Grand Cayman

​My husband and I were able to take a little trip to Grand Cayman last week. It was a perfect respite from the winter chill that has now eased into spring. We were able to relax and unwind from the demands of daily life and reconnect.

We stayed at the Marriott on Seven Mile Beach, which had great restaurants and beach service. The lobby has been recently renovated and it was really lovely. The staff is unfailingly polite and happy to do their job. There were many perks of staying there. There were complimentary GoPro cameras to borrow, bonfires with s’mores, and a manmade reef, perfect for snorkeling. We were able to rent a kayak from our hotel and also book a trip to Stingray City with Red Sail.

The beach service was perfect for ordering crab cakes and rum punch for lunch or enjoying a mango mojito and some coconut shrimp while watching the sunset. We grabbed chocolate croissants and coffee for breakfast at Anchor and Den and also had a late dinner there after our bioluminescence tour. The burrata salad and the crab bites were yummy! I’ll admit that we didn’t venture out too much, but our time was limited and we wanted to savor the time together and enjoy the nature and eco-tourism rather than hunt for new restaurants.

We did venture out for the evening a couple of times. We had a cheese plate and some pinot noir at Blue by Eric Ripert. This restaurant is located in the Ritz Carlton, which is easily the loveliest place to stay on Grand Cayman…perhaps next time! The service was great, the interior was beautiful and they sent us off with macarons. What can I say, it doesn’t get much better than that.

We also went to Camana Bay, which is the upscale shopping and dining destination on the island. We had dinner at The Brooklyn, which specializes in pizza. We had a warm goat cheese salad and a mushroom pizza with truffle oil and artichokes. The pizza was yummy and the interior was fresh and cool. I would definitely recommend trying this option.

The snorkeling in Grand Cayman is really wonderful. We snorkeled quite a bit at the Marriott. The water was calm and the fish are pretty and easy to observe. We took a really great trip out to Stingray City on a Red Sail catamaran. I have to say, this is the way to go. This is the most posh and romantic trip out to this novel destination. You also snorkel at the barrier reef. It is beautiful and amazing, but something you should be prepared for.

The boat ride out to Stingray City is fun and relaxing. What you can you complain about when you are on a boat in the Caribbean listening to reggae? Stingray City is pretty crazy. There are tons of boats that are bringing tourists to see this natural phenomenon. You should book Red Sail, as they have the prettiest boat and a really lovely crew. We were especially lucky to only have 18 booked the day we went (the boat can hold 72). We borrowed a GoPro camera from the Marriott, which I actually will be purchasing soon. It was durable, and made documenting our trip so much fun.

We rented a kayak from the Marriott, and that was fun and relaxing. We are getting used to kayaking together and it has become more enjoyable since we are more in sync. We also did a bioluminescence boat ride. We initially wanted to do a kayak trip to the bioluminescent bay, but it wasn’t the right evening for that. The upside is that our tour was great and that we were able experience the bioluminescence in the water.

We boarded George’s immaculate boat and took a 30 minute ride out the the bioluminescent bay. We donned gear and hopped in. I have to say, it is pretty amazing. You swim around and the plankton glows and sparkles with your movement. When you look underwater it sparkles like glitter.

All in all, it was just the little break we needed to relax and unwind from winter and savor some time together!!