Remember when it was winter for like. ever? Yeah, me too. So what do you do when it’s gloomy and cold out? You go on a hot honeymoon (pun intended) to Grand Cayman. My husband and I got married in March, but took about four weeks to chill before our honeymoon and we timed it perfectly. We left 40 degrees and windy in Dallas and arrived to 80 degrees and blue skies in the Caymans.
DAY 1
The hubby made reservations at The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman on the infamous Seven Mile Beach and upon arrival we were greeted like Harry and Meghan. Check-in was smooth and we were upgraded! Please and thank you. And like we were in a movie with perfect timing, as we turned from the counter to go to our room we were handed complimentary champagne and had our photo taken with a polaroid camera. What is this place?! Wonderful that's what it is.
We had an early morning flight so we were on the beach by 2pm and promptly ordered the popular fish tacos and pina colada from Bar Jack—yes, they’re worth it. We decided our vacay agenda approach would be spontaneous planning. It’s a thing…sorta. What you do is plan a few things to give your vacay a little structure and then leave room for ideas you get from the locals or places on your list you’d like to go, but don’t necessarily know how you’ll feel i.e. you have too many pina coladas and just order room service.
DAY 2
Spontaneous planning on day two came at you in the form of a day bed. This, folks, is living your best life. Your room is literally on the beach. You have a bed! And a personal waiter who brings by frozen watermelon. It’s what dreams are made of. We would read, swim and then think “hmm, let’s go paddle boarding or snorkeling.” Which we did.
After a full day of relaxing we thought why not walk to dinner. And by walk to dinner I mean hike to dinner. We thought the restaurant wasn’t that far on the map, buuuuut it ended up being a bit further than we anticipated and walking on sand can be hard people. But it was worth it—there were some great photo ops and we saw Santa!
Dinner was delicious at the Marriot a.k.a. The Beach House restaurant, Anchor & Den. We had an assortment of dishes and all were good. I would say the atmosphere is a little odd. It’s hipster-type restaurant in the lobby of a family hotel where you see Grandpa riding on his motorized wheelchair while your bearded waiter brings you a craft cocktail. So there’s that.
DAY 3
Woke up and thought let’s play tennis. So we did. Then it was time for delicious brunch at the resort. Brunching is like an event on the island. There are a lot of options to consider at various resorts and restaurants, but ultimately we opted out so we didn’t feel like beached whales.
We went back to the beach for a sailing lesson and more pina coladas. Then dinner was again a walk on the beach, but much shorter walk to Luca. This place was DELICIOUS. We had views of the sunset and every part of our five-course meal was truly outstanding. I highly recommend it!
DAY 4
We got back on the planning train...er boat and went for an excursion the hubby booked with Red Sail Sports. It was a 3-hour boat ride to the infamous Sting Ray City, snorkeling and Starfish Point. There were only about twenty people on our boat which I liked and we spent just the right amount of time at each destination. Just look at that water! I was a little hesitant to do the Sting Ray City re: Steve Irwin, but it was actually really fun and I didn’t pee in the ocean from fear…well, maybe a little.
For lunch we went to The Sunshine Grill after a recommendation from a friend. Their fish tacos and mojitos are a favorite and delicious. Oh, and they have free little ice cream cones!
Then it was back to the beach to sleep off lunch before dinner. Beach. Eat. Repeat.
Dinner was our sailing guide’s recommendation. It was all you can eat BBQ at The Cracked Conch/Macabuca. It wasn’t your typical Texas BBQ, but better: grilled fish, jerk chicken rice, veggies, plantains, etc. The area was beautiful with a rocky coastline that offered a contrast to the smooth white sand of the Seven Mile Beach.
DAY 5
We woke up to a rain storm which was perfect for our spontaneous planned breakfast in bed. The Ritz does it right y’all. Just look at this spread.
With the weather not being the best in the morning we decided to walk to the Harbor and shop a little. There was a cute coffee shop and some stores, but quite underwhelming to be honest. From there we jumped in a $2 cab ride and went to Georgetown for more shopping.
In conclusion, the Caymans was a dream. It's a small island with big beauty.
Travel links:
The Ritz
Beach House
Anchor & Den
Luna
Stingray City
Red Sail Sports
Sunshine Grill
The Kimpton
Coccoloba