Travel Grand Cayman
/Grand Cayman was one of those trips on my “list” and it did not disappoint. We traveled from November 10th-17th. A great time to visit the island because the weather was perfect and crowds were small. The flight is very easy and we were in Grand Cayman by 2pm. My tip for flying is to always take the earliest flight…yes I know it sucks to get up at 3 or 4 am, but you are less likely to be delayed then and you get to your destination earlier. Plus it allows you extra time for travel hiccups without stressing out and the morning the flight crews & airport staff are happy.😉 If you are traveling with young children you can check out a previous post I wrote on Airplane Activities!
HOTEL: Another thing I never fully appreciated before having a child was the service and excellence of a hotel. I didn't always choose and still don’t choose the most expensive places to stay because I am usually not in the room long enough to care. The Westin went above and beyond to make us comfortable, feel welcomed, and the amenities were spot on with a small child. If you want to take a closer look at the hotel you can HERE. Check in was great and all of the staff were so friendly.
The beach is clean, the water is calm for the most part with an occasional knock me on my butt wave but I don’t swim much in the ocean because I don’t like not knowing what is underneath me 😬 A fear I need to get over. Honestly. It is not all inclusive and I am not sure there are very many there anyways. The poolside umbrellas have a button on them that you an push and someone will come to you promptly and take your food or drink order. I think we maxed out our daily strawberry smoothie orders! They have plenty of chairs around the pool for everyone and around the beach, which is something I always love because as much as I love the beach, I do not like sand 😬
The hotel has a fun challenge in their elevator that you take a selfie and tag them #westingcayman and we obviously had to participate. (Photo below)
They pay attention to details! Of course I do social media influencing and it has it’s perks, but they were so kind to bring us wine, fruit and even a sweet little stuffed sting ray for Rowan. The kindness is appreciated and obviously shared because when you find something you love, you want people to go and love it too.
The one thing that could be better is the gym. Now that I actually use the gym, if I am in a warm place with an ocean view, I want to see it. Especially when I am doing something like working out. The gym is small and faces a parking lot but I suppose if I wanted to see the ocean I could just run on the beach.
The hotel’s location is perfect! It is situated on Seven Mile Beach far enough from town the tourism isn't crazy but close enough for a taxi ride to shop.
Across the street are a few great restaurants including a sushi place and The Sunshine Grill (mentioned below). Also there is an equivalent to a Costco or Sams Club which is a great place to stock up on room snacks and drinks.
The shopping was very “touristy.” Rowan and I took a taxi into town one day while my husband was in his work conference meeting. Did you know chickens liked ice cream?? Haha we didn't either!
THINGS TO DO:
Stingray City with Red Sail Sports: And I only say this because I was a huge scaredy cat at first and I survived, and it was so worth it! They pick you up at the hotel and drive about 10 minutes or less to the dock where you board a catamaran with several other guests. TIP: Take the early morning departure and check the cruise line schedule. Yes, I am a morning person but you will thank me later. The water is less crowded, so you get to hold the stingrays faster and you get there before all of the cruise ships arrive. You head out to the location and then you sail back….it takes a long time to get back which gives you time to soak up the sun and relax.
Grand Cayman Tour by 4x4 Including Pedro St James and Botanic Park: A huge thank you to Marriott Rewards for sending us on this excursion! I was the perfect activity to end our vacation with on the Island. An open air jeep takes you on a tour of the Island, where we were able to learn some history and see the infamous Blue Iguanas. We started the tour with landscape and ended it with a little impromptu Rum tour at Cayman Spirits. I mean you get to try all of the varieties shown below for….wait for it….$5 🙌 We did take our daughter with us, and she is 5, but I would say it is not very entertaining for children. The riding in the jeep is fun but the walking tours are a little much for them.
Those were the only two things we ventured out of the resort and did, but my advice is to grab one of these free Explore Cayman books (pictured below). They are outside of grocery stores and on the magazine stands all around the town! They are filled with things to do and restaurants.
Places to Dine:
Gelato & Co. was a yummy find in Downtown Cayman where the cruise ships dock and shops line the streets. Don’t forget to feed the chickens! Haha! They serve gelato, Italian ice, pastries and cakes here!
Sunshine Grill If you are staying at the Westin or near it, this place is a little hidden gem behind the Sunshine Hotel. I didn’t find the ambience that great as their patio is the hotels pool, but when you are on vacation you want to sit outside. They are know for their fish tacos and you know I love them and try them almost everywhere I go! They were definitely good, but not my favorite. Tip: they serve you this coleslaw which is just cabbage. Take the sauce for the tacos and put it in your “coleslaw”. (Pictured below.)
Craft We took a taxi into town to check out this place for the local brews. They were ok. Not worth the trip in and the food was good but not great. I would say you could skip this place and maybe try Peppers, as everyone suggested.
Blue by Eric Ripert This place was epic and actually kid friendly but I would not bring her back if I had the option, so we could enjoy the ambiance a little bit more. First off, it is located in the Ritz Carlton Hotel and it is the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant in the Caribbean. We booked this on a whim. I opened up my OpenTable app, which I love, and saw that there was a time slot at 6:30 for 2 people. Well, we had 3 technically but how much room can a child take up? Soooo we booked it anyways. We were seated at a 4 top so it was no big deal, thankfully. TIP: They are closed a few months of the year and we happened to book our reservation the first day they opened back up and they are only open Tuesday-Saturdays. The food and experience is one of a kind but it is pricey.
The Beach House & Ferdinands These are both on the Westin’s property. Convenient and delicious. The room service is also from Ferdinand’s and the hamburgers poolside are yummy!
Just finishing up this post makes me want to book it again! There are some places that I love to visit, and then there are places that one visit is enough. Grand Cayman is definitely worth another visit and I look forward to exploring more of what the Island has to offer!
I hope this post helps and please if you ever have any questions drop them below in the comments! Cheers until my next journey! XO
