The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa

This hotel was great! The food was a little overpriced, but the rooms and lobby were bright and well kept. It’s right in the middle of seven mile beach, so restaurants and shops are only across the street, and most of the excursions are close by. Pool area is beautiful and you can walk right past the pool area to the beach. They have chairs and umbrellas for all the guests. It is first come first serve, but we were able to go out there in mid/late afternoon and still get chairs on the beach. They also have water sports rentals right on the beach for you and phenomenal beach side service with buzzers placed on all the umbrellas. Water stations in several places outside as well. I would highly recommend this place, and would re-book in a heartbeat.

Just nice. The staff is excellent. Very courteous and helpful. We had fish tacos for lunch. They were average but they gave us a bag of chips with them. It made the lunch appear cheap...but it wasn't cheap. The room was nice but small. The ocean view was worth the upgrade. Most guest ate at the marriott next door.

Beautiful beach but this place is just ridiculous with the extra charges that they impose. There is a $65 resort fee per day - includes one bottle of water per person , free wifi, maid service, and beach services. I asked one of the beach attendants what the beach service included and he said the umbrella, the towels and chairs (what a joke - this is all normally included at any other hotel) Breakdown - $503.10 base rate for partial ocean view, room, Service Charge per day at 11% $55.34 and Resort fee $65.00 per day and room tax at $65.40 per day....that is a WHOPPING $688.84 per night! What's this service charge for anyway, when you order something at the bar or restaurant they tack on a 16% gratuity fee to your bill. Well, we did not have a great experience with the ambassadors on beach. They very much had the "I don't want to bother with you behavior". I went to get towels and it was 6:57 a.m. - there were three people folding towels and he so coldly said to me we DONT give towels until 7am - For the amount of $$ that I paid for this place, there is no reason for that kind of treatment. One other thing to mention, on our second day, there was this load of college kids that were taking up a large area at the end of the beach playing loud music. So I find out that Westin allows the guests from Sunshine Suites to pay a $35 charge to use the beach, chairs, towels, .....can you believe that? That's why there are so many chairs taken.

Check-in was a breeze and our room was ready, so that was a plus. The property, lobby very nice, you can see the beach as soon as you walk in. The staff were not overly friendly, in fact the doormen were rather cold. You would think they would be a little more welcoming since they are the first people you meet. Got to our room which was a basic room, clean, nice decor and we got a partial ocean view upgrade which was nice. No complaints about the room. Got to the beach and we had to get ourselves some chairs as there weren't any staff to help us out. The beach was outstanding, we spent 90% of our time in the ocean. Crystal clear water. There was construction going on and it was rather annoying to hear jack hammering all day when you are trying to relax. No mention of this when we booked the trip or checked in. For the price you pay plus a 60/day resort fee you would expect some amenities. There are none, you get a towel and chairs if there are any available. Activities are few and far between, and everything else, even a snorkel mask is extra. Oh I'm sorry you get a few bottles of water. How they get away with this I'll never know. Honestly if they didn't have such prime real estate with the beach, no way they would get the number of guests for the cost. Only had some beach food at the resort, as it's overpriced, so went off the property to eat breakfast and dinner. Eats across the street is good for breakfast. We did breakfast with the sting rays through red sail sports which was great. All in all a nice place to visit, and I would probably go back, but maybe stay in a condo and rent a car. The resort prices are not worth it.

