Behind the Shell: The true story of Conch

Conch season is in full effect right now in Cayman and i feel its time the world becomes acquainted with this mysterious creature of the sea.

Conch pronounced 'Konk', is a marine snail found in the waters of Atlantic and holds a special place to all Caymanians as a food source. Conch live in shells averaging 8-14 inches in length and can be found generally inside the reef areas of Cayman.

Conch season started on November 1st and and continues until April 30th, 2008. Some quick info on rules and regulations for taking conch:

Conch may not be taken from any of the marine protected areas around the three islands, including the recently introduced Wildlife Interaction Zones.

The legal catch limit for conch taken from the open zones is five per person or 10 per boat, per day, whichever is less. Removing more than the prescribed limit is an offence.

It is also against the law for anyone to receive or purchase more than five conchs taken from Cayman waters in any one day.

Stew Conch, Conch fritters, Marinated conch, and conch salad are just some of the different ways one can consume this animal. My personal favorite is the Stew Conch.

Happy Holidays from the reservations elves!

Season's greetings to all of our lovely guests, friends and future guests from The Reef Reservations Elves!!

We decided to send you a little cheer from Cayman, please click on the following link:
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1484588312

We hope you have a wonderful, safe and fun holiday season!!

Linda, Sandra, Brian and Penny !

The Reef - feels like family

Many of our past guests vividly remember the warmth and unique humour of Phil Maguire, our Restaurant Manager from 2002 through 2006. Phil was recently visiting and came to our annual staff Christmas party. I thought I'd share his letter to our inimitable Resort Manager, Mr. Lawrence Haughton... the bold highlights are mine :

Mr. Lawrence,
I'd like to thank you very much for your kind invitation to the staff party last week. It was certainly most enjoyable. It was like stepping back in time. But having been away for the better part of a year gave me a somewhat clearer view of what has been achieved at the Reef.
Practically every management guru who has ever been published stresses the need for team-building. In itself it's a worthy concept but too many leaders/managers pay mere lip-service to the idea. I'm firmly convinced that at the Reef you have left the notion of team-building far behind and instead have managed to create a Family.
I was observing how different people interacted at the party last week, both during the presentations and either side of them, and it struck me that the genuine warmth and regard that people from a variety of different backgrounds appeared to have for each other would not be matched or bettered in too many other establishments.
Seriously, I think you have achieved something pretty unique, and the end result is clearly greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Long may it continue. !

One could say this is the "touchy feely" and intangible part of the business, but it is very, very real and vitally important to treat your staff like family, as they will then treat guests not just as VIPs, but as an extension of that family.

I'm sitting here typing this in a seminar at a conference on resort marketing, but haven't heard anyone talk about "family" yet :)

Cayman is a birdwatcher’s paradise

The following article is from FUN NEWS which is a local paper that is periodically released from Caymans own Barefoot Man who performs exclusively at The Reef Resort. For a complete listing of his performance schedule click here.

The Cayman Islands offer some unique opportunities for the popular hobby of birdwatching, as they are host to a surprisingly wide range of resident birds. They also act as a staging post for many migratory birds and other occasional visitors. Cayman is particularly fascinating for the study of wildlife, as species long resident on one island can evolve slightly differently from their mainland counterparts, and develop characteristics not seen anywhere else.

The first studies of birds found in Cayman were published by C.B.C. Cory in 1886, but were restricted to descriptions of birds found in Grand Cayman at that time. Numerous brief visits by ornithologists then followed. Then in 1982, Patricia Bradley came to live in Grand Cayman and began to put together comparative monthly records of bird sightings on all three islands. Her highly regarded field guide Birds of the Cayman Islands (now in its second edition) describes the biogeography of the area, and gives details of the history of bird settlement and migration. Full bird descriptions are provided, with colour pictures by Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet and the author.
International experts also visit Cayman to study its bird life, some under the auspices of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands’ Visiting Scientists Programme. In 1994, for example, Nedra Klein from the American Museum of Natural History arrived to conduct a study of local Tanagers, Warblers and Bananaquits. In 1997, Betty Ann Schreiber also helped conduct the survey on the Red-footed Booby Pond on Little Cayman.

The National Trust organizes regular birdwatching activities conducted by local ornighologists and avid bird enthusiasts. Weekends often see members gathering at a selected location, usually in the Botanic Park, for a field trip. Check our Calendar of Events for the latest activities.
The Cayman Islands Bird Club has very supportive of the work of the Trust, and has made some substantial contributions to the greater understanding of local avifauna (birds). Members have also assisted with the census conducted on the range and population of Cayman Islands Parrots, and have constructed a comprehensive list of birds sighted at The Governor Michael Gore Bird Sanctuary.

Some of the most important locations for birdwatching in Cayman are held in trust for the people of the islands. These include the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, the Mastic Reserve, the Cayman Brac Parrot Reserve, and the Little Cayman Booby Pond Nature Reserve. Rare and endangered birds also find sanctuary in the Salina Reserve and the Central Mangrove Wetland. Other interesting and protected sites include Meagre Bay Pond in Pease Bay, Colliers Pond in East End, Vulgunners Pond and Palmetto Pond at Barkers in West Bay, and islanders’ own gardens. An astonishing variety of birds can be seen right outside the window of island residences. Several native species have become quite happy to live in built up areas, and can been seen feeding on garden plants and insects. To date, a total of 219 different species (both resident and migrant) have been recorded.

For “would be” birdwatchers, very little skill or equipment is necessary to begin this intriguing pastime. A good pair of binoculars is recommended and a field guide to assist in identifying the birds spotted is helpful. The best time for birdwatching is either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Just remember that birds depend on their habitat for everything, so on field trips (especially to Reserves and Sanctuaries) take nothing out and leave nothing behind. If you should see a bird you believe has not been previously recorded, make careful notes about when and where you view and at what time. Take a photograph if possible, then contact the Bird Club. Every birdwatcher is a potential discoverer!

The Reef Reservations goes seven days per week

Who said things move on "island time" down here ? Not us, that's for sure. At The Reef, we've always been proud of how very responsive we are to customer calls and emails.

Now, we've grown to the stage where can take it one stage further, so whilst our reservations office core hours continue to be Monday to Friday 8:30-5:30 EST, we now have reservations staff coming in seven days per week (for a few hours per day on Saturday and Sunday), and at all other times calls to our toll free number (888) 232-0541 will be answered instead of just going to voicemail.

This means that a) all emails will be responded to within no more than 24 hours, and b) calls for routine reservations etc can be made seven days per week from 7am to 11pm, with more detailed or complex requests being taken for response by the reservations team during their hours.

Another small way we are continually "taking it to the next level"

Retreat to the East

As if you needed more reasons to come and visit us folks out here on the East Side.

