Featured Review

November/December 2008

El Dorado Seaside Suites' Luxury All-Inclusive Resort on the Riviera Maya Offers Peace of Mind for Gluten-Free Travelers

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5.0 Palms	El Dorado Seaside Suites
Review Type:	Resort
Location:	KM 95, Carretera Hwy, Cancun-Tulum, Kantenah, Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Phone:	(52) 984 8751 910
Website:	http://www.eldoradosparesorts.com
Contact:	asistventas@eldorado-resort.com.mx
Trip Type:	Adults only vacation
Travel Dates:	May 2007
Review Posted:	May 27, 2008

My husband and I visited El Dorado Seaside Suites on the Riviera Maya in Mexico in 2007. It's an adults-only all-inclusive resort that was voted one of Forbes' "Top Ten Most Romantic Hotels In The World." All 280 rooms are suites.

They admitted this was their first time trying to handle a gluten free diet, but they did a fantastic job. The staff was wonderful in accommodating my gluten free dining needs. The restaurant cards I took with me also helped greatly in getting past the language barrier. I had a wonderful week of gluten free meals that were delicious with no reactions.

I was very excited about my food options while there.  For each meal, the chef would talk to me about my options and for some they prepared special dishes (and desserts) for me. I had also looked over most of the menus that were posted for the week, so I knew some things I wanted to try.  All of the meals have a menu to choose from, and breakfast also has a buffet. There are several restaurants on the property and we tried each of them at least once. Each restaurant had it's own theme and style, and my favorite was the International one.  

Each dinner included soup, salad, entree, and dessert and they strived to accommodate me with each of those things.  The International restaurant made a soup just for me the night we were there that I enjoyed, although I don't remember what was in it.  My desserts were often fruit or ice cream, but they always went out of their way to present an artistic arrangement of whatever it was.  The Italian restaurant wanted to serve me just grilled chicken and I suggested that the polenta would also be ok and had that to eat.  It was something new for me, and I had wanted to try it for a while.  The Asian restaurant was probably the hardest to eat in because of avoiding the soy sauce.  They did not have an alternative for that, and I don't remember what I ate there, but I'm guessing it was something in a white sauce.  There was sushi available at the Asian restaurant and fish choices on all of the menus.  I believe I carried cereal with me for breakfast, as I'm not much of an egg person, so that is always a very difficult meal for me. However, I did try a dish or two off of the breakfast menu and visited the buffet for fresh fruit and other things I could eat.  Overall, it was a great adventure for me with food because I still haven't eaten like that around here.  They went out of their way to make sure that I would receive something for each of the courses.  

Outside the resort, we visited Mayan ruins, did an adventure tour, and went to the city of Playa del Carmen. The resort offers spa facilities, daily activities, pools, snorkeling, kayaks, and beaches. I would go back again.

** GlutenFreeTravelSite.com suggests you always contact the resort directly to speak with the Executive Chef to verify the availability of gluten-free meals before booking your stay.