Home > Gluten Free Travel Stories > A gluten free holiday in Thailand

A gluten free holiday in Thailand

Before we went to Thailand I was really nervous about the food. I have only been diagnosed as a celiac a couple of months ago. Surprisingly, it all worked out very well, I have not been sick once the entire time ;-). Here is where we went and what I generally ate:

I brought my own bread and cereal for breakfast and usually had that and a couple of eggs and lots of fruit. I did not trust the local yoghurt to be gluten-free so I never gave that a try. I also had issues with the butter, often the balls of butter were placed just below the toast and as a result full of crumbs. I usually asked the waiters to get me fresh and clean butter from the kitchen which was never a problem.

In the afternoons I usually had a Magnum Ice Cream Bar (I called their hotline and was assured Magnum is gluten-free in Thailand, too). I also had coconut juice, fruit, steamed peanuts (delicious!) and gluten-free potato chips I happened to find at Tesco Mart.

In the evenings we went to restaurants and that worked out well, too. I always had my Celiac Travel Card with me and showed it to the staff. Here is where we went:

- Ayutthaya:
Tony's Place and Chang Chang were nice restaurants that really made an effort to get me food I could eat. Tom Kah Gai (coconut soup) and a curry dish is what I ate.

- Kanchanaburi:
We usually ate at the Hotel (Felix River Kwai Resort), no problems there. I usually had either one of their curry dishes or a baked potato.

- Chiang Mai:
We had dinner at 4 different restaurants at the night market. There must have been a celiac traveller there bofore me, as the waiters were familiar with my Travel Card! Again, I usually had a curry, they always taste different so it never got boring.

- Hua Hin:
We did stay in a small resort called the Dolphin Bay Resort which is very child-friendly. After I told them about my eating issues they even pinned my card on their computer, making sure every waiter was informed. We had a very relaxed week there and they took wonderful care of me! For families travelling with a celiac child I would definitely recommend staying there.

I hope that this celiac travel story has helped you. You can help other celiacs travel more safely by telling me about getting gluten free food in your area - remember where you live is a destination too! Send me a report and I'll let thousands of celiacs know.

Go back to Celiac Travel Stories