The Department of Tourism has partnered with several business and attractions in the area to come up with the new "Discover the East" adventure card. For US$16.00 you have free access to both The Botanic Park and Pedro St James historic park. This in itself would make the card a great value, but the benefits don't stop there.

Cardholders also receive special discounts at participating retailers such as The Mission House, Pirates Caves, Lighthouse Restaurant, Vivines Kitchen, Ocean Frontiers, Over The Edge restaurant and many more.

Adventure cards can be purchased here at The Reef and there will be more info on this promotion as it becomes available.

Jazz Fest (Saturdays Finale)

The final show of the three day festival was from all accounts the best as each artist gave an outstanding performance and kept the audience well entertained into the night.

I attended Saturdays show with Penny Young from our member services department who some of our owners should be familiar with. Below is her review of the show:


They say, "save the best for last" and they surely did as this show was a treat for both jazz and r & b lovers. It was absolutely incredible. Cayman's own songbird "KK Allese" started off the night with a mix of r & b and reggae. She is a great local talent and trust me when i say that she will be internationally known, not too long from now. After KK came jazz man Mike Phillips who is a superb musician and a great entertainer. At one point he actually held a single note for over 4 minutes!


After a wait of about 25 minutes the crowd was starting to get a little restless and that's when the top guns came out. Brian McKnight came out onto the stage and immediately the crowd was rocking. He performed many of his classic hits such as "Anytime", "The Only One for me", "The Last Cry". At one point he brought out his two sons on stage to sing a couple of tunes.


Joe came on stage in the middle of Brian McKnight's set and performed his big hits that had the ladies going crazy. Songs like "I wanna know" and "All the things" were real crowd pleasers and continued the energy from Brian's set.


Gospel star Bebe Winans came on next. After about two songs he got together with Brian McKnight and Joe to perform their song "Home"

Brian McKnight closed the show with his hit "Back at One". Fireworks then followed, capping off a great show and a successful weekend.

I have to agree with Penny as i was blown away by the performances and the level of energy that each artist brought to the stage. Put Jazz Fest 2008 on your calenders now!

Freezing in New York State !

An old saying goes... "be careful of what you wish for, you might just get it".

It is no secret that anyone in Caribbean tourism wishes for the early onset of Winter and some snows in the North East, as nothing makes people hanker more for some winter warmth in the Caribbean.

So...last night I arrive after 11pm in New York and, after navigating (somehow!) my rental car up the various parkways to my hotel upstate, it was in the 20s when I walked into the hotel.

No problem, I can wrap up warm... then this morning, snow was dumped all over the place and the roads are a mess....no idea how to get to my conference now :)

Ah well, called home, and the temperature is in the 80s as usual.... me wanna go home ! :)

RNN (Reef News Network) Special Report

Blogging to you live from the front line of The Reef Resort(Concierge Desk) this is Prospect.

I have been here at the concierge desk for a full week now and have breakings news to report, Cayman Jazz Fest is a hit!

Many guests have been flocking to the desk to get their hands on these valuable tickets that are moving like hot cakes. Tonight's show features Chaka Kahn and Music Souldchild who both seem to be the more coveted acts so far for this years concert.

In other news our Stingray City Trip remains very popular with many guests choosing to prebook their spot on the boat months in advance. This trip is US$50.00 .

The Barefoot Man show is also a very popular request and i suggest to each guest to make reservations early as his show also fills up very fast. The show is 7pm to 10pm and includes a three course dinner, all for C.I.$39.95! To see the schedule of when Barefoot and other local entertainers are performing take a look at the entertainment section of our website.

Stay tuned as there will be more breaking news from the concierge desk as it happens.

"Wha happenin dis weekend"

This weekend and next will feature two major entertainment events, Cayman Jazz Fest and Gimistory.

Back in the days(3 months ago) when i first started blogging about The Cayman Jazz Fest the performer scheduale had not been fully announced. Well you are in for a treat as some of the biggest names in jazz and r&b will be performing next weekend here in The Cayman Islands.

Acts such as Brian Mcknight, Bebe Winans, Music Soulchild, Chaka Kahn, Alex Bugnon, Dianne Reeves, and Mondy Alexander are schedualed to perform over the 3 day festival.

This annual event is great for not only Jazz and r@b enthusiasts, but for any music fan in general and starts November 28th to December 1.

Tickets are CI$145 for the all weekend pass and can be purchased indivudually as well here at The Reef Resort through our concierge Leona Baker.

However, for this weekend its all about "Gimistory".

Gimistory is an annual storytelling event(now in its 9th year) put on by The Cayman National Cultural Foundation and features storytellers from Cayman and the Caribbean gathering in an intimate setting to tell stories ranging from "The Cayman of Old" to just flat out funny tales.

Cayamanian culture like many other Caribbean islands have been passed down from generation to generation by stories. For example, every Caymanian can recall stories of duppies(ghosts) that would come and get you if you were behaving badly.

Returning once again will be Guyana native Ken Corsbie, who has captured audiences all over the Caribbean with his tales. Also, The Storytellers (Barry Marshall and Jeri Burns) return to spread the brand of storytelling and song.

Best of all admission to this event(November 23- December 1) is Free!

Must Sees in Cayman - Mastic Trail and Botanic Park

Hi folks,

I've just spent a great half day being a tourist... taking some UK journalists down the Mastic Trail and then to the Blue Iguana Recovery programme at the Botanic Park and then round the Botanic Park itself.

Each of these are massively underappreciated and it is crazy how few visitors actually experience these wonderful expressions of the beauty and variety of the natural environment in Cayman.

Please do take the opportunity to click on the links above to each of the Mastic Trail, Blue Iguana Recovery Programme and Botanic park and do visit them when you come to Cayman if you can.

The Reef will also be offering a "Save the Blue Dragon" vacation package for Summer 2008, check with our website or reservations@thereef.com for more information

Reef Profile John Peart (Maintenance)

"What i love most is seeing the smiles on guest faces and trying to make their day just a bit more enjoyable", said John when asked to describe what he most loves about working at The Reef.

Having been at the resort for almost three years, many return guests should certainly be familiar with John as he also does the daily fish feeding from the dock, which has become very popular. "I started the fish feeding because guests would always ask me what was there for my kids to do. So i decided to create something that would be enjoyable for the kids and their parents."

When not at The Reef you can usually find John in Bodden Town chatting with other Caymanians about the "good ole days" and travelling out to sea for a living.

Just ask John about the Lighthouse School( a school for mentally handicapped children) and watch his face light up as he describes how proud he is of being a member on the fundraising committee. As 2008 approaches John's main goal is to build a house on the piece of property he recently purchased.


"I just want to send Holiday Greetings to all the past guests at the resorts and i hope to see you in 2008" says John.

