Enjoy A Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman

Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

We Headed South To The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman

Our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman for 16 days was a wonderfully relaxing luxury getaway. The oceanfront balcony was the perfect spot for views out over the crystal blue waters. And for stunning sunsets! We found so much to do on the resort. There were many great food options right on the resort. And we even had the best Afternoon Tea at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

The customer service reflected the standards we had come to know on our stays in first class resorts and on our luxury getaway to the Ritz-Carlton Montreal. We did love when we were delighted by the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton. Our stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was a great way to finish up the birthday celebration that started on our visit to Niagara Falls.

Flying In And Out Of Grand Cayman

As we left Toronto to fly to Grand Cayman, the temperatures hovered just above freezing. We were so glad to head south to recharge our heat batteries. It was an uneventful flight and we arrived on time. It all started so well.

We later learned that parts of the Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman had just had a major redevelopment and expansion. When we landed, we were behind a large number of flights already on the ground. After we came down the outside ramp, it was a long walk in the heat to the customs area. And then we found the longest line-ups we have ever seen in the Caribbean. Our previous visits to Grand Cayman were by cruise ship, so we did not know if this was a normal situation. But it took us an hour to make our way through passport control. It was a good thing we had a 16 day stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman to relax after we finally got our bags.

Owen Roberts International Airport Crowd.jpg

We grabbed a taxi at the airport. They were readily available and the wait was not long. But we got our first experience with how expensive taxi travel was on the island. Most fares were fixed rates as we travelled around the island. And the fares always surprised us. It made renting a car for two days a cost effective alternative. Even though we did have to pay $20 for a local driving permit even with an International Drivers License!

The long line ups at the Grand Cayman airport were a distant memory when we finally returned back to Toronto. We travel for almost 6 months a year so we are no stranger to returning to Toronto at all times of the year and of the day. But we could not believe the line-ups we faced at passport control in Toronto. We had never seen the lines curl through the whole area. By the time we cleared Toronto customs, all of the bags had arrived.

We loved our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. But long line ups were not a great way to start or finish our vacation.

Welcomed In Style

When we finally made it to the hotel, we were welcomed in Ritz-Carlton style. If you are celebrating a special event, Ritz-Carlton is the place to do it. As we entered the lobby, Marina came up with the first birthday treat. After we checked in, she walked us to our room.

 Birthday Cupcake.jpg

Our sweet upgrade was a penthouse level room overlooking the ocean. We spent many hours enjoying this room with a view.

Ocean View Room.jpg

Ocean View Room View - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Grand Cayman Sunset.jpg

Ocean View Room View - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

We found yet another chocolate birthday treat in our room. And I was again surprised when my birthday was recognized when we ate around the resort at Andiamo Italian Kitchen, at Afternoon Tea in the Silver Palm Lounge and when we had a great steak dinner at Seven. And then we arrived back to our room one day to find Happy Birthday on pretty swan towel art.

Birthday Cake.jpg

Birthday Treat.jpg

Birthday Swan Towel Art.jpg

On our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, every day felt like my birthday!

Enjoying The Crystal Blue Waters

The waters in Grand Cayman were enticing. We saw some of the deepest blues. But there were so many other colours in the crystal clear waters. There was no wonder that the water called to us every day.

When you stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman you will find two large sections to the resort. We stayed on the ocean front side. When we were walked to our room, we followed a long corridor through the enclosed bridge over the road. This was called the Gallery Bridge because of the local art displayed along the walls. The carpet had a yellow stripe and we were told to simply “follow the yellow brick road” between the two sides of the resort.

Yellow Brick Road Gallery - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

There was a large clover-shaped pool on the ocean side with lots of loungers. All areas of this pool were quite deep. Foam filled water loungers and toys of every kind floated in the pool.

Ocean Beach Pool - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Pool Toys.jpg

The beach had rows of shaded loungers. There was a gentle drop off as we walked into the water. And the water was almost the same temperature as the pool.

Ocean Beach - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

On the other side of the resort, there was another pool by the harbour marina. This was a little shallower. And most of the day it was a quieter spot to lounge.

