Our flight in was nice enough, although we would warn anyone who flies with Spirit Airlines that in addition to your ticket you will be charged for each bag you check ($10 each in our case) as well as for any refreshments you would like to partake in during the flight.

I would, however, venture to say that no matter how questionable your experience had been throughout your adventure, once you step onto the runway in Grand Cayman the world is instantly a better place. We were greeted by live music and a well organized immigration line. Passports in hand we marched through the 20 minute immigration line, under the portrait of the Queen and into paradise. The officer who checked us for imported items asked us “Do you have anything you plan to leave in Grand Cayman… other than stress?” We knew we were in a different world at that point.

Cabs in Grand Cayman are strictly regulated on price. Because of the small size of the area covered, the government dictates cab fare from one point to another. While expensive ($20 for a 10 minute trip) they are consistently friendly and helpful. Also worth noting (we learned from a local) is that you should check before you hop in a car because sometimes locals will pose as cabs to make a few extra bucks… and while there’s little to no danger in taking one of their offers for transportation you don’t know how much you’ll end up paying for it.

We grabbed a cab and headed for our final destination, the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa on 7 Mile Beach.

The first impression you get of this resort is really, really nice.  You never open a door (besides your room door) for yourself and all of the staff were very, very friendly and quick to recognize you and recall conversations you had with them.  We wondered around the lobby for a bit because our room wasn’t scheduled to be ready until 3:00PM.

Once our room was ready, however, we were very happy with it.  The accommodations are nice but not overdone (exactly what we wanted for a relaxing vacation).  We opted for the more expensive “Ocean View” room so we could look off our balcony at the beach below and we were very happy with that decision.  It’s time to start getting some of that hard-earned relaxation in!