How big is the beach at The Reef ?

Thanks to Barefoot Man for this lovely picture. When he isn't playing at The Reef (see his schedule here), recording new songs, marketing his CDs, fishing, lazing in a hammock etc.... he is the publisher of his own newspaper, "Fun News", which takes a humorous look at things to do and see and life in the "Far East" of Grand Cayman.

This great shot gives a great look right down the beach at The Reef, and yes, that's all our beach.

Oh, and if you look closely at the far end of the beach you'll see a huge mound of sand that came from the site for the final phase of our resort (the roof is now on, they'll be open soon enough!), does anyone want to buy a LOT of sand ? :)

Pirates Week (Conclusion)

All goods things must come to an end and unfortunately so does this one. Pirates Week officially concluded this past Saturday in George Town Harbour. A fireworks show marked the end of the Festival and the evening concluded with a final street dance and performance by Image Company.

The night before i also attended West Bay district day where i was treated to great Caymanian Cuisine once again. (My belly can attest)

Image Company performed here as well and put on a great show for the crowd. For those Reef guests and owners who need a refresher on West Bay, please take a look at this map for guidance.

The West Bay district features such attractions as Boatswains Beach, Hell, Cemetery Beach, and is features great undrwater diving as well.

Getting back on course, The Pirates Week festival was an overall success and in my eyes was the best I've ever been fortunate enough to attend. From the parades and fireworks to cultural lessons and street dances, it was a great time and i hope you are fortunate enough to visit next year.

P.S. Batabano is right around the corner.

Monday funny - Omid Djalili

Nothing to do with The Reef or Cayman, but discovered this guy last week, I thought he was hysterically funny... and YouTube might have been invented to showcase stand up comedians !

(Click on the image for a five minute standup routine)

Tell me if you like it and I'll try to find a funny video to post each Monday :)

Cuban migrant boat stops briefly at The Reef dock

It was with very mixed emotions that guests and staff alike witnessed the latest Cuban migrant boat to pass through the waters of Cayman, making a very brief stop here at The Reef Resort's dock yesterday afternoon.



The nine men and one woman were in good health and, despite being at sea for 9 days in what seemed to be a very unstable vessel, they expressed their wish to the authorities via our Cuban expat staff member, Enrique, to carry on with their journey to Honduras where family members were awaiting their arrival.



Most of our guests expressed extreme concern and were donating food, water and anything that they could think of in an effort to help make the treacherous journey a little better. We gave them fresh water and fruit, warm bread and diesel fuel to continue with their journey. The occupants of the boat were very grateful and sailed away with about 50 onlookers waving and wishing them luck.



Our guests had many questions, the main one being, why are they being allowed to continue?



According to Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson, Cayman has not granted refugee status to anyone since 1994 when a group of 43 Cuban migrants were given asylum. Mr. Manderson has said Cubans arriving here by boat are generally economic migrants, not refugees. Currently, the Cayman Islands Memorandum of Understanding agreement with Cuba, signed in 1999, states that Cuban migrants who enter Cayman illegally are sent back to their home country.



Under current guidelines, the Cayman Islands government does not provide any assistance to Cuban migrants who show up in vessels off shore. However, those migrants are given the option of continuing on with their journey even if the water craft they travel in is clearly not seaworthy. If the occupants are deemed physically unable to continue or express the wish to be repatriated, or it is very obvious that the vessel will not make it, the Cayman authorities will take them ashore and they will be repatriated after a short spell here in Cayman.
According to the report: “The vessels used by Cuban migrants, even if repaired and made notionally seaworthy, are either makeshift or extremely old and are still at risk during what all are agreed is an extremely dangerous journey.
“If a vessel, which has been patched up with the assistance of the Cayman Islands government was to then encounter difficulties, which in turn led to loss of lives, it could be argued that the Caymanian authorities are implicated in and in part responsible for, such an unfortunate outcome.”



I myself believe that this is one of the saddest, yet at the same time , the most humbling and bravest exhibits of human behaviour that one could experience. To risk your life like this in order to start a new life is more than most of us can comprehend, however, this is a regular occurrence here in Cayman and all over the world.



I know that I left here last night with an overwhelming sense of how lucky I am and how good I have it!



As a final thought, before leaving, they were asked if they needed anything else for their journey, their answer was 'just pray for us'! I think we all prayed in our own little way last night.

Pirates Week (The Reef Resort invasion)

Well it seems the Pirates cannot be stopped as they have made their way from George Town all the way to The Reef Resort!

The swashbucklers stormed our beach last night and apparently took several employees and guests hostage. In fact, the whereabouts of Valentino (our f+b manager pictured above in the red) are still unknown.

The Pirates were making their way through East End last night in conjunction with the East End district day celebration that took place last night. Yours truly even stopped by to sample the turtle and conch stew. The music was great and the celebration included local crafts and truly reflected the uniqueness of The East End and our Caymanian culture as a whole.

Anyways, more pirates week info later as the search is still on for Valentino!

The early love birds catch the Wedding!

Good afternoon from Cayman where the sun is shining and all is wonderful here at The Reef!

The last couple of weeks have been an extremely busy time for me with more and more couples booking their weddings here at The Reef for 2008 and 2009 (even some for 2010!!). From last years experience, I only see this flurry of weddings increasing between now and the New Year with the holidays seemingly being prime season for proposals, as well as plenty of family get togethers which are all important for the Wedding decision making process.

Due to our 'one wedding a day guarantee', which ensures that the Bride and Groom enjoy their uniquely special day to the fullest, my 2008 weddings calender is beginning to look very healthy indeed! So, please, if you are thinking about your 2008 or 2009 Cayman Wedding here at The Reef, don't procrastinate, your chosen date could be long gone!

If you do need more information or would like to check availability for a specific wedding date, please contact me at weddings@thereef.com.

Pirates Week (Opening Weekend)

ARGHHHH the pirates have taken over the entire island.

This weekend marked the beginning of the festival and it was a blast for all who participated. Friday night was the fireworks show and George Town was completely filled with families and children who came out to enjoy the show. Food was abundant as the smell of Conch, Fish, and Jerk Chicken filled the air. After the fireworks came the street dance. This was a blast as George Town harbour was completely closed to traffic and people were definitely in the festive spirit and "wining down da place".

Saturday marked the Pirates landing in George Town aboard their pirate ship. After their mock capturing of George Town, the float parade commenced. The atmosphere was jovial as the sound of soca and steel band music kept everyone moving and grooving. After the parade was another street dance, this one included a performance by world renowned Soca artist Shirwayne Winchester. The crowd was rocking to all of his hits straight to midnight.

This was only the first two days folks. Stay tuned as i will be bringing you more reports from the District Days celebration.

Glasgow wins bid for Commonwealth Games 2014

Ok, so this is big news in Scotland today, Glasgow won the bidding for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 today.

