Belle Etoile: A Gluten-Free Paradise

gluten free vacation home

As we shovel out from a foot of good-old Northeastern snow (ok…to be fair…I should say “as I watch Mrs. Dude shovel…”), it seems the perfect time to post pictures of my gluten-free vacation from last month.

This is the third year in a row we’ve gone with the same group of friends.

Each year, we rent a house with a chef, I communicate with him/her ahead of time and it gives me such peace of mind.

No giving the same speech to a different restaurant each night; no worries about what I can eat. Small adjustments to each meal and my health needs are taken care of.

Enjoy as we look back at a week of gluten-free paradise.

And just remember…3 months til Spring.

Belle Etoile
This is Belle Etoile, located in the beautiful island of St. Martin.
gluten free chef
And this is Mrs. Dude and I with the amazing team who took care of us all week.
JP
JP was the man in charge, cooked us breakfast and lunch, and kept us laughing the entire week.
gluten free cook
Jean-Louis brought his culinary skills at dinner time.
fruit
Each day began with fresh fruit.
coffee
And 85 cups of coffee.
exercise
Calories in…calories out.
gluten free lunch
And lordie…were there a lot of calories in.
gluten free dessert
Each dinner was followed by a sinful (gluten-free) dessert, which of course was followed by my stomach killing me.
gluten free alcohol
Ahhh…that’ll help ease the pain.
gluten free beer
Yes…I enjoyed my gluten-free beer.
new planet
Almost as much as taking pictures of my gluten-free beer.
gratitude
There were quiet moments of gratitude.
sunset
And there were sunsets to breathe in.
gluten free salad
But mostly, it was eating.
gluten free drink
And drinking.
poker
And fun.
new planet shirt
Lots and lots of fun.
gluten free vacation home
I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to have a week like this.
the gange
And I sincerely hope we can do it again next year.

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18 thoughts on “Belle Etoile: A Gluten-Free Paradise”

  1. Looks as if you had another great vacation down there!!
    Good for you guys. ( I figured he would keep you safe)
    Thanks for sharing your pics.
    P.S. I do not miss the snow.

      1. Most classically trained “cook from scratch” chefs….are very willing and eager to please the people they are feeding. It’s their passion!!

        I have a best friend who is a chef and she says “This isn’t rocket science and anyone should be able to cook GF for you guys!”

        Don’t you love her.? yeah, me too! LOL
        She cooks for me frequently and there is never a problem.

        I am so glad you are feeling well after your trip. YAAAY!!!!

  2. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos! It’s wonderful to read about someone having a successful gluten free (and stress free) vaca! For me, it’s the planning ahead that does it… I had a completely GF and stress free week at Beaches Turks and Caicos (the head chef met with me the first evening and personally cooked for my family and was wonderful!) and I was able to successfully travel from the US to Budapest with some planning ahead. I have a friend there who shopped for my GF food in advance and made sure it was in my hotel room when we arrived. I had found an organic shop in Budapest ahead of time and actually became friendly with the owner through email. He was so lovely that when my friend picked up the food for me, he would not even take the money. It’s these kinds of experiences that have made me feel not so alone in my disease. People can be wonderful if you just open yourself up to them. After being in a foreign country and not once being glutened, I’m not afraid to travel anywhere anymore. By the way, LOVE this blog. Happy New Year! Mary

  3. Could you share the contact information for renting that home as well as the information for the chef. My husband has Celiacs, dermatitis herpetiformis and iodine is a trigger for the DH.

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