Going gluten-free in Ca'n Picafort, Majorca

Our first holiday abroad with our two girls, six and three. The pizza-loving eldest has coeliac disease. What could go wrong? Not a lot, actually.

We decided to take our first trip abroad with our daughters to the lovely resort of Ca'n Picafort. It was once a simple fishing village with stunning white sandy beaches and an impressive mountainous coastline. Holiday websites advertised the opportunity to indulge in authentic Majorcan cuisine, but we knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Our oldest child has coeliac disease, a medical condition where the immune system attacks its own tissues when they accidentally consume gluten. Even small amounts of gluten can cause short-term symptoms and long-term gut damage, so cross-contamination is a huge problem.

Going out to eat has always been complicated, which adds to the already stressful experience of preparing for your first holiday with children, including the pressure of packing extra suitcases, spanking a small fortune on suitable holiday clothes because you don't need to dress for summer in England, and scrolling through other people's ostensibly perfect family vacations on Instagram.

A coeliac-friendly hotel in Majorca

After conducting thorough research on various resorts and reading positive restaurant reviews from other travellers (my partner did the research, I nodded in approval), we ultimately decided on the resort 60km from Palma Airport. With some positive online reviews potentially outdated due to the current economic climate, we felt as confident as we could in our choice. Besides, the pools looked awesome.

We opted for self-catering, as planning for dinner was challenging enough, let alone throwing in breakfast and lunches too. According to reviews, the local supermarkets had a good selection of gluten-free options, so we packed our daughter's favourite granola for breakfast and figured we could easily find a sandwich and a snack. We weren't disappointed, with one large supermarket a stone's throw away offering plenty of choice.

We chose to stay at Zafiro Mallorca, conveniently located just a ten-minute walk away from the beach (add another ten if your children are younger than eight) and surrounded by 10,000 meters of beautifully landscaped Mediterranean gardens. With extensive and comfortable apartments, Zafiro Mallorca boasted plenty of pools, including a children's pool featuring a pirate ship and some poor soul dressed as a koala in the sweltering 32-degree heat.

During the evenings, there were various activities to keep the whole family entertained. We hoped we would be able to enjoy these activities, but the fear of our daughter getting sick and us spending each evening holding her head while she vomited in the toilet lingered in our minds leading up to a holiday we'd dreamed about for months.

So, with some trepidation, we ventured into town for dinner at Ciao Ciao. Located on the popular Passeig Colón Avenue, Ciao Ciao serves Italian cuisine. There are a couple of reasons why this is unusual. Firstly, we were in Spain, and despite our daughter's preference for pizza and pasta, it seemed odd to experience the Spanish nightlife by eating Italian cuisine. Secondly, pizza and pasta restaurants are typically avoided in the UK to prevent cross-contamination.

Armed with our oversized A4 translation card in Spanish, we let any staff member we met know about our daughter's coeliac disease. They couldn't be more helpful. I won't bore you with our orders – which were absolutely delicious – other than the pizza that our daughter picked. It was a simple but tasty cheese and ham offering that she ate, enjoyed, and experienced no adverse effects afterwards.

One meal down, only five more to go.

We wanted to revisit Ciao Ciao later in the week, but the restaurant was closed for two nights. Booking a table is strongly advised. The following evening, we decided to dine at our hotel and explore the ala carte menu. As before, we presented the staff with our translation card and our daughter opted for a pizza. While we were hoping that she would try something new, we were also aware that if she couldn't finish the pizza, the staff would be happy to pack it for lunch the next day with utmost care.

With no adverse effects like the previous evening, our daughter's lunch was already sorted, and all we had to do was spend an hour watching the youngest eat a sandwich, another hour applying sunscreen to our suddenly energetic children while reminding them that the sun doesn't set when they want it to. We ate at the hotel and enjoyed all our meals two more times during our stay. Once again, the staff were excellent. It enabled us to catch the evening entertainment, which meant our children enjoyed the late nights while we enjoyed late wake-up calls.

With confidence booming, we decided to check out a couple more restaurants. The first was Burger King. Usually, we wouldn't choose to eat at a fast-food joint during a vacation, as we only indulge in a Deliveroo occasionally, and these days, never with the girls. However, since finding gluten-free options at McDonald's or Burger King in the UK is virtually impossible, we were delighted to discover that BK in Majorca catered for coeliacs with a separate menu.

And for the sake of research, it would be impolite not to try it. Our daughter plumped for the cheeseburger with fries and devoured it without ill health - a real treat. So, as our fears slowly washed away, helped by a plentiful supply of lager and gin, we were more than happy to give Restaurante Vinicius a go. Almost excited, in fact.

With a menu loaded with tasty meats, fresh fish, homemade paellas, tapas, pasta, and salads, our daughter chose ham and cheese pizza. At least she's consistent. It was the best pizza of the trip, loaded with her favourite toppings and satisfying her smaller appetite at dinner and lunch the next day. She could've plumped for the delicious vegetarian paella my partner and I chose, but with another meal navigated successfully, we were not about to complain.

Ca’n Picafort is ideal for coeliacs

I highly recommend C'an Picafort and Zafiro Mallorca for a wonderful family vacation, especially for anyone who has coeliac disease. The weather was excellent, and there are plenty of activities for children, allowing parents to relax in the evenings. When I say relax, I mean keeping a watchful eye on both children for the entire evening while protecting your drinks from balloon swords, motorized ride-along animals, and sudden, inexplicable dance moves.

If you have any other recommendations for restaurants catering to coeliacs worth a visit in C'an Picafort, please share them with me via my contacts page.