Cayman Vibes

On our last day, we walked down to the red umbrellas. You can see that several cruise ships had come in - maybe 5? I remember years ago, that I stumbled upon some cruisers enjoying the beautiful beach off boat. I guess they’re all coming in when we’re preparing to leave.



After our leisurely breakfast, I sat poolside as I soaked in some sun and enjoyed the last bit of the Westin. The service has been overall attentive and very convenient to the beach and pool - there’s not a lot of expansive walking that you find in large resorts. We were upgraded and surprised with food and beverage credits, so I was glad I hadn’t booked the higher rack rates. Many colleagues have stayed here and now I can say I have too!



We packed up, returned the rental car, and checked our bags. I showed my mom the shuttle sign for the nearby Georgetown Yacht Club where folks actually wait for their flights - I had done that with Mikey on my last two visits. But we were both still full from breakfast and not interested in drinks.

Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful and we transferred with no issue. It was very cold when we arrived in New York and already missed the Caribbean warmth, albeit fickle weather.  

I continue to be committed to an annual resort vacation as I get to travel a lot, but I don’t often get to soak in the sun and rest. As my mom mentioned, she really likes “resort Cynthia” and I appreciated William when he said he likes “all Cynthia”. Investing in the balance of it all and feeling lucky I have the time and resources to do it, the few days away was really refreshing and highly enjoyable with old friends!

Finally…

I got texts from William and my industry colleague who is also here, that just said “finally”! The sun has come out and the Caribbean sky could be seen! A selfie of the sky on our morning beach walk:



Relishing our second to the last day, we enjoyed our daily beach walk:





We returned to the hotel to enjoy breakfast and sit poolside. I finally dipped into the ocean, pool, and even jacuzzi. I finished my book and soaked in the warm weather. A picture of the sky from my lounge chair:



Our only agenda for the day was a sunset cruise to see the stingrays in famous Stingray City. I had done this on my first trip to Cayman. Our boat only had about 10 people and we booked with Red Sail Sports. Some snaps of us hanging on the catamaran from William’s and my mom’s points of view:











At the sandbar, you’re able to stand in the middle of ocean where the fishermen used to clean the fish which led to the stingrays crowding for the free meal. The water was unusually choppy, but we all managed:



You can see the stingrays surrounding us as we were instructed to shuffle our feet and not take normal steps in case one is in the sand:



William took these photos from the boat as we held and kissed them for good luck!









We were the only boat out there and I later learned that Gayle King attended the Cayman Cookout and she posted a video of hanging with the stingrays.

After being in the ocean, the crew served us snacks such as sandwiches, fruit skewers, and cookies. We ordered cocktails to enjoy the sunset cruise:







After showering, we had dinner reservations at Tillies. Unfortunately, Mama Kim was feeing nauseous - she thinks the pork sandwich didn’t sit well with her and she opted to stay in and rest.

Tillies was a beautiful setup with greenery and lights everywhere. I ordered the Fish Milanese, Mike had the fried chicken special, and William enjoyed the NY Strip. Our waiter was very detailed and the ambiance was wonderful:





What a wonderful last full day here. It really felt like vacation! Thanks to Mike and William for being wonderful hosts and am grateful for the time they shared with us! I got to try more restaurants and really just enjoy the time catching up and experiencing local Cayman!

Casually Cayman

Although the weather was slightly more promising, we walked the beach again to get in some beach time. We saw some of the same people as I think many are enjoying the same beach routines:



It was a little windy, but it was still warm by our New Yorker standards:



We sat by the pool after our walk as the forecast said it would start raining around 10 am and we wanted to enjoy the sun. You see the clouds are not as dark and ominous as yesterday:



Generally, the hotel was less crowded - probably because some have returned home or didn’t have Martin Luther King Jr day off in America or aren’t American.

After breakfast we napped for hours poolside and I ordered a piña colada which I do on every vacation:



Then my first ever mudslide as it was apparently invented on island:



After resting by the pool until mid-afternoon, I flipped my sequence and worked out late afternoon. The gym was empty and I enjoyed a peaceful workout.

The guys picked us up for dinner. Due to the rain, we decided to return to Camana Bay and enjoyed more Croatian rosé and decided on a casual dinner at the Goat. We shared wings and I had a jerk chicken sandwich, mom ordered a shrimp pasta, Mike had a grilled cheese and tomato soup which reminded us of the Tombs, and William had a chicken parm sandwich. No photos as we ate leisurely in this chill restaurant.

