# Hello from Grand Cayman



## Janette (Mar 16, 2009)

Hello from Morritt's Grand. It is indeed grand as is the weather. I'll be signing on almost every day if you have questions or suggestions. The staff is great. It is $1.25 CI or about $1.60 for 30 minutes on their computer.


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## Lou (Mar 16, 2009)

*Pool temperature?*

Just wondering about the pool temperature...a little cool or o.k.?


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## lprstn (Mar 17, 2009)

I have a cousin going there on my timeshare week, how is the resort?  Is it in good shape?

Can you post some pics?


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## Janette (Mar 17, 2009)

Resort is in good shape except for landscaping. Everything looks a little dry and I don't think the island has recovered from hurricanes over the past two years as far as vegetation. Our unit is beautiful and the staff is wonderful. Hate to say that we haven't been in the pool. We did the orientation yesterday, ate at Over the Edge and then went to ck out Rum Point. Today we did the timeshare presentation(not too painful), cked out 7 mile beach(weren't impressed) and had lunch at Liberty. We had sat on the beach for a couple of hours each afternoon. We also went to the nice reception Monday night. We found that the folks doing the presentation this morning were nice but didn't really have a good idea of timesharing(our opinion). We would come here again but not willing to own. Going to Stingray city tomorrow morning so we will be in the water(free since we did the tour). Lunch each day ran about $30 US total for the two of us and was delicious.


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## Janette (Mar 18, 2009)

We swam with the stingrays today and actually were taught how to hold them. They were about 3 feet across and 6 feet long. It was awesome. We spent the afternoon sitting under the grass roofed umbrella on the beach with a cool breeze and a good book. Awesome place!


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## mecllap (Mar 18, 2009)

Janette:  I'm curious about your seven mile beach comment -- why weren't you impressed?  What part did you go to and what were you looking for?  It has different parts with different "ambiance" and features.  Was it a cruise ship day?  (I'm kind of in the "what's not to love" camp -- altho the main public beach part can be pretty busy sometimes, other days it's lovely; and Cemetery Beach toward the north is great pretty much anytime).  (I haven't stayed on the east side, but when we looked at it on our last visit, we didn't think we'd want to be there for a week -- but we always get a car, and would make it work for us -- it did look nice certainly).


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## tim (Mar 18, 2009)

Janette, I am taking the family to Morritt's Grand for Easter week and we can't wait.  We have never been there so we are anxious to see the resort and the island.  Did you have any say in the unit you got?  I understand that all units have ocean views, but is the view limited if you are on the first or second floor.  How long of a drive is it from the resort to 7 mile beach.  We have friends that will be staying on 7MB and plan to visit them a few days so I wonder how long it will take us to drive there.  Thanks for the info.  Tim


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## SteveChapin (Mar 19, 2009)

If you want walk-in snorkeling, you simply cannot beat the East End.  The common area right off of The Reef/Morritt's is amazing, and I could happily spend a week there without leaving either resort (well, the water out front of either resort 

sc
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## Skinsfan1311 (Mar 19, 2009)

SteveChapin said:


> If you want walk-in snorkeling, you simply cannot beat the East End.  The common area right off of The Reef/Morritt's is amazing, and I could happily spend a week there without leaving either resort (well, the water out front of either resort
> 
> sc
> --



Agreed.   This is what we do.

Usually, when facing the ocean, the current drifts from right to left.   Simply wade out in the water from the area in front of the pool, making sure that you go out a little further than the Morritt's dock extends.    

Then drift, making sure that you stop under both docks.  There are huge Tarpon beneath the dock at the Morritt's and a bunch of colorful fish, (and the occasional stingray), underneath the dock at the Reef.

It's a very relaxing snorkel....


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## Skinsfan1311 (Mar 19, 2009)

Oh yeah....here's a few suggestions

If you like jerk, hang a left out of the resort and keep on truckin' towards Bodden Town(?), and there are a couple of jerk stands.    The first one will be on your right....go past that one and, a little while later, hit the stand on the left hand side of the road.    There's some picnic tables on the grounds and a statue of a cow in the front.  We've eaten jerk all over the Caribbean, and it's some of the best we've had.   There were a few Jamaicans eating there too, so you know it's good.  The jerk pork is killer!

On the way back, if you're a beer drinker, hit the gas station, (Texaco maybe?), on the right hand side.  They usually have better prices on beer at the gas station, than they do at the Thirsty Surfer next door.

