountains.

 

 

Comments

  1. Did you hit him?
    Looks like great value at the Buffet.
    Carolyn

  2. Definitely a great way to start the day! I don’t usually eat breakfast at home, but when I’m away, I go all out with the buffet breakfast, big breakfast, the whole shebang!

  3. Great looking buffet … shame that the romantic weekend fizzled out and left you stranded and alone. Carl is a nice guy though to be so considerate of his parents.

  4. I lov ed all photographs… you share so beautiful places with us, Thanks and Love, nia

  5. Love that they have you make your own juice!

  6. I haven’t been into my main blog or others and boy, have I missed your humor, Charlie! That has happened to me with my husband more times than I want to remember…nice guys…depending on if you are the one waiting or not!
    I’m back, and going to be checking on past posts.
    You are always good to read!

  7. I love people-watching as well, but this food is worth a long look! Beautiful display. And as for the disappearing Carl…it may not have been romantic, but how lovely that you got time to yourself for a spa treatment!

  8. You’ll just have to go back another weekend and indulge in all the spa activities, (Carl can wait in the lounge while you do so 😉 )

  9. Looks so great! I love buffet breakfasts and remember really enjoying the one at Lilianfels and looks like they’ve kept up the good quality!

  10. So, how was the drive back home with Carl? I know I would be pretty miffed. That’s a really nice buffet and it’s amazing what people do isn’t it?

  11. I imagine he wasn’t exactly warmly welcomed back?!
    We were at a buffet breakfast once and I kid you not I watched a woman pack up enough food for a week. She even had a giant flask that she filled with orange juice!!!

  12. Okay, so a year ago I would’ve been with you on calling the shorts man crazy. However, having since experienced 8C in Toronto after six months of winter, I get it. It can feel warm. (But I don’t think New Zealand gets as cold as Toronto, as a rule, so he’s probably still a LITTLE crazy. 😉 )

  13. Its so nice to hear that you scheduled a romantic weekend away with Carl and to the Blue Mountains 🙂 I haven’t had the chance to visit for the longest time hehe would love to though! And just like you hotels = huge unlimited buffet breakfasts! xox

  14. ive heard a lot about this place, sounds like i should make a trip to blue mountains soon! and lets just imagine u had the full pamper package or get carl to pay for one in the city 😛

  15. Sounds like a wonderful place, a great breakfast, and a bit of a weak ending, but hey! Two out of three? It really does sound like a good weekend experience. Just the name “Blue Mountains” is very appealing! 🙂

  16. That sounds like a great breakfast buffet, Charlie. I’ve seen people do the same thing at just about every hotel buffet I’ve ever attended. Perhaps “breakfast buffet” means “food for 2 days” in some unknown language and these people just don’t understand our ways.
    Yeah, right!

  17. What part of romantic weekend slipped past Carl? I think he owes you another visit, don’t you?

  18. Um, well, at least you started your day with a nice breakie…
    Note to Carl: You are indebted to Charlie for a 2 night weekend away at a destination of Charlie’s choice with a full body massage thrown in for good measure or any other spa treatment Charlie would prefer.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  19. I love a buffet breakfast! My favourite way to start the day. What a shame about your interrupted romantic weekend.

  20. Sitting in sunshine indoors when it’s cold outside is something I love, very, very much. Doing it at breakfast is a perfect time. It sounds like a wonderful buffet for food and warmth, and for amusing people around you! Less wonderful being abandoned for so long, but at least it confirms Carl’s ‘nice’ streak…in an odd sort of say anyhow 😉

  21. Oh I do love a good buffet brekky. Looks like a nice resort. Shame about the lack of romantic attention. I hate anyone encroaching on my “quality time with husband” it is so hard to come by – I wouldn’t have been as forgiving as you. Shame you didn’t go the whole hog with the facial and spa etc.

  22. Oh dear! I’m so impatient I would have been calling after 1.5 hours. That’s a shame about the hijack on the romantic weekend. I’ve seen people do the same at buffets too!

  23. How was the drive back home?
    Great looking buffet.

  24. Lovely place Charlie glad you indulged for breakfast! Om nom nom… should have indulged on the spa as well, I’m pretty sure I would have…after all hubby got what he wanted, didn’t he?!? 😉 xo

  25. Oh my gosh, I missed your blog so much! I can’t access it at work anymore!!! Argh, so frustrating 🙁 Now I have to do all my catching up when I get home…

  26. I just love your writing, I can just hear the sarcasm in your voice Charlie. That is hilarious. We sometimes stay at a hotel in Montreal that offers free clementines at Christmas time, it’s so lovely. It’s a shame the couple had to steal food. I’m sorry your romantic weekend was spoiled by the outlaws.
    Thank you for your lovely comments on my blog, I so look forward to reading your comments.

  27. Oh, Carl. LOL…he owes you a spa treatment for neglecting you!!! I love nice hotel breakfasts, too…and I drive my family nuts with my people watching. I think we’d get along famously. xo

  28. I would not be happy with this kind of ending…4 hours!
    The buffet looks nice and good selections of food.
    I hope Carls takes you to another romantic getaway soon. Have a lovely week Charlie 🙂

  29. Oh bad luck to have it end like that. But you enjoyed watching the people and the buffet breakfast by the sounds of it. I would say you are due for a repeat romantic getaway soon – with a pact to allow NO interruptions!

  30. Gorgeous looking buffet. Everything fresh and healthy, not the usual all morning warmed up hotel stuff.
    Love the picture where you are juicing your own OJ, this is as fresh as it can get 🙂

  31. Damn in laws, that’s incredibly rude behavior indeed. That Carl owes you big time. I spend as little time with my in laws as possible, but it’s still waaaaay too much for comfort 🙁

  32. I was gonna say that the price of that breakfast is astronomical, but I suppose it’s not quite *so* bad considering it’s AUS$ (not sure of the exact exchange rate). I always feel screwed when you pay so much for breakfast and it seems to consist of coffee, concentrated OJ and a bad, factory-made croissant. At least your breakfast sounds like it was very good though.

    Can’t believe those people packing their damn picnic – can’t stand people like that. They’re the reason we can’t have nice things – someone in society will always take advantage of it for their own gain!

    • Food in Oz is very expensive which impacts on what we have to pay at restaurants. I have no idea why we pay so much. Prices seem to have doubled in just a few years.

  33. Sounds like an enjoyable weekend people watching except for the last part. It’s amazing how some people have to exploit every situation and take more than their fair share. I guess the hotels know it happens.

  34. Sounds pretty romantic on your own! At least you got to have the buffet. I love buffet breakfasts. It’s sad, but I really look forward to them!

  35. Doesn’t look like a half bad breakfast. 😉

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