We stayed at the Grand Caymanian Jan 26 - Feb 1, 2013, and were very happy with our room, which was on the "older" side but had a nice view and was in great shape. We have NO complaints with anything. Yes, you do need to rent a car to get around and yes, if you want to snorkel or swim, just drive over to Seven Mile Beach to any of the access points. The resort is away from the crowds and if you want peace and quiet, it is ideal. We would definitely return!

I felt compelled to start a tripadvisor account and leave a review after my experience at the Grand Caymanian! I researched the resort prior to my trip and read ALL of the tripadvisor reviews...must admit I was a bit worried after reading them. Then I got to the resort and I was scratching my head wondering why people were leaving negative reviews. Yes, the resort is not on 7 Mile Beach, but it's a quick drive away and frankly, the resort is more relaxing and quiet because it's not in the middle of tourist central. The resort has FREE shuttles to 7 Mile, Camana Bay, and the supermarket (Foster's) during the day. They have specific times for the shuttle but the shuttle drivers were flexible with our schedules. Nighttime, you will need a taxi or rental car to go to these places. Sandy part of beach is very small and part of the waterfront has coral. They have a dock you can jump off of into the water. The water is 4-5 shades of blue/turquoise at the resort. Beautiful! The pool is quite large. Someone complained that excursion companies won't pick you up at the resort, but we had no problem with that. The staff members were very friendly and helpful. We stayed in a 1 bedroom villa with full kitchen. They had all the kitchen items you need. We spoke with the manger who is helping with the transition from Ramada to Holiday Inn. There is clearly a great dedication to finishing the renovation and making this resort even better. I did not hear/see any construction except 1 day in the lobby, so any construction was unobtrusive. I will say that the fitness center was pretty sparse (but at least they had one). I think to enjoy yourself here you need to go in with the right attitude/realization that you are not staying on 7 Mile Beach and that the sandy part of the beachfront is small. If you get past those two, you will enjoy your time at the resort!

1. Rent a car! Don't be foolish like we were and take a taxi to the resort thinking we'd be able to ride bikes everywhere. The resort rent nice bikes on a daily basis but the main road around the island is narrow and full of cars. If you do want to ride a bike, bring your own helmet as the resort doesn't have any.

2. Bring walking shoes. You can get plenty of exercise walking from the resort into town. The resort's gym is super tiny and I never saw anyone using it.

3. Become friendly with the people in the dive shop. Snorkelers - Sign up for the boat trip to Sting Ray City (and bring water shoes). It is a rare opportunity to do something you probably wouldn't think would be fun. The boat leaves early in the morning from the dock by the resort and you'll finish at the site before the boats bringing passengers from the cruise ships arrive. Then you'll be able to snorkel as the most beautiful reef. Bring your underwater camera.

4. Dive, dive! We did 6 dives and recommend, if you don't have all your own gear, bringing a wetsuit in the winter as the dive shop runs out of certain sizes.

5. Know going in that this island imports EVERYTHING. Prices are high on gas, groceries, restaurants, sundries - basically everything you'll need on vacation.

6. Go to cemetery beach. Park in front of the cemetery and walk down the path to a great beach that is usually never crowded.

We stayed here for two nights at the end of December 2012.

Pros:

Staff helpful and honest. The cashier at the sundries shop was very nice to point out that the 6-pack of beer we were about to buy was $27 and suggested cheaper alternatives. And when my wife temporarily lost her iPhone, the front desk staff was very helpful. The staff at the restaurant was also very good.

Beds. The beds were very comfortable.

Cons:

Location: Very far out of the way. A car is essential.

Beach: The beach was very unattractive. It was further marred by construction equipment that sat right in the middle of it. I never saw anyone go in the water there. I'm not sure you could as they had it roped off. And there is virtually no sand on the beach.

Rooms: The rooms are very dated, dark and unattractive. It feels like a 1970s Holiday Inn (and smells like one too).

Happily, we only spent two nights here and spent the rest of our vacation on Seven Mile Beach. We would have been fairly miserable if we had spend our entire vacation at this resort. So, if this were the only hotel that I could stay at on Grand Cayman, I would go to another island.