"For background, I emailed the hotel a few months ago after being diagnosed with coeliac disease following booking this holiday. I explained that I was newly diagnosed and nervous about being all inclusive, and I was reassured there would be a variety of gluten-free options available.
On arrival, reception gave me meal forms to complete for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They explained my food would be prepared separately and that I should tell the restaurant staff where I was sitting at each meal. I was also told that if I chose to eat from the buffet, it would be at my own responsibility due to the risk of cross-contamination and I signed a form.
The following morning, I was told my breakfast form could not be found despite completing it the evening before. They gave me breakfast which consisted of random gluten free items shown in the attached photo. One of the items was muesli, despite it not even being listed on the menu, which made it unclear what was actually available. I also asked them for individual butter portions for the baguette because the buffet butter was shared, and I asked but was told there was no dedicated gluten-free toaster, meaning I couldn’t have toast or toast the gluten-free baguette provided.
When I explained my missing order to the restaurant manager, he told me I should have completed the form. After explaining that I had, he told me to hand future forms directly to the restaurant, he gave me a new form and I handed it to the restaurant. However, I went to reception later to explain what had happened and they told me the exact opposite and said forms should always be handed to them and that I shouldn’t have given it to the restaurant. The conflicting instructions from different staff members left me feeling confused and stressed.
On my second evening, a member of staff called Hannah took the time to listen to how I felt and suggested I ignore the forms altogether and order my next meal directly with the restaurant before leaving. From then on, my orders were received correctly, and I am very grateful for her help.
Every day, my food took a long time to arrive. Staff always apologised, but most of the time my friend had already collected her buffet meal, finished eating and was on dessert or finished dessert before my food arrived. On the first day, I waited around 50 minutes, and part of my order, which were fries, were still missing. By that point, I felt uncomfortable asking again where the fries were, as I had already went up to the staff member twice and she said she didn’t know what else to do and that she had informed the kitchen I was there. However, there was an occasion when I hadn’t pre-ordered lunch but ended up staying at the hotel, and they still prepared me some fries 30 minutes before lunch stopped, which I really appreciated.
Initially, I felt limited by the menu because if I ordered more than one item, each arrived as a full separate portion, resulting in a huge amount of food on the table, which I found embarrassing and I also could not eat it all. After I asked Hannah if I could have smaller portions of several options on one plate, she kindly arranged this with the kitchen, which made my meals feel much more normal and gave me a little more variety.
However, I still felt the breakfast menu especially was very limited. I appreciate that preparing gluten-free meals safely requires extra precautions, but considering I paid the same all-inclusive price as my friend, I expected options such as bacon, eggs, beans or even gluten-free pancakes prepared separately. As I said with there being no toaster, I never ordered bread as I never fancied bread and butter for breakfast. I honestly felt I had more choice eating at home.
A positive was that the cocktails were really nice, and staff informed me that all of the cocktails on the current menu were gluten free when I asked.
Also, whenever I ordered cake, it was presented beautifully, I genuinely felt excited to eat it and that made a big difference.
Towards the end of my holiday, a Spanish-speaking guest asked the staff on my behalf about one of the menu items, as sometimes I found the menu unclear. I was then told the kitchen could prepare meals differently according to my preferences. I think this flexibility should be made clear on the menu or explained when guests arrive.
Overall, as the week went on, my experience improved and I appreciated the kindness of some staff and having my meals prepared separately. I never had a gluten reaction during my stay, so the food appeared safe. However, despite informing the hotel in advance about my coeliac disease, I don’t feel they were fully prepared for me. It was only after several days of chasing staff that the process improved. Therefore, based on my experience, I personally would not return unless the menu was clarified and expanded, (especially breakfast) and there was a clearer process for gluten-free ordering."