Harbour Pool - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Pool and beach “concierges” were set up at each pool and for the beach. Several strengths of sunscreen and after-sun were available. Cold water dispensers ensured we stayed hydrated. The concierge staff would get you a lounger and set it up with a cover, towels and an umbrella. But if you just want a lounger, be prepared to reserve one early. They were held for a many hours before the staff released them.

Pool Concierge Station.jpg

Beach Concierge Station.jpg

If you wanted a bit of pampering, you could rent a cabana at one of the pools or at the beach. They had a covered roof and different food options.

Beach Cabana - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

There were a lot of water options on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. Many people we met merely moved from pool to beach and back.

We Tried Many Of The Water Sports

We headed down to the beach on the first day to check out the water sports. Over the course of the 16 day stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, we managed to try all of the non-motorized water equipment. We were fitted with a life jacket when we took out any resort gear.

Beach Water Sports Station.jpg

David finally got to try stand up paddle (sup) boards. I thought I got great pictures. But the knock-off GoPro we brought with us was totally useless.

We took the double kayak out. There was a clear bottom and we looked down as we went past. We never did get out over the reef to have something interesting to see. The water tricycle looked like a lazy way to enjoy the water. But we found it hard going to move it through the waves.

Water Sports - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Water Sports - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

David took a refresher sailboat session with Nelson on the small Hobie Cat sailboat. In no time at all, he had it down pat so he came back to shore to pickup the precious cargo (me). We sailed out and moved between the two outer markers. David had no problem bringing us back to where we started. We went out a second time to enjoy the great view of the resort from the water.

Sailboat Lessons.jpg

Water Sports - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Sailboat Lessons.jpg

Water View - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

We are always surprised when we find resort fees on top of room rates. In many cases, we found resort fees that cover many of the things we get from having elite status with a brand (e.g. water and internet). At the our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman the resort fee is quite high. But we found it covered a lot of non-motorized water activities at the resort – kayaks, water tricycles, sailboats and sups.

We were so glad we tried lots of water activities on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

So Many Other Water Sports Options

The water sports area provided masks and snorkels if you did not bring yours. There was not much to see right off the resort. But we were told that the reef came close to shore by the Westin Grand Cayman next door.

For an additional cost, Red Sail Sports runs the power water sports area on-site. There is a good selection of motorized water fun available at the water sports desk – jet ski PWCs, parasailing, a ride on a banana boat or waterskiing. For a fee you could sign up for things like snorkel trips or a sunset catamaran trip.

Water Sports - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Water Sports - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Red Sail also offered a full range of scuba diving from the resort. There were morning two tank dives and afternoon single tank dives. The dive sites changed a few times a week. You can also do your Introduction to Scuba course with them. The in-water training is done in the pool on the harbour side of the resort.

Scuba Lessons.jpg

We checked into scuba diving from the resort. But it was very busy when we arrived. We really wanted much smaller groups. So we finally booked our scuba diving in Grand Cayman with Shaggy’s Diving.

Scuba Diving Grand Cayman.jpg

Scuba Diving Grand Cayman - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Scuba Diving Grand Cayman.jpg

There was so much fun to be had in the water on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

Activities For Everyone

We discovered much of what the resort had to offer over our 16 day stay.  You can start your day with sunrise yoga.  When we lounged around the pool, we got cold treats from the staff.  At 3:30 every day, we saw kids line up by the gelato stand at the beach pool.  Everyone loved the free candy floss or snow cones.

Candy Floss - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

At 6 pm every evening, someone sounded the conch as the sun got ready to set. There were different musicians each evening by the beach. We could even listen to the music from our balcony. And when we were down by the beach at sunset, we got different food samples from the on-site restaurants.

Sunset Conch - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Sunset Food Samples - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Sunset Food Samples - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Sunset Band on Beach - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

When we had breakfast at Andiamo, we saw the water in the harbour rippling. We watched carefully and saw the big fish surface. Later we learned these were tarpon. And at 5:30 every evening, they feed the tarpon. That was a sight not to be missed!

Tarpon Feeding - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

There is a 9 hole golf course on-site. And two different areas with tennis courts. Even a large uncovered outdoor basketball court to shoot ‘hoops’ in the heat. We discovered the Culinary Centre when we walked about. But never figured out when something might be put on here.