If you're looking for a full service hotel on the best stretch of Seven Mile Beach, look no further. The Westin is it. But before you click on the RESERVE NOW button, please read through this quick write-up so you can properly set your expectations. *** By the way, if Westin Management is reading this, please note that all my comments were passed along to your front desk staff before I checked out, which should have allowed you time to reach out to me. Sadly, I did not hear back from you. My wife and I, along with our two kids (aged 9 and 12) just returned from a pleasant vacation in Grand Cayman. The highlight of our trip was most definitely the beach in front of the Westin. It is without the doubt, the best stretch of sand and water in Grand Cayman, and arguably the entire Caribbean. We've been to great beaches in Turks and Caicos as well as Boracay Island in the Philippines. The texture of the sand and clarity of the water is comparable to these spots. Also, since the beach is oriented directly west, you will have beautiful sunsets every night. For beach lovers, having the sun set over the water in the afternoon is a must-have, which you can’t get from East Coast beaches like Miami or the New Jersey shore. There is definitely something to be said for enjoying happy hour with a cold drink in your hand, soft reggae tunes in the background, while the setting sun turns the sky into beautiful shades of gold, pink, and purple! Now, moving on to the Hotel itself. If the brand name "Westin" conjures up images of elegant, luxurious spaces along with top-notch white-glove service, then you might be disappointed with this property. Although the hotel recently underwent a multi-million dollar refurbishment, it is clear the design and the "bones" of the building was from a blueprint circa 1996. And while I understand there is only so much one can do to spruce up the interior and exterior of a 20 year old building, there is no excuse for the lapses and shortfalls with several customer-facing services. ***Fix the Air-Con: If you're from the USA, your flight will be arriving in the early to mid afternoon which is the warmest time of the day. It's going to be tremendously hot when you step out of the plane. The humidity hits you like a wall. By the time you clear customs, get your rental car or taxi, you will be sweating from the heat. You will be looking for the comfort of your air-condition hotel. Unfortunately, your very first interaction with the Westin will be a crowded reception area filled with other parties trying to check in at the same time. At this point you'll immediately notice how warm the lobby is. This is not temporary. The lobby is warm the entire day. The A/C infrastructure simply cannot handle the heat, with the far glass windows fronting the pool area almost creating a greenhouse effect for the common space in the lobby. This problem does not make for a good first impression. Westin Mgmt: get this fixed. If the duty free shops in Georgetown can leave their doors open the entire day and maintain comfortable temps in their store, so can you. ***Teach ALL the Staff to acknowledge us: Even in less "glamorous" properties on other less "luxurious" islands, I've observed how the service staff is trained to stop what their doing, look up, smile, and greet the guest. This level of service is not consistent at the Westin Grand Cayman, which is sorely disappointing for the brand and for what is supposed to be a four/five star property. There was an instance when I found myself in the elevator alone with the bellhop who was bringing up suits cases (there is apparently no service elevator, mind you). I went four floors without him even acknowledging me. On other occasions, we'd pass by the housekeeping staff in the hallway. They barely looked up from what they were doing. To be clear, I don't need to be greeted so as to have a great day. I'll be having a great day once I see the clear azure waters out back. What I'm simply pointing out is that this inconsistent service represents a larger training opportunity that needs to be addressed. Westin Mgmt: ask your Filipino staff on proper guest interaction. They set the standards. It all starts with a smile. ***Instill Ownership and Accountability with House Keeping: after day two, you'll notice there are at least 3 different teams servicing your room. You'll come to your room with your bed fixed perfectly, only to notice the trash hasn't been taken out. Or on other days, you'll find the trash removed, but your bottle water and coffee not replenished. When I advised the "team" replenishing the coffee that the trash had not been collected, I was advised, "it's not my responsibility, but I'll get someone to do it". What? Why not just do it? So frustrating. Finally, the biggest service defect which I believe represents something more systemic for the entire hotel comes down to the following observations: when you go down the hallway to or from your room, take note of the used dinner trays left outside another door. Check again after an hour. The trays are STILL there. Then note how in that interval of time, how many service personnel walked by that used dinner tray. I observed this situation on several occasions. It is mind-boggling. The moment ANY housekeeping staff member sees a used tray in the open all, he or she should remove it immediately. Westin Mgmt: I think this is just a simple training opportunity that can be easily addressed. ***Be Transparent with Room Type and Resort Fee: When you make your booking, note that the "Island View" room is really "Parking Lot View" room. Given the layout of the building, 30% to 40% of you will have a room with this view. My Island View room with 2 beds was functional and served its purpose, which was to provide my family with a great night sleep. That we did! The a/c was super cold, the beds and pillows were super comfy, and the black out blinds kept everything super dark. Just don't expect anything fancy or anything too far removed from an airport level hotel. My room did not have a balcony or sitting area, which would have been very helpful for when my boys needed a place to sit, read, or eat. Finally, dear reader, you'll have read by now about the notorious resort fee. If you have not, please be prepared to pay $65 a night above and beyond the documented room rate that you reserved. For this fee, you get virtually NOTHING beyond what you would get for FREE at any other hotel. It truly leaves a bad taste in your mouth. For comparison, take a look at the brand new premium property further up the beach that begins with the letter K. Although they charge a resort fee, look at the long list of equipment and activities they include. And they use the same watersport company, mind you. Westin Mgmt: I know the accountants will never allow any change to the price and inclusions of the resort fee. But if KS can include non-motorized water sports in their resort fee, so can you. Ultimately, if you're planning to go to the Cayman Islands and your priority is the sun, beach, and water, then the Westin Grand Cayman should be on your list. We had a great time and a great vacation. My hope is that this review will help guide you and prepare you for your trip, just so you know what to expect!