The Grand Caymanian Resort — Hotel in West Bay

We’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn Grand Cayman three times now, and it’s become our go-to spot on the island.||It’s not trying to be the fanciest place in town, but for the price, it really delivers. Check-in is always easy, and the front desk staff actually remembered us after our first visit, which made it feel like coming home.||The rooms are clean and comfortable, though they’re starting to show their age a bit. Luckily, the staff has always been quick to fix anything that needed attention. There’s a little shop in the lobby with snacks, drinks, and essentials, including beer and wine, which is super convenient. Depending on the season, there’s usually a concierge available too.||The location is a bit tucked away, so if you want to explore the island fully, a rental car is a good idea. There is a shuttle that goes to most of the major spots, which is great, but if you’re out late, you’ll probably need to take a taxi back. Still, the value here makes that a fair trade in our book.||The place really captures that resort feel. The pool is a nice size with plenty of seating, and the vibe is relaxed and easygoing. The beach out front isn’t really for swimming since it’s pretty rocky, but it’s a great place to hang out and watch the water. Water shoes help if you do want to go in. There’s a pier at the end that adds to the peaceful setting. If you’re looking for classic sandy beaches, the shuttle can take you to one on the west side that’s free and beautiful.||The restaurant on site is genuinely great. The food is good, the prices are fair, and they’ve got live music and events on some nights. Even if we weren’t staying there, we’d still come back for a meal.||The overall crowd tends to be more laid back. You’ll see more families here than at the high-end resorts, but it’s never been loud or chaotic. If you want a quiet getaway, you could easily spend your whole trip here and just leave for excursions. Most tours will pick you up directly, which makes it even easier.||One thing to be aware of is the weather. We visited in August once and the humidity in the mornings was intense. Just stepping outside was a lot. It usually got better by late morning, but it wasn’t super pleasant early in the day. When we visited in February, the weather was much more comfortable, so we’d recommend that time of year if you have the choice.||Overall, while the hotel isn’t perfect, the staff goes above and beyond to take care of guests and improve the property. That kind of effort is why we...

My family and I stayed at the hotel for 4 nights. Upon our arrival, we were checked into a dusty/dirty guest room with no HVAC. After 3 trips from maintenance and 1 trip from housekeeping, the room became acceptable; however, we still went to the nearby grocery store to purchase cleaning supplies to re-do it ourselves. The Housekeeper swept up old candy, wrappers, a tremendous amount of sand and a dirty/used band-aid. She was VERY apologetic. The next morning, more of the same with the HVAC. Engineering was called as the room was around 78 degrees. With our experience, we went and rented a day-use room at an upscale hotel on Seven Mile Beach . Came back to room around 7:30 PM and it was 82 degrees. . . even worse. They offered to move us to various different rooms; however, every room (3) that we went into had the same issue. . . HOT rooms. The entire corridor we stayed in was warm and musty smelling. We spoke with a lady in Housekeeping and the Front Desk and they offered to do a full clean of the room. . . this was done.

I asked that they contact the Manager and was told by the staff that they would have to leave a message for him - Mr. Green the GM who lives on-site at the property. The first night we arrived, he was called, but out. The next morning they called again and still no response. I asked that the GM call me regarding the issues never heard from him. I did receive a credit on the room - appreciated, but disappointed he didn't make an attempt to reach out.

The staff at the Hotel are good. There is one guy at the desk and a female server in the Blue Iguana restaurant (our first night) that seemed bothered anytime you asked for anything. The female server was even annoyed when we asked for towels after she spilled a glass of water on my son/mother.

Lloyd (Bellman/Driver), Henry & Eddie (maintenance) and the lady at the desk in the evening (Sheila/Shelly??) were wonderful. They would have stopped at nothing to ensure our stay was wonderful and we were enjoying our time.

The Hotel is surrounded by a beautiful golf course and while not on Seven Mile Beach, it is conveniently located to nearby beaches and convenient to get around. The Beach at the Hotel is something this Hotel should not market. . . there really is no beach. . . just a significant amount of rocks and debris to the beach.

This Hotel has a significant amount of potential and offers a good value for travelers not wanting to stay on Seven Mile Beach and the rooms...

This property is very pretty and very well kept, overall I enjoyed the stay but there are some pretty big issues you need to know before you book.

First, if you like laying on the beach and going in the water know that the beach is VERY rocky and the water is hardly accessible. There is a very skinny, rough concrete walkway into that water that is very slippery because it is covered in algae. BRING WATER SHOES!! you will be sorry if you don't. There is a lot of seaweed that they do not clean up everyday. I was there for 5 days and they only did it one time. If you want a nice beach you have to take the shuttle to other beaches on the other side of the island.

Second, this resort has only one restaurant and it has a very small menu. The food was great but if you or anyone in your party is picky, you might not be happy.

Lastly some of the staff left a lot to be desired!

I am Diamond Elite, I am supposed to be upgraded to the best available room for free. When I tried to check in there was a 2 room suite available but they refused to give it to me. They confirmed it was available but flat out refused to give it to me. They told me they would upgrade me to a 1 bedroom suite the next day but i ended up having to book a 2nd room on my points for the one night so my daughter would have her own bed. I begrudgingly did that and checked in to the 2nd room. 30 minutes later they call me and tell me they had an early checkout and moved me to a one bedroom suite after we had already started unpacking. I appreciate it but thus whole ordeal could have been avoided by just giving me the 2 room suite right away. Later in the week, my son and I went into the restaurant to watch a hockey playoff game. There was the 2 of us, another couple (who wanted to watch the same game) and one other person, no one else. It turned out they did not have the channel the game was on and that was fine, it happens. So i happened to have my bluetooth speaker with me so i pulled an app up on my phone so the 4 of us could listen to it. The bartender rudely said to 4 of the 5 customers he had in the bar "we are not doing this!". We were all in shock, he then said it again even louder. He drove us out of the bar and probably lost a couple hundred dollars in booze sales. He needs to work on his...