Why We Created Gluten-Free Stays
We booked a long-awaited holiday.
But finding safe gluten-free food while on holiday quickly became a constant worry.
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.
Suddenly, something as simple as eating out became difficult, and holidays brought worries we'd never had to think about before.
It changed the way we thought about every meal away from home.
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 of their hotel.
We focus on places where there is real choice nearby, rather than having to rely on just one or two options.
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.
We want everyone in the family to be able to enjoy eating out and feel part of the holiday.
The Holiday
That Changed
Everything
On our first family holiday after our daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease, we travelled to the Costa del Sol in Spain and stayed in a hotel 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.
The Holiday Help We Wish We'd Had
After that holiday, we kept thinking how different it could have been if we'd known all of this before we booked.
We wished there had been somewhere that could show us not just which restaurants offered gluten-free food, but where those restaurants were in relation to the places we could stay. That was the information we couldn't find when we needed it.
We wanted to create the resource we wish we'd had before we booked that first holiday.
“We hope Gluten Free Stays makes planning your next holiday a little easier, and helps you find somewhere where everyone in your family can enjoy eating out and feel part of the holiday.
Because nobody should feel they're missing out simply because they have coeliac disease.”
Best wishes,
Nicky, Andy & Ella x
Stay Updated on New Coeliac-Friendly
Travel Areas
Occasional updates when we discover genuinely walkable gluten-free travel locations.
Contact Us: info@glutenfreestays.com
2026 Gluten Free Stays — Independent Coeliac Travel Research in Spain