St. Marteen

[desschneider]

Hi we are traveling to st. martin; st. marteen, just wondering if any celiacs have had any experiences there good or bad? any help would be great!!!!

[mouse]

My husband and I went to St. Martin/St. Marteen several years back before I was diagnosed with celiac disease. They are both wonderful. Go to the St. Marteen nude beach and watch all the body shapes - you will feel absolutely beautiful - bathing suits are allowed. The food is great on both sides and I would think that if you talked to the chef at the restaurent you pick, that he would be able to accomidate you. I would talk to the chef early afternoon. Talk to the hotel chef before you leave and explain the situation. Both sides have very friendly people, but we were a little fonder of the Dutch side for eating. The French side has great shopping. Have a great time.

Armetta

[pixiegirl]

I've been to St. Martin for about 3 years in a row now... I really do love it there. I happen to be a topless person so I also love that its french (well half of it) and I can go topless. If that bothers you certainly don't go to Orient Beach where there is a lot of topless and some bottomless as well going on. However on Orient beach there are a lot of "shacks" right on the beach that do lunch well and I've never had a problem with them just grilling me something plain. In hotels I do what I always do and thats talk to everyone, the matire de, waiters, chef. I've had pretty good luck. You might want to take a gluten-free dining card in French, although almost everyone speaks english but it helps define things like sauces, spices, etc.

Be sure to see the butterfly farm and do some shopping. Also you can take a ferry to St. Barts and if you like high end shopping you MUST go there. St. Barts is only about 15 minutes by ferry and its like being in the french riviera... very very upscale but still everyone is very friendly and nice. Enjoy!

Susan