The Ritz-Carlton

Frommer's Review

With amenities and a service level that's rivaled only by the Westin, the Ritz-Carlton is the largest, plushest, most prestigious, most spectacular, and most awe-inspiring resort in the Cayman Islands. In a league and a class of its own, this property defies comparison to virtually everything else on Grand Cayman. And unless you make a concentrated effort to explore other parts of the island, it's very easy, once you've checked in, to never venture beyond its boundaries: The whole affair is set atop 58 hectares (143 acres) that cover the entire width of the island, from Seven Mile Beach to North Sands.

Straddling the boulevard that parallels Seven Mile Beach, the resort is divided into two regal and very large but distinctly separate buildings -- each painted the color of sand. Binding the components together is a climate-controlled catwalk that stretches above the congested rush-hour traffic of West Bay Street. Thanks to a changing array of artwork, elaborate soundproofing, and the fact that the windows of the catwalk are inset with frosted glass, you'll have absolutely no sense of the workaday world below. Everything is climate-controlled, meticulously manicured, and covered with marble, stone, expensive hardwoods, or ultra-plush wall-to-wall carpeting. No other hotel in the Cayman Islands so effectively evokes Europe-in-the-tropics. At its best, this is a richly decorated, sedate, and very expensive architectural fantasy that's run with a bright, hardworking, and polite staff. At its worst, it is bone-chillingly expensive, with hidden fees everywhere, as many visitors are apt to discover upon checkout.

You expect -- and get -- accommodations with elegant and tasteful furnishings that evoke a hotel in an expensive neighborhood of London. All the rooms are blissful, but The Reserve has an especially luxurious collection of two dozen oceanfront condos with large living and dining areas and wide terraces.

The biggest of the two swimming pools is a curvy, beachfront affair that is the largest body of fresh water in the country; Blue is the best and most expensive of the resort's restaurants, and boasts the Islands' most prestigious celebrity chef, Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, Zagat's number-one-rated restaurant in New York. Along with Blue, one other of the resort's five restaurants is supervised by Ripert. The big names don't end there. Activities within the compound include a Greg Norman-designed golf course, children's programs designed by Jean-Michel Cousteau, and the world's first spa inspired by La Prairie's Silver Rain.

Facilities:
5 restaurants; 2 bars; 2 pools; golf course; spa; children's programs; room service; babysitting; laundry; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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