Grand Cayman (first time!) Trip Report
Jan 20th, 2008, 02:35 PM
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Grand Cayman (first time!) Trip Report
Just got back from a week there - my first time staying on Grand Cayman (a brief stop on a cruise ship years ago had me always wanting to see more of it) and thought I'd pass along some feedback for anyone who is interested. It's a bit long but I always was able to pull out bits and pieces of helpful things from the longer trip reports so forgive my lack of brevity:
Getting There:
Flight (love those Saturday flights) and airport was a breeze coming in - nice touch with the band playing to greet the planes - customs and the taxi service was efficient and fast (in my case). As I knew from the helpful feedback I received here - there are no shuttle buses, and the taxi was $23US (for a short ride, but that's GC!).
Lodging:
Stayed at the Westin - I chose it because the Ritz and Hyatt seemed like contenders, but were at *least* $200 more per night - Westin was $325 (with the AAA rate and BEFORE taxes and fees - which believe me, adds up - I guess to about $400/night). And the Westin seemed to have a great pool and best spot on the beach - turns out it was a solid choice. When we got there to check in we were met with a drink, no line - and a terrific bellman (they were all nice actually) named Omar who explained the hotel layout and escorted us and our bags to the room.
Expensive for an Island (aka parking lot) View - but we had a lovely balcony (not all of them do - ask and use your Starwood member power to assure it) and big palm trees swaying in front and yes, the room was on the small side - but nice set up and roomy bathroom. And those Heavenly Beds are great! The TV had few channels and with those that were available, many were 'snowy'. I must note though that we never called the front desk about it because we weren't there to watch TV so not a big deal - just for the money, one of those things. There were small holes in the drapes too - but otherwise, it was clean, good job by the (helpful and friendly) housekeeping department.
The pool and beach are where the Westin shines - in my opinion, of the few pools I saw (but I did see the island biggies) it was the nicest. Lots of trees, plants and nooks and crannies, felt very private with never an issue getting a comfortable chair while I was there. Also, pool service was attentive. The Ritz Carlton and Hyatt had wonderful shade blockers on their chairs - that's something that would be nice for the Westin.
A pet peeve - one day they closed half of the pool from 4pm to (I believe 8pm?) for a conference's welcome party....Didn't affect us - we had retired from the pool by then anyway, and half the pool was indeed open - but that always strikes me as very unfair to the other guests.
The lobby was nice, and nice touch with the evening piano player - decent lobby bar. The Sundries shop has everything you need from bandaids to flip flops. There's also a decent coffee/croissant place on site.
Internet access, and I realize most of you reading this have probably dealt with this on GC so this is not news and is not only true for the Westin - is riduculously expensive - $19US per 15 minutes. Yikes.
Hotel has a great location - walking distance to a large, fantastic supermarket (everything from fresh fruit to a large pharmacy) - and other restaurants/resorts. I'm glad I chose the Westin. Accommodating staff and the people staying there also all seemed polite and having fun - a good experience.
Dining:
Here's where I had "Ritz Envy" - what a great hotel, we ate there a few times, different spots. It is duly noted that the Ritz Carlton is well more than twice the price of the Westin, so little touches are not free...but I was impressed by meals we ate there and grounds we saw. We had two lunches at BarJack's, the pool bar. A very nice set up - good menu and food - better than the Westin. '7' for steaks one night - outdoor dining, great view of the pool and ocean at the Ritz (and no bugs, either the Cayman's doesn't have a big bug problem or we were just lucky) - we both had steaks and were very impressed with the food and very much impressed with the service. Periwinkle's (on the 'non ocean' side of the Ritz, but beautiful view none the less) - had lunch of shrimp one day, which was great - and dinner another night while a movie was playing outside for the kids staying there - nice touch. Dinner for us was just a skirt steak and (truffle) fries but wow - what they did with it! Delicious - and great service here again.
Westin has a better pool area (in my humble opinion) - and I guess that a good % of the Ritz is residences (lucky them!) - but if money was no object, I'd love to try the RC.
