This was our second family vacation to Grand Cayman in the British Virgin Islands and definitely not our last.  Also known as the Tortugas for it's large population of turtles, this is a great place to take the family for some r&r on the beach.  We stayed at The Westin on 7 mile beach, which is a funny name for a beach that's not 7 miles!  I guess that's like Island time, just a rough estimate!  No matter how you measure, every inch is beautiful coral sand!  The Westin is located about half way down the beach, which we feel is important because it's too far for the "Cruisers" to walk to.  Also, the beach is really wide and plenty of space for everyone to set up camp.  Speaking of camp, the kids camp is great!  Our daughter was more than happy to spend part or parts of the day at the camp.  They go on expeditions to different places on the island, have lots of fun activities on the hotel property, and offer evening "camp" so you can go out for a "grown-up" dinner a couple of times!  Dinner, yum!  The food at the Westin, and on Grand Cayman in general is very good!  You can spend a fortune, or seek out quaint little places on the island that offer up some very tasty meals at reasonable prices.

     Our favorite activities were walking the beach to restaurants, horseback riding with Nicki (our second time with her), an excursion with Red Sail to Stingray City (an absolute must!!!), kayaking right behing the Westin (they don't let you go very far unfortunately), and snorkeling right there near the Westin.  We saw so many different fish, each time out I saw something different; nurse sharks, reef squid, queen triggerfish, porcupine fish, you name!  Next time down, we will be checking out the people at AMBASSADORS OF THE ENVIRONMENT.  Located within the Ritz Carlton, this company offers some amazing adventures.  This is a story on it's own.  I had a very good discussion with them about the Dolphin centers on the island.  They didn't have much good to say, they had turned down an offer to team up with one of the companies due to, let's say, some long paper trails, and probably some of the stuff I've listed below that I found out.  Anyhow, if you go, you should definitely check them out, they do night snorkels for kids ages 8+ or adult only night snorkels and many other activities.

     The biggest dissappointment was the Dolphin Discovery.  I didn't do my research beforehand and they wouldn't give a refund once there.  The local papers and the locals have mixed feelings, most of them not good.  Mainly the corruption, the lack of permits, the destruction of reef from the sewage, and the worst, a dolphin that a Mexican fisherman found floating that had been attacked by a shark.  The dolphin was more than capable to be released back into the wild, in my opinion (and a few others), but I asked if that was going to happen and the answer was a firm no.  Which is my answer if anyone asks if I'll go back there again!

     Overall, I give Grand Cayman a double thumbs up for families!

Thom Schuchaskie