12 Best Hotels in Cayman Islands

This 144-acre, exquisitely manicured resort offers unparalleled luxury and service infused with a sense of place, with works by local artists and craftspeople. The resort took the opportunity of the nearly two-year shutdown to pour CI$50 million of improvements into the property. It is anchored by a seven-story behemoth that faces Seven Mile Beach on the west and the North Sound on the east. Top chef Eric Ripert created one of the eateries, Greg Norman designed the golf course, La Prairie operates the sybaritic spa, and the Ambassadors of the Environment children's program was created by none other than Jean-Michel Cousteau. Despite its glam romantic trappings, the resort is family friendly, offering movie screenings poolside and stargazing with astronomers, and incorporating Caymanian culture into the estimable kids' club activities. The spacious rooms have been given a refresh blending modern coastal and midcentury British Caribbean styles with local artwork and are outfitted with high-tech conveniences.

Little Cayman's first resort was founded in the 1950s as a private fishing club by the CEO of Sears-Roebuck and the CFO of General Motors, and its focus is still on fishing and diving in a barefoot luxury environment. The adventure and casually elegant motifs are struck in the semi-open lobby with African masks, trophy game fish, hand-painted cabinets, and a magnificent indoor-outdoor bar. Psychedelically hued duplex cottages sit on Little Cayman's most spectacular white-sand beach, with views of the uninhabited Owen Island and romantic private outdoor showers. Rooms feature a monochrome color scheme enlivened by vivid throw pillows and local art, bamboo accents, and hardwood furniture, including several four-poster beds. Some have separate living rooms and indoor-outdoor showers; the newest incorporate ecologically sound aspects such as gray-watered gardens and solar-heated water. Dive services are superb—set your gear up once and the rest is done for you during your stay. Creative mixologists hold sway at the delightful bar, and the food is exceptional, served in various venues, including an air-conditioned split-level dining room with panoramic views. The resort is Green Globe certified.

The handsomely designed, well-equipped Westin offers something for everyone, from conventioneers to honeymooners and families, not to mention what the hospitality industry calls "location, location, location." You can walk on a perfect beach or luxuriate in a cabana, enjoy the sumptuous spa, sweat in the state-of-the-art fitness club, get wet with a Red Sail Sports branch, dine at the estimable Beach House, lounge in Grand Cayman's largest freshwater pool (with an ocean view to boot), or loll in the suave piano lounge after dark. The sophisticated room decor includes rich hardwood furnishings and granite-clad bathrooms with pampering showers. The Westin-brand signatures have been subtly tailored to the tropics: local rum cakes are the turndown treats, a "run concierge" leads jogs at cooler times of day, craft demonstrations from glassblowing to thatch-weaving are offered, and the kids' club includes piratical skits and scavenger hunts teaching Cayman history.

Beachcomber rose phoenix-like after Hurricane Ivan as a glam high-rise with 40 spacious two- to four-bedroom condos (roughly 24 in the rental pool). The decor is high end, the amenities and appliances high-tech, and there's free underground parking, long distance calls to North America, and Wi-Fi; HDTV with DVD; a washer/dryer; and a dishwasher. The beach is gorgeous, and the location is ideal (walking distance to groceries and restaurants). It compares favorably to neighbors Caribbean Club and Meridian.

These neighboring, beachfront sister complexes offer condos with one to four bedrooms, all individually owned and decorated. Brac Caribbean overlooks the sea; Carib Sands overlooks the water across an extensive pool area. The nattily nautical Captain's Table restaurant and poolside bar at Brac Caribbean is a popular hangout; Carib Sands now offers in-room or beachfront spa services, as well as rock climbing and yoga packages. The Sands grounds are particularly pretty, with buttonwood and ficus "fences" and fragrant oleander bushes buzzing with butterflies. The units here tend to be more vivid though often configured in unconventional ways with occasionally narrow or boxy rooms. Many have nice touches such as French doors opening to the beach, hand-painted mirrors, and walk-in closets. Numbers 111 and 114 are particularly stylish digs with splendid views. Brac Caribbean units (most reserved for long-term rentals) feature a more flowing layout but more generic decor.

