Our vacation was wonderful right from the beginning as we landed at the small airport on Grand Cayman. We were greeted with the natives playing drums and speaking with accents that gave us the feel of being far from home, (which is exactly what we wanted.) The drive through town to the Hyatt was also wonderful, not because it was tropical paradise, but because we passed small huts and houses that reminded us that we were visiting an island full of cultures far from our own.

The Hyatt was remarkable. The staff was friendly and accomodating. We stayed in the villas that had a back porch opening up to the canal. We did not use the kitchen in the villa that much, but we liked having stairs up to our rooms and a little family room down stairs. It felt secluded and private. The walk from the villa to the pool or lobby was a minute or so, but the grounds were wonderful. And when you're walking in paradise, the extra minute to get somewhere only added to the peaceful and relaxing feel of the vacation.

Many have commented on the 5 minute walk to the beach over the busy street. The bridge you walk over is a tunnel with ceiling fans and plants; quite a pleasant walk. It did not seem that long at all, though we did not have small children to worry about.

The grounds had many places to take family pictures and plenty of shops to do shopping. Of course with the exchange rate and already high prices we spent quite a bit of money on souvenirs.

We skipped over to the Marriott to see what we were missing and were glad we stayed at the Hyatt. Only at the Hyatt did we have a large sand area on the beach that you could be right on the water or 20 feet back from it.

The water was like living on a post card and swimming in a warm swimming pool. You forget you are in the ocean until you taste the salty water. We snorkeled right off the shore and loved the calm water with no waves. The white sandy beach couldn't be more perfect.

Red Sail sports was great to book scuba diving and trips to the Sting Ray sand bar because we could bill all our activities to our room. We took a short class in the morning and went scuba diving on the resort dives in the afternoon. This was the most exciting part of our trip. The dives are among the best in the world. The water is still clear 50 feet under and an amazingly clear turquois color.

This island is great for families. There is no topless allowed on the beaches and no gambling or night life at the hotel to discourage families from enjoying the resort together at all hours.

Our family of 4 (2 teenagers) enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi each night before we went to bed. As long as we were not loud we could stay at the pool as long as we wanted. (Other resorts, like in Hawaii have their pools close at 10.) The extended hours were just an added bonus.

If this is your first time taking a trip to an island, then don't pack too heavy. All I wore every day was my swim suit, board shorts and tank tops. When we went out at night I had a few skirts to put on and flip flops.
I left more room in my luggage for the things I bought there to bring home!

CAUTION: if you are not comfortable driving on the left side of the road, then renting a car might not be an option for you. We took taxis every where we went on the island and were grateful that we did not have to worry about which side of the road we were on.

Overall this was the best vacation our family has ever taken. It was not as industrialized as places in Hawaii and the culture and natives were wonderful. We hardly left the resort and felt like we could stay forever. Everyone we have talked to says they stay only at the Hyatt on Grand Cayman. We can't wait to go back!!

Hello! My wife and I recently returned from a FANTASTIC Honeymoon in Grand Cayman. We stayed at the AWESOME Hyatt Regency from July 4 - 9, 2004.

First of all, THANK YOU to Trip Advisor for so much information. We used it well and it contributed to a perfect trip to a first time destination.

We booked our trip through our travel agent at Peak Travel Group, Stella, and they booked it with Apple Vacations.

We were originally scheduled to fly out on Monday July 5 from Phoenix but Continental Airlines cancelled the flight and rebooked us on another flight that would have taken 11 hours plus 2 connections to get to Grand Cayman. Our original flight was 1 connection for a total of 6 hours to get to Grand Cayman. HOWEVER =) , our travel agent went to work for us and got us on the same shorter flight a day earlier AND the first night comped at the Hyatt!

When we got to the Hyatt, we were greeted with Mimosas and an upgrade from a Terrace Room to an Ocean View Suite (Thank You Kira and Mark). We had a lot of luggage and the Bellmen were fabulous. They took care of everything including transportation over to the ocean side and brought and placed everything in our room.

Within minutes of our check-in, a fruit basket was delivered with a Happy Honeymoon card from the General Manager. A few moments later, we received another knock on the door and were presented with a bottle of champagne on ice and a platter of chocolate-dipped strawberries with "Happy Honeymoon" written in chocolate on the platter.

