Tennis in Grand Cayman
In my dreams, my happy place has always been drifting through Caribbean waters on a floaty with the warm sun kissing my skin. Not only was Grand Cayman a great place to play tennis, but truly a relaxing slice of paradise.
Stopover in Miami, Florida
We planned our trip to Grand Cayman with a stopover in Miami, Florida. (Travel tip: There are many flights to Grand Cayman from the Miami airport). My perfect birthday vacation trip began with a couple of nights at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne (a few miles from the Miami airport). This resort has always fulfilled our tennis travel needs with the resort’s tennis facility, relaxing spa, private beaches, pool, restaurants and entertainment (tip: our favorite cuban band, Grupo Nostalgia plays on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne) on the weekends.
Tennis at Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne
Since it was birthday weekend, we chose the couples massage. It was a great way to relax after a challenging tennis clinic at the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Center. (Tennis tip: One of our tennis pros shared: when hitting backhands, it is natural to dip your right shoulder. However, when hitting forehands, and overheads, be conscious of dipping your left shoulder (It worked!)). My favorite massage at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne has been the signature massage (tip: when return to the spa, you may request your favorite therapist).
After our fantastic stay in Key Biscayne, we flew from Miami, Florida to Grand Cayman. From the airport, we were able to take a taxi the ten-minute drive to our resort, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. We often upgrade our reservation to include club lounge access while staying at Ritz-Carlton properties. The club lounge offers a wonderful concierge service, from pre-planning until the end of your stay. Prior to our stays, we reserved tennis court times, tennis lessons, golf lessons and any other activity available to us, through the resort concierge, or club concierge (if we are staying on the club level). The white glove service provided a flawless, relaxing vacation from beginning to end. Unique to the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, we were provided coffee service delivered to our room each morning with our daily wake up call (provided for guests with oceanfront rooms with club lounge access).
The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman
The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman’s exceeded our expectations with the beautiful ocean view, to the resort activities, restaurants and spa. The ocean view from our room’s balcony was fabulous. We especially loved the spectacular sunset across the ocean. It was unique to witness the calm water with silhouettes of people sailing and stand up paddling into the sunset. Besides the non-motorized water sports, the resort fee included use of the tennis courts. The tennis courts were a short walk from the main building on the resort, next to the golf course. On our way to our tennis match, we passed their conservation area, where programs are held on local marine life and an area set up with a big screen set up on the lawn next to their private dock for daily evening movie presentations, just around the corner from the golf pro shop. As we continued down the path we unexpectedly ran into the local rooster and his crew, clucking away, as we walked up the path along the stunning golf course, next to the water. It reminded me of the beautiful golf course at Half Moon Bay, California. The tranquility and beauty of the perfectly manicured golf course almost gave me the desire to play a round of golf; but, then I saw the tennis courts.
Tennis at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman
The tennis courts at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman were in pristine condition. The well-stocked pro shop had clothes, shoes, tennis balls and other tennis equipment. When we arrived at the tennis courts, we were welcomed by one of the tennis teaching professionals, Denjan Breski. Each day, the tennis staff made sure we were happy with our tennis courts and our tennis experience. The first day we booked our singles tennis match on the red clay courts. We were excited to play on the red clay tennis courts for the first time! Playing on the red clay tennis courts added a new dimension to the tennis game. It made us change our shot selections, to take advantage of the tennis court surface. On the remaining days we played on the hard surface tennis which which were in excellent condition. The tennis courts were well utilized with private drills and tennis clinics. (Tennis tip: you don’t have to stay at the Ritz-Carlton to book tennis lessons or court time. For instance, cruisers, contact the tennis facility in advance to arrange for a tennis lesson or court time.) The tennis staff was very friendly, and provided all levels of tennis instruction. After we finished our singles match each day, the tennis attendant would provide us with an ice cold wet eucalyptus scented refreshing towel and a ride back to the resort. The tennis experience at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was equal to the high level of service we received at the resort, throughout our stay.
The luxury of enjoying the Caribbean beach coupled with awesome tennis was a dream come true. We’ve always rated the The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne highly with its extraordinary tennis, beach, spa, restaurants, entertainment and customer service. We were pleased that the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman met the high bar set by Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne by exceeding our expectations in all areas. Our stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman was one of my best birthday celebrations, ever. As the tennis staff at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman would say, “see you soon, we know you will be back!”
Below please check out both camera rolls, from each Ritz-Carlton resort:
The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne!
The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman!
Learning Moments:
Although there are direct flights to GCM (Grand Cayman), they don’t happen every day. They also change depending on the month/season.
Taxi from the airport was easy, cheap and safe for us. Although worried that it might be chaotic, the Grand Cayman airport was very easy to navigate through.
The 7-mile beach area is really that long and a great morning walk. The sand is amazing. Your feet don’t burn when walking out to your lounge chair!
The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman resort fee includes non-motorized water sports. This includes sailing lessons on Hobie Cats…
There is a Centurian lounge at the Miami airport! Useful if you are an American Express platinum card holder.
Global Entry program did help with Customs on the way back into the U.S. Worth considering if you intend to travel internationaly! Many of the travel credit cards provide an allowance to get this for free… Check your programs carefully.
Disclosure:
We are a proud participant in the Marriott Affiliate Program and with Lacoa Sports, designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Marriott.com and Lacoa Sports.