What does that have to do with Cayman, you ask ? Well... Cayman is a Commonwealth country and always sends a solid representative team in numerous sports... but the honest answer is that this blog is another more personal one. You see, I am a Caymanian (and proud of it), but also proud to be originally from Scotland. Put those two together and I am excited that Cayman will be sending a team to compete in Scotland in 2014. I'll be there, you can count on it !

For those of you who are not from Commonwealth countries, the Commonwealth Games are held every four years, in the middle of each Olympic cycle. They are similar to the Olympic games, with some key points being :
- 71 nations
- Make up of member nations based on the British Commonwealth, so that means (say, for swimming) Australia is there as a world power in the sport, but not the USA
- A large number of African and Caribbean nations, so track and field is very strong at Commonwealth Games
- Sports represented are very similar to the Olympics, but also include some that are well represented in Commonwealth countries, such as Squash and Rugby 7s (both of which Cayman has sent teams for in the past).

For more information, visit the Glasgow 2014 site... and if you are in Scotland right now, head to Glasgow tonight, there is going to be one amazing party !

Cayman Islands Turtle Tri - soon come !

As you might expect from a country with year round warm weather, gorgeous ocean waters and a pretty flat geography, Cayman has a buoyant community of triathletes. Coming up soon (Sunday November 25th) is the annual running of the Cayman Turtle Triathlon , a great event and worth coming down to the 7MB Public Beach to see.

Last year my family volunteered to help out at the event, and we had the bright idea to enter a family team this year. No, they have no category for family teams, but hey, it's just for fun.

So... I thought, no problem, my oldest son can do the swim, my wife the run, and I can do the bike.... I had no idea that the bike was 25 miles !!

My son is a competitive swimmer so should be out of the water in a little over 20 minutes, my wife will do the 10k run in under 50 minutes.... but 25 miles on the bike ? Yikes ! So.. a little while after last year's race I headed out on my old mountain bike and did a 10 mile ride... in 40 minutes... this was looking bad, very bad... I could take about 2 hours to do that Triathlon ride... they'd be sending out search parties ! Add to that the embarrassment of having such a fast lead swimmer that I'd be one of the first guys out on the bike, then seeing pretty much the entire field overtake me one by one... nah, too much for the ego !

There was nothing for it but to a) buy a better bike, and then b) umm.. ride it a little to get vaguely fit :)

I have to admit that training has been sporadic, but as I live in George Town and work at The Reef, that is a nice 23 mile distance, so I'm now riding to / from work a few times to build up the training distance.

Today though was seriously masochistic. My wife had been for an early morning run, and I got ready to jump on the bike and ride to The Reef, she smiled as she said "really strong winds out of the NE this morning dear !". Gee, thanks... the first 18 miles of the ride are basically due East, with the last 5..yup.... N or NE the whole way.

I'm being coached by a friend, Cayman Olympian cyclist Craig Merren, and with his wicked sense of humour, he'll get a kick out of me being mad enough to ride from end to end of the island into such a strong wind !

As you can see today from the great website of Cayman weather stations, the East End station was showing steady NNE winds averaging over 20mph, with gusts around 30mph... right in my face... I think I saw a turtle strolling past me as I laboured into the wind.

Oh well, the ride home will be easier.. I think I'll just attach a sail to the back of the bike and let the wind blow me home !

16 days and counting to the big day, and our target is to finish the course somewhere in the region of 2'30"... wish us luck !

Just the two of us!!

Good afternoon all from the belated wedding blog for this week!

I must apologize for the delay in posting this week, however, better late than never right?

This weeks blog features our latest Reef Newly Weds, Rhonda and Arjen, congratulations!!!!

Arjen contacted us just two weeks prior to visiting us here at The Reef requesting assistance with their wedding arrangements and as you can see, their ceremony which took place on our beautiful beach, was the perfect 'barefoot ceremony for two'.

Marcus Montana was their photographer of choice and the wedding went off without a hitch (excuse the pun!).

Arjen and Rhonda have proved once again, that weddings here at The Reef are very easy to arrange and don't necessarily need the months of planning that some destinations in the world require.

By the way, Rhonda had a wonderful little message engraved into the inside of Arjen's wedding ring, I won't spill the beans, but it was a fun little surprise for Arjen and made us giggle after the ceremony. A very cool idea!!

Once again, congratulations and warmest wishes from all us here at The Reef Resort for a wonderful future together!!

Too rent a car or not ? That is the question.

Apologies to William Shakespeare... but anyway, the answer is a big YES!

Hi, and welcome to my first "Concierge Column", be gentle with me, this is my first blog !

Many guests ask the concierge, "Should we rent a car?".

I say ; "Well, it depends on how you want to spend your vacation. If you want to stay on the resort and "Chill" for your entire vacation then perhaps you don't need a car. On the other hand if you want to visit other restaurants in the area or to see some other great sights of Grand Cayman such as Rum Point or Pedro's Castle then you will need a car. There is limited public transportation on this side of the island at a variable schedule. The public bus sticks mainly to the major roads which could leave you with a long walk from the drop off point. The other tidbit to note about the bus, is that it runs only during the daytime hours. There are taxis on the island but they are in most cases more costly then a rental car. To put it plainly, for the cost one taxi to Georgetown and back and one taxi to dinner and back you could have a rental car for an entire 7 days. "

Boy, that was a long "spiel", but you get the idea... rent a car ! :) Hey it's quite at our end of the island, if you are not sure whether to drive on the left or the right (umm.. it's the left), we just say "drive in the middle" :)

Seriously though, the concierge team here at The Reef has connections and special rates with car rental companies in Grand Cayman so before you arrive contact us about your car rental options, simply email us at concierge@thereef.com

Support The Boobies

In the tradition of "The Calendar Girls" movie comes a brand new Cayman Calendar for 2008 called "Support The Boobies".

Know before you get ready to send me that nasty email, you should know that the "Ladies of Little Cayman" have gone topless for a good cause. The Calendar was made to raise money and awareness of the"Red footed Booby" of which you can find the largest population in the Western Hemisphere right in Little Cayman. Unfortunately, in recent years the population has been in decline and now experts believe that the colony in Little Cayman represents one-third of population in the world.

Well that's where the "Ladies of Little Cayman" decided to step in to raise funds for The National Trust purchase of the Red Footed Booby sanctuary land. This December 2007-January 2009 calendar features the lovely ladies topless with strategically placed items and poses that are tastefully done.

If you are interested in contributing to this project or just a fan of the booby(had to), then please support these ladies and purchase a calendar. All you have to do is send a check made out to Little Cayman National Trust to Susan Howard, 1207 North Oak Cliff Blvd, Dallas Texas 75208.

