This summer, we traveled to Grand Cayman with our three- and five-year old boys for the best family vacation we have had to date! The only thing missing was our one-year-old daughter, but we decided to leave her with family so we would have more freedom and flexibility for various activities we wanted to do with our boys. We stayed at the Kimpton Seafire and had a fantastic time, both on and off the property. We highly recommend the trip and hope to return one day with our complete family of five! In this post, I’ll be sharing everything from pro tips about the Kimpton to the best activities and restaurants near seven-mile beach.

First, some basics about Grand Cayman. The island is only 76 square miles so it’s very easy and quick to get from place to place. For our trip, we mostly stayed near the West End and Seven Mile Beach. We spent more time at the resort than I had imagined (because it was so amazing!!) so we will just have to return to explore the East End and Half Moon Bay.

Getting to Grand Cayman: One of the reasons we chose Grand Cayman was the ease and proximity of the location. We connected through Miami and had a short 1.5 hour flight into Grand Cayman. It’s worth noting that there is a great kids play area in the Miami airport, created in collaboration with the Miami Children’s Museum. It is located near gate E5 and has simulated flying activities and an intercom system between air traffic control and the cockpit.

When we arrived in Grand Cayman, one of the employees in Customs pulled us out of the line and sent us to a shorter line for those traveling with families and wheelchairs. Our antsy boys definitely appreciated the shortcut!

Once we got our luggage, we hopped in a taxi for the 15 minute drive from the airport to the Seafire, which cost us $40 USD.

It’s also worth noting that on the return home, the boys enjoyed another awesome playground area in the Grand Cayman airport. I love airports that keep families in mind and create areas where kiddos can run around and get out some energy before being cooped up on a flight!

Kimpton Seafire: From the moment we arrived at the Seafire, we were at ease. At check-in, we were greeted with glasses of cava and Capri Suns for the boys and were given a tour of the property. There was a lot to do and no shortage of activities at our “home away from home” for the week.

When we were at the property, we spent most of our time at the beach, pool, or splash pad. Each morning, I did a workout class – yoga or stand up paddleboard (SUP) yoga. The instructors were phenomenal! Yoga classes are sometimes held in the beachside pavilion and sometimes on the lawn outside the main lobby area. My favorite was beachside – it was so relaxing! I also enjoyed trying SUP yoga. It was much harder than I expected and actually made me feel a bit seasick, but it was very peaceful to be out on the water. The resort also offers spin classes, but since that is something I regularly enjoy at home, I skipped it.

The beach on property has floating platforms where you can sun, lounge, or use for jumping. At Red Sail Sports, located on property just past Coccaloba, you can borrow equipment for snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, the Eclipse (a paddleboard stepper), tricycling, or basic floats. We didn’t know until we arrived that these activities are only available for age 5 and up, so unfortunately, we could only do activities with our oldest son. Between my husband and I, we tried most of the activities! I snorkeled one morning and saw some colorful fish in the coral just off the shore!

The Seafire also offers biking/walking/running trails as well as maps of pre-planned routes. The boys’ favorite feature of the property was undoubtedly the splash pad. We visited every day! It has multiple slides, large foam building blocks, and tons of fun water features. For the parents, there are several cabanas where you can lounge in the shade and order food and drinks.

One of my favorite amenities at Seafire was the daily happy hour with small bites, wine, and capri suns for the kids. It was a nice way to enjoy some time together as a family before heading to dinner. It was also the perfect time to FaceTime our youngest back at home! During our daily happy hours, we discovered a mancala game in the lobby, taught the boys how to play, and all enjoyed playing together.

Where to Eat (on property)

If you have kids, one of the biggest perks of staying at Kimpton Seafire is that kids 5 and under eat free at any restaurant on property. This was amazing for us and we took advantage of it throughout our stay.

Ave: Ave is the finest dining restaurant on property and is also where breakfast is served. Our first night in Grand Cayman, we took the boys for a “fancy dinner” where they got to dress up and practice using their manners for a special night out. Everything we ordered was phenomenal. We shared octopus and saganaki halloumi cheese for appetizers. For our main dishes, I enjoyed the grouper and Alex had the short rib. Our boys tried all of our dishes and ordered dinner from the kids menu.

We also ate the breakfast buffet daily at Ave (adults ordered the buffet and the kids ordered from the menu). The boys really enjoyed reading their menus and making different selections every day. I think they were more adventurous than they might have been otherwise and tried several new dishes.

Coccaloba: For a more casual vibe, you can eat Mexican/Caymanian food beachside at Coccaloba. You can also order off the menu when you’re lounging beachside, poolside, or at the splashpad. We ate at the property for Taco Tuesday. They have a great selection of margaritas. Tacos were only $8 each so we ordered 6 to share and finished our meal with delicious churros and chocolate (one of my favorite desserts after spending a semester abroad in Spain!). Again, the kids ordered off the kids menu and had fun running around in the sand as the live music played. We also ordered snacks and lunch to the beach and splash pad a few times and always had top notch service.

