Marriott Grand Cayman: 7 Miles of Beach

The Marriott Grand Cayman Review is part of the Quest Around The Globe Trip Report which covers the following places:

• Las Vegas, Nevada 
• Grand Cayman 
• Cartagena, Colombia
• Medellin, Colombia
• Miami, Florida 
• Houston, Texas 
• Moscow, Russia
• St. Petersburg, Russia 
• Ayia Napa, Cyprus 
• Amman, Jordan 
• Abu Dhabi, UAE 
• New York, New York 

Here is the Picture Preview, the Excel Spreadsheet of all the points redemptions, and my CNN International Business Traveller segment which was filmed in Vegas.

Getting There: Taxis are damn expensive in the Cayman Islands. Rent a car if you want to explore the island or go to the official taxi stand and take a cab for $18.

Note: I stayed at the Marriott Grand Cayman before the SPG merger was complete. 

I’ve always wanted to go to the Cayman Islands. My dream was to arrive there via private plane with steel suitcases full of cash. Then I found out the penalties of money laundering and decided to keep my cash in my US high yield bank account which provides 0.00005% interest. Instead of a Learjet, I flew AA from MIA to GCM for only 7500 Avios and $5.60. Instead of my beach mansion, I decided to burn 80,000 Marriott points at Grand Cayman Resort. The price for two nights would have been $613. Out of pocket I paid around $100 because of the stupid resort fee.

Marriotts Generally 

My experience at Marriott hotels was mostly limited to my parent’s Arizona hotel of choice, the JW Marriott Scottsdale. The hotel is in need of an upgrade but I still enjoy aimlessly drifting, cerveza in hand, in the lazy river. Beyond that, I never cared to stay at Marriotts because I did not have any points and certainly did not have status.

The Hotel Itself 

Marriotts are consistent. The rooms are tidy, the landscaping is on point, and the service is professional.

You Have Not Been Upgraded 

It should come as no surprise, given my lack of status, that I did not receive a room with a view of the ocean. Instead, I had a view of the garden which is less exciting than a view of the parking lot. When I wrote the post Money Or Status? I’ll Take the Latter, readers told me that upgrades at Marriott are a rarity so I didn’t feel too bad. The room was a typical hotel room with a nice bed and decent shower. Honestly, so long as the AC works, who really cares about how nice the room is when you are in the Cayman Islands?

Bathroom

In case anyone was wondering what the bathroom looked like. Here it is:

Sleeping In 

No status? No problem. I didn’t have to wake up and eat the same tired omelette and bother other guests by taking pics of the cheese spread. By waking up at 11AM, like a normal person on vacation, I hit the pool and the beach refreshed.

Pool

It is too hot to sit around the pool. I came back after sunset to sit in the hot tub.

Ocean 

Seven Mile Beach is the perfect name for a beach that stretches for 11.2654 kilometers. My two days were spent drinking rum on the beach or running along it. This is why people come to the Cayman Islands. This is why people choose to pay the premium to stay on the beach. Every second not, is a second wasted.

Overall 

The Marriott Grand Cayman is a solid choice on an island that does not have many points options. I plan on returning to the Cayman Islands but next time I’ll buy, not rent.