While trudging through another Chicago snowstorm, we decided it was time for some fun in the sun. We settled on Grand Cayman as flight times were reasonable and well, the photos of Seven Mile Beach were pretty irresistible.
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Grand Cayman has no shortage of accommodations. Although not the fanciest in the bunch, our stay at The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa was an excellent choice for us. The location, directly on one of the best spots of Seven Mile Beach, was unbeatable and the cost more reasonable than the nearby Ritz Carlton.
Check-in
After the 1 hr+ wait at immigration, we were dreading the thought of a long check in line. Fortunately, even though there were a number of people ahead of us, it only took a few minutes to reach the front desk. The entire process was quick and painless. We did not expect, nor did we ask for any type of upgrade (not that we ever do). As we were walking away, we overheard someone else ask and they were told the hotel was fully booked so no upgrades were possible.
Room
Our room was a partial ocean view room on the second floor. It had a small balcony with enough room for a table and two chairs.
The tarp on the bottom left appeared and disappeared a few times during our stay.
We read online reviews prior to booking and a recurring theme was that the rooms were outdated. True, it wasn’t the most spacious or modern room we’ve stayed in but it was clean and perfectly acceptable to us. Besides, we did not travel to Grand Cayman to stay inside when Seven Mile Beach is right outside our door.
A mini fridge, coffee maker with Starbucks coffee and cups, and two free bottles of water were provided.
The bathroom had one sink, combined shower/tub and separate room for the toilet.
Hotel Amenities
The Westin Grand Cayman has a large pool with swim-up bar.
There are two jacuzzis on either end of the pool with signs stating only guests over 16 years old were allowed. We never saw anyone over the age of 10 in there so it’s not really enforced.
Although some families with small children used the pool area, most guests seem to prefer the beach.
The hotel is directly on one of the best locations on Seven Mile Beach.
There are plenty of chairs and umbrellas (including cabanas) available and unlike some other destinations, it’s nice you don’t have to get up early on vacation to stake out a spot. The beach staff was readily available, helpful and funny (especially Gordon).
Waitresses walked around the beach to take drink/food orders. During peak times, it was sometimes easier to just walk a few steps to the restaurant and order directly but not because the waitresses weren’t doing their job. Those ladies were really running around in the hot sun the entire time!
A Red Sail Sports offering a variety of water activities is on the premises.
In case you want to work on your “beach bod”, a gym is located near the pool. There are plenty of equipment available and it did seem like a fair number of guests took advantage of it all times. Oddly enough, even though there were windows facing the pool and ocean, the machines were not. All equipment faced a wall in the opposite direction with a mural of the ocean.
A small business center with three computers and a printer was on the ground floor. Wi-fi was available in the common areas and the room but I wouldn’t say it was free as a $45 resort fee is tacked on to every bill.
The restaurants at the Westin Grand Cayman were overall pretty good. Gratuity was included, as was the case in every restaurant we visited on the island. Regardless, service was still excellent everywhere. There was usually a looong line outside of Cafe Soleil every morning so leave enough time if you are on a schedule.
If you prefer to eat off the resort premises, there are several great restaurants withing walking distance (Sunshine Grill and Agua were two favorites). A large supermarket is about a ten minute walk as well. This was very convenient for stocking up the hotel fridge with cheap snacks and beverages.
Ambiance
Although there were a few other couples at the resort, I would say families dominated. At least during our stay, it was pretty quiet and mellow- no children screaming and running the hallways unsupervised. Perhaps the SPG Kids Pass program and Westin Kids Club tuckered them out. A convention group was checking in the day we were leaving so I’m not sure if that would change the vibe of the place though.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa and would not hesitate to return. Although the room wasn’t the most updated, the staff and location definitely made this a winner for us.
Great review! Looks like a wonderful place to add to my travel wish list. 🙂
Thanks! It is definitely a great winter break place.
I adore Grand Caymen. It’s not my most favorite island in terms of beauty, but the beaches are spectacular and the sunsets amazing….
Yes!!! I didn’t mention it in my post but the sunsets were amazing every night!
Thank you for your review. We have reservations at the Westin for August 2016, but just found out that their pool will be closed and they are undergoing some reconstruction. This will be our first visit to the Caribbean, so want to be a good visit, my question is, is the Westin still worth it without a pool? Or should I be looking elsewhere? Thank you!
Tough call. I preferred the beach over the pool during my stay and it seemed most other guests (with the exception of a few with small children) did so as well.
Personally, I value quiet so I would be a bit concerned about construction noise if I planned to relax mostly at the resort or the beach in front.
i think for the money it is Not a good place ,i didnt like the room no views and only average,the food so so,the beach was nice, taxi s too much money for short rides.US money not a good exchange rate. not much to do at night.the pool was dirty.i was Not impressed with the Westin Hotel or the Cayman Islands. Other Carribean Islands are nicer,more to do and less money,much prettier.