Luxury Hotels

Grand Cayman has a super new luxury hotel

Welcome to the islands

Welcome to the islands

The Crown Colony of the Cayman Islands has a mere three percent unemployment, so how on earth do they cope – especially when so many of the 58,000 population are involved in tourism? During high seasons at least two cruise ships come for a day visit, bringing in 1.6 million short-term visitors a year. Why would any luxury hotel want to be here? Well, Ritz-Carlton, a ten-year veteran, now has a significant competitor, Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa, Seven Mile Beach, on Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman islands. This new hotel beauty is really fun and stylish, says the gal.

The hotel block

The hotel block

The 266-room hotel, which will have 62 residences in a separate building, is owned by Dart Realty, which is part of Ken Dart’s empire (Dart, whose ancestor William Dart founded the paper-cup empire of Dart Container Corporation in Michigan in 1937, renounced his US citizenship and now has passports for Belize, the Caymans and Ireland – he owns around 22.25% of all Caymans’ real estate, a fund that buys distressed government debts from such nations as Argentina and Greece, and he is worth over $5 billion). This is Dart’s first hotel, and I hope it will not be the last.

A restored Cat Boat hangs from the library ceiling

A restored Cat Boat hangs from the library ceiling

It is also the first Kimpton outside the USA, thanks to a doorman at one of the group’s US hotels taking pity on a Dart team member, not staying there, walking past in pouring rain (‘Would you like an umbrella?’). I said it is a fun hotel. Designers Powerstrip Studio, namely Ted Berner and Dayna Lee, have used wood-look ceramic for much of the flooring, and real wood for some ceilings. In the well-stocked library, which has lots of silver-framed old local photos, a real Cat Boat hangs overhead, named Miss Ola after the wife of the man who painstakingly restored it – see the video, below, for more of the library.

Preparations in Avecita show kitchen

Preparations in Avecita show kitchen

There is fun eating here, too, at this new-look luxury hotel. The all-day Ave, which is indoors- out, has an inner show-kitchen area, Avecita. Instead of the usual beach restaurant, GM Steven Andre explained that he went for a Mexican beach shack, Coccoloba, which seems to be packed both at lunch and dinner, partly because there are so many residential condos in this part of Grand Cayman. I also loved the look of Pantry, a to-go coffee corner leading right off the main lobby, and there the team were smiling away, as were all of the 400-total I encountered. It might be difficult to find employees here but someone has done a jolly good job in achieving not only the number, but hiring those with the right attitude. NOW LOOK AT THE LIBRARY