Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Greater Antilles West Indies

This exclusive oceanfront resort caters to those who seek a grander level of relaxation and luxury. Situated on 144 acres stretching sea-to sea from the Caribbean to the North Sound, the property features 365 guest rooms and suites, five restaurants, a tennis center, two outdoor pools and an oceanfront Jacuzzi®, nine-hole golf course, spa and a Tiffany & Co. boutique.

Situated in the heart of exclusive Seven Mile Beach on the island of Grand Cayman, four miles from Owen Roberts Internatonal Airport.

“Putting on the Ritz” 

Went down to the Ritz Carlton - Grand Caymans to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday from Sept 25-29. Topline - fantastic island and a fantastic hotel and you can't go wrong booking a trip here - positives include the beach, the hotel, the fruity drinks and the staff - negatives are the costs and the food was just OK (with the notable exception of Blue).

So here are some details:

Time of year: while you take a bit of a gamble on the hurricanes (I got trip insurance -which I never do) we loved coming down for the off-season (evidently runs Aug to late Nov) - the hotel was only 20% full and the island was equally empty - we had our run of the place - the weather was gorgeous - high 80's, blue skys, while the forecast called for "isolated showers - 30%" everyday we did fine - we saw some grey clouds in the distance once or twice for about 2 hours but that was pretty much it

Hotel: gorgeous - about 3-4 years old, had a nice ocean view, staff was super attentive and nice - lots of the personal touch - happy birthday, hello Mr and Mrs XXXXX etc etc - room was very nice - balcony, sizeable, internet access etc the beach was gorgeous, the pool was great,

Food and Drink: the drinks were great - Bar Jack is the bar down at the pool and they serve up fantastic Caribbean cocktails - try the pina coloda - the food at Blue (the high end Michelen rated restaurant) was incredible - and the breakfast buffet was very nice - but the other two restaurants we hit (Wharf and "7" ) - were OK - nothing special - seafood type stuff (the tarpons at the Wharf were neat) we tried to goto two other places on the island - Deckers was recommended but closed and the Reef Grill was booked for a private party - the sushi place at the Ritz was pretty good

Activities: clearly a beach oriented place - so lots of lounging and walking on the beach, swimming, snorking, floating (Ritz has rafts, snorkle gear, boats etc all complimentary) - we did Capt Marvin's Stingray tour - snorkeled at two sites (very fun - lots to see and do - we have been to the Great Barrier Reef - this was not at that calibre but pretty darn good) and then the visiting with the stingrays which was very cool. We hit downtown Georgetown - pretty much high end retail targeting the cruise ships - some people we had met at the Ritz went out to Rum Point - said it was not worth it .

Dressing: don't overpack - all you need is swim trunks and shorts and a polo shirt - everything is "island casual" with the exception of Blue which was dressier...