Give me some tips on tips

[sureshs]

I got back from Honolulu after staying at an upscale "village." The buffet breakfast starting at 5:30 am was the only option for those planning activities in the morning. It came to be more than $83 for the three of us (every morning).

Now, I had anticipated this beforehand, and decided I will not leave my customary 15% tip (which I calculate after all taxes are already added, so it is more like 18% I think). For the first two days, I left only a $6 tip, figuring that $2 per head was more than enough for someone who just fetches coffee. I used to plan it in such a way that I would not make eye contact with the waiter/waitress, and then my family was instructed to quickly march out of the place as soon as we got up from the table. Idea was that I would be thought of as an eccentric man, and in any case, probably a new waiter will be around the next morning.

However, from the third day, the waiter/waitresses were extra friendly. I mean, just keep the coffee in a machine somewhere and we could get it ourselves. Instead of that, they tried to chat us up, kept asking a dozen times if we wanted more coffee, etc. So I ended up upping the tip to $10, but still avoiding eye contact and running out after eating.

What is the proper tip amount in such a situation? Remember that there was no room service at that time (and it would be the same cost or more if it was) and so the hotel was basically holding us to ransom. Also, the net cost of what we ate was probably less than a third of what we paid for.