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)