Gluten Free Travel Blog

I realize it’s been some time since I’ve posted. But like most of you, our family has radically limited our travel since the pandemic began. However, to wrap up our summer before taking our boys to college, we planned a 5-night trip out to the San Diego area and stayed at the historic Hotel Del Coronado. Also known as "The Hotel Del" or just "The Del," it sits across the San Diego Bay from San Diego in the town of Coronado, on a strip of shoreline that's part of a narrow peninsula, easily accessible from San Diego by bridge or ferry. While I typically expect that resorts of this caliber will have plenty of gluten free options on the menus (and have them well labeled), that isn’t always the case based on our travel experiences. However, we were beyond impressed with how the Hotel Del goes the extra mile to make dining a relaxed and low-stress experience for anyone needing or opting for a gluten free diet. Gluten Free Notations on the Menus Make Dining Easy. From the first night, when we dined al fresco at Serea, right in the heart of the resort, we were greeted with an impressive... Read more →

I've been working with Lesley Hayden-Hock at Travel Leaders for about a decade now. I've used her personally to plan many of our family's trips (domestic, international, and cruises), and I've referred countless gluten free families to her over the years. Lesley has mastered the questions to ask resorts and cruises when booking clients who have special dietary needs, whether they be gluten free, dairy free, or have other sensitivities. She works with the Food and Beverage Directors directly and has developed great working relationships with a wide range of high-end resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean where service is top-notch. Many of these resorts are also what's called "gourmet all-inclusive." Lesley's clients always get special VIP treatment. The resorts understand how to keep gluten free diners safe, and they aim to please. They even go so far as arranging for new dedicated gluten free toasters -- and bake a special cake or cupcakes for a gluten free child's Birthday. It ends up being a vacation for everyone! After all, in today's "do it yourself" world, we all often try to juggle too much. If you're like me, you may find there just aren't always enough hours in the day... Read more →

It's not often you run across a completely gluten free resort, but alas, there's one nestled in a prime spot in Costa Rica. Anamaya is a completely gluten free resort specializing in yoga retreats, surfing, scuba diving, or just relaxing! They welcome everyone from complete beginners to more experienced yogis and surfers. (Or you can opt to just enjoy a beach vacation there -- full of snorkeling and local exploring.) "Anamaya" is Sanskrit for "good health," an ideal the resort's staff works very hard to promote through healthy meals, relaxation, exercise, and lots of fun. Anamaya offers weekly yoga retreats, yoga teacher trainings, a variety of workshops, gourmet organic meals, luxurious spa services and array of retreat vacation packages, all situated atop a cliff edge with one of the best ocean views in Costa Rica. There are also optional excursions to popular spots in Costa Rica and an optional scuba certification program. The resort is located in the tropical beach town Montezuma, just 25 minutes from Santa Teresa and its famous surf spots. Anamaya Resort has been 100% gluten-free for years now. The resort was inspired to become gluten-free after Chef Jeff Horton joined the staff. Chef Jeff made it... Read more →

In today's do-it-yourself world, many people don't see a need for help with planning a trip. They figure they can hop online and book something on their own. However, there are a few potential pitfalls with this strategy. Let's start with the most obvious: it can take a while to gather the information you need before making a decision. You may sit down at your computer, only to find that, hours later, you're overwhelmed with the choices and no further along in making a decision. Another pitfall is that booking hotels, resorts, and apartments site unseen can often result in disappointment, even if you read online reviews. And beware that deals that sound too good to be true usually are. A promotion from a reputable hotel chain to a popular tropical locale that was offered to my mother last year sounded like a great deal. However, upon further digging, we found out that it was in a less-than-desirable area of the popular resort town -- and the resort itself was under major renovation, with construction equipment everywhere. Good thing we did our research, because if we had booked this trip, it likely would have been a disaster. The whole experience... Read more →