Popular with divers, this well-run eco-friendly resort features a beautiful sandy beach shaded by sea-grape trees slung with hammocks and a sizable free-form pool. The dock is illuminated at night, attracting stingrays, tarpon, and other creatures to entertain you on your after-dinner stroll. The motel-style rooms are simple but spotless, with handsome hardwood furnishings, striking cast-iron accents, and granite-clad baths. The second-floor and end units (Nos. 118–121 and 219–221) offer the best views; 10 stylish junior suites include microwave, dual showerheads, leather recliners, and flat-screen TV. There's a day spa and library with video games and board games for use in bad weather. Even the buffet-style food is surprisingly good. The friendly crowd tends to be older, with a handful of honeymooners and a few small meetings and vacationing families in summer.

This tranquil, congenial getaway run by the admirable Ocean Frontiers scuba operation would steer even nondivers in the right direction, from the powder-blue buildings elevated on stilts with white columns and trim to the interiors' contrasting granite accents and sparkling white-tile floors with luscious lemon, tomato, and peach walls and vivid marine photos. Smallish but spotless units---ranging from one to three bedrooms---contain nearly every modern comfort: a full kitchen with dishwasher, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen HDTV, jetted tub, cell phone (pay only for calls), and washer/dryer. The emphasis is on activity and the environment. Aside from the dive boats and superior snorkeling around the dock, bikes, kayaks, paddleboats, and kiteboards are available, as are tours and instruction; the owners developed an even more eco-friendly, high-end annex across the road. There's a casual restaurant-grill called Eagle Rays (with nightly events by the pool, including grilled lionfish after a cull) and a grocery–pizza parlor just down the road.

The soaring, stylish marble lobby (with exquisite art glass and majestic stingray bas-relief sculpture) sets a "beach house" tone for this bustling property. Large adjoining rooms are ideal for families; all have tiny balconies, hardwood furniture, pullout sofas, and smallish bathrooms. The beach, pool, beach bar, sunglasses concierge, sunburn relief stations, and Red Sail dive center with water toys fill every nautical need. Add a serene spa, lovely lush tropical courtyard and turtle lagoon, clever man-made reef, and solid restaurants using local ingredients as much as possible, and you never need to leave the property (despite the on-site car rental agency). When you do, it's a short walk to more restaurants and stores.

This two-story hotel, the island's largest, offers modern facilities in a boutique setting. The stylishly contemporary rooms include flat-screen TVs, curved shower rods, malachite-and-marble accents, and carved Honduran hardwood furnishings. They overlook either the pool area or the ocean (the latter are quieter, especially the 300 block, farthest from the occasionally raucous Beach Nuts Bar, where divers congregate). A full-service spa offers massages using mostly marine-based ingredients, as well as hair and nail treatments. Surprisingly good meals are generally served buffet-style in a handsomely renovated dining room. Diving packages represent excellent value. The resort is gradually upgrading various areas, experimenting with ecofriendly practices such as using green chemicals, and planning an expansion. But island warmth remains: the children of beloved Bracker Linton "Mr. T" Tibbetts—an inspiring self-made millionaire who was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his passionate efforts to promote tourism while preserving Caymanian heritage—still have a hand in management.

Morritt's Tortuga Club and Resort offers 146 well-maintained, fully equipped, mostly time-share units, albeit many lacking beach views and/or access (the best and priciest are branded "The Londoner" and "Grand Resort"). The more-than-adequate activities and amenities include two appealing restaurants, a day spa, the respected Tortuga Divers outfit, and Red Sail Sports. It's right next door to the Reef Resort.

Silver Sands is an older compound that anchors the quieter northernmost end of Seven Mile Beach, with terrific snorkeling off the spectacular sweep of glittering sand. Most of the 42 units have balconies with fabulous views; second-floor units with vaulted ceilings are preferable.

Casual elegance prevails throughout this exceedingly well-run time-share property, which straddles a 600-foot beach on less hectic East End. Each villa has a roomy terrace facing the sea; two-bedroom units can be partitioned, but even the studio has Wi-Fi, microwave, and fridge. Every year brings improvements: advance online check-in, hurricane-guarantee policy, spa and gym, the only place offering power-assisted snorkeling on DPVs (dive propulsion vehicles), and daily car rentals. The resort is almost obsessively maintained. You always see a smiling staffer with a paintbrush or hedge clippers. This cordial and mellow yet efficient service is a major selling point, though there's often a subtle sales pitch for non-owners. Kids love when concierges conduct regular fish feedings at the dock and local artisans demonstrate techniques. The famous Barefoot Man performs his lighthearted country-calypso songs about Caribbean life at Tides on Thursday, luring lively locals.