Finally some outdoor time today and a casual night in less cloudy Cayman!

The Crow Crows

We wake up to crowing roosters which are everywhere. Apparently, they are planning some population control efforts after they had managed out the iguanas who were naturally eating the eggs. My mom says she hasn’t heard roosters crow this much since when she was back in Korea in the olden days. It just reminds me we’re on vacation and that makes me smile. I took a photo of one mid-crow on our morning walk:

My mom wanted to squeeze in a beach walk before the forecasted rain. The beach accessibility and cleanliness is really awesome and we headed south from our hotel and noticed the water was noticeably warmer:



We returned to our hotel for some coffee and fruit at breakfast and then rested. I also managed to squeeze in a decent workout despite the crowded gym.

Our only planned agenda today was reservations at Ave at the Kimpton Hotel. Sunday brunch is popular and the island was also hosting Cayman Cookout where celebrity chefs like Eric Ripert showcase culinary delights at the Ritz-Carlton. We met a drunk couple that are here for the island events through the weekend in the elevator and we saw the tent in front of the Ritz on our walk.

Here we are enjoying our first drinks and the delightful buffet:



Birds surrounded us on the covered terrace. William later explained they are very smart and called ching chings. On the interweb, I learned they are endemic and a subspecies of the Greater Antillean grackle:



We returned to the Westin and like the other tourists, tried to enjoy the beach despite the drizzle. Mama Kim watched her Korean cooking shows and the guys joined us and we took a quick snap to send to Rachel:



Then the three of us headed to Hotel Indigo where we had drinks at the rooftop bar called Pom Pom:



Then we returned to the Kimpton where Mike and William’s friend was having drinks with her out of town guests after the very same brunch I ate at with my mom. Mikey also managed to run into more people he knew and they dropped me back off at the hotel after our Sunday night adventures. My mom and I had a scoop of gelato each as she said she wanted something refreshing with my daily food and beverage credit.

The drizzly rain clearly hadn’t dampened our Sunday spirits and it was fun just to hang out!

Cloudy Cayman

We woke up this morning and knew it was supposed to rain, so we motivated and walked up Seven Mile Beach. Families were already playing in the waves and we enjoyed the exercise as my mom remarked, the sand is really clean here. Some photos:





After our walk, I did a short workout while my mom enjoyed the veranda by the pool. We then had the buffet breakfast and rested in the room. The day continued to be cloudy with rain off and on. So we decided to drive and see Mike and William’s new townhome. Well-appointed and designed, Mama Kim was impressed on how immaculate it was and we enjoyed seeing Pani Klopska, their new puppy in her home environment. I forgot to take a photo, but she’s a cute black lab mix and her polish name means “Mrs. Meatball”.

After some drinks and snacks, we returned to our hotel to rest before dinner. We had plans to see the sunset at a Japanese restaurant called Kojima. It was a little cloudy, but we enjoyed the sounds of the waves and the company:



For dinner, we shared bone marrow, sushi rolls, and scallops for appetizers. Entrees included chicken katsu curry, steak, miso snapper, and udon… collage below:



A chill Saturday as we got more accustomed to the hotel, the rental car, and the Caribbean fickle weather. We hope it’ll get sunnier, but we’re having a chill time!

Grand Cayman Hat Trick

Back in the Cayman Islands! It’s my third time having visited in 2018 and 2019. Taking advantage of the 2-for-1 Delta companion ticket perk that comes with my credit card, I decided my annual relaxing resort vacation was to visit Mikey and William.

Mama Kim learned about Grand Cayman through her ChatGPT prompts in her computer class and she was excited to hear that it has a beautiful beach. She was excited to get away and her friends expressed envy with all her trips with her daughter. 

After transferring in Minneapolis, we arrived on the largest island of the Cayman Islands. We picked up the rental car, navigated the roundabouts with Google Maps on my phone since there’s no CarPlay, and checked in at the Westin on Seven Mile Beach. I picked this hotel for its accessibility and due to my Marriott loyalty. This is the first time I’m staying at a hotel on island - here’s the view from our upgraded room:



Before dinner, we walked around to get our bearings. We enjoyed the cover band poolside and some hot chocolate and a latte, taking advantage of a food and beverage perk that comes along with my status. I also showed my mom how accessible the beach is:





We then drove to Island Naturals at the Grove where we met Mikey and William for a casual dinner. My mom had a bahn mi sandwich and Caribbean soup while I ordered a tasty jerk chicken bowl:



After dinner, I dropped off my mom at the hotel, and then Mikey, William, and I went to the Tasting Room in Camana Bay for some Croatian rosé. The guys love the bar and the wine and I enjoyed it as we caught up and chatted in the cute bar.

