holiday...where?

[Mikeila]

Hi guys, i want to take a break in august with my family but I don't know where. Is difficult because I'm the only one with coeliac, so i want a place where everybody can enjoy .My girls are 14 &13 years so I can't pick something boring .Any suggestions please?

[sassyl]

Are you in the UK now?

I nearly booked a break in the Alps this summer, gf cakes laid on, lots of activities, then my car broke down

alpineelements.co.uk

[Mikeila]

Hi Sassyl, yes I'm in Birmingham.Sorry about your car and thank you for the link..

[Maqh]

Hi

I find Spain very good in general for coeliacs, its a common ailment there, so you could probably find a lively place there for your girls. They tend not to use flour in sauces, I even found this true of restaurants run by English people. You can get a free app for the iphone/ipod for translation cards which is handy for loads of countries, its not available for other phones yet, but you can print some off celiactravel.com/cards/ if you don't have an ithingy.

I've just come back from Tenerife and the restaurants know all about it I even got chips done in a separate pan of oil just for me in one place. If nothing else you get told to stick to the grilled meats area without sauce, I haven't had a problem anywhere abroad using the cards. Good luck

[LilacPrincess]

We are away on an all inclusive next week to Corfu, with Thomson's.

My son is anaphylactic to Peanuts, I am coeliac and can't do wheat, dairy and egg. Thomsom's have always been really helpful, they will not serve peanuts products on the plane and will ask that no one eats anything containing peanuts during the flight. They have also set up a meeting with myself & the head chef on arrival.

Hope you find something!

[doods28]

Hi,

I am just back from Lanzarote with my family including my 4 year old who is coeliac. We stayed in Puerto del Carmen and I found that the 2 supermarkets I went into had a reasonably good GF selection, including some things you can't get in this country.

I took a case full of food and we ate in for lunch most days but went out several evenings and found that the restaurants could cope, (although for things that a 4 year old would eat the choice was a little limited). There were 2 really nice italian restaurants that did GF pizza and pasta and a lovely cafe that did GF toasties and biscuits.

HTH,

D x

[corby39]

the venus hotel in benidorm caters for gluton free and is only a few minutes wa to the beach.

[Angelbelle]

I went to Cyprus earlier this year and the supermarket in Pissouri had plenty of gf food. The food in the restaurants too did not upset me at all.

[doug6708]

when i go abroad which is mostly spain and majorca and tenerife i always make it a point to have words with the chief and so far have been looked after on every occasion .i check with either the head waiter or the chief at every meal time .always carry a celiac travel card in current countries language.--please note that i do not take meaals on the plane as i was given an ordinary meal by mistake even though i had specially ordered gf..not worth the risk.(the gf meal on plane should be in a green topped seal. when on crusies i do the same have had no problem .some ships id. the food as gf.

[Mikeila]

Thank you guys very much for all your answers. I think I will try Spain or Cyprus.I've got a travel card so, no problem.I hope my holiday will be great and without any trouble.

[philaustin]

Hi Mikeila.

A lot depends on the kind of holiday that you like, the weather you want, the kind of food that you prefer and your budget.

If I were to go on holiday in the UK I would go camping and buy and cook all my own food. Unless you find special gluten free accommodation you are stuffed. Most of these are twee little thatched cottages in places like Devon, where you can go out walking in the rain all day. Forget the Great British seasides, they are loaded with gluten loaded fast food and lager and the money grabbing people who run the food outlets haven't got the time for people with faddy diets like you and I ( thats how they see us).

If you want the heat, clear sea and sunshine you have to go abroad. Forget about being able to travel around and grab a snack and a beer whenever you feel hungry though. All the countries I have visited rely on wheat for fast food - burgers, kebabs, pizza, that kind of thing. If you want to eat you either have to find a supermarket that sells GF food and make snacks to carry with you - not good- or find a restaurant where they can read and understand the cards that you must carry with you that explain you are a coeliac. Restaurant meals cost more than food to go.

My personal preference now is the 'all inclusive' where there is a choice of restaurants within the hotel complex, but only as long as I can find the head of catering, explain Coeliac Disease to him, and get him to introduce me to the pople who prepare the food. You need to deveop a raport with these people. Sometimes you think it will be difficult to make friends with catering staff as they always seem to be hot, sweaty, and in a hurry. It's all down to your ability to make friends with strangers.

I had good experiences on long haul - Cuba and Jamaica. The snacks they serve at all-inclusives round the clock are usually wheat based - pasta, pizza and burgers. Jamaica was the exception - Jerk chicken, rice and beans cooked every day on the beach. Not normally cheap holidays, but we look for cheap last minute bargains. The destination is of secondary importance to the type of holiday to us now. When I could drink a lager and eat a gyros or chips at any time of day we used to go anywhere we felt like. We have had to adapt, to change our ways.

Have just returned from a city break in Budapest. It is all Turkish fast food, McDonalds, Burger King etc. I found I could drink the McD strawberry milkshake, that's all. It was a good holiday though..

The hotel where we stayed had lovely restaurant staff who took my GF card to their chef and returned saying " choose what you like and the chef will make it gluten free for you". Main course plus sweet plus wine was £30 fthe two of us. I also tracked down a gluten free Italian Restaurant before went. Lovely place with complete gluten free menu including all Italian classics, including pasta pizza and tiramasu. Again, £30 for a meal, desert, and good wine.

I would advise anyone to do a bit of research on the web before they travel abroad. Find the gluten free places before you go. Make contact by email. When you arrive the staff will already know you!

There is another option - go to countries where the don't usually put gluten in food. They tell me that Goa would be a good place for a coeliac holiday since many Indian dishes are made without wheat flour. I've yet to try it. Good look though, and treat being able to enjoy yourself abroad whilst avoiding gluten as an added perk!

[Hidden]

The Queen of gluten free travel is "Gluten Free Mrs D" and she has lots of useful and interesting reviews of world wide travel as a coeliac on her blog glutenfreemrsd.com. You can also email her direct with questions or, if you are on twitter, get hold of her that way.