The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman — Hotel in George Town

My husband and I stayed at the Ritz for 6-days and it was a beautifully redone hotel. To give a quick summary of the good and "things to consider" - Good: Service | 5/5: at any of the restaurants, concierge, check-in, bell-hops, etc., service was undeniably impeccable. Everyone was attentive, used our last name to address us, and genuinely had a great attitude at any time of the day. Reception was super helpful in checking us in, showing us to our room, giving us a guided tour of the resort, etc. We had also asked the Ritz to book all of our restaurant reservations in advance, which we would HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing - each restaurant gave us preferred tables and knew ahead of time that we were there for a celebratory vacation. Renovations | 5/5: the hotel was doing some construction to the Saint June restaurant during our stay. It wasn't a bother and it was nice to see the inside of the hotel got a beautiful refresh over the last 5-years. The gym was just opened that week and was stunning - everything you could possibly need for a great workout (there are 2 gyms on premise). Pools | 5/5: there was 1-quieter pool on the garden side with a waterpark for kids next to it, and 1-large pool on the beach side, both with the flag system to get drinks, food, towels, etc. Beach | 5/5: the beach was beautiful, clean, and lots of chairs with pop-up shades. The staff has 2 cabanas on either side stocked with sun screen (15, 30, and 50 I believe), aloe, ice cold water, and lens wipes for your sunglasses. A nice touch considering the amount of sunscreen you use! Another plus was the Diptyque amenities in the bathroom (shampoo/conditioner, lotion, soaps, etc.)

Communication could've been better on the following: *The biggest thing was the amount of walking... if you were elderly, pregnant, disabled, etc., there was a lot of walking throughout the resort with limited elevators and bathrooms in convenient places. Resort Size/Walking: I was pregnant and there was a LOT of walking. If you were on the beach and needed to go to the bathroom, about a 5-minute walk. To get from the garden side to the beach side, about a 7-minute walk. To get from the garden side/check-in area to our beach front room, about a 15-minute walk. Saint June, the restaurant on the beach, didn't have a bathroom, it was across from the pool, so more walking there... Elevators: again, there were 2 elevators for the entirety of the beach side and 2 elevators for the entirety of the garden side (which were on complete opposites of the resort with no connection). Once you were off of the elevator, it was a haul to get to your room depending on where it was located. Room | 4/5: when we checked in, upon a quick glance, the room was gorgeous. Well laid out, "clean", and had great amenities. It wasn't until we settled in that there were some things that could've been better - 1. we opened the curtains and when we pulled them back, there was a sock from a previous guest, leading us to think maybe the room wasn't so thoroughly cleaned..., 2. the AC said it went down to 68 degrees but stayed at a constant 70 degrees. If you turned on the room fan (3 settings), the highest made it sound like a wind turbine was going off above you, 3. lighting was good/bad - a lot of lamps and switches to use but not 1 main source of lighting so you were constantly going around the room flicking on/off switches, 4. the bathroom had no fan and was by far the hottest part of the room. The robes weren't plush and were thin (even though we were on the Penthouse floor), and the toilet area and shower were smaller than expected.

Needless to say, the "bad" things weren't bad, but for a Ritz, we held a higher standard.

We did have a wonderful time at the beach, and the spa was BEAUTIFUL - we'd recommend booking a massage during your stay. The staff were all super helpful, friendly, and the resort itself was clean and sanitary. Overall we'd love to give the resort a 5/5 but there were little things for a Ritz hotel that could have...

Our family's weeklong stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was truly phenomenal from start to finish. We booked a package through Costco Travel which provided outstanding value on a 2-Queen Room in the Ocean Tower with a balcony overlooking the pool and sparkling Caribbean Sea.

Let's start with the location. This property is right on Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach, one of the BEST beaches in the Caribbean, if not the world. (My husband and I have been to many Caribbean beaches and this is our absolute favorite.) With true white sand beaches that somehow don't get hot!?, crystal clear blue-green water, and access to an unending supply of recreational amenities, restaurants and entertainment, this resort is truly located in the perfect spot. And just 15 minutes from the airport! The resort itself is in immaculate condition from top to bottom. Magnificent design, gorgeous live floral arrangements, local artwork, and sleek, modern touches continuously reminded us we were somewhere special...to the guests AND all who work there.

