| Arrival |
| Hotel Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa |
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KellyBurlingtonOntarioCanada >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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April 19-26. Our family of four, including two teenagers 14 & 16, arrived via Air Canada from Toronto in the early afternoon of Sunday, April 19th and were greeted by a lovely warm sun and a short lineup at the immigration booths directly inside the airport entrance.
After approximately ten minutes we were directed through to the luggage area where all the luggage had already been stacked in a corner. Following collection of our luggage then had a second line up with the customs dept; showing our passports and paperwork again so don't put it away until you actually exit the airport.
Once outside the airport it was a 60 second walk across the parking lot to our car rental agency called Andy's. There was no one in line and we were quickly assigned our compact vehicle for the week. What some reviews have said about Andy's is correct, the vehicles are a tad beat up but in good running order. You won't win any beauty contests driving them but they did the job of taking us around the island so we were pleased.
Grand Cayman Islands has a very British feel to it and indeed the driving is on the opposite side of the road. This did take some getting used to for my husband but within minutes he was fine.
It takes approximately 15 minutes to drive from the airport to The Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa along a relatively busy stretch of road. The Westin is located just after the Ritz on the left hand side and directly across the street from the Eats Cafe, Legendz Bar and Grill and Yoshi Sushi Restaurants. There is plenty of free parking and you will be met at the front entrance by two doormen who are more than willing to assist you with your luggage.
Inside the hotel you will find a conceirge desk and an excursion desk to the right of the entrance that is manned the entire day and very helpful and also the check in desk to the left that had three very friendly clerks on duty. BY this time it was 3:00pm and our rooms were ready for us. They have the swipe card system for the doors, much easier than carrying around keys and as well you are assigned a mini bar key and instructions about using the safe. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
At the resort there is a company called Red Sail that operates on the property at the entrance to the right at the beach. They offer a number of rentals that you pay for my charging it to your room or paying via cash or credit card on site. We rented the wave runners ($75.00 US per half hour for a single rider or $95.00 US per half hour for a double rider). As well we rented a hobie cat for sailling and it cost $50.00 for one hour.
There is a very active snorkelling site directly in front of the Governor's House just next door to The Westin and within swimming distance. It is marked for anyone interested in going out there. I suggest you bring snorkelling equipment, nothing expensive, just the mask and snorkel from Walmart or Target will do. If you forget it though, you can rent the equipment at Red Sail and it costs $15.00 US for 24 hours.
In addition to the above mentioned rentals there are also snorkelling trips that include wave runners, there are catamarran cruises off the beach, windsurfing equipment and banana boat rides. The banana boat rides cost $15.00 US for a 15 minute ride along the coast line.
We did take three excursions while we were on the island and I would recommend each of them! The first excursion we took was the Stingray Tour with Captain Marvin's Tours who are located in the same plaza as Eats Cafe. We met the group at that location and were bused ten minutes down the road to Marvin's dock. If you get sea sick or suspect you might, I HIGHLY recommend you take a couple gravol before departure. We brought it along and are grateful we did because there were those on board who didn't and suffered on the trip.
Once boarded on the boat, we rode out to the first of three sights, two of them were snorkelling sites and the last being the sand bar where the delightful stingrays are located. I highly recommend you spend time with these creatures as they are simply amazing to watch and feel and experience. It was one of the highlights of our vacation and something we'll always remember.
The second excursion was the Atlantis Submarine located in the downtown core next to the cruise ship loading area. Once again I HIGHLY recommend you take a couple gravol before departure because prior to getting on the submarine, you will have a 15 minute ride from the dock to the vessel. The submarine takes you down approximately 110 feet and allows those of us who don't scuba dive to experience the life that is taking place below the water. We loved this excursion and we wouldn't hesitate to go again the next time we're on the island.
The final excursion we did was the Boatswain Turte Farm. It is a hands on facility that has turtles ranging in size from the size of your palm to enormous and they appear to be well cared for and well feed. With an all day pass you are also granted access to a refreshing swimming lagoon that is quite deep so be warned about that, as well as a reef swimming area stocked with fish, iguanas and turtles to swim along with and a nice little beach area to relax following a walk around the park. If you do wish to swim in the reef part, the snorkel and mask is free of charge to use. In addition there is an aviary to walk through and a shark feeding that takes place with the handlers on site to answer questions. This excursion was the favourite for our teenagers and allowed us some fantastic photos of the turtles being held by them. Boatswain is located approximately 15 minutes down the road from The Westin and provides lots of free parking directly across the street from the main building with a spectacular view of the bay. I'd have to say that this is a must see in your vacation plans. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Seven Mile Beach directly in front of the Westin is the most amazing stretch of beach we have ever experienced on vacation in the caribbean. It is the whitest sand, the clearest water, and the prettiest area we could have asked for.
The beach never seemed crowded with lots of room to roam and if you love the beach but can't sit in direct sunlight, there are no umbrellas but there are many large Casuarina trees lining the area directly to the right and left of the pool bar. Our routine was mornings at the pool and when the sun came out full force we would head to the beach shade for a relaxing afternoon of reading. I love the sun but members of my family can't have full sunshine so we got the best of both worlds. There are no complaints about this beach!!!
The pool is considered the largest resort pool on the island and I really can't understand those who complain about it. There were days where my family was the only one in the pool! When there were others in it, it didn't seem crowded and the wait at the swim up bar never seemed to take more than just a few moments. We went to the resort the third week of April so perhaps that is the difference between us and others who complained about the population in the pool. The pool was refreshing; never too cool or too warm, it was cleaned early each morning and the landscaping around it was very tropical and upkept. The lounge chairs at the pool had cushions and Westin lounge covers on them and there was never any problem finding a place to sit. We didn't rush down at 6:00am every morning to save a spot like we've had to at some Dominican resorts.