The suite was excellent. If you go to, our suite is pictured right there on their main page. We were on the 4th floor (2nd floor from the top) and one room in from the right. It's the newest section of the hotel so everything seemed just right.

We had a seperate bedroom, TVs and ceiling fans in the bedroom and living room. There was a kitchen stocked with all of the amenities and appliances and a great honor bar. The bathroom was large with 2 rooms and 3 sinks. The tub was huge and round with a step on the inside. We had a living room with sofa and chairs. There was a kitchen table with place settings and a desk. The balcony was perfect for a nice view of the pools, swim-up bar, beach, ocean, and Hemingway's restaurant. The suite also had a large digital safe which we took full advantage of.

All of the service people were exceptional. All were very friendly and accomodating. They were more than willing to chat with you and make you feel like family. We had evening turn down service everyday and they cleaned and stocked our suite everyday. If we needed anything extra, all we did was leave a note and it was taken care of always. Our suite as well as the entire hotel was very clean and upkept. The grounds were so beautiful! They seemed to take a lot of pride in their hotel. We had room service for breakfast and that was terrific. The walk back to the "main" side was easy and relaxing.

There were always towels available and beach chairs too. The Bar service on the beach was fast and friendly and everything is conveniently charged back to your room. The Hyatt beach was busy but not overcrowded. The surrounding (non-Hyatt) properties were quiet and the people were scarce. We are so glad we chose the Hyatt!

We rented a Jeep Wrangler from the Avis at the Hyatt and we had the top off of it the entire time. The attendant working was very nice and friendly. He made it very easy for us and painless. We recommend making your reservation online at CaymanIslandsDiscounts. We reserved our Jeep for $42.75us per day compared to $54 and up advertised. We drove all around the island and were able to find our own private beaches and come and go as we pleased. We bought a "steel drum melodies" CD at a gift shop and played it loud. We almost ran over a huge green iguana (about 3 feet long). The busiest times were when the cruise ships were in but the roads still were not that bad, compared to the Bay Area =) . There was a little adjustment period getting used to the "roundabouts" when your driving on the "wrong" side of the road. We only got honked at a few times when we were driving on the wrong side of the road. Remember, these are the British West Indies. We also took a 50 minute timeshare tour of the Indies Suites to get $70 off our Jeep rental. Info for this is available at Avis. The tour is low pressure and makes you so glad you opted to stay at the Hyatt!

We enjoyed the restaurants and to name a few that are musts to go to are the Lone Star Grill (great beer by the bucket)(next to the Hyatt), Coconut Joe's, Lighthouse at Breakers was awesome (very romantic at night on the deck), Bamboo at the Hyatt was outstanding (great food and drinks-try the Green Flash), The Cracked Conch next to the Turtle Farm was cool too (try the turtle...it's good!).

We took Soto's for our snorkeling trip. It was about 3 hours and it went to Stingray City, the Reef, and 1 other stop. The captain was very funny and the shiphands were great. We bought the DVD ($60us) and it was worth it. We brought our own snorkeling gear too and it worked out fine. This trip costs $19ci. They picked us up and dropped us off at the Hyatt.

Turtle Farm was a favorite. They had a great souvenir store. The Turtle Farm is a must see!

Hell was cool. We went later in the afternoon and there weren't many people there. It's nice to go to say you've been there.

Grand Cayman was absolutely wonderful. There were no bugs or security issues. No panhandlers or anything like that. The locals were great. You didn't feel unwelcome and they were more than willing to take your picture for you. Take lots of money with you as things get expensive especially with the currency conversion.

VERY IMPORTANT: We'd also recommend that you take a taxi back to the airport as the transfer transporation (tropicana tours) picks you up about 75-90 minutes before your flight leaves. You just need more time than that to get your bags hand searched in the open after you had spent such a while trying to get them packed and closed up back at the hotel. Give yourself at least 2 hours once you get to the airport to get through security and the ticket counter. It's a small airport and not state of the art like most major US airports. It'll be about a 15 minute taxi ride from the Hyatt to the airport.