Where to Eat (off property)

Macabunga: Located next to Dolphin Discovery and across the street from the Turtle Center, Macabunga is the perfect place to grab lunch or dinner on the water. It was warm, but there was a pleasant breeze so we never felt uncomfortable. We enjoyed watching snorkelers and scuba divers enter the water while we ate our lunch. I highly recommend the snapper sandwich followed by a homemade ice cream sandwich!

Heritage Kitchen: If you’re looking for a local vibe with delicious, homegrown feel, Heritage Kitchen is the place to be. It also has beautiful sunset views (which we unfortunately missed due to a flat tire in our rental car. Travel isn’t always perfect!). The menu changes depending on the catch. We had grouper two ways – coconut and Cayman, served with rice, beans, and slaw.

Water and the Elephant: This happy, sunny, locally-owned cafe is near the airport. The food was fresh and tasty – we shared the chipotle shrimp wrap and a haloumi citrus salad and enjoyed both. They also serve coffee, pastries, and by advance order only, donuts.

Vivo: We ate at Vivo on our last night in Grand Cayman. We wanted local food with a great sunset and Vivo delivered! The menu is Cayman/Indian so there were a lot of delicious curry items available. We love Indian food so it was fun to share some new dishes together. There’s a small pier just out from the outdoor seating and we took some sunset photos while waiting for our dinner. My only complaint about Vivo is that it was incredibly hot with no breeze. I’m not sure if it was the weather, or a lack of fans, but be forewarned dress accordingly!

What to Do

Farmer’s Market: Our five-year-old’s one request on our Grand Cayman vacation was to drink fresh coconut water out of a coconut (aren’t five-year-olds the best?) so we knew we had to make it happen. We walked from Water and the Elephant across the street to the Farmer’s Market in hopes of finding fresh coconut water and we did! There were several stands open, offering fresh produce, fresh coconut water, and smoothies. In addition to our coconut water, we also shared a green Hulk smoothie and had fun pointing out some of the fruits and vegetables that we don’t see at our grocery store at home! Worth noting here, that if you need groceries while in Grand Cayman, Foster’s is the local grocery store closest to the Seafire.

Cayman Turtle Center: The Cayman Turtle Center is a conservation organization that has been saving turtles for over 50 years. Lucky for tourists, they offer wildlife encounters so visitors can learn about the island’s many marine and land animals. The Cayman Turtle Center has released over 36,000 turtles since its inception and has dramatically increased turtle sightings on the island. Visiting the Cayman Turtle Center was one of our favorite family activities. We paid $140 for the Turtle Adventure Tour. Our whole family was able to enter the center all day, and the price included re-entry. This also allowed us to leave for lunch and come back after.

We visited on a Tuesday, which ended up being perfect because we were able to see several animal feedings that only happen on Tuesdays. We saw the nurse shark feeding at 11, the mature turtle feeding at 11:30, and the crocodile feeding (my favorite!) at 11:45. Then we visited the touch tanks where we were able to pet and wade with sea turtle yearlings. Next, we borrowed snorkeling gear to swim with slightly older sea turtles. The boys loved this! Snorkeling gear and life vests are included in your entry fee, though you want to upgrade to a full-face snorkel for a small fee. The boys loved snorkeling. Our five-year-old got the hang of it pretty quickly, while our four-year old wore goggles and swam. It was tough to get good pictures because of the algae in the lagoon, but we saw a lot of sea turtles and all enjoyed the experience! Finally, we all had fun going down the figure eight water slide approximately 100 times and swimming in the lagoon. I highly recommend visiting the Turtle Center, especially with preschool and elementary aged children!

Stingray City: One of the most famous tourist experiences in Grand Cayman is visiting Stingray City. In fact, Alex and I previously visited Stingray City on a cruise that stopped in Grand Cayman! Where else can you feed, pet, and even kiss giant stingrays?? Most of the visits to Stingray City include other activities; there are breakfast and sunset cruises as well as snorkeling trips. We knew we also wanted to visit Starfish Point so we found a company that offered a 3.5 hour tour on the time/day we wanted that included both destinations. It was $65 for adults and $55 for kids age 4-11 (kids under 4 are free). Our boat was medium-sized with about 40 people on board. Our first stop was the Coral Gardens for snorkeling. The water was a little choppy so the boys didn’t love it as much as in the calm lagoon, but we all enjoyed seeing corals, fish, stingrays, and sea turtles. The next stop was Stingray City where we took turns feeding and petting the massive rays. Finally, we cruised to Starfish Point where we were able to pick up large starfish in the shallow water. The company provides a photographer who takes photos available for purchase.

We had a fantastic vacation to Grand Cayman. There was something for everyone in the family and we all enjoyed a relaxing week in the sunshine. Our kids are starting to get older and are becoming great little travel buddies. We look forward to many more family vacations in the future! Where is your favorite family vacation destination and why? Please share in the comments!