Our son has been gluten free for over 12 years now, after a diagnosis with Celiac Disease in April 2005. We have dined out considerably since then...and traveled extensively in the U.S. and to many major European cities. There have been ups and downs along the way -- both pleasant surprises and occasional disappointments. I've written in the past about the Top 10 Mistakes Restaurants Make When Trying to Provide Gluten Free Meals. Don't get me wrong...even as the founder of GlutenFreeTravelSite and the Dine Gluten Free mobile app -- along with this Blog -- I'm actually not particularly hard on restaurants that at least make an effort to serve our gluten free community. And frankly, our 14-year-old son is pretty easy to please as well. As long as there are a few options on a menu -- and they are prepared safely and with optimal taste in mind -- we are happy. At this age, he is content with a juicy steak, a burger on a decent gluten free bun, simply prepared gluten free pasta, most gluten free pizzas, and any chocolate dessert that can claim it's gluten free! My Top 10 listing from months ago hits on how... Read more →

I'm often asked about best destinations for gluten free travelers. In fact, just yesterday, I responded to someone's inquiry about finding a GF-friendly all-inclusive resort in a warm climate. It used to be that answering these questions was difficult...or at least, it was a short answer! Now, however, our family's own Bucket List of where we want to travel is incredibly long. That's because, from a gluten free perspective, we now can travel safely to so many places. The choices are almost endless. So whatever your type of travel, I have recommendations for you. 1.) Favorite stand-by: All-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean or Mexico have been forever popular with travelers. It probably has something to do with the warm climate, endless food, and no worries about being nickeled-and-dimed for everything you eat, drink, or do. We get a good number of reviews coming in for resorts on our website, and one that recently stands out is Dreams Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. In fact, after getting back-to-back favorable reviews from families that spent the holidays there last year, we decided to showcase this resort on our Featured Review page back in February. I always recommend calling Lesley Hayden-Hock first,... Read more →

Have you been on wonderful vacation recently? Perhaps you relaxed at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean...took a fun cruise...enjoyed a European adventure...or something else even more exotic. We'd love to feature YOUR gluten-free travel experience with the followers of this Blog. If it was a positive experience, it's great inspiration for fellow gluten-free travelers! Too many gluten-free folks still believe they can't travel while safely following their gluten-free diet. I've made it my mission for the past 8 years to prove them wrong! Let's show them how many amazing (and safe) options there are available now! Of course, we always welcome you to submit your travel reviews to our website, GlutenFreeTravelSite.com...whether it's a restaurant you dined at on vacation, market or bakery where you found exciting gluten-free offerings, a hotel or resort that offered delicious gluten-free fare, or a cruise line that treated you like royalty. However, we'd love to give you, our followers, an opportunity to have a "guest post" on this blog, in which you can lay out your entire vacation experience. We welcome as many details as you'd like to share: where you stayed, where you dined, what you might do differently, and how this vacation... Read more →

These days, with so many travel portals offering thousands of reviews (including ours for the GF community -- GlutenFreeTravelSite), many people don't see the need to use a travel agent. Our culture has become very do-it-yourself, with people going online to read reviews and then booking their own travel arrangements, thinking they're saving time or money. But I'm here to advocate the opposite. While there's certainly a great need for sites like ours (and the more "mainstream" -- not GF focused -- sites like TripAdvisor), they are still just part of planning a great trip. I always recommend people go online to read reviews and get a feel for the most GF-friendly destinations, properties, and restaurants as a first step as they begin to consider different travel options. But speaking from much personal experience, travel agents can also be an enormous help. I have used them to help plan many trips for our own family, I wouldn't have it any other way. Here are my TOP 10 REASONS TO CONSIDER USING A TRAVEL AGENT: 1.) They have YEARS of expertise, something none of us can match even after spending hours or days trolling travel websites like GlutenFreeTravelSite, TripAdvisor, or Airbnb.... Read more →

