All Photos: Cayman Island Tourism Department.
Incredibly clean, safe and populated by some of the friendliest people on the planet, Grand Cayman is certainly one of the most beautiful and memorable islands in the Caribbean. I just spent five days on island at Engage! 11, a luxury wedding summit, which featured some talks and VIP sessions with some of the wedding industries elite including celebrity planners Mindy Weiss, Marcy Blum, Ceci Johnson and Randy Fenoli from TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress (he’ll actually be in Vancouver January 23 at Isabelle’s Bridal).
Engage! 11 was a phenomenal event where I learned what’s haute in the bridal biz, and in my downtime was able to explore the glorious Grand Cayman area. Miles of beach, endless sunshine, plush hotels, natural beauty and some of the world’s best diving and coral reefs—Grand Cayman has it all. Just a 1.5-hour flight from Miami (and 3.5 hour direct flight from Toronto), Grand Cayman is the largest of the three islands that comprise the Cayman Islands (Little Cayman and Cayman Brac complete the trinity). The island is perfect for a gorgeous destination wedding and honeymoon…here’s four things I particularly loved about it.
1. It’s Luxe. Grand Cayman has some great properties including The Caribbean Club, a boutique residence hotel located on a prime stretch of Seven Mile Beach; and The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman where I stayed. Also built on the shores of Seven Mile Beach, The Ritz is everything you want your romantic escape hotel to be—luxurious, and brimming with gorgeous little extras that only a property of this stature can deliver.
2. It’s a Natural Wonder. Stingrays, sea turtles, schools of tropical fish and rare blue iguanas are just a few of the wildlife wonders in Grand Cayman. The island is known as the birthplace of recreational diving in the Caribbean. Today there are more than 40 dive operators and 200 dive sites. Warm, calm waters and great visibility make this one of the best places to dive. Snorkeling also offers a spectacular snapshot of marine life. The best place to explore is Stingray City, where you can touch and feed stingrays—there are as many as two dozen human-friendly ones here.
3. It’s a Perfect Place to Pamper Yourself. How does every girl love to indulge herself? Shop and spa, of course! The absolute best thing about shopping in Grand Cayman? It’s loaded with bling (hello Harry Winston, Cartier and Tiffany) and all shopping here is tax-free. Check out the new Caymana Bay shops and restos, which is now the premiere shopping area on island. Post-shopping, keep up the “me” day by taking it back to The Ritz and floating into the heavenly Silver Rain La Prairie Spa. Modern and sensual, Silver Rain features all white and silver decor complete with lush chenille shag carpets, the plush Silver Haven lounge, and 17 treatment rooms, all of which are calm, serene and sensual. Our treatment pick: the 90-minute La Prairie Signature Facial. BLISS!
5. It’s a Dream Place to Plan A Destination Wedding. With so much sand and surf, the locations to have a wedding in Grand Cayman are vast. What you probably don’t know is that Grand Cayman is actually home to on one of the world’s premiere wedding planning companies, Celebrations. In business for 18 years, owner Joanne Brown and her staff of 50+ can do anything and everything for you (they have an in-house floral business and Celebrations warehouse of props is unparalleled). Earlier this year Celebrations teamed up with Toronto-based Platinum Events for Cayman destination weddings, which means planning a Grand Cayman event from Canada has never been easier!