For US residents - $10 plus $2 shipping. (Canada - shipping is $4 US and England - shipping is $5 US).

Cayman Stingray Tourism Awards

Friday October 26th saw the fourth annual Stingray Tourism Awards, presented by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association.



The Reef's four proud nominees were :
- Rosemarie Challenger - Accommodations Employee of the Year
- Clive Lamont - Special Contribution Award
- Sandra Rankine - Restaurant Employee of the Year
- Martena Villalobos - Accommodations Manager of the Year

Although The Reef's own Mr. Lawrence Haughton one both Manager of the Year and overall Tourism employee of the year at the inaugural event a few years back, this year the competition was tougher than ever, so none of our nominees actually took home any of the lovely blown glass Stingray trophies... but they are all definitely winners to us !

The Reef took a table at the event to honour not just our nominees, but a selection of our Employees of the Month from 2007... and a great time was had by all !

Many thanks to the CITA for putting on this great event to recognise the fantastic efforts put in by hospitality staff throughout Cayman... and we look forward to next year.

Pirates Week 2007

Celebrating it's 30th anniversary, this years festivities promise to be as great as its predecessors. Running from November 8th to November 18th, there will be activities such as a songfest, costume competition, fireworks, and a street dance. Did i mention that is just the first day?

Saturday, November 10th marks the traditional Pirates landing in George Town harbour. After the landing is the subsequent float parade that is great fun for kids and adults alike. There will also be a street dance at 7pm to cap the night off.

November 12th-November 16th are "district days", as each district is given its own day to display its unique crafts and cuisine.

There are too many events and activities for me to list here, so log on to piratesweekfestival.com for the full programme of this years event, or you will be forced to walk the plank!!

The Perfect Caribbean Wedding Cocktail!

Ingredients:-

• Wedding couple who love fun, sun and sand
• Family and friends who enjoy relaxation, a great party and a memories to cherish
• Pristine white sand beach with swaying palms
• Breathtaking, turquoise blue ocean
• Vividly colourful tropical flowers
• Amazing photographer
• Reggae/Calypso/Soca music
• Delicious Caribbean style gourmet foodInfectious atmosphere and dancing
• Rum, Rum and more Rum!

Directions:-

Let the team here at The Reef Resort mix them all together to create the ultimate 'Caribbean Wedding Cocktail' allowing you to enjoy a wonderfully potent day of romance and fun in a spectacular setting whilst relaxing with friends and family.

The Cayman Islands have become known for our ability to provide a complete array of Wedding professionals, therefore, allowing you to relax knowing that everything is taken care of down to the last detail.

Here at The Reef we pride ourselves on the wonderful weddings that we create and are ever thankful to our Wedding partners who provide the professional services that allow us to exceed even the highest of expectations.

• Best man forgotten his tux? - No worries, A Formal Affair can get one to us the same day.
• Your favourite flower is the rare Voodoo lily and you must have it in your bouquet? Not a problem, Every Bloomin' Thing will order in specially for you.
• You want a beautiful wedding cake with your initials made out of icing seashells, starfish and fresh flowers or simply served with red rose petals and seashells? Leave it to our wonderful Wedding cake partners, Grand Old House to create your perfectly unique, customized Wedding cake.
• Want the photographer to travel to your favourite location on island with you to capture the perfect sunset? Rebecca Davidson and Colin Myles are known for their professionalism and flexibility, going out of their way to create the perfect pics!
• Best friend not able to make it as her baby is due tomorrow? Our Cayman Wedding will provide a live streaming of your ceremony over the website for anyone that couldn't attend to still share your special day with you.

These are just a sampling of the services available to you for your wedding at The Reef, but the options to customize your wedding are almost unlimited ! If we can make it happen for you here at The Reef, we will!

So as you can see, with our amazing island, gorgeous location and wonderful selection of Wedding professionals and services, we are able to provide the perfect mixture to satisfy even the most demanding of Wedding palates!

As a starting point to mix your perfect wedding cocktail, visit us at www.thereef.com/weddings, then contact us at weddings@thereef.com.

Cheers!!

The Reef - Entertainment Schedule to help you plan ahead

About our most frequently asked questions by folk planning a visit to The Reef revolve around our popular entertainers, as in "will Barefoot Man / Andrew Bacon / Lammie be playing when we visit".

We've started to make lots of changes and add much more information to our website, and a cool new addition is our Entertainment page, which now has a calendar showing performances for each entertainer from now through April 2008.

One small caution is that although we will try to keep this updated, entertainers do occasionally have to cancel their "gigs" on short notice for one reason or another, so although we have told each guy that they have to stick to these schedules, we can't promise total 100% accuracy !

Oh...and as we are making lots of enhancements to our website, please do fire away with any comments on on what you'd like to see on The Reef's website....

Reef Profile of Vida Christian (Housekeeping Supervisor)

Ms. Vida arrived in Cayman 16 years ago on the advice of her sister who was living here at the time. "I love Cayman and since my sister was here i decided to come and stay for a little while. A little while turned into 16 years as i couldn't see myself leaving, I love the island too much." Ms. Vida has been an employee of The Reef over 7 years and when asked what she most enjoys about the job she said,"I most enjoy making guest happy, i also enjoy the camaraderie that all the staff have here. It feels like one big family. I also love all the owners here and wish they were here all the time"

When not at The Reef, you can find Ms. Vida dancing. "I Love to dance", says Ms. Vida. I'm sure any attendees at a staff party can attest to that. "Calypso and reggae all the way for me, said Ms. Vida. Also an avid reader and cook, Ms. Vida enjoys dramatic novels and basically any book with serious drama, while waiting for her "Ackee and Saltfish" to be cooked.

When asked what her greatest accomplishment was Ms. Vida stated, "It would be working here and gaining the position I'm at now of Housekeeping Supervisor". She also describes herself as a joyful and friendly person who always tries to have a smile on her face.

Your Cayman Wedding - live on the web!

Welcome back to The Reef Wedding Blog!

This week I am writing about one of the most exciting and rare options available to Caribbean Destination Wedding couples, available right here in Cayman to all of our wonderful 'nearly weds' who are planning to say their vows on our beautiful island.

For all of us Wedding addicts and travel bugs who can't miss a wedding, we will jet half way across the world to join in the festivities, no matter the cost or sacrifice involved, to experience the real thing (and probably suffer for a few days afterwards, especially if the groom has 16 Irish brothers and sisters!).

However, I believe that at every wedding I've ever been to (and I've been to a few, my own included!!) there are always some very dear family members, or friends of the couple, who have not been able to attend for any number of reasons. This is especially true for Destination weddings and can be a major factor in making the decision of whether or not to say 'I do' in the idyllic, picturesque location of your dreams or to keep the nuptials closer to home.