Golf Course.jpg

We kept planning to visit La Prairie Spa, if only for the hot tub and sauna. But we simply did not make it. There were a number of shops on the property selling resort gear (clothes, toys, etc), a clothing store and several high end jewelry shops. We browsed but even with Grand Cayman being duty free, we did not buy.

We found so much to do on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. I was surprised that I could never find a program that showed me everything that was happening on the resort each day. It would be great to have the daily program on the tv, on the electronic boards around the resort, on the Bonvoy app or on paper if necessary. We are used to having daily programs when we sailed with Oceania Cruises. I was sure we missed a lot of things on our visit.

Eat Your Way Around The Resort For A Taste Of Cayman

We loved the chance to enjoy a taste of Cayman on our visit. But there was definitely lots of options to eat on the resort. We were delighted to find that as elite status guests we had breakfast every day at Andiamo. There was a large buffet selection to start the day.

Andiamo Breakfast - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

When we lounged by the harbour pool, it was great to order pizza from Andiamo from our loungers. At the ocean pool, we could order lunch at our loungers or sit in the Bar Jack. Lunch was a great casual affair.

Andiamo Pizza Lunch Pool - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Bar Jack Food - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Bar Jack Food - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

But if lunch was casual, our Afternoon Tea at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was the height of elegance. We enjoyed a lovely tea experience served in the Silver Palm Lounge. Complete with champagne.

Afternoon Tea Silver Palm Lounge - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Afternoon Tea Silver Palm Lounge - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Afternoon Tea Silver Palm Lounge - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Any time of day was the right time for gelato. Andiamo had the best gelato available all day. We had it as a single serving. And one night when we had a light dinner, we had one of their signature sundaes. There was even a small gelato cart by the ocean pool.

Andiamo Gelato - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Andiamo Gelato Sundae - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

If you can’t wait for dinner, there is a Happy Hour menu at both Andiamo and Seven. We had a tasty selection of appetizers. And tried several different cocktails. This was a great dinner option for us when we had a big lunch. Or a long day in the sun. The on-site cafe and store called the ‘Cupboard’ also sold light meal options like salads and sandwiches. And after 5pm, the fresh bakery items were sold at 50% off.

Octopus Seven Happy Hour - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Tuna Tartar Seven Happy Hour - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

One night we enjoyed a great seafood feast at Andiamo. The menu had an interesting mix of Italian favourites and seafood delights. Another night we dressed up and had a lovely meat feast at Seven. We often ate light at the end of the day. But it was great to enjoy dinner on the resort as a treat. We never did make it to try the gourmet delicacies at Blue or Taikun.

 Andiamo Restaurant Inside.jpg

Seafood Andiamo - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

 Andiamo Restaurant Rose.jpg

 Seven Restaurant - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

French Onion Soup Seven Restaurant - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Steak Dinner Seven Restaurant - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

We considered booking a room with Concierge Lounge access. There was food available in the lounge almost all day long. We ultimately decided we would be out and about on the island far too many days. And the cost of the concierge lounge then didn’t make sense. But we definitely ate our way around the resort on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

Customer Service At A Big Resort

Most of our experience to-date with Ritz-Carlton was at much smaller hotels. We found the personalized service to be impeccable. But then, we recognized that it was much easier to keep track of guests in smaller hotels.

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was a large resort property covering 144 acres, with 375 rooms and a lot of turnover during our 16 day stay. But on many occasions we still got a very personalized experience. We were walked to our room by Marina. Several of the staff checked in regularly to make sure our stay was going well. After a week we even got a second amenity – a fun sweet treat decorated as the sea. And a bottle of champagne. The champagne was accompanied by another hand-written card.

Chocolate Amenity - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

Sunset Champagne.jpg

As I have noted above, Ritz-Carlton did an awesome job of recognizing special occasions. And it seemed that pretty much everyone we met wanted to wish me a Happy Birthday.

We ate breakfast at the Andiamo every day. And after two days Tricia and staff welcomed as regulars. We found the customer service to be excellent. The supervisors watched the tables with a keen eye always catching the smallest issue immediately.

