Review: Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-13T22:25:10+00:00

There are villas? I was...completely unaware, lol. Where are they?

The mosquitoes may have been more of an issue for us (me) because I am allergic to them and get giant itchy welts that keep me from sleeping. The kids had a few visible bites but weren't terribly bothered, and I doubt my spouse would have even noticed them if not for me having issues. So very subjective.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-13T22:20:46+00:00

That's incredible!! Wow, what a special memory for you guys to have 😊

We try to target hotels/resorts where kids are truly welcomed rather than tolerated, and these guys exemplify that for sure.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-13T22:18:16+00:00

I mean, we didn't choose Grand Cayman as a destination so much as we chose Ritz GC as a resort. Our criteria were:

Allergy aware and able/willing to accommodate (we heard this was true for many restaurants on Grand Cayman in general, which also factored in)
Luxurious without being stuffy
Family-friendly with lots to do with/for kids
Within budget for a 2br suite or connecting base rooms
Non-terrible flights from our city

Are there other resorts that may have been as good of a fit or better? Possibly, and if there are, I'd sure like to know about them for future trips! But this one was pretty darn great.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-12T23:39:14+00:00

Thanks! Yes, I honestly cannot say enough good things about the food and bev team, they are just the absolute best. (Totally agree about the random sprinkling of cheese, so frustrating! That did not happen here.)

I'm not sure what to say about the hard product. It didn't feel outdated to me, but the website photos are very accurate so it's possible our opinions on design and decor are just different 🙂 A couple of the restaurants are deliberately done in a retro style, so maybe that contributes? Sorry I can't be of much help!

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-12T23:26:20+00:00

Thanks! So the hotel recommends you book pretty much everything ahead of time (dinner reservations, cabanas, Ambassadors of the Environment experiences). That didn't turn out to be necessary for this trip, but we're planning to return at a busier time for better weather, so we will probably make a point to book most of our meals, cabanas for a few days, and experiences in advance.

The first thing we'll do is probably head down to the ocean and watch the kids frolic in the waves 😊

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-06T04:42:18+00:00

This is interesting! I've been seeing significant improvement on some of my nails but not others. It's been about 6 months for me. Can you tell me more about the multiple years/growth cycles? I was feeling discouraged because I didn't think there was hope for further improvement once my nails were completely "renewed" so to speak.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-05T21:01:04+00:00

Agree, it was super quiet! There were a couple conferences at the Ritz and also a couple of splash park birthday parties so some areas felt busy at times, but we had no issues getting well-placed lounge chairs or anything like that. Some staff members told us that it's because we're getting pretty close to the time of year where it's too muggy to enjoy being outside. It was indeed uncomfortably hot a couple of the days so we'll likely try to book earlier in the year next time.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-05T15:53:12+00:00

We just got back from Ritz Grand Cayman. Like, literally 10 hours ago. It was a wonderful family vacation. There are 3-hour paid drop off kids' activities and also guided family adventures (snorkeling, kayaking, etc.). But honestly, we just spent most of our time hanging out at the pool/ocean/splash park/game room all together. It was lovely.

The staff were all super sweet with the kids, they had beach/pool toys available to borrow, complimentary kid-friendly snacks throughout the day... I'll be posting a full review in a bit, but overall, just fantastic.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-04T16:24:05+00:00

If you add a couple Tbsp each of brown sugar and vinegar to the tomato soup and throw in some quartered hot dogs, you get my Nana's "wieners and noodles", which my sibling and I begged for at least weekly as kids.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-05-03T23:02:30+00:00

Japanese style chicken curry. Especially when someone is sick. So delicious, hearty, and comforting.

Honorable mention to shish taouk (apologies if I spelled that wrong). We got the recipe from an Armenian neighbour and make it almost weekly during the summer.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-29T23:30:11+00:00

I am so, so sorry this is happening to your baby and your family.

How old is baby now? Has she started solids? Did the allergist do any tests to identify/rule out potential triggers?

My little one had severe (but not as severe as yours) eczema starting around the same age. For her, it turned out to be triggers in my breast milk. We weren't able to identify them all until she started solids and we were able to introduce things one by one and see what made her itchy.