This was our first REAL trip together and well worth it. We will definately return to the Hyatt at Grand Cayman again to celebrate our Honeymoon.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Hope this helps!

My husband and I just came back from our first vacation in 3 years (read: we have 2 small children). We just couldn't wait for our trip and we weren't disappointed. After much research I selected the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman. I decided on the Regency Club room because it offered continental breakfast, afternoon cookies & juice, evening hors d'oeuvres & beer/wine, and late night desserts and cordials. It was nice not having to get dressed for breakfast: just roll out of bed and take the elevator down to the reception area. And when coming back after a long day at the pool or snorkeling, there's nothing better than having some snacks and wine before a shower. The hors d'oeuvres change nightly so there's a good variety.

The room was nice sized with a cute little balcony overlooking the pool (ask for one of these rooms in the Regency Club or else you'll be overlooking the parking lot/golf course for the same money). The closet was a little small but perhaps I had overpacked for a 7 night vacation! It was nice to have an in-room safe (free) but there was no refrigerator.

The Hyatt has 2 pool complexes: one near the Regency Club/lobby area and the other near the beach and the much more expensive suites. I must say the only negative was that the beach was about a 5-7 minute walk from our rooms and with the temps. near 95 with 100% humidity, it makes the walk that much longer. The rooms near the beach were about twice as much though so we endured the walk! I saw many a parent carrying their exhausted little ones back from the beach!

The hotel restaurants were okay except for Bamboo - it was EXCELLENT suishi. Call ahead for reservations. Sunday brunch was outrageously expensive at the Garden Loggia Cafe so skip it. Dinner at Hemingways by the beach was okay.

By far our best meal was at the Grand Ole House. My nephew got married there and the food and ambiance were excellent. Another good restaurant was the Rum Point Restaurant - it's affiliated with the Hyatt. You'll have to take the ferry from the Hyatt for about 45 minutes. I suggest going in the afternoon after lunch - the crowds will be leaving by then. Bring a change of clothes and then hit the restaurant afterwards. Be sure to time your dinner so that you'll catch the 9 pm ferry - it's the last one!

Of course you can't miss Stingray City. It was great. Don't bother booking with Red Sail Sports at the Hyatt - they're twice as much as one the tour we took. Check out Moby Dick tours - the boat leaves from the public dock near the Hyatt and for only $25 you get the same boat ride. They'll provide the snorkels and drinks, just bring towels.

We booked our hotel with Costco Travel, by far cheaper than any travel agent or online site. I wouldn't take the hotel transfer though, use the taxis that are readily available at the airport. You can get to the Hyatt for about $17 per trip.

We'll definitely return to the Caymans (and the Hyatt) again.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman for 6 nights and had a wonderful time.
Fortunately, our sister-in-law was able to get us quite a nice discount for the room. Even so, we were still upgraded to a King room, facing the courtyard/pool area, which is better than the parking lot (our original room).
Room was small but clean. It was cleaned a little late in the afternoon, and a few times we had to call and request to have it cleaned, but we were ok with it. There was a tiny terrace.
Grounds are beautifully kept, with ponds, waterfalls and marble statues everywhere. Quite peaceful, quiet and relaxing.
The pool on the hotel side was pretty small for a hotel of the Hyatt's size, but nice. A pool bar is always nice, even though the drinks are about $10 each. We didnt drink that much. We didnt go to the pool on the beach side, which looked too crowded for us. The hotel beach was crowded too, so we avoided it.
I must suggest one to rent a car on the island, to explore for yourselves and discover your own private beach, which we did every day. The island is clean, safe and its very easy to get around if you can read a simple map.
Food on the island is expensive so we went shopping at the grocery store and requested a small fridge for our room for breakfasts and lunches. It worked out perfectly and we only ate dinners out.
Service was good, except for the ladies at the Concierge desk, who had snotty attitudes and were not very helpful or accomodating.
All in all, the Hyatt was very lovely. We had a very relaxing, and fun vacation! We just loved the island. There are so many fun things to do, such as Stingray City, numerous beaches, and wonderful restaurants. Cayman is our new favorite vacation destination! ITS BEAUTIFUL!