Thailand for beginners, or alternatives please

[User12385359]

I’ve got a big birthday falling during Easter 2026. I want to go on a 2 week long haul holiday to somewhere I’ve not been before and Thailand is potentially on the shortlist.

The biggest consideration when choosing a hotel or resort is food for my DH as he has coeliac disease and needs to eat a strictly gluten free diet.
The reason I’m looking at Thailand is based on a very brief conversation I had with staff in Kuoni who said hotels there tend to be very good at catering for dietary requirements, but most packages I’m looking at are coming up with room only deals and all inclusive doesn’t really seem to be a thing.
If you’ve been to Thailand and have dietary requirements, please could you share your experience?

Phuket looks like it might be an otherwise good option for us as holidaymakers. We like the beach and pool, but would also like to do several excursions. A day sightseeing Phuket city, a day on a boat tour of Phi Phi islands, a day at Jungle Splash Waterpark and a visit to the elephant sanctuary looks like a good place to start but what else should we not miss?

We’re also open to suggestions of other destinations. Probably not the Caribbean region as been there a few times in recent years and not Mauritius as been there before too.
We have two DC who will be 11 and 6, they’re good travellers but direct flights from the U.K. are preferred. Happy to fly from Manchester, any London or Midlands airports.
Budget approximately £12k for all spends.

Not much help but my daughter is there at the moment, they've done a bit of hopping around starting in Bangkok and they're now at the Westin Siray Bay resort in Phuket. It looks a stunning hotel, they've splurged and booked a villa with a plunge pool. I'm pretty sure she said it's AI but I would contact any hotels direct and ask about dietary requirements. They said the food is the best they've had since being there.

They've gone on a boat trip to the Phi Phi Islands and visited an elephant sanctuary - they went early morning to the islands to avoid the crowds as it can get very hectic there apparently. They flew via Abu Dhabi as they struggled getting direct flights at the times they wanted to fly.

That is helpful, thank you. Good tip about going to those places early. I’ve found flights that work for us, TUI fly directly to Phuket from Manchester so it’s trying to piece together the rest of the trip ☺️

I think he'll be fine being gluten free.
Lots of fresh food eg Pad Thai and curries.
The hotels usually do a good buffet breakfast, eggs , fruit , yogurt and international dishes.

Look at weather patterns, I’m not sure Easter is great weather in Phuket - the rainy season starts then and it’s hot and humid. You might be lucky (or not mind any of this) but it isn’t the ideal time just fyi. If you do go, try to go as early as possible as it gets wetter as April progresses.