Why We Created Gluten-Free Stays
We booked a long-awaited holiday.
But finding safe gluten-free food while on holiday quickly turned it into constant planning.
We didn’t set out to create a travel site. We were simply trying to
solve a problem we faced ourselves.
“What we expected to be simple, quickly became the
hardest part of our holiday.”
When Everything Changed In Our Family
Our Daughter’s Coeliac Diagnosis
Our daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease at the age of twelve — a moment that completely changed how we approached food, travel, and everyday life.
Why Gluten-Free Stays Exists
Travelling gluten-free can be more stressful than it should be. We created this site to highlight areas in Spain where coeliac travellers can find reliable gluten-free cafés, bakeries, and restaurants within easy reach.
Our Goal For Coeliac Travellers
Our goal is simple: to help you choose places to stay within easy walking distance of safe gluten-free dining, so you can spend your holiday relaxing, exploring, and making memories — not constantly searching for meals.
The Holiday
That Changed
Everything
During a holiday to the Costa del Sol in Spain, we stayed in an Airbnb that wasn’t well located for gluten-free dining.
Every day involved long walks between gluten-free cafés and restaurants, and every meal required planning. What should have been a relaxing break slowly became centred around finding safe meals.
Looking back, we realised that although we’d paid for a beautiful holiday, many of our memories were shaped by the constant worry of eating safely.
When we flew home from Málaga Airport, the reality of travelling gluten-free in Spain really hit us. Out of all the restaurants there, only Giraffe offered any gluten-free options — and even then, the choice for coeliacs was extremely limited.
In the end, we bought nuts, yoghurt, and sweets from WHSmith so our daughter could eat before the flight.
It left us feeling excluded, anxious, and deflated — a reminder of how difficult travelling safely with coeliac disease can still be.
Why
Location Matters
For Gluten-Free Travel
When you're travelling with coeliac disease, accommodation alone can’t make a trip feel safe.
You can stay in a beautiful hotel or apartment, but if genuinely gluten-free food isn’t close by, every day becomes a logistical challenge. Meals require planning, transport, and backup plans — and that constant effort takes its toll.
Location changes everything.
In La Carihuela, the concentration of gluten-free cafés, bakeries, and restaurants means you’re never reliant on just one or two options. If one place doesn’t suit, another is nearby. If plans change, you still have safe choices.
That access brings confidence. It brings flexibility. And it allows holidays to feel like holidays again.
That’s why Gluten Free Stays focuses on coeliac-friendly locations first — not hotel claims.
“Every hotel we recommend is chosen for one simple reason:
to place you within easy walking distance of genuinely safe gluten-free restaurants and cafés.
Because a holiday should be remembered for experiences — not the stress of finding somewhere safe to eat.”
Best wishes,
Nicky, Andy & Ella x