On the grounds you will find a number of lizards and iguanas ranging in size from the size of your pinky finger, to the size of your palm to a beautiful mid sized iguana. They are all vegetarian, more scared of you than you should ever be of them and they are simply fun to watch. One day while we were sitting at the pool a very big iguana wandered by slowly, stopped at a fountain for a drink and casually planted himself by a lounge chair. The pool attendant heard people talking about it, came over and shooed him up a tree. Don't be concerned in the least, it is quite an experience to see them living wild when we only see them caged here in Canada. |
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| Other Comments |
| My husband and I had visited Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands on two seperate occasions 10 and 12 years ago while on cruises in the caribbean but never more than just a few hours anchored in port. This vacation allowed us to experience the island for 7 nights and 8 days, and is a vacation that was truly memorable and perfect. The beach is second to none, the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa was our perfect home base and the excursions fit our family dynamic to a tee. I read reviews prior to going on this vacation and have read reviews since that complain about the Westin as being "shabby", tired, or "less than the Ritz", and I simply don't understand what kind of standards these people are comparing to. The Westin is a fantastic option for families or couples. The landscaping around the resort is lovely, the rooms are great, the service is top notch and the staff was friendly and helpful. Special thanks to Nathalie in reservations for answering so many of my questions prior to arrival and seeing that our adjoining rooms were looked after. Her friendliness and personal welcome was customer service at it's best! We strolled by the Ritz beach area acouple times just down the shore line and found the chairs stacked and crowded. As well, we walked around their hotel one evening and found it very lovely looking but also very cold....not welcoming like the Westin. I highly recommend the Westin for your next vacation and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at kcponce at hotmail.com. I'll be happy to help with anything you need to know. This was a 10 out of 10 on the vacation scale and the only complaint is that we only had a week. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
There is a pool bar, lobby bar and two restaurants on the premises. The pool bar is divided into the beach side and the swim up bar with atleast two bartenders working this bar at all times. As well there are 5-6 friendly and helpful female servers who take your drink and food orders at your chairs at the pool and beach from 11am until approximately 6pm. They are all dressed in the same clothes and were helpful in suggesting new drink options during our week.
The lobby bar is the busiest in the evenings from Tuesday till Saturday when they have the professional piano player performing from 8:30pm - 11:30pm. He is not the piano bar guy you might be expecting; the type who sings and plays along to Billy Joel or Elton John tunes. He is classically trained and is very impressive, playing scores from films you might recognize along with the classics. He has a tip jar but I rarely saw anyone stepping forward to leave anything in it.
We did not eat at either of the restaurants during our stay. We looked at the menu but like so many of the things on the island, they seemed very expensive when converted into the Cayman C.I. currency. Instead I suggest that if you are going to be staying at the Westin as a family, eat your breakfast at Eats Cafe, your lunch at Legendz Bar and Grill and your dinner at either of them. These restaurants are directly across the street from the Westin, no more than a one minute walk from the front entrance of the hotel, and it has something on the menu for everyone at prices that were reasonable. If you are from Canada, the restaurant Legendz is very similar to the fare you'd find at a Kelsey's Restaurant and if you are from the US, I'd compare to an Applebees or TGIF. Our teens never had an issue finding meals that interested them and these restaurants allowed us to stick to our budget. In eight days, seven nights we spent $1200 US for our food. That includes soda, no alcoholic beverages during these meals (saved the drinking for the beach and pool:-)
Eats and Legendz is owned by the same person and managed by the same group of people along with the sushi restaurant next to it called Yoshi Sushi. My husband and I enjoyed Yoshi but the teens didn't so I'd suggest sticking to the first two options with your kids and save the sushi place for a date night.
The servers and management at this group of restaurants was top notch, incredibly friendly and helpful in suggesting things to do and places to go on the island. Krista at Eats in the morning, Jessica at Legendz for lunch and dinner were fantastic!!!! They made our vacation even more enjoyable with their super service, remembering us each day with our arrival. |
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| Rooms |
Prior to our arrival we had requested adjoining rooms on a higher floor with a view of the ocean and the pool and we were not disappointed. Our rooms were 546 & 548, and they did not disappoint. Inside the room you will find an electronic room safe on the floor of the closet, plenty of hangers, an ironing board and iron and a stand for your luggage case. As well, we requested a king size bed and the kids had two doubles, with both sets being the Westin Heavenly beds. They were indeed very heavenly!
The washroom is divided into two sections, one being the average size tub, a vanity sink with large mirror and a shelf under the vanity for storing supplies. Next to this area is a water closet, just a small space with a door for the toilet. The entrance to the bathroom is french doors opening inward. I have read reviews from people who had issues with the washrooms, but they seems just fine to me.
There was also a small table and two chairs inside the room but we didn't really find a use for them as we were never in the room long enough to sit down for a drink or a meal. As well there was a dresser with 5 drawers for your clothes which also held the flat screen television on top and the mini bar fridge down below and hidden by a door. If you are not planning on buying anything from the mini bar but you want to store your own beverages inside, there is room for that, it just takes a bit of reorganizing. Be warned though that the hotel asks that you not take out their mini bar supplies because it makes it difficult for the staff to keep track that way and you'll be charged. We had 12 canned beer from the duty free and our kids had a bunch of sodas in theirs and there was still room to be had.
The biggest selling point for this room though is the spectacular view of the beautiful blue ocean and the pretty pool directly below. It is not a huge balcony but it does have two rod iron chairs for a sit down in the evening as the sun sets over the palm trees. Paradise. |
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