Hemingways at the Hyatt - maybe the best meal of many great meals on the island. Service wasn't perfect, especially considering it was a pretty quiet evening - but fine and a fantastic meal - excellent view. I should have spent more time looking at the Hyatt - I thought it would be bigger and know it's received great reviews so I look forward to checking it out properly next time.
'Bed' (restaurant) was something different and funky. Drapes hanging from many of the (slightly elevated) booths to give the feel of a four poster bed - and waitstaff in pj's...cool environment and interesting (in a good way) menu. Food was very good, as was the service. It's near the Marriott...where we briefly entered by the way and looks gorgeous - but very small beach.
Copper Falls Steakhouse - GREAT and walking distance from the Westin. We actually ordered chicken, which was dijon encrusted and was fabulous. They 'buy you a drink' with your meal - very nice environment and service.
As I had read - 'Eats' across from the Westin was great for breakfast - has a hip diner theme and was consistently good. Yoshi Sushi next door was very good Japanese food - solid menu, had dinner there one night. Worthwhile.
Ferdinands, at the Westin, was just OK - as was their pool bar food. Pricey - and there are much better choices on the island although the view and service are good. But try elsewhere. Never got to Havana's - their 4 Star restaurant...figured I'd give the Westin meals a break after Ferdinands and the pool bar. Not terrible, just 'eh'.
Field Trips:
Red Sail Sports did a great job I thought - used them twice (and they're on site in several locations, including the Westin). Once for a sunset cruise - 2 hours, $35PP, I should note that it's still a cash bar with an offering of (decent) buffalo wings. The catamaran is a great way to go - great boats, very comfortable and good staff. For $75PP we also did the Stingray City and Rum Point tour. Stingray City is so much fun, interesting and it was great to learn about the Stingrays and swim with them. Rum Point was beautiful - but long lines for drinks and (bad) food. Seemed like a destination for cruise ship excursions (I don't blame them, it's a great way to enjoy a very nice beach) - but for me not a 'must see' if you're staying on the island with beach access already.
"Hell" was a cute little stopping point - funny gift shop but that's it, not much to it - saw it coming back from the Turtle Farm, which ($18PP) was pretty cool. LOTS of turtles - you won't be searching, and was a fun excursion.
I want to note that the taxi's are very expensive - but you can get a bus (minivan really) for $3 to almost anywhere. There's more to this I'm sure - but my experience was that they came along about every 10 minutes as long as you're along a popular route - and it was worth it. Honest drivers (our first time we thought it was $6PP, not total and the driver was very nice in making sure that I understood that we had overpaid - those things stay with you)....It was a cool way to see maybe a bit more of that beautiful island and spend some (cramped) time with some very nice locals. Worked for us although we still did cab it a few times.
Georgetown was nice - here again it seemed like more of a cruise destination, but good jewelery shopping. On our trip there we went to Margaritaville around noon and there was a DJ type getting the cruise crowd into a party mood with great music and games - looked like a lot of fun and Margaritaville is huge - wow. Nice place to grab a beer and a bite. Not sure what it's like when the cruise ships leave (too quiet?) but I enjoyed my time there. We had even talked about going back to get in on the cruise crowd fun the next day, but we got a massage instead - which I must mention was very good at the Westin's Hibiscus Spa.
There were other water sports and cool looking bars and restaurants that got great reviews that we didn't get to...but you can't get it all in of course, just gives you a reason to go back.
Getting Home:
Airport was definitely too small for the folks flying back the day I flew home...no seats left as you're waiting, a bit of bedlum - just packed and long lines everywhere. I saw a good deal of construction going on so hopefully that's to remedy that.
Overall:
Grand Cayman is EXPENSIVE - and I realize that most islands are, but even for the Carribean I thought it was up there. That said, I see why the airport gets crowded, GC is beautiful, you feel safe there - no begging or litter (in my experience) - lots to do and good for families, honeymooners - it seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves. Excellent restaurants. The locals make it very nice, their polite approach goes a long way. I was impressed with Grand Cayman and can't wait to go back.
I realize most of you reading this have already been there - so thanks for indulging me. GC was a wonderful destination choice.
Getting There:
Flight (love those Saturday flights) and airport was a breeze coming in - nice touch with the band playing to greet the planes - customs and the taxi service was efficient and fast (in my case). As I knew from the helpful feedback I received here - there are no shuttle buses, and the taxi was $23US (for a short ride, but that's GC!).
Lodging:
Stayed at the Westin - I chose it because the Ritz and Hyatt seemed like contenders, but were at *least* $200 more per night - Westin was $325 (with the AAA rate and BEFORE taxes and fees - which believe me, adds up - I guess to about $400/night). And the Westin seemed to have a great pool and best spot on the beach - turns out it was a solid choice. When we got there to check in we were met with a drink, no line - and a terrific bellman (they were all nice actually) named Omar who explained the hotel layout and escorted us and our bags to the room.
Expensive for an Island (aka parking lot) View - but we had a lovely balcony (not all of them do - ask and use your Starwood member power to assure it) and big palm trees swaying in front and yes, the room was on the small side - but nice set up and roomy bathroom. And those Heavenly Beds are great! The TV had few channels and with those that were available, many were 'snowy'. I must note though that we never called the front desk about it because we weren't there to watch TV so not a big deal - just for the money, one of those things. There were small holes in the drapes too - but otherwise, it was clean, good job by the (helpful and friendly) housekeeping department.
The pool and beach are where the Westin shines - in my opinion, of the few pools I saw (but I did see the island biggies) it was the nicest. Lots of trees, plants and nooks and crannies, felt very private with never an issue getting a comfortable chair while I was there. Also, pool service was attentive. The Ritz Carlton and Hyatt had wonderful shade blockers on their chairs - that's something that would be nice for the Westin.
A pet peeve - one day they closed half of the pool from 4pm to (I believe 8pm?) for a conference's welcome party....Didn't affect us - we had retired from the pool by then anyway, and half the pool was indeed open - but that always strikes me as very unfair to the other guests.
The lobby was nice, and nice touch with the evening piano player - decent lobby bar. The Sundries shop has everything you need from bandaids to flip flops. There's also a decent coffee/croissant place on site.
Internet access, and I realize most of you reading this have probably dealt with this on GC so this is not news and is not only true for the Westin - is riduculously expensive - $19US per 15 minutes. Yikes.
Hotel has a great location - walking distance to a large, fantastic supermarket (everything from fresh fruit to a large pharmacy) - and other restaurants/resorts. I'm glad I chose the Westin. Accommodating staff and the people staying there also all seemed polite and having fun - a good experience.
Dining:
Here's where I had "Ritz Envy" - what a great hotel, we ate there a few times, different spots. It is duly noted that the Ritz Carlton is well more than twice the price of the Westin, so little touches are not free...but I was impressed by meals we ate there and grounds we saw. We had two lunches at BarJack's, the pool bar. A very nice set up - good menu and food - better than the Westin. '7' for steaks one night - outdoor dining, great view of the pool and ocean at the Ritz (and no bugs, either the Cayman's doesn't have a big bug problem or we were just lucky) - we both had steaks and were very impressed with the food and very much impressed with the service. Periwinkle's (on the 'non ocean' side of the Ritz, but beautiful view none the less) - had lunch of shrimp one day, which was great - and dinner another night while a movie was playing outside for the kids staying there - nice touch. Dinner for us was just a skirt steak and (truffle) fries but wow - what they did with it! Delicious - and great service here again.
Westin has a better pool area (in my humble opinion) - and I guess that a good % of the Ritz is residences (lucky them!) - but if money was no object, I'd love to try the RC.
Hemingways at the Hyatt - maybe the best meal of many great meals on the island. Service wasn't perfect, especially considering it was a pretty quiet evening - but fine and a fantastic meal - excellent view. I should have spent more time looking at the Hyatt - I thought it would be bigger and know it's received great reviews so I look forward to checking it out properly next time.
'Bed' (restaurant) was something different and funky. Drapes hanging from many of the (slightly elevated) booths to give the feel of a four poster bed - and waitstaff in pj's...cool environment and interesting (in a good way) menu. Food was very good, as was the service. It's near the Marriott...where we briefly entered by the way and looks gorgeous - but very small beach.
