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Hi, Listies,
I wanted to share an exceptional gluten-free experience. My 18-year-old
daughter (who has celiac disease, biopsy dxd at 23 months) and I, along with 3
others, stayed for two weeks at the Royal Playa del Carmen (Riviera Maya
in Mexico) all-inclusive adults-(16+) only resort. The resort is rated
4-stars by TripAdvisor (tripadvisor.com) but I personally give it a 5--I'd give
it 10 stars if I could, and a fair part of the reason is because my
daughter, Alix, was treated exceptionally. The language barrier was not an issue.
The management of the resort is aware of food sensitivities and allergies
and was educated by a recently diagnosed celiac who really knows her stuff
(after 20 years caring for her celiac mom).
Before I launch into the particulars of the awesome GF food experience at
the Royal, let me just briefly state that this is a top-notch resort. I've
been to all-inclusives in Mexico, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica
(Riu, Gran Bahia, Grand Pallidium, Sandals, Iberostar, Secrets, Dreams,
Palace). Of all of them, this was the best in terms of layout (a reasonable
size, not disorienting to get around); room size, comfort and decor,
including thoughtful appointments (e.g., not just a docking station but two of
them, one on the clock radio and one a Bose speaker system!) and a
well-stocked minibar; no reservations required for any of the included restaurants (5
a la cartes plus one that's not included [$80pp fixed menu with rotating
themes], plus the breakfast-lunch-dinner buffet; excellent, beautifully
presented, food, including at the buffets; 24-hour included room service;
outstanding, timely service overall, from the maids to the managers and everyone
in between; a beautiful large pool with two large jacuzzis (one hot, one
pool temp), a small pool with swim-up bar, a "quiet" pool (one lane with
lounges in the water); and a separate small pool for snorkel/scuba lessons; an
entertainment staff that was actually entertaining (not to mention
incredibly good-looking, friendly, and fun--the first in my travels to have
actually made a difference in my vacation); and a not-bad stretch of beach. In
short, I LOVED the place.
The special attentions to my daughter's meals was ingratiating and
extremely generous. Alix was brought gluten-free bread with her meals (wasn't the
greatest, though we met another celiac while we were there who loved it), GF
pizza as an appetizer, fresh-made pancakes and waffles at breakfast,
really good GF brownies for dessert. When we gave our room numbers to the host
or hostess, at the buffet or any of the a la cartes, that triggered a
notification to one of the two Food & Beverage Assistant Directors. One of them
showed up at almost every meal to advise the restaurant house manager and
the chef as well as the waiter that special treatment was required. They
reviewed the menu with Alix, made suggestions, figured out ways to prepare what
she wanted without gluten. If you bring your own gluten-free soy sauce,
they will keep it in the kitchen for you at Asiana, our favorite restaurant
there. Asiana has three menus at lunch and dinner--Chinese, Japanese
(including extremely fresh, top-quality sushi and teppanyaki--but not show
cooking), and Thai. They prepared rice-wrapper steamed dumplings, a sensational
Thai pork curry with gf noodles, awesome duck, and many other dishes gluten
free. Sometimes Alix received special treats that weren't on the menu, such
as very top quality marinated sashimi. Not once was she delivered a
tasteless lump of unseasoned dry chicken breast and soggy steamed veggies. Not
once was she made to feel uncomfortable or that she was asking too much. We
were even treated to special meals at the fixed-menu restaurant. She ordered
a grilled sandwich from room service and with it received a plate of GF
brownies, all decorated with fruit salsa, a blue corn chip, with mango (or
passion fruit?) puree drizzled in a dainty arc around it, a chocolate wedge
decorated with edible gold leaf. The entire food & beverage staff seemed
honestly eager to bend over backwards to ensure that Alix's food was safe and
not only delicious but beautiful.
I could go on and on (er, well, I guess I have already), but the upshot is,
if you have a special occasion and need gluten-free or other special
dietary accommodations, I doubt you can do better than the Royal Playa del
Carmen. I am simply blown away by the whole experience, and Alix has said over
and over that this was the best vacation ever and never wants to go anywhere
else. As a parent, to see her so happy was a great treat, and I am so
grateful to the staff and management of the Royal PDC.
Reading this back, I realize it sounds like brochure copy. Rest assured, I
have no affiliation with the place at all. I'm simply a grateful patron
eager to share a fabulous experience.
Marcy in MD
Mom of Alix
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