I see that you've already eaten at "Over the Edge"   Good choice.  They have good food and very, very slow service, (even for the islands!)

If you want a good piece of fried fish, try the little shop across the street from Compass Point, which is about 5 minutes up the rd from Morritt's.  Just hang a left and look for the bldg with the dive flags.       The pizza, however, sucked.  

The Lighthouse was excellent,(the best meal we've had in Cayman), but it is pricey.

Don't overlook the resort itself.    Ever since they got the new food & beverage manager last year, (Mike), the food is quite good.    With the exception of a stringy burger that my wife ordered at the dock bar, all of the food at the Morritt's was good.     

Have a great time!


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## trim2gofast (Mar 19, 2009)

tim said:


> Janette, I am taking the family to Morritt's Grand for Easter week and we can't wait.  We have never been there so we are anxious to see the resort and the island.  Did you have any say in the unit you got?  I understand that all units have ocean views, but is the view limited if you are on the first or second floor.  How long of a drive is it from the resort to 7 mile beach.  We have friends that will be staying on 7MB and plan to visit them a few days so I wonder how long it will take us to drive there.  Thanks for the info.  Tim



Easter is a nice time to be there, but remember that nothing is open on Easter. Also, you will notice that people are camping on the beaches. It is the one weekend of the year that residents can camp on the beach. They won't camp at the resorts, but you may see them if you are driving along the ocean road. 

Every room in the Grand has the exact same view of the ocean. It takes about 45 minutes to drive to 7 Mile Beach from the East End. 

Have a great time.


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## Janette (Mar 19, 2009)

I just like driving along the highway on the east side and seeing the surf. On seven mile, the condo's and such are so close together that you don't see the beauty of the ocean while driving along. We aren't party folks so we were just crusing to see what we could see. Georgetown was crowded as there were 5 cruise ships in that day. We're not interested in touristy shops and crowds so we didn't stop. We ate at Liberty's while we were in that area. It does take about 45 minutes to get to seven mile area. Today, we sat on the beach, swam in the surf, swam in the pool and went for a kayak ride out to the reef by the resort. The temp of the water is fine in surf and pool. I like bath temp water and I didn't mind these a little cooler. The Kayak was $10 for an hour and we thought that was very reasonable for a double. The week is passing fast. Thanks for the tip about jerk.


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## Janette (Mar 20, 2009)

Another beautiful day on Grand Cayman. It's hard to believe that this week has gone by so fast. Anyone know why there is so much real estate for sale on the island? It is amazing how many for sale sign there are.


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## maryk (Mar 20, 2009)

I am getting so excited. 

We are going to Morritt's Grand April 4-11.  Can't wait.   

Couple questions:
1. Do you need some sort of shirt to help keep you warm while snorkeling?  Or just something to avoid sunburn?

2. What are the temps right now?

3. What do you get for a presentation is it worth the "free" gift?

4. Do you know the number to call to request a building/floor?  I have heard you can call 14 days in advance.

5. I know they drive on the left, we are getting a car from Hurley's, I am wondering is the steering on the left or the right of the car?

6. Do the allow any sort of water toys in the pool?  Small ball to throw, plastic rings to toss and dive for, floats to lounge in pool?

7. We have a 12 yr old - have you seen many children at the resort?

8. The restaurants, do they have regular kid stuff - burgers, chicken fingers, etc. as not everyone in our family likes seafood items?

9. What sort of shops are in Georgetown?

10. Should we bother bringing beach towels or are they provided? Are they nice or small and rough feeling?

11.  Any suggestions of anything that is not provided that I might want to bring?  Kitchen items, bath item, outside items??

Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay and thanks in advance for any answers.

Maryk


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## Htoo0 (Mar 21, 2009)

1. Probably just to avoid sunburn but some people have different tolerances. 
2. Just guessing since I'm not there- 80's????  
3. I'm not sure ANY presentation is worth the free gift! :annoyed: 
4. Sorry, no.
5. Yes!  (I've seen both from the same company, didn't know Hurley's was renting cars) 
6. Did last I knew. 
7. Always have in the past- but it's been awhile.  
8. Most do but I haven't been to all the restaurants.  
9. No Wal-Marts as far as I know. Quite an assortment of touristy stuff. 
10. Again, been awhile but they were nice towels available through a token system so I've heard there are sometimes shortages.  
11. Maybe salt, pepper, etc. Soaps, shampoos, etc. We personally like to take raisins, individual instant oatmeal packs and things like that.


