# Morritts Tortuga questions



## Ann-Marie (Jul 10, 2016)

I have a 2BR and a 1 BR unit for the Morritts Grand in April 2017. Now I have 3 children and their spouses and children who all want to be there the same week. Since the Grand is so difficult to get, I thought I would try for the Tortuga. My husband and I stayed at the Tortuga a few years ago in a 2BR. Even though it was very dated, we loved the location. There were 2BR upstairs and living room and kitchen downstairs. 
This is what I am questioning.  What is the layout for the 1BR and the Suites? Would they be in a totally different building?  We were in the building by the swim up bar. 
The other question is that there are the new buildings closer to the beach. Are they part of the Tortuga trade?  
Thanks.


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## shorts (Jul 11, 2016)

All of the Tortuga buildings have a mix of unit types. There are 2 bedroom townhouses like you described and also a 2 bedroom penthouse which is all on one floor. The one bedroom units sleep 4 with a pull out couch. The bathroom is accessible from both the bedroom and the living room. The studio units are small without a separate seating area, just the bed. I wouldn't recommend it.

The Tortuga Resort consists of the pool side units, the wooden ocean front building, the Seaside building and the newest Londoner building (although I believe Londoner has its own listing in II). Usually on an RCI trade into Tortuga you get a pool side unit. They are currently renovating these a building at a time. I believe they are on the fifth one now. The renovated units are extremely nice!  

So in essence, no matter what size unit you book, you could possibly be put in any of the Tortuga buildings. You may luck out and get ocean front or a renovated unit! But if not, even though a bit dated, the un-renovated pool side units are clean and you are in Grand Cayman!


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## Ann-Marie (Jul 11, 2016)

Thanks so much Vicki.  Great help.


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## silentg (Sep 6, 2016)

shorts said:


> All of the Tortuga buildings have a mix of unit types. There are 2 bedroom townhouses like you described and also a 2 bedroom penthouse which is all on one floor. The one bedroom units sleep 4 with a pull out couch. The bathroom is accessible from both the bedroom and the living room. The studio units are small without a separate seating area, just the bed. I wouldn't recommend it.
> 
> The Tortuga Resort consists of the pool side units, the wooden ocean front building, the Seaside building and the newest Londoner building (although I believe Londoner has its own listing in II). Usually on an RCI trade into Tortuga you get a pool side unit. They are currently renovating these a building at a time. I believe they are on the fifth one now. The renovated units are extremely nice!
> 
> So in essence, no matter what size unit you book, you could possibly be put in any of the Tortuga buildings. You may luck out and get ocean front or a renovated unit! But if not, even though a bit dated, the un-renovated pool side units are clean and you are in Grand Cayman!


thank you, this is helpful to me too. We just exchanged into a 2 bedroom at Moritts Tortuga resort for November 2017. Others have recommended Grand Cayman so this will be our first visit there! Any suggestions for us would be great!
Silentg


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## thetsguru (Sep 9, 2016)

We stayed at the Morritts in June.  We stayed at the Londoner which is Morritt's newest unit.  It was very nice.  We loved the Grand Caymans.  It was easy to drive around even though they drive on the other side of the road.  

There is an australian bar / restaurant about 5 minutes away.  They have a good happy hour and it is fun to watch them feed the birds.  I would also highly recommend Rum Point.  It was a nice little beach with some activities.

Starfish point was also pretty cool and it is by Rum Point.  Reach out with any other questions!


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## Suesue1738 (Oct 8, 2016)

*we didn't rent a car...but first-timers may want one*

We have been to Grand Caymen, 5 times, with our 6th visit coming up in July.  Last summer, we decided not to rent a car.  We took the shuttle ( I think it was $20-25 per person).  There are 2 restaurants that will pick you up at Morritts and take you to their restaurant for dinner and then bring you back.  Eagle Rays and Tuka (not sure if I spelled that one correctly).  Anyway, nice water-front dining and the lobster was about half the price of having lobster at Morritts.  Also at Tuka, you can go early and feed the huge birds (we called them pterodactyls so much, that now I can't remember what they really are!  Haha!)

As a first-timer, I would recommend a car though, so you can drive over to the other side of the island and go to Sting ray city, and also take the short drive over to Queen Elisabeth Botanical Garden to see the huge blue iguanas, that are endangered.  Very cool!


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## Blaaamo (Oct 24, 2016)

I've never been to The Cayman's, but I want to go there in December. I've heard there is really good scuba diving there and would like to make a couple of dives. After reading the reviews here it seems like Morrit's Club is nicer than Grand and the Grand nickle and dime's you there too. Is that true? 
Does it matter where on the island you stay for your first time? I want to dive, but that's not my only reason for going, I want to see and do some of the other things Grand Cayman has to offer. 

Anything else I should know, like Rum and Starfish points are very welcome.


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## shorts (Oct 25, 2016)

Blaaamo said:


> I've never been to The Cayman's, but I want to go there in December. I've heard there is really good scuba diving there and would like to make a couple of dives. After reading the reviews here it seems like Morrit's Club is nicer than Grand and the Grand nickle and dime's you there too. Is that true?
> Does it matter where on the island you stay for your first time? I want to dive, but that's not my only reason for going, I want to see and do some of the other things Grand Cayman has to offer.
> 
> Anything else I should know, like Rum and Starfish points are very welcome.



The Grand and Tortuga Club are really all the same resort. They share the same check in office, restaurants and all the amenities and activities. The Grand is 2 buildings with elevators and all units are ocean front. So if you exchange in into the Grand you are guaranteed ocean front and all of the units have recently been renovated.

