VACATION: GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND

Cayman Islands....I spent a week in the Cayman Islands.  How cool is that!?!?  I've chosen to post in the color closest to the color of the ocean we've been enjoying all week.  It's indescribably beautiful.  We’ve stayed pretty occupied with beaches, laying out, umbrella drinks and touristy activities so I haven’t made myself sit down to blog.  That’s alright though….I remember the big stuff.  ;-)

We flew in Friday and were greeted with a very muggy day and a rain storm on the way from the airport to the resort.  Not exactly ideal, but alright that we were getting it out of the way at a time that we weren’t trying to enjoy the beach, or do any other activity. Our rental car was a total piece of crap Suzuki that we believe someone may have been murdered in.  The ceiling of the car had what appeared to be dark blood splattered (possible gun shot?) and filth all over it.  UGH.  Made me think we were going to get a disease.  Not a great first impression.

Our first full day (Saturday) was spent at the beach right off the resort.  We got one of the covered cabanas out by the beach and claimed a spot….complete with a hammock right next to it.  It didn’t take long before we realized that we were burning, and should have already had sunscreen on.  We applied at that point, but later realized that we were too late.  I got slightly red on my shoulders, and Caleb got sun poisoning.  No lie.  His feet turned red and splotchy and seemed to get redder over the next couple days. 

That night, the guys ran an errand to the grocery store that ended up being a couple hour trip to Rum Point to check out the bars.  While they were gone, the girls went over to the open veranda and enjoyed some fruity drinks and chatted listening to the ocean and enjoying the cool breeze.

Sunday we were all a little sore from sunburns, so we were not in much of a hurry to head back out to the sun.  Caleb and I went over the resort restaurant and enjoyed breakfast overlooking the ocean. Not a bad way to start a Sunday.  We checked out the infinity pool with the swim up bar, and needless to say, we were amazed.  Literally the pool looks like it drops into the ocean.  It’s incredible. 

Caleb made breakfast tacos for everyone on Monday morning, and we started the day with full tummies, and happy hearts.  We laid out at the beach for a couple hours, and then drove to the west side to souvenir shop (fail…came home with nothing) and look around. On the way home, we toured the Cayman Brewery and enjoyed the free samples. 

Monday night was the Caribbean dinner at the resort complete with $2 drinks, so we had a good time at that that event with the DJ, raffle (none of us won anything) great food (choice of Caribbean Jerk Chicken, BBQ chicken, Fish in Foil, etc) and Rum Punch drinks for only $2.  Funny part was that most of us were not too crazy about the drinks, so we kept giving them to Dave.  By the end of the meal, Dave was red faced, buzzed, and making jokes with his hair sticking up.  The girls even danced after dinner!  Ahh, good times. 

Tuesday we went out on the boat “Double Trouble” with Captain Daniel.  This ended up being a great day.  We met up at Kaibo dock and loaded up our drinks and snacks and headed out to sea.  The first stop we made was a snorkeling site where we saw moray eel (well, everyone in the party but me), reef, gorgeous fish, and amazingly beautiful and clear water.  Next, we were taken out to Stingray City to get in the water with stingrays.  Pretty amazing.  They swim right up to the boats, and let you touch them, hold them, take pictures with them, etc.  They are amazingly soft and beautiful creatures.  Our captain had some squid that he gave to Karin to feed the stingrays and she was holding it above her head as she walked over to where the stingray were.  Suddenly, we see a sea gull appear out of no where, swoop down and literally snatch it out of her hand.  She immediately started screaming and squealing as we laughed about the view we just got from standing behind her. 

Captain  Daniel's boat was spotless, and the upper level had the perfect spot for a Titanic re-enactment.  Caleb rolled his eyes and made fun of me for it, but agreed to be corny with me anyway.  Love this picture!

Our tour included a second snorkeling stop where we saw  blowfish, lobster, HUGE barracuda…no, I mean MASSIVE barracuda right in front of us….just still in the water looking at us before we swam away.  Not gonna lie….I was scared.  We also found a shell with a something coming out of it, and a “sea biscuit”.  Really neat.  

Throughout the entire day on the water, we were able to fish.  We actually caught several fish, but ended up throwing them back. 

Around sunset, Capt Daniel took us to Starfish Beach where we hopped out of the boat and got to see starfish and a beautiful sunset.  That night, we went to “Over the Edge” for dinner where we all had some form of seafood.  Mine was nothing creative, just sautéed shrimp, but it was delicious. 

