Hi Deborah - I'm sorry I can't help with what foods you'll be able to take with you, but for me SC is definitely the way to go in Greece. Their food is fantastic, and there are loads of things that you will be able to eat, from fresh Greek salads, to Stifado's and kleftico's. Personally, I feel that you'd lose out on so much by going AI to Greece.

Thanks Helen,
This will be our 1st holiday abroad together and we are really looking forward to it...just the food is the main issue for me...Id hate to be ill for the week we are there!!
Self catering seems to be the better option:)

Have you decided which Island Deborah? Perhaps we'd be able to help you more if we had more detail. Can't say that the Greeks are heavy on cakes and biscuits, but there's always a basket of bread on the table - but you can always say you don't need it.

Hi,
Looks like Zante at the moment

Sis in law and I have been checking out self catering there...shes been there before and loved it.

unfortunately the Ionian diet is a mix of Italian style pasta dishes [not suitable for you] and mainland Greek, so you could have plenty of fresh salads [lettuce/cucumber/tomato/onion] with the local meat dishes [roast/bbq meats/stafado/kelefti/grilled fish] rice and potatoes are usually available [if that's ok for you], you can have tazzikisalata [yoghurt cucumber&garlic] but steer clear of Humus and taramasalata one contains bread the other sesame and chick pea] but if you go AI to be with the family most hotels will have plenty of choice [wife is a fussy eater but never gone hungry in Greece]

whatever you decide
enjoy

Yasus
wizard

Many thanks for your help and advice.
Its still looking like Zante at the mo.
Rice (plain boiled/steamed) and potatoes are ok for me to eat..I never eat bread when out either.
Depending on how hot it is there depends on my appetite...hotter..eat less:)
I love salads of all kinds, so thats a good idea...we will be buying fruit and salad stuff ourselves..so Im sure I wont go hungry.
Apparently the bigger supermarkets there do stock Gluten Free foods, so we will have to have a bimble round and see what we can find.

Hi again Deborah - we're going back for our 3rd visit to Zante this year- one of our favourite Greek Islands. We've stayed at Argassi, Laganas and this year it's to be Kalamaki. Each time we've gone either SC or B &B. We have been all around the island, and every holiday resort has its own atmosphere.

I'd like to reiterate what's already been said about AI in Greece,my personal opinion is that it's a waste of an amazing experience if you don't get out to the restaurants. In the resorts most or all of the waiters and owners speak impeccable english and will understand what you're saying about your allergy/condition. As said though a lot of dishes in Zante are heavily italian influenced and often contain pasta,and many of them may also contain rusk. Rhodes is the best island anyway

I am very grateful for any advice and help....feel a bit of a numpty really but unless you ask you dont find out!!
We are hoping to hire a jeep so that we can travel around the area and hopefully get an even better feel for the greek way of life.
Im really excited despite not going till next year..bit like Christmas really!!

only my opinion,many will disagree,but i've been to a lot of greek islands aswell as living on Rhodes and i find Zante very short of sights to see and activities,there's no Greek ruins for instance and many of the villages are quiet to the point of being deserted and somewhat lifeless at times,and Zante town is.....well,not the nicest place you could end up,and you can see it all in an hour.

Some of the slightly bigger or more developed islands would be a better bet for a first time if you want to get out and see some 'real' greece. but like i say many will disagree. I'd go to Corfu,Rhodes,Kos or maybe skiathos myself. That said i went to Zante last september and am going over for a week again in may,and have been twice before that


if it's going to be your first holiday together you want it to be special,Greece is the perfect choice!

got to agree with sam on that one, Zakynthos is a lovely island to have a beach style holiday [except Argassi which doesn't have a much of a beach] but has the advantage of a flight around 21/2 hrs Kritty [Crete] being the biggest island has lots of places to see but it would take more than a couple of weeks to do it justice, we all have our own favourite island and ours is Kos enough to see and do and small enough to get round easily but being just of the Turkish Bodram coast it's a fairly long flight around 4 hrs [you can do a day trip to Bodrum on the fast ferry if it takes your fancy]

yasus
wizard

My MIL is coeliac and was worried about the food, but she took a laminated card with her explaining in Greek that she was coeliac and what she couldn't eat at all. The Greeks are very understanding. I would also say go SC because there is so much to see and do and sample!

kritty