The Tortuga Club is much larger and made up of many different type of units. There are pool side buildings which are currently undergoing renovations. The renovated units are very nice! The others are dated but clean. Pool side buildings are 3 stories and do not have elevators.

There are 3 different ocean front buildings. One is wood 3 story like the pool side buildings with no elevator. It's been awhile since they were updated but they are not too bad. Then there is the Wembley or Seaside building. It is concrete 5 story with elevator. It's several years old now and will soon need some renovations but pretty nice. And the newest building is the Londoner which is also 5 floors. It only has 2 and 3 bedroom units and a more upscale decor than the other buildings. I believe on II the Londoner has its own resort code for exchanging.

None of the resorts will nickel and dime you. They all charge the same fees. There is an island wide accommodation tax of $10 US per day. The resort also charges everyone (owners too) for your actual electricity usage - it's metered.

There is a dive shop on site and the snorkeling and diving just can't be beat! If exchanging in, it's best to try for the Grand or the Londoner so you are guaranteed ocean front. If you get Tortuga Club you may well get a pool side unit. Although still nice (you are in Grand Cayman after all) ocean front is always better!

Sorry this was so long but hope it answered any questions you might have. Definitely should come and give the resort a try! We love it there!


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## GrayFal (Oct 25, 2016)

Vicki as always gives the best answers  ...I just want to add that there is another restaurant right across the street in the Morritts Shopping center called Italian Kitchen which is excellent.
Tukka is a favorite and we generally go there for both dinner and happy hour.
Bombay Chopsticks (right across from Eagle Rays) is also a fav.
We also found the food this year at Davids Restaurant to be much improved and we ate there 6-8 times during a 7 week stay. And Mimi's has very nice "bar food" which is great for lunch or casual dinners. When you stay for a long period of time you also tend to cook in a lot with family and friends.
Our favorite for an upscale meal is Kaibo Upstairs - definitely fine dinning. Kaibo Beach Bar also has a fun Tuesday BBQ with live music.
And the Reef Resort also has a restaurant you can try right next door.


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## Blaaamo (Oct 26, 2016)

Thank you for all of the information. I'm not an owner, so I can't trade into anything yet. I was looking through the ads and saw that the places in my price range were the Tortuga Club, Grand Cayman and 7 Mile Beach Resort. It seems from your comments Grand is nicer than the Club unless you get a renovated room
The 2 last reviews here for Grand Cayman are terrible and the review for the Tortuga Club is pretty good, but it's the only one this year. 
How bad is the metered electricity charge, do you have to keep an eye on it, or is it not bad. I do love some A/C on vacation.
We're 2 adults, no kids. I get bored easily so if there's stuff to do, or in proximity to stuff to do, that's preferable. Any other Cayman things to do or tips are appreciated!


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## shorts (Oct 26, 2016)

The electric charge isn't too bad, especially compared to the Wyndham Reef Resort next door. They charge a flat rate of $200-300 a week. For a 2 bedroom using the dishwasher and washer and dryer, plus I like it cool at night - our bill would run around $100-150. That's in January/February when temperatures are a little cooler so it could be higher in the summer.

There are lots of activities now at the resort, plus lots of water sports but you have to rent the equipment. Lots to do on the island! Definitely want a rental car. There is Stingray City where you can swim with the stingrays. The turtle farm and swimming with dolphins. A great botanical garden, luminescent kayak tours, eco bike and cave tours, sunset cruises and deep sea fishing where the captain will come to your room and cook your catch! Much more - you have a resort host that can make recommendations and reservations for you. 

Hope this helps.


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## shorts (Oct 26, 2016)

GrayFal said:


> Vicki as always gives the best answers  ...I just want to add that there is another restaurant right across the street in the Morritts Shopping center called Italian Kitchen which is excellent.
> Tukka is a favorite and we generally go there for both dinner and happy hour.
> Bombay Chopsticks (right across from Eagle Rays) is also a fav.
> We also found the food this year at Davids Restaurant to be much improved and we ate there 6-8 times during a 7 week stay. And Mimi's has very nice "bar food" which is great for lunch or casual dinners. When you stay for a long period of time you also tend to cook in a lot with family and friends.
> ...



Pat's restaurant recommendations are spot on! I'd also add Over the Edge which is not far from the resort. Great local place with good food and prices. Also the Lighthouse. We had avoided it for years as we heard it was expensive and not that good. But our host gave us a discount for there and we pleasantly surprised. Not too expensive and the food was very good.

Pat - when are you going next year? We are going later than usual so our daughter and family can come over spring break. So we will be there March/April.
Maybe we will actually be there at the same time?


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## silentg (Dec 8, 2016)

Are there direct flights to Grand Cayman from Orlando, Florida?


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## GrayFal (Dec 8, 2016)

Miami.  Cayman Airways. American Airlines. 

Cayman Air might also fly out of Tampa


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## shorts (Dec 9, 2016)

Cayman Airways does fly out of Tampa. We had a great flight with them in October. The plane was not very full, plenty of room in the seats and really nice personnel. Wish we could fly Cayman Airways more often.


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## GrayFal (Dec 9, 2016)

shorts said:


> Cayman Airways does fly out of Tampa. We had a great flight with them in October. The plane was not very full, plenty of room in the seats and really nice personnel. Wish we could fly Cayman Airways more often.


We are so lucky they fly out of NY, by far the cheapest option and non stop. We usually get our airfare in February/March around $325-400 r/t.

And yes, we will overlap this year.  Looking forward to seeing you!


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