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!!