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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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