Considering vacation January 2004 in Caymans. Has anyone stayed at Hyatt Regency on 7 mile beach? Would you recommend another high end resort?

The Westin on SMB.

I've heard some of the hotels have major beach erosion. I'd check it out before booking.

Grand Cayman completely lacks a world class high end resort. The best available is the Westin, but it's good, not great. The Hyatt is fine if you get a good room rate, but don't expect the moon, and don't overpay.

Your best bet is to rent a condo. We stayed at the Westin because supposedly it was the "best" hotel. It is WAY overpriced and the rooms are no better than than a two star hotel's.

General rule of thumb....if you are looking for the best rooms/suites, your best bet is a condo or condo resort..... but if you like to take advantage of a wealth of amenities and high level of service, then the Westin and Hyatt are excellent choices.

Just wanted to say "Hi Tom"...we leave Friday for Grand Cayman and hoping to visit The Reef for dinner. We will be staying at Plantana on SMB, can't wait!!

nsimpson, If you are interested in renting a condo as we did on SMB, lots of pictures and information here:
www.caymanvacations.com/
I made our reservations through them (Ian, Cayman Vacations) with great success. If you decide to stay on the East end of GC, look into Toms place, The Reef. They get great reviews. But from my research, if you do stay at one of the hotels, The Westin seems to rate the best choice. Soon hopefully, the Ritz Carlton will open....who knows when but I would of stayed there if not needing the condo space for our teens. I will post a report on our return around Dec. 5. I plan to check out other places and hotels for a return trip. Good Luck!

We stayed at the Hyatt the first time we went to GC several years ago. Definitely not worth the money. If you have to have the amenities of a hotel, go for the Westin. If you're not locked into the idea of a hotel, contact Ian at Cayman Vacations. He is great to work with and can find you a beautiful condo on 7 MB - same beautiful stretch of beach as the hotels. You can always walk over to the hotel to get a drink, go to the restaurants, do water sports activities, etc.

Hi Robin

If planning to come to The Reef for dinner, Barefoot Man plays Tuesday and Thursday, suggest email [email protected] for advance reservations, it is often sold out.

Ritz Carlton will open Fall 2004...but you will see it on your way to Plantana....major league construction indeed, although it is nearly "dryed in", so the heavy duty disruptive work is pretty much over.

If people want to consider places other than 7MB condos or hotels, Cayman Vacations is good, but also check out Cayman Villas, Penny and her team have been renting out Villas and Condos for longer than I should say (I don't want to show the age of a lady and they really know their business.

TomCayman, we are going to be at the Westin Wed Dec 4----how much is the Barefoot Show and is it too late to book?

Thanks.

The Westin is an expensive dump... The pool is nice but the rooms are HOJO quality and style... STAY AWAY

croix : for Barefoot Man show, email [email protected] to make a reservation, cost for the three course meal is CI$27.50 per person.

melody13 : I think your comments on the Westin are a little harsh....how current is your knowledge of the rooms at the Westin ?

I agree re: the Westin comments. I admit I HAVEN'T been there, but knowing of Westin's quality and recent promotion of "heavenly beds" and "heavenly baths", I wonder if it could really be HOJO quality.

I was at the Westin less than 2 years ago. And I stand by my assessment.. It was the worst hotel in the Caribbean I've ever stayed at...My "oceanview" was the view of the spa's roof.. The carpet was old and the furniture was cheap.. The room had absolutely zero style. This hotel, minus the nice pool area, could be picked up and put in Florida and renamed Comfort Inn and no one would question it...Yuck.

I haven't stayed at a HoJo in 20 years or more, so I don't know if that's a reasonable comparison (sounds a little harsh), but there are some Comfort Inns with rooms I think are very comparable to those at Westin Grand Cayman.

Hi,
Just reading old threads and I am confused. If the Westin and the Hyatt are that bad, where do you suggest to stay on Grand Cayman?
Thanks for any advice.

The Hyatt is a compound and unless you are staying in an oceanfront room, it's a walk to the beach. And in my opinion, the beach was way too crowded for my taste, with chairs lined up next to each other, without much room in between.

I didn't check out the rooms at the Westin, but the hotel seemed really nice to me. The beach is wonderful and the staff seemed very helpful.

We stayed at the Villas of Galleon, right next door.

My fiance and I stayed at the Marriott Grand Cayman beach resort. Loved it..had no complaints..we had an oceanfront room and we LOVED the location. Had a great time and went to many good restaurants as well..