Although I had carefully combed through the resort website, reviews and even videos, we were amazed at how much there was to do for our family of four (two adults and two 9 year-olds) right on property. The RCGC's magnificent beach is equipped with floats, paddle boards, sail boats, jet skis, and some of the best off-beach snorkeling anywhere; two marvelous pools with food and beverage service to match; a sprayground area and basketball courts; a game room; a children's program; a spa; several upscale retail options; and 5+ amazing sit-down dining options. (And OH MY was the food divine at those restaurants...Seven and Taikun being our favorites!) We were even able to rent a private speedboat from Red Sail Sports for an additional snorkeling excursion and banana boat ride right off the beach.

Let me tell you that the RCGC has reached a particularly expert level in children's hospitality. Our kids loved the Ambassadors of the Environment programs (snorkeling, acheology and Cayman Connection), as well as the many small touches around the resort catering to children, such as a welcome drink and snack, a 'scavenger hunt' collecting signatures from the staff hailing from literally all over the world, a fully stocked game room, pool floats and toys, and a whimsical children's shop. They also had a fabulous time visiting the nearby Cayman Turtle Centre on one of our first days when the surf was rough from a distant Hurricane Idalia, as well as Stingray City.

So if this somewhow hasn't come through already...it's the staff at the RCGC who truly take a trip to this resort from lovely to truly memorable. Each and every employee greeted us by name, with a smile and immediately jumped in to help us with whatever possible need or desire we had. They frequently anticipated ways to enhance our vacation without being asked! Every single request, no matter the size or significance, was treated with care and a timely response. And the staff were extraordinarily sweet to our children, remembering their likes and dislikes, warmly providing requested signatures, teaching them about their home countries, and even introducing us to the resort's General Manager. It was a charming experience meeting ALL of the professional and caring staff of this property, and we were truly touched by their hospitality and warmth.

I honestly could not have imagined a more perfect vacation experience for our family. We woke up and went to sleep each day with smiles on our faces. From the convenience and beauty of the location... to the wealth of recreation and dining options... to the personalized service provided by its staff, a stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman is an experience not...

For those that don't want to read my entire review here is the TLDR - I would look elsewhere even if you want to stay at a Marriott check out the Westin I do not see the value in staying here after spending $22,000 for five nights I just don't see it and I think there's a lot better options out there. Get ready to pay some fees, and automatic 20% tip on everything. I like tipping but i like it to be based on service provided, not auto tipping. You pay for every item you want because it all adds up quickly, there are much better places you can go for the money than here in the Carribean in my opinion, now don't get me wrong it's a nice resort and not really lacking but for the $22,000 I just spent for five nights I just expected more, my 2 rooms were on the resort side of the road, so we weren't even on the beach side near the beach, the rooms are nice but nothing over the top, you get a bed and a TV a wet bar a couch and a table and that's it and you better watch your bill because they put on a service fee of $150 daily and a resort fee of $100 daily and everything comes with an automatic 20% tip even on food and on your room and on everything so for what we spent I think we could go to another island or another Resort and get a whole lot more for our money. The beach is nice & the sky bridge to cross the street isn't that bad so no real issue there, the buffet every morning is $50 a person whether it's a 2-year-old or a 82 year old and it has some decent restaurants here but just make sure you budget for all the fees and all the food and all the drinks because it adds up quickly I guess I've just been to other islands and other Resorts where this amount of money spent gets you a lot more so if you want a nice resort that doesn't have a lot of Riff Raff loud music or party scene that is elegant and nice then this could definitely be for you but boy the value I don't see it and I am comparing this to 35 years of traveling the Caribbean and probably 40 Resorts I've stayed at with my wife. Now what they do excel at a service every service person here is amazing and I highly come in them on the service they provide it is one of the best I've seen as far as service but boy you do pay a price for it also I recommend renting a car if you're going to go eat out at night because the taxis sure do add up price-wise and the pricing varies depending on what taxi you get into so know that it's almost like it's negotiable because one night one Taxi Driver charged us a whole lot more than the others had and then I complained and he followed me into the restaurant and apologized and tried to refund it so just keep a heads up on what they are charging you. Also you don't need a car service or transfer service specifically getting from the airport to the hotel just take any taxi they're all safe it's not like it's Cancun where you got to watch who you're riding with all the taxi drivers are friendly and it's a quick trip from the airport to the hotel. I will say at least the air conditioner works and the ceiling fans are very good we never got hot like we have in some resorts in the Caribbean where they have ACs that cannot cool. Also if you want chairs on the beach you better get up and out there at 6:00 a.m. every morning if you want front row that is so if front row lounge chairs on the beach are important to you be out there at 6 a.m. maybe 6:15 at the...