This is where Our Cayman Wedding is soooo valuable! At an extremely affordable cost, the Bride and Groom can opt to have their ceremony, and any other part of their big day, streamed live and unedited through the web. Thus allowing their missing favourite Grandma, Aunt, high school friend, long lost cousin, pen pal (you get the idea) to log in, at no additional cost, and experience the festivities as they are happening. Such a great concept and the perfect answer to those Wedding day 'I wish Aunty Ethel or Grandma Flossie were here' blues!

As an added bonus, this webcast can be edited and viewed by the couple and their loved ones over and over again via the Internet through a personalized Wedding Web page that Our Cayman Wedding can create and design for the couple.

I can think of many weddings that I have been to, in fact most of them, where this would have been the 'cherry on top' of the perfectly iced day and would have made for a much less stressful Destination Wedding planning experience!

For further information, please contact live@ourcaymanwedding.com or you can contact our Weddings team here at The Reef at weddings@thereef.com.

The Farmers Market

Have you ever wondered where can i go to get a authentic taste of Caymanian culture, cuisine, and crafts? Well a new venue has recently opened in Lower Valley that is sure to tickel your fancy. Simpy titled THE MARKET ,this venue for local farmers and craftmakers to display their wares opened just over a month ago and has been an instant success.

Local produce such as cassavas, breadfruits,yams, sweet potatoes, and many other delicious items are for sale here guaranteed fresh, as they are brought straight from the farm, to the market. Local art such as "Thatch" baskets and hats are on sale here as well. "Thatch" items are created from the branches of the "Silver Thatch Palm Tree", which is indigenous to The Cayman Islands.

If you come to the market hungry don't worry as there is plenty of local cuisine there to sample.Why not sample special local cuisines such as Turtle and Conch stew, Fish dinners, and everyone's favorite, Rundown!

The Market is open Saturday's from 7am onwards, so get there before the rush to get a unique taste of Cayman.

Your Mini Moon at The Reef

Greetings to you all again from the blog team at The Reef. For this weeks wedding blog spot, I am going to tell you about our new 'Mini Moon' package (no this doesn't have any reference to the size of the moon here in Cayman! As any previous guest or Cayman resident will tell you, our moon is the same size as anywhere else in the world and is a beautiful sight to see reflected on the silvery ocean on any given night!).

The Mini Moon is, in fact, a relatively new trend in Destination Weddings which I had the pleasure of learning about during a recent Destination Weddings seminar here in Cayman, hosted by Wedding expert and Champion blogger, Rebecca Grinnals. Thank you Rebecca!

During the early stages of planning destination weddings, one of the toughest decisions for the couple is choosing the perfect location that will suit their needs and their attending group of family and friends. We've all experienced or heard about the 'vacation disasters' where everything looked perfect in the brochure or on the website, only to arrive and be in the worst vacation nightmare you could have! Oceanview being two miles from the ocean through a quagmire of dirty streets and busy traffic, full size pool being the size of a your kids paddling pool plus a few inches and a family friendly beach with topless sunbathing and lunchtime shot drinking competitions.

The 'Mini Moon' is designed as a short getaway for the couple, where they can visit the location that they are considering for their wedding to confirm to themselves that they are making the perfect choice. During their getaway, they can meet with Wedding professionals, explore the island, sample local food and restaurants and envision, first hand, the Wedding experience that awaits them and their guests. This is also a perfect break for the couple, who can enjoy their spare time relaxing and enjoying their mini break together.

Our 'Mini Moon' package is available to all future Wedding couples (whether The Reef is their chosen Wedding destination or not!) during our Summer Season (until December 20th) here at The Reef Resort and includes a three night stay in a beautiful, beach front (and yes we do mean beachfront!) Deluxe Studio, breakfast in bed each morning, a jeep rental for the entire stay(minimum age restrictions do apply) and a full consultation meeting with our Wedding coordinator (that would be me) here at The Reef. This three day package is available to all 'nearly weds' for US $895 per couple including all taxes, additional nights can be added upon request.

Please contact us here at The Reef at weddings@thereef.com for further details on your 'Mini Moon'. Please also check out Rebecca Grinnals fabulous wedding blog site for wonderful wedding tips, news and new trends.

Reef Profile Shawn Dyer (Maintenance)

As a kid growing up in Jamaica, Shawn could be found swimming by the river, playing cricket, or making kites. As an young adult he worked in a bauxite factory back home before arriving in Grand Cayman over 3 years ago.

Shawn has been a member of The Reef for over 2 years. He says, "Some of my favorite memories have been the people i have met here. I really enjoy interacting with both the guest and staff on a daily basis. My main priority is to ensure guest satisfaction with the resort never ends."

Shaun is married with 5 kids, in fact when asked what his greatest accomplishment in life was he said, "It would first be my five beautiful children, second would be purchasing my first home, and third would be my promotion to Head of Maintenance here at The Reef Resort. The thing that would make me happiest in life is too see all my children graduate college."






When not at work some of Shaun's favorite hobbies include playing dominoes, snorkeling at Beach Bay, and watching TV. Some of those favorite shows on TV include "Fresh Prince" and "Everybody loves Raymond", and his favorite music is Country, especially Conway Twitty and Charlie Pride. When asked what his most embarrassing moment was Shawn replied, "It would be the time Tom (Resort Director) was trying to reach me and i had my cell phone turned off."

I asked Mr. Lawrence (General Manager) what was one thing that people did not know about Shawn but should and he had this to say, "The one thing that people don't know about Shawn is that he is very humble and productive individual."

Just another example of Reef excellence.

Weekly Wedding Blog - We did it Our Way!!

Greetings again from the Reef Resort where we have just spent the last week sprucing and beautifying our already idyllic setting during our annual maintenance week. The entire staff of The Reef have pulled together again to ensure that The Reef is in tip top condition for our wonderful guests to enjoy and relax in our little unique piece of paradise!

Feeling all fresh and new after our annual "spruce up", I've resolved to write up a wedding blog each and every Tuesday for you.... some blogs will show weddings we've done in the past, others will feature some of the insider "tips and tricks" we've picked up over the years of helping our guests..anyway, watch out for the "Weekly Wedding Blog", and here goes with the first one !

Our favourite Wedding thought here at The Reef is :

Your Wedding, Your Way!

Whether your idea of the perfect wedding is :

a) 100 of your favourite friends and family spending the week together, relaxing in the sun and spending quality time together with your lavish wedding and reception party being the 'grand finale' to the vacation of a lifetime, or

b) Just the two of you spending an intimate week in the tranquil seclusion and romance of our East End location with a simple beach wedding for two surrounded by the picturesque turquoise Caribbean ocean and a private candlelit dinner for two on the beach afterwards

Either way, we can take care of it all for you to create the most personal and unique wedding experience.

