talking shop ON LOCATION
“A pleasant drive takes us to the east of the island, passing houses painted mint green, soft peach and sherbet lemon"
“especially as our guide was a descendant of the original residents and passionate about keeping its history alive." A pleasant drive takes us to the east of
the island, passing houses painted mint- green, soft peach and sherbet lemon. The Reef Resort is one of the only all- inclusives on the island because of its relatively remote location. The cheerful apartments have fold-down beds and kitchen facilities for self-caterers, with the blindingly bright white beach just steps away. We loved the rustic thatched beach bar and there’s also a pool and spa. BEST FOR: those who want to get away from it all and families with young children. “Quiet, relaxed and comfortable – lovely.” Jayne Nutall, Travel Counsello
Lunch is at Rum Point Beach, a beautiful calm bay with lots of shady casuarina trees and a long pier stretching out into the turquoise water. Then we explore the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, with its tropical flowers, mango trees and orchids. It’s also home to a population of blue iguanas indigenous only to the Cayman Islands. This evening we get to explore our
own hotel, The Westin. We’ve already seen the mini-shopping centre and the pool bar but we get a tour of the spa and enjoy canapés and drinks in the large function room often used for weddings, with a spectacular sunset casting pink scales into the sky. BEST FOR: Older families, couples, young groups “The pool area was the highlight for me – the hot tubs are the perfect place to watch the amazing sunsets.” Nikki Stanfield, Premier Travel
Dinner is at Ristorante Pappagallo – Italian fare with a tropical twist. It’s housed under a thatched roof over the water and the resident parrot welcomes us as we arrive. Our final day in Grand Cayman begins
at Icoa, an unassuming café which serves us a mean deli-style breakfast with fresh bread, pastries and omelettes. It’s good value and shows the variety of restaurants on offer. “I would never recommend all-inclusive in Grand
GRAND CAYMAN The Verdict..
• “I’d recommend Grand Cayman to young clients who have the money to go beyond an all-inclusive plan and want to go out and explore.” SARAH LEE
• “Grand Cayman
is upmarket and can be expensive, but
you wont find better value, with great self- catering
accommodation.” CAROL SMITH
• “Grand Cayman
reminded me of the Florida of years ago. It’s a lovely size for exploring.”
JAYNE NUTTALL
Cayman; there are far too many fabulously nice places to eat!” said Jayne Nuttall, Travel Counsellor. We need our sea legs today, as we set sail on the Jolly Roger, a mock pirate ship complete with a skull and cross bones and a crew who say “arrr” a lot. It’s not for those who don’t like
'interacting' but it’s great fun being made to swill the decks! “The Jolly Roger is perfect for a group of youngsters and I loved sailing along with the sun on my back and fizz in my hand”, said Premier Travel's Christine Smale.
We have some time to
explore the duty free shops in George Town, as well as take a tour of the Seven
Fathoms Rum Factory, where we’re shown the process of rum making and taste the local rum which is aged in barrels under the sea.
Lunch is in a diner, Breezes by the Bay, where we sample conch
chowder. A few minutes walk from Seven Mile Beach is the Sunshine Suites Resort.
We see the spacious suites and sample the ice cream of the day from the award-winning poolside Sunshine Bar and Grill.
BEST FOR: Independent types who
want casual elegance without compromising on comfort. “The one-bedrooms at Sunset Suites Resort are perfect for families. They have kitchens and the complex has easy access to the shops for self-caterers.” Zoë Pennington, Co-operative Travel
Our final activity is Stingray City. Captain Marvin’s is one of the operators which takes visitors out to the sand bar that's famous for its slippery residents. The azure waters lapping over the
shallows is a sight in itself, but once in the water you can feed, stroke and even kiss – if you are so inclined – the friendly stingrays. The trip includes two stops to snorkel over a spectacular underwater garden of coral and fluorescent fish. It proves a highlight for many: “Stingray
City is truly a natural attraction because it's not forced – I’d recommend it for families of all ages,” said Jayne Nuttall. Before we say farewell to Grand
Cayman we visit new restaurant and bar, Tikki Beach, which sells itself as a 'lifestyle'. It’s the right side of pretentious, with moody lighting, fantastic food and indulgent mudslide cocktails! A place the Sex and the City girls would be seen at!
Above, left to right all aboard the Jolly Roger; snorkelling in Grand Cayman is fi ve-star
www.sellinglonghaul.com • July/August 2011 49
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