You may be familiar with Ellen Morse of Gluten Free Travel-Us and her amazing gluten free travel itineraries. Every few months, she unveils a new itinerary, and this time...it's Costa Rica. If some of her other recent gluten free itineraries (Prague, Croatia, China, Japan, India, and two bike tours through northern Italy) haven't been high on your own bucket list, perhaps Costa Rica is just what you're looking for. It offers a good value, close proximity, and little in the way of a language barrier (most people speak very good English). It's a great alternative to Europe for anyone concerned about security and safety. Plus, Costa Rica has had more than a century of democratic tradition and a high quality of life. Best of all, it presents a unique blend of relaxation and adventure...all while enjoying some of the most spectacular natural beauty on earth. As with all of Ellen's itineraries, it's not a group tour. You travel when you want...and with whom you want. Your trip to Costa Rica can be customized based on your desired dates of travel, length of stay, interests, and budget. The day-by-day itinerary laid out on our Costa Rica page is just a suggestion,... Read more →

For those of you considering the upcoming 5-night Gluten Free Gourmet All-Inclusive Vacation to the luxury El Dorado Royal Resort along Mexico's Riviera Maya -- with Celiac expert Dr. Alessio Fasano as the featured guest -- I encourage you to take advantage of it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! There is still space available, but Lesley Hayden Hock, gluten free travel specialist at Travel Leaders agency (and the person working with Dr. Fasano and his team to plan this unforgettable trip), will need to hear from you by September 8, 2015. That's when a small deposit is due. El Dorado was voted by Conde Nast as one of the Top 100 Hotels in the World! The trip is a fantastic value -- and Lesley and Dr. Fasano's team have worked with El Dorado to ensure that there will be wonderful and safe gluten free options (and gluten free wines and other alcoholic beverages) at each meal. See the brochure below…and give Lesley a call at 800-487-6110 or email her at [email protected] You can read more about the trip in my previous Blog post. Read more →

If you're gluten free, it's hard to beat the sheer thrill of discovering gluten-free friendly destinations. It's absolute heaven to discover a destination where you can dine on gourmet gluten-free specialties for every meal without worry. If it's in Tuscany, Italy, it's even better…. Some of you may recall the week-long gluten-free culinary events hosted by Jovial Foods (maker of divine gluten-free pasta and sauces) at a historic 18th century Tuscan villa. They hold these events once or twice a year -- Fall and late Spring -- and every time I write about it, it's pure torture. That's because attending one of these unique gluten-free culinary weeks is on my own personal Bucket List. Unfortunately, however, these gluten-free getaways are typically scheduled during times of the year when our kids are in school. But someday, perhaps…. If you're lucky enough to have the flexibility to travel in October, a particularly beautiful month in Italy, you'll want to consider treating yourself to this special vacation. And, in fact, you may not need to treat yourself…Jovial Foods may just treat you to a complimentary visit. Between now and June 30, 2015, you can enter their drawing for a free week (airfare and... Read more →

You may remember me posting back in February about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join Dr. Alessio Fasano, one of the world's foremost experts on Celiac Disease, and other gluten free guests for a 5-night all-inclusive vacation along Mexico's Riviera Maya. Originally scheduled for October, the date has been changed to November 12-17, 2015. Dr. Fasano, from the Center for Celiac Research at Mass General Hospital, will be the keynote speaker at a banquet dinner during your stay, and you'll have an opportunity to interact with him at other events such as a welcome cocktail party, educational breakfast seminar, a culinary theatre dinner event, and more. You'll also have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the beautiful El Dorado Royal Resort, where all restaurants will have special gluten free options available for all meals during your stay. It's the perfect excuse to schedule a getaway -- where you'll soak in the warm sunshine and all the latest Celiac research and knowledge. Bring a friend or family member…whether they are gluten-free or not, fun will be had by all! Space is limited, so if there's even a chance you might be interested in attending, give Lesley Hayden Hock at Travel Leaders... Read more →