Wednesdays at the resort is “Mudslide Wednesday” where they have discounted mudslides.  YUMMMM.   I say discounted, but please don’t mistake and think the prices were good….none of the Cayman prices are good….on anything…..it’s all overpriced.  We started Wednesday on the beach where I enjoyed my first mudslide and read before I fell asleep in the hammock.  Fabulous to just lay there and hear the ocean.   Next we moved over to the pool and swam and laid out.  Caleb and I hit the ping pong tables and enjoyed a few matches beside the pool.  We’re not terrible, actually.  J 

 That evening, Caleb and I headed over to Rum Point to watch the sunset.  I really enjoyed it….it was romantic and beautiful.  Rum Point has some awesome bar beaches and we sat by the water until dark.  On the way home, we heard Chicago and Wilson Phillips , so I was sure that the Love Gods were smiling at us.  (Caleb just rolled his eyes as I belted out the tunes)

Something really strange about the islands and the roadways during the evenings is that the crabs are ALL OVER the road….big huge massive crabs.  We stopped to take a picture, and I was amazed at the creepy little creatures that were crossing the road.  For the most part, we were able to avoid running over them…..but at the end of the drive, 2 of them went to see Jesus.  Crunch! Bummer. 

Back at the resort, there was a Caribbean singer on the veranda, so we went over to enjoy mudslides and music with the gang (there were 7 of us total).  It was a good time.  The breeze was blowing nicely and the people-watching was fun.  Caleb and I danced and had some goofy moments at the table as well.

Thursday morning at 7am, Caleb and I went to the dock to get on Captain Herman’s Fishing Boat.  From 7-11am we fished with the plan of eating our catch for lunch.  Mission success.  J  There were 5 of us (only 2 from our party) on the boat, and all 5 of us caught barracuda. 

I didn’t realize you could eat barracuda, but you can….and it is absolutely the best fish I’ve ever eaten in my life.  The cool part is that Captain Herman takes the fish you catch, cleans it, and cooks for you in your room.   Since we were with 3 other people on the trip (and they had multiple families back at the resort), they volunteered their room to cook in.  We were hesitant at first, thinking it would be awkward to be hanging out in their room, but it actually turned out better than we could have hoped.  They were great people (Texans, no less) and they were welcoming and friendly to us.  We had rice & beans, and barracuda and met new friends all at the same time.   Great morning.

That afternoon, we headed over to the west side to “Seven Mile Beach”.  Talk about GORGEOUS.  It was so hot that it was difficult to lay out without being uncomfortably sweaty.  Lauren, Karin & I headed to the water, and were amazed at how warm, and perfectly clear the water was.  There were no rocks, the sand was perfect, and we could see clear to the bottom exactly like a bathtub.    This site was my favorite beach of the entire trip.  We stayed there an hour or so, and then decided to go check out the beach outside the Ritz Hotel.   WOW.  That’s all I can really say.  The beach had amazing chairs set out with comfy pads as well as beds (yes, beds) out by the ocean with covers over them so you could be in the shade if you chose.  In the water, there was a floating table & chairs with shade covers over the top.  We claimed one of those and just floated around and chatted about how unbelievable it was to pretend to be rich like a guest at the Ritz.  We ended up showing that we actually did not belong at all when Lauren reached in the leftover lunch tray that was left on the floating table and nibbled on the French fries.  Awesome.  We are a classy bunch!  :-)


Mom, Dave, Caleb and I headed to Hell after we left the Ritz.  Yes, Grand Cayman has a town called Hell.  It's really nothing more than a post office with some dark, dead looking rocks that resemble "hell" with no color, no life, and no vegetation....but it's a neat touristy place to stop, and I was glad to drop by there to get some items for my scrap book.  Below is a picture with the black rocks in Hell.  Somehow, our smiles and hugs don't seem to fit into what you typically envision for hell......but I like this picture anyway. 

We left Hell and headed back to the Ritz to change clothes and head to Yoshi Sushi to enjoy our last dinner together.  It was delish…and reasonably priced compared to most food on the island.  We followed up dinner with a quick visit to Margaritaville for a few drinks before returning to the resort to pack up and get ready to head home tomorrow.

We are now sitting at the airport wondering how we are going to get the new bottles of alcohol that we’ve purchased at the duty free shops in our checked baggage once we get to Tampa.  We will get our bags and have to pack them and then recheck them.  I’m anticipating a weight problem with our luggage.  Wish us luck……

Overall, a very good vacation.  Grand Cayman is much more humid and muggy than I expected but beautiful nonetheless.  I enjoyed the week, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity and ability to check out a new and beautiful vacation destination.