I can’t wait to relax the next few days over the holiday weekend and to enjoy some sun despite the rainy forecast!

Brrr, It’s Cold in New York!

A slow start to the morning, I was in no rush as my flight was delayed about 90 minutes. Apparently there were some system issues in the United States that grounded many flights.

Mikey and I went to icoa for breakfast where I had avocado toast and green juice. We ran an errand and then Mikey waited for me to pick up my boarding pass and dropped me off at the nearby Georgetown Yacht Club which has airport shuttles and WiFi. I checked emails and had an early lunch of their delicious shrimp curry and naan, so I could be sustained for the rest of the day and my potential further delays.

I was at the airport after my lunch with no problem and we arrived in New York about an hour late and 40 degrees colder. Brrr, it was so cold and a shock to my system!

My flight delay was the only snafu as I had such a wonderful weekend catching up with Mikey who is such a gracious host! It was so fun to meet his friends and since we can laze about together all weekend and as necessary! Can’t wait until next time!

Cayman Brunch

Today, Mikey had made reservations at Agua, so I could enjoy a Caymanian bunch, so we headed to Camana Bay. I had only seen Camana Bay during the evening, so it was nice to see it during the day. A traditional brunch here means bringing everything on the menu and you can order the extra as desired. We enjoyed the dishes below with some Bloody Mary’s.

Here are some breads and white bean spread, butter, and pickled vegetables...



A pork belly Thai salad, frittatas, crostinis, and tuna...



Two types of pasta...

A local fish and a Chicken Milanese...



We took our chocolate dessert to go and returned back to the condo after the decadent meal where I decided to lounge, nap, and read by the pool. After a few hours, I came inside and Mikey declared he was in the mood for pizza and I remarked that the Pizza Hut a few blocks away could be enticing. I hadn’t been to one in over 20 years! So I had a salad and we shared a supreme pizza to enjoy a little nostalgia, pictured below:

After dinner, we watched television and ate frozen berries. We had planned to FaceTime Rachel, but wasn’t able to as she got caught up with putting her kids to bed and we get super sleepy here fast.

My last night in Cayman before returning to NY was relaxing and very chill!

Under the Seagrapes

I was picked up today by Kyle again and at 7:30 am. We picked up a couple from Sarasota, a solo diver from Iowa, and 2 father-daughter pairs from Maryland. This was clearly DC spring break as there was a DC family on my dive yesterday. Our captain was Ty who I had last time I was here as well.

Our first dive was at Little Tunnels where our maximum depth was around 85 feet and we went through a tunnel. Immediately we saw a turtle hanging around. It was nice and deep with great sealife to admire.

Our second dive was at Balero, which was near Three Trees where I dove yesterday. As we descended, I immediately saw a turtle. We also saw a masked hamlet which apparently is a rare fish, a spotted drum, and tons of baby jellyfish. When we get to about 1,000 psi of air, we just meander below the boat go free time. At 800 psi, we are supposed to start our safety stop and ascent procedures. Folks started ascending while I was still at 1,100, so I was pretty good on my air. Usually I’m one of the first out of the pool, but this time I was nearly last!

We all checked out at the dive shop and Kyle dropped me off at Al La Kebab, where I picked up a chicken shawarma and walked a few blocks to Mikey’s condo.

Mikey and I then hopped in a car and drove to Kimpton Seafire’s beach. Here you can see him multitasking - working on his tan while responding to emails!



The sea is so blue and the sands so soft!

But due to the sweltering sun and Mikey’s phone alerting us it was too hot, we moved underneath some seagrape trees...

After the beach, we headed home and got ready for Mikey’s friend’s birthday party which was conveniently a few developments over. We saw many of the same people from last night and one of Mikey’s colleagues whom I met during my last trip to Cayman. 

We enjoyed food, lots of rosé, and a dip in the hot tub as we all chatted the night away under the Cayman stars!