Some of the best wedding memories we have here at The Reef are of the fun and spontaneous couples whom, after arriving here at The Reef and being inspired by our beautiful beach and setting, took the plunge.

One couple- Dena and Smitty - literally did just that and jumped off our dock right after their 'I Do's' to the surprise of a passing snorkeler!

That was great fun and I'm sure will make for a great conversation piece for years to come. Actually, we will be welcoming them both back to The Reef this week as they are celebrating their First Anniversary back here with us - congratulations Dena and Smitty!!

Here in Grand Cayman, we are very lucky to be able to process a Wedding license and required documentation within 24 working hours and therefore, the preplanning required in most other locations is not an issue. If you both have a passport (which is required for all visitors from abroad now), your disembarkation card from your flight to Cayman and any divorce decrees if necessary, we can arrange your wedding within 24 hours of arrival! However, due to our 'one wedding a day!' guarantee, we would strongly suggest checking the availability of your chosen date with us prior to arrival here at The Reef.

Please see our Weddings section on our website for further information on weddings here at The Reef or email us at weddings@thereef.com, we will be happy to help you create 'Your wedding, Your way'!

RUNDOWN: Food or Fun?

Its that time of year again for RUNDOWN. No I'm not talking about food, i'm talking about the show!

For those of you not familiar with the dish "rundown", it is a traditional Caymanian cuisine comprised of fish cooked in coconut milk and served with breadfruit and cassava. In fact, just typing this is making me hungry! However, lets get back to the topic of the day which is the show.

RUNDOWN is a once a year theatrical production that takes both a comedic and sarcastic look at The Cayman Islands and local issues from the past year.

This two hour comedy show always has the audience in stitches as the characters poke fun of such serious political issues as "the rollover policy" and government officials, to daily interactions and everyday life in cayman.

The show was created by Dave Martins in 1991 and has become a staple of Cayman theatre as both locals and visitors alike come each year for a good laugh and a good time. There are many newcomers in this years show, but some of the old favorites like Alan Ebanks (pictured on the left),are still around bringing their unique comedic skills to the stage. I have to say this show is uniquely Cayman and a must for any visitor.

This years theatrical run was so popular in fact, that they have added two more shows for October 9th and October 10th at the Harquail Theatre. Yours truly has been once already and i am definitely planning on seeing it again!

Reef beach weddings

Welcome to The Reef's Wedding Blog...

TomCayman has been bugging me to share some of the weddings that we host here at The Reef, so each blog I'll feature one of the many beautiful beach weddings that have taken place here at The Reef along with useful information and tips on Destination Weddings here in Grand Cayman and in particular (of course!) at the idyllic Reef Resort

So, to our first wedding blog (I'm new to this, so hang in there with me !)

Amber and Andrew - April 2007

Amber and Andrew first came to stay with us in October 2006, where they decided that we were the chosen location for their April 2007 destination beach wedding. Along with 45 of their closest friends and family, Amber and Andrew enjoyed a week of relaxation and fun in the sun before their big day. All of their plans were finalized, down to the last detail, prior to arrival thanks to Octopus Wedding planners and our wedding team here at The Reef, thus allowing Amber and Andrew to spend time with their group knowing that they had nothing to worry about for their special day.

The morning of their Wedding was a little overcast and a mildly worried Amber was watching closely as their reception tent was being erected on the beach. As the tables were being decorated and set for their beach dinner reception and their decorated ceremony chairs were set up for their guests, the wind picked up and the heavens opened with what we can only describe as a ‘freak squall’.

Meanwhile, renowned wedding photographer, Rebecca Davidson arrived for the pre-wedding photos, only to find a distressed Amber and Andrew. In order to utilize their photo time and to cheer the wedding couple up, Rebecca decided to transport them both to the still sunny Rum Point for their pre wedding photos, Amber wearing her dress bag over her wedding dress to keep dry!

This turned out to be the perfect plan, the Rum Point photographs were gorgeous and upon their return to The Reef, the rains had passed and their dream wedding plans were back on track with the set up dried out and once again completed. I should add at this point that this kind of weather pattern was really unusual, as here in the East End we tend to get a lot less rain year round than the rest of Cayman... but I guess it showed how the whole team, including Rebecca, could think on their feet !

As you can see from the photos, Amber and Andrew had a beautiful wedding and thanks to our amazing F + B team, their beach dinner reception complete with DJ and dancing was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
Here are Amber and Andrew’s comments on their Reef Wedding experience:-

I have to say that Andrew and I along with all of our guests had an absolutely wonderful time at the Reef Resort. Everyone was so accommodating and friendly. We could not have asked for a better place to have our wedding...

It went exactly as we had planned and envisioned it to be - only better!! (and too short)!!! :) We are so happy with everything....!

Thank-you again for being such a big part of our special day. Your hard work (& Valentino's) in regards to all of the hotel accommodations, logistics of everything, food & beverage, etc., made our stay/special day a huge success....we never worried about one thing and simply enjoyed our time on the island....which is what we wanted.

For further information on The Reef Resort hosting your beach wedding and guests, please contact us at weddings@thereef.com.

For larger weddings here at The Reef, Octopus Event planners can be reached at octopusevents@candw.ky.

Please visit Rebecca Davidson’s website at www.rebeccadavidson.com for examples of her amazing photography and contact details.

Reef Profile of Leona Baker (Concierge)

Born in Seattle, Leona has become one of the more popular employees at the resort through her outgoing personality and desire to please all guest. This December will mark the 4 year anniversary of Leona arriving here at the resort. When asked what she loved most about working at The Reef she said, "I love my coworkers and our guests because we all have a great harmony between and they really have become an extended family."

On her days off she enjoys painting and hanging with her fiance, whom she is scheduled to be married to December 1st. One fact that all of you Reef fans will find interesting is that even though Leona is the water aerobic instructor here, she is actually scared of the water. Go Figure!

I asked Leona what were some of her favorite memories were at The Resort and I got two words. Staff Parties. "Its a time when everyone lets loose and has a great time", said Leona.

"Basically, I love what I do and try to ensure that our guests enjoy their trip to the fullest", says Leona. Enough said.

The Reef's Hurricane Guarantee - in action

This email was just received by Linda Locke, a member of The Reef team and our weddings and meetings specialists (but when a storm threatens, we all do everything!)... edited for brevity and to remove names :

I cannot thank you enough for the attentive care my 2 children and I were given by all of your staff. Though we only got to stay at The Reef for one night before we had to evacuate, you made us feel like we were family. We will never forget your help and concern.

While your own lives and homes were potentially being threatened by Hurricane Dean, you selflessly put your customers' needs first. Everyone we met during our 2 days on Grand Cayman was so very gracious and kind. We are grateful and glad that the storm spared you.

