Contrary to popular belief, you can travel safely to Mexico with celiac disease or on a gluten-free diet for any number of reasons.
Upon arrival at our hotel, we were greeted with cool, lovely smelling white towels and a glass of champagne (all of which are gluten free). 🙂 The staff asked if we had any dietary restrictions and I mentioned I need to eat gluten-free. She nodded as though she understood, but this is my responsibility to be careful.
Señor Rick and I have traveled to Mexico for the past 10 years or so, missing maybe one year in the mix. We started our journey with our 15th wedding anniversary, which we celebrated at Le Blanc in Cancun. That trip was amazing but short, as we had 3 smallish children that we left in the care of Goggie and Papa, and I figured a long weekend was all they could handle. After that trip we were hooked on Adults Only, All-Inclusive hotels that are a minimum of 4 stars. I would love to try other areas of Mexico, but I am a creature of habit and I love the direct, short flight and a private car. Get through customs and plow through the crowds of timeshare sellers (making no eye contact), and you are sipping cocktails by the pool in no time at all!
We started traveling with our cousin Dan and his wife Pam three years ago and we have found them to be the perfect travel companions. They are fun, like to be with us, and make friends easily. Actually until we started traveling with them, we kept to ourselves, and smiled and nodded but never kept in touch with anyone we met. Now we are back at the same hotel with friends we met last year and loving every minute of it!
So back to the food, which my mother would want to know all about…daily! “So tell me what you ate! Take a picture of Rickey’s plate so I can see, he makes everything look so good!!!” she’d say.
I am usually safe if I start with fresh fruit in the morning and an omelet. They make this right while you wait. I load it up with veggies and cheese. My favorite part of the meal is my “2…yes, you heard me…2!” Coca-Cola Lights served over ice in a lovely glass. Señor Rick eats his weight in calories and always tells me the pastries do not taste half as good as they look. He is clearly lying to me, but I appreciate his effort.
Lunch can be a bit tricky. Today I have a gluten-free pizza, which was pretty good…although I had one yesterday and they looked nothing alike. I asked Jesús 3 times if it was indeed gluten free and he promised me…and I’m not sick yet, so I believe him. I also sampled a chicken club panini sans bread and it was delish. Grilled chicken breast topped with tomato, avocado, lettuce and cheese. The french fries are always delicious.
The chips, salsa and guacamole are always on point. Be careful of anything with a sauce or dessert…I stay away from all of those dishes.