Ritz Customer Service.jpg

As I have noted in my blog post about world class customer service, first class brands often excel at service recovery. We had a problem with service the first night we ate at Bar Jack. The bar manager Luke realized right away that there was an issue. And there was no charge for our dinner. As result, we went back several times to eat at Bar Jack. And each time, Luke made sure to check on the service. It is this attention to fixing problems that we love to see in world class organizations.

We received a green Ritz-Carlton beach bag when we arrived in the room. And asked about swapping our green bag for a black one. The mini bar team leader Lornatta overheard my request. But when she could not find a standard black one, got us a special black Ritz-Carlton bag. The bag was delivered by Lornatta and her team.

These are just some of the examples of the attention to customer delight we found on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. The staff are empowered to go above and beyond to deliver customer service excellence.

Fun For Families

Even though we booked our stay after March break, the resort was filled largely with families. Most of the kids were smaller (probably not yet in school). Or maybe because kids under five eat free? We really had not realized when we booked that this truly was a large family resort.

In additional to all of the things noted above to do on the resort, there were also other things targeted specifically for kids to do.

There was no shallow end in the two pools. And with no lifeguard, parents needed to mind their kids. But beside the harbour pool was Starfish Cay, a waterpark for the kids. We heard the screams of delight as the big bucket dumped the water.

StarFish Cay - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

StarFish Cay - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

The Ambassadors of the Environment had a long list of fun and educational activities aimed at children and families. At night there were movies at the Harbour Club Theatre, just beyond the parking lot by Andiamo. We heard that most of these were children or family movies. There was also a large games centre called The Wave on the property.

Boat Trips.jpg

Movies Outdoors - Stay At Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

While there were a lot of kids around, we did find it much better than many family all-inclusive resorts we visited when we travelled with kids. There were some quiet spots around the resort. But we did wish there was a small secluded pool for adults only. We heard we are not the only ones who have commented on this.

Quiet Spaces.jpg

Our Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Vacation Was Great

We had a great stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. Our sweet suite was the perfect spot to start and end the day with a perfect view out over the beautiful waters of Grand Cayman. We found so many things to do. The on-site restaurants offered casual food options. And first class destination restaurants for guests and visitors to the hotel. We were spoiled through our stay with great Ritz-Carlton attention to detail. And every day felt like my birthday.

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman is located on 7 Mile Beach. It was easy to walk to local spots for food. Or to grab a cab to travel a bit further. We rented a car for two days and explored the island. And then came back to relax at the resort. The 16 day stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman just flew by.

We booked the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman as a treat to escape winter. Our travel in 2018 helped us to focus our efforts to build up the points in our Marriott Bonvoy loyalty account. And we booked our Grand Cayman 16 day stay using points. We were excited that we were able to book on the old points structure before the points for this resort increased. Even if the resort fee was still an extra cost above points.

Have you stayed at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman? What was your favourite thing to do on the resort?

Notice: We paid for our stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman in points and cash. Certainly during our stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, we received special perks based on our Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Titanium Elite status and treats to celebrate Linda’s birthday. We were invited to Afternoon Tea and dinner one night at Andiamo by the hotel. It would be silly to say that the wonderful treatment we received at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman did not influence our opinions. But that experience is part of the Gold Standard that Ritz-Carlton delivers. And the comments and opinions expressed in this post truly represent the delight we felt during the entire 16 day stay.

PIN To Pinterest:

stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.jpg

We would love if you could share this!
About TravelAtWill 759 Articles
Travel blogger and photographer! Scuba diving, luxury cruising, chocoholic, sea and sunshine addicts, camera attached and just generally curious! Join us on our adventures!

30 Comments

  1. I loved Grand Cayman – we only visited for a very short time after a cruise one year. The climate is spectacular. The water sports and diving etc… incredible. Your photos are gorgeous. You are correct the true test for me always is when something goes wrong, how does the brand or destination handle that situation? Sounds like they did a wonderful job handling any minor issues you had at the Ritz Carlton.

    • Paula, We had only visited by cruise ship before this visit too. So it was great to explore more of the island and enjoy some island life. The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman did a great job at making us feel special. It is why we keep returning to the brand. Linda

  2. I also have only been to Grand Cayman on a cruise, but I’d love to go back and stay for a bit. What a fantastic birthday trip – the resort sounds amazing, and the little extra surprises you received were very thoughtful.

