If you have a food allergy or a disease that requires you to avoid a particular food then you know how difficult that can be to travel. When I was invited to attend Social Media on the Sand Bloggers Conference at Beaches Turks and Caicos the first thing I did was email to see if they can accommodate a gluten free diet.
Much to my delight I discovered that YES Beaches can accommodate a wide variety of food allergies and dietary restrictions. Once your booking has been completed, send an email to specialservices@uvi.sandals.com with your booking number in the subject line. A representative will assist you, provide you with alternative menus and liaise with the resort on your behalf. Also arrangements can be made for you to speak with the Head Chef upon your arrival.
There is no need for concern or worry because Beaches takes food allergies seriously. Once you arrive at Beaches Turks and Caicos simply go to the Caribbean Village to meet with the Culinary Concierge in person. If you are at another property simply ask upon check in where the Culinary Concierge is located at your resort.
The Culinary Concierge has every menu available from each restaurant for you to look at. The protocol is that you will fill out a form for each meal that you will eat. That will take some planning on your part however TRUST ME it will be worth it! By planning in advance the chefs will be able to accommodate your requests. In fact they far exceeded my expectations on this trip.
On the night we arrived it was after hours for the culinary concierge. If this happens to you simply go to the restaurant of your choice that is open and ask to speak to the head chef. Do no speak to anyone other than the head chef so you can be certain of you are eating safely. The server will ask if you filled out a form and just let them know that you just arrived and it will be no problem. The same will be true for your first morning breakfast. The Head Chef is knowledgeable on food allergies and will assist you.
Each day you will need to submit your lunch order by 10:00 am and your dinner and the following mornings breakfast by 2 pm to the Culinary Concierge. Whiles this does take some advanced planning (and a little time) it is really nice because not every restaurant is open every day. This allowed us to plan out where we wanted to eat and as a result we ate at 16/21 restaurant that are on property at Beaches Turks and Caicos.
Another awesome feature is that Beaches will prepare a daily snack for you that you can pick up in the Culinary Concierge office at 2 pm. One day I forgot to pick it up and they delivered it to my room without me even asking. They offered me the choice of something sweet or cheese and crackers plate. I chose the cheese and crackers as that paired nicely with a glass of wine by the pool every afternoon. They also offered me fresh fruit etc. They are there to make sure you are happy and really went out of their way to make sure I was.
They even offer a delicious gluten free (and dairy free) mac and cheese at the Mac Daddy Food Truck that is located near the water park and conveniently located to the French Village where we stayed. Again, all included!
When it comes to the quality of the food I was extremely impressed. They didn't just offer me a burger with no bun...it was all inclusive for me too and as a person with Celiac Disease I really appreciated that. The sky was the limit on the choices I could request.
I enjoyed delicious gluten free pancakes, gluten free crab cakes, gluten free coconut shrimp, gluten free bread, gluten free desserts at every dinner and so much more! I NEVER got sick once! The Beaches staff went out of their way to accommodate my every request and make sure I was happy and enjoying the food during my stay. At dinner I was always offered gluten free bread and a separate butter plate which was lovely.
The one thing I really appreciated about the Culinary Concierge was how knowledgeable she was about the dietary choices and accommodations. She checked on my daily to see how my experience was the day before and really went out of her way to make sure things were going well. Only once was my form "misplaced" and that was still no concern because they were still able to accommodate me. One tip I would suggest is to take a photo of each of your forms so you can keep up with them.
We enjoyed breakfast at Reflections most every morning. This is buffet but the Chef would prepare a plate for me so I didn't have to worry about Cross Contamination. My favorite dinner choice was at Schnooers (the crab cakes and coconut shrimp were amazing). We also loved Sky which is roof top dining with amazing views. The gluten free pancakes were out of this world.
For lunch we enjoyed Arizona's. It was a delicious buffet and the chef would prepare corn tortillas for me each day. They even have 5 Star Global Cuisine and my favorite was the lobster special at Le Petit Chateau. I could talk for days about the food. It was ALL so good!
If you are concerned with traveling with allergies or you have Celiac disease I would hands down suggest you consider Beaches Resorts. It will be the trip of a lifetime filled with as much allergy friendly food that you can eat. I can't wait to go back again! Hopefully soon!
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Melissa is a soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 21 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
robin rue
Glad they were able to work with you. We travel with a family whose son has a tree nut allergy and I find that most places are really accommodating.
Karen
Thank you so much for sharing this. Food allergies are so scary. It's important to have all the information you can when you're traveling so you can keep your family members with allergies safe.
Alli Smith
All the food looks amazing! It's great that Beaches go out of their way to serve allergy friendly foods to those who have to deal with food allergies.
candy
All of these foods look amazing and so delicious. Having food allergies can be difficult so it is good that there are places that meet the needs for people who suffer from food allergies.
Jeanette
It looks like you had an amazing vacation. I have some food allergies myself and it is nice to know that this place is accommodating. Next time you go I'm going to have to in your bag LOL!
Tomi C
My kid has food allergies so we make sure to alert concierge and dining staff when traveling. Fortunately the resorts we've stayed at have been extremely accommodating.
Amber Myers
I'm so glad more places can work with those with food allergies. My MIL has some, so when we go out, we have to check to make sure there are gluten free options. All this food looks amazing!
Brandy
What an important topic to discuss, I often have to ask if anyone has allergies before they head to my house for a sleepover for the kiddos. Thankfully my teen remembers to ask, as I am forgetful in a lot of areas. I cannot imagine trying to navigate traveling elsewhere with food allergies.
Tasheena
I would love to visit Beaches. This is great information to know. Especially, since my daughter has a food allergy.
Terri Steffes
First off, kudos for making your vacation so much more healthy for your family. Secondly, that is a gorgeous location and one I would love to try!
Pam
I have always wondered how we are going to travel with my granddaughter, who has food allergies. It sounds like Beaches resorts have the allergy thing down pat.
ricci
I would hate to have food allergies when traveling! I would be so scared to eat!
Cathy mini
That's was so hard, wish it not. How you will enjoy the beautiful place and delicious foods if ever. What a perfect place for vacation.
Catalina
Yes, you are right. It is so difficult to travel for those who have a food allergy. Fortunately more and more resorts and restaurants have special menu. So glad that you shared here your experience!
Chubskulit Rose
Everything looks so good especially the one with seafood. I am however quite intrigued with the toasts dish.
Kathy
What a lovely place to be. All that food looks so amazing. My youngest daughter use to have food allergies, so I know how hard it can be to travel with allergies.
Kim Byars Croisant
I'll be going on my first cruise next year and I wonder about all the food that will be at my disposal. Scares me to death. Thanks for your advice.
Shoshana Sue
Wow, this resort is amazing to the T! I love the part where you fill in a form for your meals so that the chefs can work according to your needs.The scenery is just breathtaking- would love to stay here