Allergy Concerns
 

Hello everyone. My fiance and I will be married in late October and would like to honeymoon somewhere in the sun. Two locations that we are looking at right now include Jamaica and Playa del Carmen.

We are definitely leaning toward an AI, but have one major concern. My fiance has Celiac's disease, which prohibits her from consuming gluten (pretty much anything with wheat, barley, etc. in it).

My question is this; are there any destinations that would be able to better accomodate special food orders?

Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

bb

I would suggest that you check with whatever resort you might be considering.

One suggestion would be someplace like Moon Dance Villas in Negril Jamaica. It is a resort where you get your own villa with a cook & bartender. They make whatever you want to eat or drink. They have an AI plan if you want it & it really doesn't cost much more than a regular resort AI.

It would be a great place for a honeymoon because there would be less kids & organized resort activities. You are close to other places if you want nightlife entertainment. I have heard several people rave about having weddings there too.

Thank you benj. That is an excellent suggestion. Although we had a couple other locations in mind, that might be worth checking out.

Other than bread/soft or hardo, pasta nnd Jamaican patties, plus the crust on fried chicken, wheat is not a big staple in Jamaican diets no those on the Yucatan. And barley not commonly found. Either destination, as long as you alert the resort desk/concierge/booker in advance and get confirmation via e-mail or fax, can take most food allergies into account.

This is always a problem for us whenever we travel as my daughter and I have a life threatening allergy to shellfish. We have to make sure that our food was not prepared in the same oil that fish was prepared in and so forth. Most places are very accomodating. However, I would definitely call ahead of time to be certain that you request can be honored. Given her allergies, I would be very hesistant about Playa Del Carmen or Mexico in general. We found the Occidental Grand in Aruba to be very helpful and it was all inclusive. Most of the time we try to rent a condo (Grand Cayman) or Anguilla (Frangiani Beach Club which has kitchen facilities) or house (St. John's) and we do our own cooking to be safe. These hotels are very accomodating: Cuisinart in Anguilla, Little Dix Bay (British Virgin Islands)or Jumby Bay or Curtain's Bluff in Antigua. I will also say that Royal Caribbean cruise line is excellent as well. Just a word of caution, be careful of all inclusives because they basically have buffets and you have no idea of how the food was prepared. Good luck!!!

Thanks again to everyone who responded. This is wonderful advice that could really help us avoid some bad honeymoon memories.

BB

12 Degrees North in Grenada has always struck me as the ideal honeymoon spot - and you have your own private kitchen and cook. You get to specify the shoppring list you want, and so you control what goes into the menu.

It's also child free.

I would look into renting a villa in St. John and bringing a few staple items with you. Also, I would check with the high end resorts who may be able to accomodate special diets. I would stay away from all inclusive buffets. Like the previous post, you never know what you are getting. I would call ritz carlton, four seasons, etc... and see what they can do for you. Happy honeymooning

Have you looked into Couples Swept Away in Negril Jamaica? From what I understand they are an all inclusive that can cater to celiac disease. Here is a honeymoon review I found on another siite that you might find helpful/informative:

Honeymoon: Couples Swept Away ? A++
Negril, Jamaica
Wow ? talk about a tropical paradise! The resort fit in great after our reception hall! It was better than I imagined. When we got there we had a private meeting with the head chefs and nurse to discuss my food allergies and to make sure they would be able to accommodate me (I am celiac). Very impressive! They also gave us a room upgrade so we were ON THE BEACH! Our room was GORGEOUS and included a veranda that overlooked the beach. Because we were in one of the resort?s new rooms, our room consisted of a TV (we never used because we were on our honeymoon ? the older rooms do not have TVs), a mini-bar and a fridge that they stocked daily. It was all inclusive so everything was free (except for some excursions and of course the gift shop). The staff was very friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had an incredible honeymoon. There were many free excursions which we took advantage of (snorkeling, river cruises, glass bottom boats, sailing, pedal boats, kayaks, and more), 2 person hammocks all along the beach and gorgeous vegetation surrounding the walk ways and garden areas. It was very sad to leave the resort and head back home to reality?

I think the idea of place where you get own cook is a great one. Given how difficult we have found it in many places to determine what a particular dish is (usually because of language), I would be very cautious of buffets and even restaurant meals in many places. We have found waitstaff, including in many places in US, very kind, motivated to be helpful, BUT sometimes clueless as to actual content and food preparation methods of various dishes.

In my opinion it depends on seriousness of fiances celiac disease, since one meal including a little gluten is generally not life-threatening, just very uncomfortable (unlike certain allergies such as shellfish, nuts, etc.). If her intestines are able to tolerate, for example, some stray breading on fish if she removes it, then an AI or even a buffet might work. You might even want to learn how to say or have written down in the language of the island (I presume likely Spanish) her limitations.

Great advice. Again, thank you to everyone who responded. We are working through a travel agent who has been very helpful in contacting different resorts and determining whether or not they can accomodate our needs.

To my surprise, many of the AI's have said that they can and will accomodate. Evidently, it is something they run into quite often. Despite some of the risks, my fiance is excited about going to an AI, based on the experiences of some of our friends. Hopefully it will work out.

When we decide on which resort, and complete the trip, I will report back as to whether or not it worked out.

Thanks again for your advice, research, and insight.