While waiting hours in the airport for a stand-by flight to Miami, we talked with a couple who ranted about how unhelpful the staff was at (a five star hotel that shall remain nameless)! We recounted our experience at The Reef and they said they would definitely check out The Reef for their next trip.

We had planned our trip many months ago and had been looking forward to our first visit to Grand Cayman. It was so disappointing after our long journey and anticipation to have to leave after one night.

Unfortunately, our school and work schedules, as well as our finances, do not allow us another vacation soon. However, we would like to take you up on your offer of a certificate for five nights. We might be able to come next June. Please let me know the restrictions and anything else required to be eligible.

Again, thank you for your warm hospitality and sincere concerns for our welfare. We are looking forward to our next trip to The Reef with even more excitement now that we know how extraordinarily wonderful a place it is.

Best wishes to you and all your staff,

K** D****** and family

In a past life I was a Chartered Accountant (tough to believe, I know!), but as I look at the highly lucrative career options I could have chosen in (for example) helping all those offshore hedge funds manage their billions in Cayman... I can't help but realise how rich all of us who work at The Reef really are when we can be part of something as special as this place !

Sorry (sniff), got sentimental there for a minute !

Hurricane Eraser special - must book by Sep 6th!

Ok, so you already know from our blog post on Friday August 24th that we have a great deal for fall vacations on right now at The Reef, but you've got to move fast, it expires this Thursday, September 6th !

To tempt you, a reminder that the special includes a free "Hurricane Eraser" cocktail to welcome you to Cayman and to banish memories of Hurricanes past and ward off any that may think of darkening our door in future !

Our bartenders have tweaked the old favourite of the rum punch and given it a bit of a kick with some dark rum to truly banish a few memory cells (specially formulated to erase Hurricane memories), but they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes with two for you !

British Airways sale now on

September is the time for airline sales, but a bit disappointing to note that BA have not run this sale through the winter months.

Anyway, for British and European fans of Cayman looking for an Autumn break, visit BA.com.

The deal is as follows :

London to Grand Cayman £409 Return 05 Sep 07 - 30 Nov 07

Upgrade to World Traveller Plus from £150

As always, we recommend that visitors to Cayman sign up for frequent flyer programmes for all airlines that fly from where they are to Cayman, then add GCM as an airport in your profile and sign up for e-newsletters... that way you'll get all the special offers.

As a reminder, the following scheduled carriers fly to Cayman (it is a long list, we have excellent air service!) :
- Cayman Airways (JFK/ORD/MIA/TPA/KIN/MBJ/CYB/LYB)
- American Airlines (MIA)
- Delta (ATL)
- US Airways (CLT/PHL
- Spirit (FLL)
- NWA (Detroit)
- Air Canada (YYZ)
- British Airways (LHR)
- Continental (EWR/IAH)
- Air Jamaica (KIN/MBJ)

Grab it Fast!

If it looks like a deal, smells like a deal, its probably.........a deal.

In this particular case the deal is pretty sweet. American Airlines are offering a special sale from South Florida to Grand Cayman.

Fly roundtrip from Miami to Grand Cayman for only $158. This just gives you even more incentive to visit us this fall! All you have to do is log on to AA.com to see terms and conditions, but do so quickly as this special offer expires September 4th.

Adjectives to describe The Reef - "family" "home" "caring"

Last week after Hurricane Dean passed close by us we sent out an email to our whole mailing list to let everyone know things were fine. We were overwhelmed by not just the sheer number of replies, but also the depth of feeling that many of the replies.

We know that our members and guests like The Reef, but to be honest we really had no idea how much so many of them feel like The Reef and everyone who works here are part of their family, and that we are their "Cayman home". Boy, stuff like that makes all the hard work oh so worthwhile !

For those of our guests who had to cut short their vacation, we emailed them to let them know that in addition to refunding their unused nights stay, we were also giving them a five night certificate to use the next time they came down to Cayman. The following is a reply to one such email just received by our reservations department :

Dear Linda,

In the time since we've been home from our vacation, my wife and I have fielded at least four dozen inquires from friends and family about what our vacation was like considering the change in plans that Dean necessitated. We told everyone that the short time we spent on Grand Cayman at The Reef was wonderful — and no one believes that the lobsters we saw while snorkeling out near the reef were really as big as we said they are (I swear the tail of the largest could feed a family of four).

Even though we had to flee to Miami, we did so with the mindset that there are far worse places to be a "refugee" for three days. Our only remorse was that we had to cancel our trip to Stringray City in order to catch our flight out.

Thank you for the generous offer. It only goes to cement The Reef's reputation in my mind. We'll eagerly take you up on the five-night voucher for next summer — and we look forward to some more of Sandra's cocktails — after we check out Stingray City.

Take care !

A few more excepts from emails replying to our main email last week :

Our thoughts and prayers have been with you and The Reef Resort during this crisis! We are very thankful that everyone is safe and not much damage. The Reef is our other home and family that we look forward to every year. We are bringing our 4 daughters this year the week before Christmas for our first family vacation. Our daughter’s ages are 27, 25, 12, and 8. We are looking forward to spending time with our girls and enjoying our time together at The Reef!

We were very happy to know very little damage occurred at The Reef. After the last one, we know how prepared and efficient the resort is. We appreciate you letting us know how the Caymans faired. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always.

Thanks so much for the email regarding the Royal Reef post Hurricane Dean. I have stayed many times at your resort and have had positive experiences each time

I am so glad to hear that you all and the resort are ok. I had been thinking about you guys. I must say, my first thought was about the resort since we're hoping to come back there in December, but also, I suddenly realized I was worried about the people. So, I am so glad to hear all is basically well with both. That feeling that I got is a real testament to everyone that works there (and also the other people on the island). My girlfriend and I pass on our well wishes. Hopefully we'll see you in December and I hope the hurricane season passes without too much incident for you all there. Take good care and I hope the re-opening is smooth.

It’s so reassuring that damage in your area seems to be minimal. Thanks for the update, we have been following the weather situation from ‘SAFE GREAT BRITAIN’ . We had a great vacation with you last year and a great week also in Cayman Brac. I hope they too escaped with little damage. We WILL be back, so until then keep sending the emails – best of luck for the future.

Thank you for your letter. We are extremely pleased to hear that there was minimal damage as we thoroughly enjoy staying at The Reef throught the year.
As locals it is so refreshing to feel we have had a vacation away from the island without even leaving the island and everyone is always so kind and helpful.
Best wishes


Hi Tom......we just wanted to say how nice it was that you sent this e-mail to ALL of your Reef family. We were not scheduled to come down to the Island, but I just wanted to say it was nice to hear that you were on top of the clean-up. It's people like you that make us want to come back....

Way to go Tom

We are proud to be owners at your resort