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## Janette (Mar 21, 2009)

We got the trip on the glass boat to stingray city and snorkling. It was about a $90 value and we considered it worth our time. The presentation did take 2 hours. A front came in today that brought winds so I would have needed something if I were in the water. We did not bring snorkling equipment and will do so the next time we are in the islands. You have beach towels supplied. We ate at Over the Edge(lunch), Liberty(lunch) and a country club bar by the water near Rum Point(just a fish sandwich). We made spaghetti which was for two meals, I cooked country style steak, we had salads and we bought frozen pizza for in the room. We brought staples including cereals from home. We don't eat a lot of junk and own 8 wks of timeshare. We like to eat local food but eat more ofen in the room We have spent about $200 on food this week for the two of us. There are plenty of children and adult activities at the resort. You will not be bored. Today was hot in the sun and cool in the shade because of the wind. So sad that we have to leave tomorrow. If you are in the Grand, I can't imagine why you wouldn't be happy with any room. The two bedroom is twice the size of the one bedroom. We feel guilty that we have had two bedrooms for the two of us but someone has to be here. E-mail me if you have questions after I get home.


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## Jamerican71 (Mar 23, 2009)

# 4  

Global Resort
Brad-  800-447-0309


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## Skinsfan1311 (Mar 23, 2009)

Janette said:


> Anyone know why there is so much real estate for sale on the island? It is amazing how many for sale sign there are.



Probably because property is so expensive to develop.


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## Janette (Mar 24, 2009)

Just a couple of remarks now that we are home. I would go back tomorrow. The trip was great. Our utility bill was US $77.98. We did not run the air during the day as the breeze was nice with windows open and no pollen(it has been bad here). With the timeshare tax($10 a day) and rental of a kayak, out total bill at Morritts was $164.23. Our car rental through Budget was $358.50. We spent about $100 at Foster's(there is a new one in Savannah about half way between airport and Morritts). We had three lunches out for about $100 and bought rum cakes for gifts at the airport. We got a large rum cake free if we bought six little ones,so we bought two deals for about $50. We did the glass bottom boat to sting ray city for free after doing the presentation. We thought the trip was less expensive than we expected but you can see that we aren't party folks and it doesn't take much to make us happy on vacation.


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## SteveChapin (Mar 24, 2009)

maryk said:


> I am getting so excited.
> 
> We are going to Morritt's Grand April 4-11.  Can't wait.
> 
> ...



I wore a surf shirt with SPF 50 for sun protection, not for warmth.  No need for that.




> 5. I know they drive on the left, we are getting a car from Hurley's, I am wondering is the steering on the left or the right of the car?



That depends on the model.  Ours had the steering wheel on the right, but there are plenty of cars around the island with a "US-style" setup.  You could ask Hurley's (did you mean McCurley's?).



> 6. Do the allow any sort of water toys in the pool?  Small ball to throw, plastic rings to toss and dive for, floats to lounge in pool?
> 
> 7. We have a 12 yr old - have you seen many children at the resort?



Our boys, ages 11 and 15 then, got to take diving toys into the pools, and threw a ball around.  There were a few children (April '08), but I wouldn't say many.



> 8. The restaurants, do they have regular kid stuff - burgers, chicken fingers, etc. as not everyone in our family likes seafood items?



They did.  Our kids liked to eat at the dock bar, and to get the smoothies.

sc
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## maryk (Mar 25, 2009)

Thanks for all the info.

Yes I did mean McCurley's.  sorry.......

10 days and counting.


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## Janette (Mar 26, 2009)

I'm jealous, but then my son's wedding is April 18 in Alexandria Va and my entire family will be together. I still dream of the beautiful water around Grand Cayman.


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## Rod in Louisiana (Mar 28, 2009)

tim said:


> Janette, I am taking the family to Morritt's Grand for Easter week and we can't wait. We have never been there so we are anxious to see the resort and the island. Did you have any say in the unit you got? I understand that all units have ocean views, but is the view limited if you are on the first or second floor. How long of a drive is it from the resort to 7 mile beach. We have friends that will be staying on 7MB and plan to visit them a few days so I wonder how long it will take us to drive there. Thanks for the info. Tim


 
Tim,

The drive between Morritt's and Seven Mile Beach is roughly an hour, more or less, depending on traffic.


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