Copper Falls Steakhouse - GREAT and walking distance from the Westin. We actually ordered chicken, which was dijon encrusted and was fabulous. They 'buy you a drink' with your meal - very nice environment and service.
As I had read - 'Eats' across from the Westin was great for breakfast - has a hip diner theme and was consistently good. Yoshi Sushi next door was very good Japanese food - solid menu, had dinner there one night. Worthwhile.
Ferdinands, at the Westin, was just OK - as was their pool bar food. Pricey - and there are much better choices on the island although the view and service are good. But try elsewhere. Never got to Havana's - their 4 Star restaurant...figured I'd give the Westin meals a break after Ferdinands and the pool bar. Not terrible, just 'eh'.
Field Trips:
Red Sail Sports did a great job I thought - used them twice (and they're on site in several locations, including the Westin). Once for a sunset cruise - 2 hours, $35PP, I should note that it's still a cash bar with an offering of (decent) buffalo wings. The catamaran is a great way to go - great boats, very comfortable and good staff. For $75PP we also did the Stingray City and Rum Point tour. Stingray City is so much fun, interesting and it was great to learn about the Stingrays and swim with them. Rum Point was beautiful - but long lines for drinks and (bad) food. Seemed like a destination for cruise ship excursions (I don't blame them, it's a great way to enjoy a very nice beach) - but for me not a 'must see' if you're staying on the island with beach access already.
"Hell" was a cute little stopping point - funny gift shop but that's it, not much to it - saw it coming back from the Turtle Farm, which ($18PP) was pretty cool. LOTS of turtles - you won't be searching, and was a fun excursion.
I want to note that the taxi's are very expensive - but you can get a bus (minivan really) for $3 to almost anywhere. There's more to this I'm sure - but my experience was that they came along about every 10 minutes as long as you're along a popular route - and it was worth it. Honest drivers (our first time we thought it was $6PP, not total and the driver was very nice in making sure that I understood that we had overpaid - those things stay with you)....It was a cool way to see maybe a bit more of that beautiful island and spend some (cramped) time with some very nice locals. Worked for us although we still did cab it a few times.
Georgetown was nice - here again it seemed like more of a cruise destination, but good jewelery shopping. On our trip there we went to Margaritaville around noon and there was a DJ type getting the cruise crowd into a party mood with great music and games - looked like a lot of fun and Margaritaville is huge - wow. Nice place to grab a beer and a bite. Not sure what it's like when the cruise ships leave (too quiet?) but I enjoyed my time there. We had even talked about going back to get in on the cruise crowd fun the next day, but we got a massage instead - which I must mention was very good at the Westin's Hibiscus Spa.
There were other water sports and cool looking bars and restaurants that got great reviews that we didn't get to...but you can't get it all in of course, just gives you a reason to go back.
Getting Home:
Airport was definitely too small for the folks flying back the day I flew home...no seats left as you're waiting, a bit of bedlum - just packed and long lines everywhere. I saw a good deal of construction going on so hopefully that's to remedy that.
Overall:
Grand Cayman is EXPENSIVE - and I realize that most islands are, but even for the Carribean I thought it was up there. That said, I see why the airport gets crowded, GC is beautiful, you feel safe there - no begging or litter (in my experience) - lots to do and good for families, honeymooners - it seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves. Excellent restaurants. The locals make it very nice, their polite approach goes a long way. I was impressed with Grand Cayman and can't wait to go back.
I realize most of you reading this have already been there - so thanks for indulging me. GC was a wonderful destination choice.
Jan 20th, 2008, 04:27 PM
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Thanks for posting this great trip report 
My husband and I are headed there in April for 6 nights before our baby is born in August, so we are looking for a very relaxing trip with great food, snorkeling, and swimming! We are looking at the Westin and the Ritz. Thank you so much for all your excellent tips!
My husband and I are headed there in April for 6 nights before our baby is born in August, so we are looking for a very relaxing trip with great food, snorkeling, and swimming! We are looking at the Westin and the Ritz. Thank you so much for all your excellent tips!
Jan 20th, 2008, 07:21 PM
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Thanks for the trip report!