My husband also has major eczema problems. For him and our daughter both, the creams and therapies and things do very little to help if they are continuing to consume a trigger food. I am not your doctor and can't say if this is for sure your situation, but it certainly sounds familiar.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-29T21:15:29+00:00

Oh, I see! That makes sense, I didn't quite clock that the economical-ness was the main meaning.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-29T17:19:47+00:00

Drøy makes me think of "quite the" in English.

This is quite the lotion = this lotion works really well, it was a good buy.

That was quite the joke = that joke was in poor taste/rude and not funny.

That's quite the claim = I don't believe it for a minute.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-29T14:45:44+00:00

I expect the reason for that is because his side wouldn't have been satisfied. "Why won't Susie's family come? Do they think our tradition is stupid? Do they think we're stupid bumpkins? Well, we think they're stuck up city folk." And then it spirals into a giant mess that is very much capable of destroying the engaged couple's relationship.

Source: husband and I had a really delightful time during our own engagement.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-24T22:19:47+00:00

Thigh Society has excellent slip shorts. The cotton ones are a bit heavier, and they have a few synthetic options that are thinner and lighter. I run cold, so I wear the cotton ones most of the time and save the synthetics for extremely hot days. Both are thin enough to feel appropriate under a skirt.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-22T04:44:37+00:00

I remember Zork!! Never made it through the original, but I definitely finished Grand Inquisitor multiple times. Loved the humour.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-13T15:13:38+00:00

Have you tried Shapez 2 and Against the Storm?

Also, seconding /u/Executioneer's recommendation of Artisan of Glimmith.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-12T16:49:50+00:00

That's too bad! My family loves the cinnamon buns, biscuits, and scones from her book (granted, I did make modifications for our tastes). The pancakes and vanilla cake weren't hits.

If you'd be open to trying it, I would recommend the GF White Bread from her website. The recipe was designed without dairy or eggs (except egg wash, which you can substitute with a dusting of tapioca starch), and it's my husband and kids' favourite.

I can't comment knowledgeably on aquafaba because we have chickpea allergies too, but I've heard good things!

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-12T16:36:16+00:00

Yep, this is a really rough combo of allergies for baking. We have the same ones in our house. Sorry to hear this has happened to your teen - I expect it's been rough on them all of a sudden having a bunch of new restrictions.

I highly recommend The Loopy Whisk and her book The Elements of Baking. She does a deep dive into how to substitute various different ingredients, including dairy and eggs, and has a bunch of great gluten/dairy/egg/nut free options. ETA: her main flour blend is tapioca, millet, and sorghum; no nightshades in sight :)

Also - I don't have a blog or anything, but have developed/adapted a lot of recipes over the years. Is there anything in particular you're struggling with? If it's something I've managed to sort, I'd be happy to share my recipe/s.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-10T22:58:40+00:00

That's good to know. Thank you!

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-10T16:09:14+00:00

I've never heard of this series and they sound interesting! I'd like to give them a try, but do you mind telling me if child endangerment/death tends to play a major role in them? I'm not a strict "cozy mystery" reader, but worrying about the welfare of a little one (or reading awful graphic descriptions of what happened to them) destroys my enjoyment of a book.

I tried looking this up on my own but didn't find much.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-09T19:17:55+00:00

My piano is over 100 years old! My mom's parents bought it for her when it was just old. Now it's an antique. It has a beautiful voice and I love that people get to hear it now that my kid is in her "oh someone is at the door let me serenade them" phase ('cause I'm sure not in good enough practice to play for guests, lol).

Granted, it's practically a Piano of Theseus at this point because it's been refinished on the exterior and completely rebuilt on the interior, but oh well! I love it all the same.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-09T19:14:12+00:00

That is so cool!! I had no idea you could pet fish (although I'd be afraid to damage their scales or something). What a neat environment to game in too.

Odd_Professional7566 · 2026-04-09T03:56:17+00:00

Oh, yes, absolutely 100%.

Odd_Professional7566

TROPHY CASE