Review

Overview

Ivy, wearing a straw hat and a brightly colored orange and blue plaid Caymanian skirt, passes out coconut as well as walnut honey cookies in the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman's lobby. At her wood-sided kiosk in the corner, resembling an island cottage, she pours welcome drinks of fruit punch. Along with adding a touch of local color, Ivy's glad to tell arriving guests about the property or answer questions about restaurants in town. Kids like the treats and the attention.

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, an AAA Five Diamond property, stretches across a main road, occupying 144-acres that reach from the ocean side to the North Sound on the inland side, called the "resort side." The ocean side fronts a wide stretch of famed Seven Mile beach (actually the beach is about 6 miles long, but no matter). The white sand feels as soft as sugar.

World-class diving and snorkeling lure vacationers to the Cayman Islands. Many dive enthusiasts head to Little Cayman, 67 miles northeast of Grand Cayman, but Grand Cayman, the most developed of the three islands in the Cayman archipelago (the third is Cayman Brac) delivers some great dive and snorkeling sites.

When the Ritz opened in December, the $500 million property brought top-tier luxury and service to Grand Cayman along with prices to match. Among the 365-rooms are 24 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential suites, complete with full kitchens. These units, as well as a tower of privately owned properties not in the rental pool, face the ocean. Check-in for the residential suites is at a special desk on the ocean side.

For families, the key to enjoying the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman resort is to understand the resort's lay-out. More guest rooms are on the resort side, facing the golf course or pool, than on the ocean side. Ocean views are possible, but those rooms and suites go for a premium. An enclosed, air-conditioned tunnel connects the resort's two sides. The hotel brochure notes that from some rooms it's only a "five minute" walk to the beach. That's not long unless you're toting a cranky toddler and juggling a bag of beach toys, bottles and diapers. Families with young kids may prefer the oceanfront suites. For other families, the walk to the beach presents no problem.

Written by Candyce H. Stapen