A recent conversion from an independent, the Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman has undergone a refresh in preparation for its new life.

The room rates were quite reasonable – US$190 for a one bedroom suite at the AAA rate.

The unfortunate thing was that neither the taxi dispatcher nor the taxi driver knew where the Holiday Inn was. After a bit of discussion with the other drivers they identified that it used to be called the Grand Caymanian and we were off pretty quickly. The fare for the 15 minute journey was US$30.

On arrival I was very warmly welcomed to the hotel by the Receptionist who noted I was Priority Club Platinum and asked what sort of room I would like. I suggested a sea view hotel near the ocean and was given a room about 1/2 way between Reception and the ocean.

The property is a V-shape and the agent gave me a map to locate my room, which was on the first floor.

There are lifts at the end of each corridor making it easy to get to the room.

Upon entering the room, there is a corridor immediately in front. To the left is a full kitchen – oven, microwave, fridge etc.

There was cutlery, glasses and plates in the cupboard.

Beyond the kitchen is the living room, with a large TV, and exit to the balcony.

The view from the balcony was not very inspiring I am afraid:

There are a good selection of TV Channels available, although sometimes during the evening the TV service lost connection with the Satellite.

The bedroom, reached from the sitting room, is not large but adequate and the bed was very comfy. There was another TV here.

The bathroom had a very deep bath – deeper than I am used to, and two basins. Plenty of fresh clean, new towels are supplied which I always like.

During the early evening there was a shower which made the adjacent grounds even less attractive.

Going outside revealed that it was only about a 3 minute walk to beach where there were plenty of water based activities to enjoy. The beach was clean golden sand.

The grounds themselves are well tended and as the hotel was very quiet, most people seemed to be around the pool. It was a Sunday when I stayed.

The restaurant is located between the two arms of the hotel:

A classic Caribbean shot:

Having sat outside for some time, I returned to my room and watched a lovely sunset from my room:

I also discovered that the room had a washer and dryer in the corridor, which would be good if you were there for a while:

I returned to Reception to purchase a couple of soft drinks – $5 each- and to return to my room for Room Service. There was a good range on the menu – I suspect the same as is served in the Restaurant, and I had Penne Pasta with chicken:

Followed by Coconut Cream Pie:

I had booked a cab the day before, but when it was time to leave it had not arrived. The check-out agent was busily chatting on the phone, but I paid my bill and left. The cab then arrived. It seems that the driver had been trying to call the hotel to say she would be late but the phone was not being answered – I assume gossip was getting in the way of service.

OVERALL
A nice property, but if you were to come here for longer you would need a car to buy supplies. The location is near several golf courses, but little else, so unless you are a 100% sea/pool person you might get bored very easily here. The property has clearly had money spent on it and the rooms and staff were nice. This is the weekly activities sheet: