Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

So I've never been to Grand Cayman. It seems beautiful and the flight seems short, which is even better.

Has anyone ever done a condo rental there? If so, through what site? Are certain areas better to rent in than others?

Secondly, has anyone stayed at the Marriott in 7 Mile Beach? I was wondering if it was good for families with little kids. Is water rough? Are there activities?

Thanks for all of you help!

Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

We just booked a trip to the Marriott. I chose it because so many of the reviews said it was great for kids, and it has a lot of activities included in the resort fee. It even includes sand toys for the beach, s'mores on the beach on certain nights and I think there are kids activities also.

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

We stayed at the Marriott and love love loved it!

Really nice beach, can walk to a bunch of things, lots of families with kids.

We booked through Jet Blue and we didn't need to pay the resort fee. If you can find something that includes that, it's a big savings.

The flight is really short and the island is safe. Both are a huge plus.

Have fun!

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

So you felt safe there? How did you get from airport to hotel?
I think it looks beautiful but I am always cautious when traveling with my daughter... because I am a "NERVOUSNELL"

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

We just got back last Friday from the Marriott.

Grand cayman is extremely safe. I walked 7 mile beach for 3 miles each way with my 8 year old son at sunset and never felt not safe. There are no peddlers along the beach, only the guests of the hotels and condos, except for one part that has a public park/ restaurant.

We took a cab from the airport, which was $25 USD and a 15 minute ride.

This is cut and paste from my trip advisor review:

We just got back from the Marriott Beach House last night and I wish I was there right now. We went for a week during the NY school break.

Staff - First off, I was a bit weary reading so many rave reviews about the staff and how attentive and friendly they are. But they are absolutely correct. The staff are the friendliest I've ever encountered and they always have a smile on their face. They make it a point to remember your names and went out of their way to make the kids laugh and make sure you are taken care of. From Neill, the beach server, Anna at Anchor and Den to the guys at the beach who set up the chairs and umbrellas. There are just too many to name. Let me tell you, they work hard! And always with a smile.

Hotel - we got a room with a double bed for a family of 4. It was decorated beautifully, as well as the rest of the hotel, very comfortable and had a small balcony overlooking the courtyard. Bathroom was a nice size, plenty of toiletries and towels.

Restaurants - we ate almost exclusively onsite either at Anchor and Den, Veranda, or just grabbing crepes from the crepe bar. The food was outstanding each and every time. The crepes are to die for. The breakfast buffett was varied and delicious. Mind you, everything is SUPER expensive. We read the reviews and went in expecting it to be expensive, so were not shocked, but the quality of the food more than made up for it. Nevertheless, be prepared for $15 drinks, $5 coffee, and $25 breakfast buffett, $20-$30 main dishes for dinner. This is all in Cayman dollars, so multiply that by 1.25 for US. 16% tip is included in everything, even a $3 muffin. We did venture out one night for dinner across the street to Cimboco, and honestly it wasn't that much less expensive when you compare the quality of the food, the wonderful attentive service, and the ease of being in the hotel. Oh, and the specialty drinks at the bar at night are INSANELY delicious. I had a "Hasta La Vista" which was a drink with cucumber, mescal, and jalapeño that was out of this world and each drink is a piece of art.

The beach - one of the best beaches ever. soft clean sand. Man-made reef balls right in front of the resort. Those awesome floating rings, courtesy beach toys for the kids. We literally spent all day on the beach, making sand castles, paddle boarding, snorkeling. My only complaint is that the chairs are stacked in rows elbow to elbow and you really do need to get up by 7AM to get a chair in the front row. Otherwise you are looking at the back of the chair in front of you. My kids are early risers (6AM) so it wasn't a big issue for us to be up that early, but I can see how if you weren't an early riser it would be VERY annoying. And there were plenty of people who save chairs and then are away for hours. THIS is definitely the worse aspect of the hotel.

The pool is small and nothing worth noting. We didn't spend too much time there due to the size and very short 3-4ft area since I have 2 young kids.

Plenty of cute, short kids activities during the day that the kids enjoyed such as big Jenga, beach games, glitter tattoos. The kids also loved Smores on the beach at night and movie night. There is something really special about watching a movie out on the beach at night! Kids loved it.

All in all, a fantastic vacation. So many small details that make the fact that the beach is crowded less noticeable. The attention to detail at this place is fantastic. I would definitely go back!!

The resort fee is btw $39-$45 USD/day and my understanding is that it is charged by every hotel.

The marriotts fee includes use of snorkel gear, paddle boards, kids beach toys, floats, and kids activities, fruit at the beach, sunscreen one day and soothing burn balm most days.

We did a trip to Stingray city, went snorkeling and starfish island in one day which was great.

We also spent a couple of hours at Camana Bay just to get the kids a break from the beach.

It's a veg out on the beach vacation. If your kids need to be about doing a ton of things, it may not be the best for you.

FM me with any questions.

Message edited 5/4/2016 8:24:30 PM.

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

Camans Bay is just a little shopping area. It has a couple of small sprinklers the kids can play in. Some restaurants and tables outside So you can watch them while you eat. A few stores, movie theater, ice cream. There is a small man-made beach with a hammock. This wouldn't be much more than a 2-3 hour distraction from the beach. it's about a 10 minute 5-10 minute walk from the Marriott.

Most excursions will pick you up at your hotel, but you can take a cab also. A lot of people rent cars but my husband was not comfortable driving on the other side of the street.

We had s trip planned to the turtle farm but both my kids ended up with a cold a few days into the trip and neither were up for going so we cancelled, but I believe Bridex went and loved it. We were sad to miss it.

Also, the water at the beach is super calm, no waves, and doesn't go above 2-4 feet for a while so you can definitely feel safe letting your kids play there.

Message edited 5/5/2016 7:35:13 AM.

Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

I went to the turtle farm in a cruise excursion and it was a lot of fun!

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

We stayed at the Westin Seven Mile each resort and couldn't have asked for more. It was A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!!

Re: Grand Cayman- hotel/condo

dh and i have been going for a few years now. we have been staying at a non descript cheap efficiency room/not really a resort. we basically don't care where we sleep because we spend all day snorkeling, but it's pretty run down so i wouldn't recommend it.

I will echo others in saying the island is safe. we walk from the room to downtown Georgetown with no worry. We also take dollar vans all over.