    • Carrie Ann, We were so happy we came back after visiting first by cruise ship. It was wonderful to have time to explore this great island of Grand Cayman. Linda

    • Amanda, The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was a great luxury getaway. I really hope you get to stay there on a visit to Grand Cayman. There is so much for the kids to do. And big kids too! Linda

  3. Thx for sharing your special day with us. This place does look like the place for a relaxing luxury getaway. Photos of view and food look amazing.

  4. I can totally see why you stayed there for 16 days, what a beautiful property! Its hard to believe the water is actually that color of blue! The food looks magnificent and all those extra touches for your birthday with champagne, cup cakes – that is first class. Loved to see there was so many water sports including SUP! What a luxurious getaway!

    • Dorene, The water is such an amazing colour. It is hard to believe the colours some days. No wonder we spent so much time by the water. I was indeed totally spoiled for my birthday. A great getaway. Linda

  5. This trip sounds like an absolute dream. I’ve been wanting to explore more of the Caribbean so will have to add this to the list for next winter when it gets chilly again. The Ritz Carlton looks like the best choice around and I’m super impressed with your in depth review!! Sign me up for sunrise yoga please!

    • Emma, Our stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was indeed a dream. I am glad I was able to provide lots of details on our 16 day stay. I am sure you will find lots of things to do if you visit. Linda

  6. I wish! We’ve never had the opportunity. But looks freaking amazing. Thanks for sharing. I’ve been on the fence about getting the Bonvoy Brilliant credit card, but this might put me over the edge…

    • Nicolas, You can check out my blog post on Points and see how well we did last year at accumulating points. And using them for such an amazing luxury vacation was the best. We will definitely go back now that we have tasted this. Linda

    • Elaine, It was an amazing two week vacation. We often find that one week vacations lose so much time to transit. So the 16 days let us really enjoy the resort at an easy pace. It was great to have the chance to eat and drink at the great on-site restaurants. But also have the time to get off the resort. Just a great getaway. Linda

  7. Interesting to hear you had to pay $20 for a local driving permit even though you had an International Drivers License! Even so, I’d love to go visit Grand Cayman. And staying at the Ritz… who doesn’t want to stay in such luxury?!

    • Anda, We just got our credit card bill. And with the Canadian dollar conversion, our one day car rental was very expensive. But definitely worth it to explore the island. We may have been better getting a driver. We loved the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. But it was great to see other spots on the island too. Linda

  8. You guys always stay at the best places! I love the sandcastle birthday cake. So cool and the food there looks absolutely amazing.

    • Nicole, We do love our luxury getaways! The birthday surprises just seemed to keep coming. It was so sweet. Food on the resort was amazing. And a good range of options for everyone. Hope you get to visit one day. Linda

  9. What an amazing stay and trip. I liked the stay details. It is so good when they remember the birthdays and give it a personal touch.

    • Indrani, I am glad you liked the details on this stay. We wanted to share as much about our great stay as we could. Being a resort property, it was a very different experience. But one that we dived right into. The Ritz-Carlton properties are a great place to be spoiled for a special occasion. Linda

  10. You surely had a special luxurious bday. I am impressed with the way, Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman treated you from sweets to gelatos to room surprises. That pool is super inviting. We would love spending our special day there too.

    • Suruchi, If you are looking for a spot to enjoy a special occasion, you really should look at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. I was amazed at my birthday treats. But I did see so many other events celebrated too. Just one of the reasons we loved our stay! Linda

  11. Wow the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman looks amazing! I have been to Grand Caymen on a cruise but I’ve always wanted to stay there longer. Now I know where to stay when I make that trip! I recently heard an interview of Horst Schulze one of the Co founders. It’s remarkable the customer service they provide.

    • Dylan, We were so glad we planned to stay on Grand Cayman. We have always had great stays at Ritz-Carlton. And we certainly did on our stay at Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. Linda

  12. I’ve always wanted to go to All over the country and now I really want to go!! Very good guide, thanks for sharing!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*