I Visited Barcelona In September with my best friend. I have Coeliac disease and she is Gluten intolerant so we make great guests where ever we go. I am always a little nervous staying away from home but I would never let a little thing like gluten get in the way of me having fun.
We booked to stay two nights in the Renaissance Fira hotel and other than a quick glance on trip adviser I didn’t really do as much homework into the gluten free options as I normally would so was obviously a little nervous. The hotel was stunning, in a great location and so easy to get to from the airport. We arrived at an odd time in the afternoon so decided to eat in the hotel and then go out and explore. We asked the waiter about a gluten free menu and for a second he looked a little puzzled. I was already gearing myself up for a tough few days and was expecting to have to visit the local supermarket for some fruit or cooked meat. To my surprise he opened up the normal menu and started telling me all the options I could eat. Obviously mostly the meats and sea food from the grill but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about so I was more than excited. We both chose some goats cheese to share for our starter and then steak for main. I don’t know if it is just me but I find I get a little too excited when I see anything gluten free. With this in mind imagine my reaction when the waiter comes back to our table with bread, freshly cooked, warm, gluten free and in its own brown paper sealed wrapping. Talk about happy bunnies.
I have to say my bread was a little well done as you can see in the photo but my friends was perfect and I wasn’t about to complain as it is the thought that counts. The steak was mouth watering and was so juicy it didn’t need any sauce.
A great start to our trip which just kept getting better. Refueled we headed out to explore our surroundings. After a few minutes walking and chatting we looked up and as if by magic found ourselves at the local shopping center surrounded by clothes and shoe shops. Once upon a time Clothes and shoes would have been my priority but call it my age or condition this is now not true and we both headed straight to the supermarket to check out what local gluten free choices it had in store for us. I was definitely a lot more impressed than my local Supermarkets which include Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
All the shelf’s in the photo are gluten free options and directly opposite is a gluten free fridge section.
Calories don’t count on holiday so we may have purchased a few sweet treats and a couple of bottles of bubbly to help us get ready for a night out. We ended up at a club which happened to be holding a fashion event. Unfortunately when we got there it was a finger food type buffet so I couldn’t risk eating anything. My friend braved a little bit of Sushi. I couldn’t stay sad for long though and the free champagne and open bar made up for the lack of food.
We made it back to the hotel around 3am, an early night for Barcelona. We didn’t even consider a takeaway. I used to always eat after a night out but it’s too risky now so I usually just cook a pizza or order an Indian before I go out so it’s ready when I get in.
We got up ready for breakfast after our late night and my stomach flipped a little when we got into the restaurant and realised it was a buffet breakfast. The choice was amazing and not really a problem for Jo as cross contamination isn’t as much of an issue for her. I picked up a couple of pots of Yogurt and some honey and was quite happy with my choice accompanied by a pot of tea. When I got up to get some milk I spotted a station in the corner which I had missed before so toddled over to investigate. A lady was running an egg station, and had all the ingredients in front of her to make an omelette of your choice. Looking at the ingredients it all looked gluten free so i asked her about them. Straight away she understood my concerns and assured me that nothing but eggs and the ingredients in front of her had been in the pan she was using all of which where gluten free. Result, an omelette for breakfast.
As we got up to leave one of the female waiting staff came rushing over with a tray carrying a couple of muffins and popped them down in front of us. I explained I couldn’t eat them and to my surprise she said they were gluten free and even made us take them off the tray as she didn’t want to cross contaminate them. We were both just amazed and quite moved by the thought from this hotel. It might only be a bit of bread and a muffin to some people but to a coeliac it is a huge, massive deal and the difference between a good trip and an amazing trip. The following morning the muffins got brought to our table again.
On the last day we were both determined to find a nice authentic restaurant for some paella and Sangria. On our way back to the hotel to collect our bags before heading to the airport we spotted a nice looking restaurant from our bus. We jumped off without a second thought and headed in. The restaurant was really charming and looked really authentic. Our waitress came over and although she spoke quite good English and my Friend speaks quite good Spanish she didn’t understand what we meant when we were asking about gluten in Paella. She fetched some one else who said we couldn’t have it as the rice naturally has gluten in????? I obviously know this isn’t the case or my life would be over as rice is my go to food. A bit disappointed I decided to look through the rest of the menu and pick something else as I didn’t want to take the risk. A different lady then came over and very confidently explained there was no gluten in the Paella and she had asked the chef about the sauce and it was ok. I was still a little reluctant due to cross contamination but I had to eat somewhere and even choosing a different option off the menu would have been as much of a risk so I threw caution to the wind and ordered our Paella. It was a bit rushed as we were cutting it very fine to make our flight but worth every second as it was delicious.
So to sum up Barcelona, Amazing place which everyone should visit. The supermarkets are really geared up for the gluten free market. I struggled a bit in some of the restaurants but it just depends on where you try. The hotel made all the difference and I would recommend this to everyone Coeliac or otherwise. Just get out there, have fun and don’t be scared to ask questions. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bcnrf-renaissance-barcelona-fira-hotel/
allthingscoeliac 
Reblogged this on Renaissance Barcelona Fira Hotel and commented:
Gluten Free Friendly Hotel in Barcelona
LikeLike
Thank you. And Thank you for a lovely stay.
LikeLike