I am actually moving to GC at the end of February for work - and so will soon become one of the locals - but I love reading all the reports, and getting great tips on restaurants, etc.!
I'm definitely going to have to check out Margaritaville on a non-work day.
I am actually moving to GC at the end of February for work - and so will soon become one of the locals - but I love reading all the reports, and getting great tips on restaurants, etc.!
I'm definitely going to have to check out Margaritaville on a non-work day.
Jan 21st, 2008, 04:44 AM
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Great report. I agree that GC is expensive. and the Westin for me was just eh. Why spend all that money for eh? If I went back to GC I'd opt for a condo close to cemetary beach.
Glad you had a great time.
Peace, Greenie
Glad you had a great time.
Peace, Greenie
Jan 21st, 2008, 05:51 AM
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Glad that you had such a relaxing vacation. The island offers so much in the way of great dining.
We also stayed at the Westin and will never do so again. We are pool people and they closed the area several times the week we were there and started set up much erlier, so we had no place to go to overlook the beach. And as you said, it was unfair. We also felt that yes, they offered the piano music in an elegant atmosphere, but INSIDE. There are too many other places that offer live music outside at night. Additionally, we found the restaurant staff people at the Westin to not be attentive and intesrested in ayone's needs.
Well written report. We still appreciate reading reports of where we've been.
We also stayed at the Westin and will never do so again. We are pool people and they closed the area several times the week we were there and started set up much erlier, so we had no place to go to overlook the beach. And as you said, it was unfair. We also felt that yes, they offered the piano music in an elegant atmosphere, but INSIDE. There are too many other places that offer live music outside at night. Additionally, we found the restaurant staff people at the Westin to not be attentive and intesrested in ayone's needs.
Well written report. We still appreciate reading reports of where we've been.
Jan 21st, 2008, 02:32 PM
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Thanks all for your feedback on my report - I enjoyed reading your notes. Beachgirl - if you can swing it - go for The Ritz! Congrats and have a great time...I'm looking forward to reading your trip report!
Kristen, by nature of constantly walking over from the Westin to eat at (and ogle) the RC, we passed by your condo's quite a bit and they did seem very nice, lots of shade too - people socializing....I'll look into a condo next time, but they seem pricey (but I guess what doesn't on GC as we know). With the supermarket so close though it would have been nice to have a kitchen. Have a ball in June. I unfortunately don't have any pics yet because we decided to use those underwater throw away cameras because we figured we'd be taking lots of water pics (which we did). And I'm never good at developing them quickly. I just recently developed my Aruba pictures from 2006 (pathetic I know).
Oh, one other thing - there was a Cuban bar (warning - a cigar bar) across the street near Eats and Yoshi Sushi that had Cuban beer and a great Jazz band...didn't see any tourists so it really felt out of the way with a cool vibe. But to your point Knowing - we really should have found the outdoor live music places - we do love that scene. Ah, next time....In the meantime I'll live vicariously through all of your trip reports!
Kristen, by nature of constantly walking over from the Westin to eat at (and ogle) the RC, we passed by your condo's quite a bit and they did seem very nice, lots of shade too - people socializing....I'll look into a condo next time, but they seem pricey (but I guess what doesn't on GC as we know). With the supermarket so close though it would have been nice to have a kitchen. Have a ball in June. I unfortunately don't have any pics yet because we decided to use those underwater throw away cameras because we figured we'd be taking lots of water pics (which we did). And I'm never good at developing them quickly. I just recently developed my Aruba pictures from 2006 (pathetic I know).
Oh, one other thing - there was a Cuban bar (warning - a cigar bar) across the street near Eats and Yoshi Sushi that had Cuban beer and a great Jazz band...didn't see any tourists so it really felt out of the way with a cool vibe. But to your point Knowing - we really should have found the outdoor live music places - we do love that scene. Ah, next time....In the meantime I'll live vicariously through all of your trip reports!
Jan 23rd, 2008, 12:21 PM
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Why worry about the pool!!! u have the best pool of all at your feet, the SEA. Did u choose the Westin for the pool? Enjoy one of the best things nature has 2 offer the gin like waters or the CARIBBEAN SEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
