Gluten Free Travel Blog

Luxury Vacation Home Rentals in Orlando area make traveling on a gluten-free diet easy

Let's face it...even with the increasing number of restaurants adding gluten-free choices to their menus, sometimes you want to cook your own meals while traveling, especially if you're going to be gone for more than a few days and are looking to save money. But you can't do that while staying at your typical hotel.

That's where luxury vacation home rental communities like the brand-new Paradise Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida (less than 10 minutes from Disney World), find their niche. You can rent a three, four, or five bedroom private vacation pool home, professionally furnished and decorated and complete with a gourmet kitchen for all your gluten-free cooking needs! To put it plainly, for the cost of a moderately-priced, cramped hotel room, you can rent your very own spacious luxury home where your family can spread out, relax, and cook many of your own meals, reducing your dependence on eating out. All town homes at Paradise Palms even have covered lanais and private courtyards with splash pools. You have all the advantages of a private villa accompanied by all the amenities of a luxury resort, including their Tropical Oasis swimming pool, game room, fitness center, concierge, business center, movie theater, and more!

Centrally located in the heart of the Orlando area with quick access to Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, and dozens of other attractions, this is a resort you'll want to return to year after year with your family and friends. (Be sure to check out all the great special events and festivals coming up at Disney World over the coming year.) 

Best of all, we have arranged a 10% discount on Paradise Palm Resort's published rates for visitors of GlutenFreeTravelSite. For more information, visit Paradise Palms website or call 800-963-1379. Be sure to mention GlutenFreeTravelSite Discount Code "GFT" when booking to receive your 10% discount. You can also email Christa with any questions about Paradise Palms Resort and traveling gluten-free to the Orlando area. 

Helpful Tips for Dining Gluten-Free on Your Trip

If You Choose to Dine In: You don't have to spend your entire vacation cooking, even if you do want to eat in.There's a company our family likes called GF Meals that delivers ready-to-cook gluten-free meals that you can arrange to arrive at the resort at the beginning of your stay. All you have to do is pop the items in the oven for a quick, easy, and healthy gluten-free meal. You can also find a wide assortment of wonderful gluten-free groceries at the Whole Foods in Orlando.

If You Choose to Dine Out: Disney makes dining gluten-free in its parks very easy, but there are loads of other Celiac-friendly restaurants outside the Disney property as well.  Check the listing of restaurants with gluten-free menus on our Gluten Free Restaurant Menus page. Most of the national and regional restaurant chains listed have locations in the Orlando area. You can access their gluten-free menus and list of locations directly from our site. Be sure to also visit GlutenFreeTravelSite to read personal reviews of other Celiac-friendly restaurants in the Orlando area. (Just choose Florida under the United States pull-down menu on the Search Reviews page.) 

**Note: In exchange for our help in promoting Paradise Palms Resort, Gluten Free Travel, LLC receives a small commission on all bookings from visitors to our site/Blog. 

Detailed Review of the Best Gluten-Free Dining Options at Disney World

Most of us in the gluten-free community know how well Disney treats its guests with special dietary concerns. And God knows...there's a ton of information online about dining gluten-free, the Disney way. But if you'd like to read a detailed review submitted to our sister site, GlutenFreeTravelSite.com, by a mom who's taken her gluten-free daughter to Disney World at least several times a year for many years now, you'll find it showcased as August's Featured Review on our site. 

This is a family who literally almost moved to the Orlando area, in large part due to the ease of maintaining a gluten-free diet there. After all, it's not just the parks and resorts of Disney World that accommodate gluten-free diners so well...the gluten-free dining "magic" does, indeed, extend beyond the Disney parks and into the surrounding area.  Many national chain restaurants with gluten-free menus have a presence there -- so you get a choice of literally whatever cuisine you're in the mood for. 

This mom's review is based on her family's many experiences in and around Disney. Their travels have taken them to most restaurants in each of the four major Disney Theme Parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, as well as other restaurants within the numerous Disney resorts. Chances are, wherever you decide to stay -- whether it's in one of Disney's properties or just outside the park (as they do), you'll have PLENTY of safe and delicious gluten-free options that are convenient for you. 

Right now is a particularly good time to price a Disney trip, since they have some amazing deals on Fall travel, typically one of their slower times of the year. And with the economy affecting even the relatively strong demand for all things Disney, deals are especially sweet right now. They're running a special for a package that includes 4-night/5-day accommodations at a Disney Value Resort, park tickets for a family of four, and a FREE meal plan for four. It's one welcome side-effect of the otherwise depressing economy. Take advantage of these deals while they're offered, because we may not see them for long. If you'd like help comparing different packages and deciding where to stay, you may want to call a travel agent I've personally had experience with. You don't pay a cent for her services, and Disney travel is one of her specialties. She can also help you navigate booking reservations at some of the best restaurants for gluten-free dining. Her name is Doreen Costa, and she can be emailed at dcosta@travelleaders.com or reached at Travel Leaders office outside Boston at 800-487-6110. 

Even High-End Resorts Can Miss Opportunities to Wow Gluten-Free Travelers

Our family spent the Thanksgiving holiday at the gorgeous and historic Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Reopened in July 2007 after being closed for 20 years, this top-notch resort has been renovated and restored to its historic splendor. Dating back 200 years, it is full of rich history -- including visits by 10 U.S. Presidents. The resort has several restaurants to choose from, and I was assured by the Executive Chef when I called well in advance of the trip that preparing gluten-free meals was something they handled every week and that we'd be well taken care of. 

Although our experience at the resort was wonderful and we'd return again without hesitation, I have to say I was not overly impressed with the wait staff and kitchen staff's handling of our requests. Most of the wait staff looked at me like I had three heads when I uttered the term "gluten-free," and although I'd personally spoken with the Executive Chef before our arrival, we never got a chance to meet him during our stay. Granted, it was a busy weekend, and the height of the Thanksgiving dinner hour may not have been the best time to walk us through the buffet...but I always felt like the assistant chefs that we did speak with were a bit too quick to tell us what was gluten-free. Either they are really well-versed in the preparation of everything or they were just anxious to be done with me. I guess we'll never know. Our son did have some mild intestinal problems one day, but it's hard to say if it was from being "glutenized" or if it was just from overeating or too many sweets! 

I think I was expecting them to make more of a fuss over my son, offering to make special things like gluten-free waffles or pancakes, but instead the chefs staffing the breakfast just quickly pointed out which items were gluten-free on the buffet (but the "gluten free bacon" had pieces of bread at the bottom of the chafing dish to absorb the grease). If and when we return, I'll go about things differently, setting up a meeting with the Executive Chef upon arrival. To read my full review of our experience at the Bedford Springs, visit the Pennsylvania reviews at our sister website GlutenFreeTravelSite.com.