Brenden at the Red Parrot Restaurant, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort.

Taking the time to savor an exquisite Sunday brunch is something we often don’t make enough time for. While visiting the island of Grand Cayman I enjoyed Sunday brunch at the Marriott’s Red Parrot Restaurant. It was truly an excellent experience with a wide selection of menu choices and taste experiences to satisfy everyone. The restaurant was recently redecorated and is both beautiful and relaxing with warm wood accents, tropical touches and outstanding service. The restaurant creates a very personal brunch experience by serving individually served smaller plate portions of more than a dozen menu items. This way visitors can savor the tastes and flavors of many exceptionally prepared dishes. Each dish arrives either individually or in conjunction with another dish so you can savor two at once. In addition to this well thought out presentation of delicious food there’s an appetizer bar with a nice selection of fresh salads and seafood including crab claws, shrimp and individually plated appetizers.

During my visit I taste tested four small plated menu items. The first exceptional fresh mushroom ravioli served with a toasted parmesan chip and a red Alfred sauce that included pureed zucchini. It was one of my favorite choices. Another excellent choice was the Indian seafood curry. I’m a huge fan of Indian food, and this was exceptional. It offered mussels, shrimp, calamari and delicate Indian rice and a cooling cucumber yogurt sauce. The third dish I tried was a Cajun grilled shrimp. I’m not normally a fan of Cajun spices, but Brenden, my waiter recommended it and I had come to trust his judgment over the four day period I visited the resort. Brenden had been my waiter at all three of the resorts restaurants and he had been right on with his recommendations. This time was no exception and I thoroughly enjoyed the grilled shrimp with a Cajun kick and the accompanying mashed blue potatoes served with a chipotle hollandaise sauce and crispy leeks, it was truly amazing! My fourth small plate menu choice was a snapper dish and it was well presented and prepared but didn’t suit my taste. I had forgotten my love of mild fish and realized too late that snapper has a stronger flavor, so it was not among my favorite choices.

For those with a sweet tooth the Red Parrot Restaurant offers a delightful selection of sweets to complete the meal. I opted for two very small desserts and was thrilled with both. The first, an Oreo cake was beyond the boundary of chocolate heaven. It was decadent, rich and renewed my love of Oreos. My second choice was fresh cut strawberries dipped in a dark chocolate fondue. Sometimes chocolate fondue leaves a lot to be desired, but this one was right on. It was rich, chocolaty and complimented the fresh fruit.

The presentation of each dish at the Red Parrot Restaurant brings to mind exceptional service and a taste of class allowing visitors to truly escape every day life and treasure a little decadence in paradise.

*This meal was part of a trip provided by Marriott Resorts and the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort.

Camp Echo Kids Club games on the beach.

Paradise isn’t just for adults. When families visit the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort their children are in for an excellent experience as well. Camp Echo offers a wide variety of kid friendly camp activities seven days a week. Children 5 to 12 are invited to participate. Certain activities are free and others have a fee. Examples of activities that have a fee are pottery painting, beading bracelets and PJ parties. Parent supervision is required for certain Camp Echo activities so be certain to ask which activities you’re required to attend. This means you’ll never hear, “I’m bored.” and this program offers mom and dad a few hours a day to simply be a couple or have a few hours to lounge on the beach and enjoy some much needed down time.

Camp Echo has a weekly schedule of activities with the times listed so that parents and children alike can plan their sightseeing and resort time according to which Camp Echo activities they would like to participate in. During my stay at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort the kid’s camp activities were diverse. Monday through Friday activities began at ten a.m. and ran through five p.m. On Saturday and Sunday activities began at eleven a.m. and ran through five p.m. Some of the coolest beach activities included sand football, water bucket races, sandcastle building, sand darts and beach volleyball. As well as active outdoor activities there were also opportunities to paint pottery, take Merengue lessons, bead bracelets, take a picture with the parrots, feed the turtles, or throw water balloons.

As well as scheduled kid camp activities families will delight in the snorkeling right off the beach at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort. The hotel, in an effort to protect the beach has created a man made reef which has now become home to hundreds of tropical fish and a variety of sea life. As I snorkeled I saw a nice variety of beautiful, colorful fish swimming within and among the reef balls. A little banana bread or a few dog treats bring a wave of fish around in moments. Here you can experience what swimming with sea life is really like. Best of all the water is shallow and perfect for all ages and abilities; so whether you choose Camp Echo kids camp or simply snorkeling with your kids on 7 Mile Beach it will be a vacation experience to treasure at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort.

Photos provided courtesy of Grand Cayman Marriott Resort

*This trip was provided by Paradise By Marriott and the Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort.

Reef Ball Installation.

Reef Ball Installation and Inspection on a deep water project.

Islands are my passion, that’s a well known fact, so discovering special things about Grand Cayman and the Grand Cayman Marriott delights me. I’ve experienced just a sliver of Grand Cayman but what I’ve uncovered is a welcoming attitude and a sense of responsibility to the island and an attention to detail by the Marriott Resort and its staff.

The Marriott Grand Cayman has taken environmentally responsible steps to protect and preserve the beach in front of the hotel. Marriott with the help of Red Sail Sports and marine biologists installed over four hundred man made reef balls in 2002. These reef balls over time are creating a man made coral reef which encourages sea life while protecting the beach and helping to prevent beach damage due to beach erosion and tropical storms. Before this project began 7 Mile Beach was seriously eroded.The beach naturally varied from year to year due to storms but serious erosion and damage was taking place. This project used Reef Balls which are used in over 59 countries around the world to aid in protecting beaches, rehabilitating damaged coral reefs and rebuilding mangroves.

“Reef Balls are the world’s leading designed artificial reef modules. They are simply the safest and most effective way to create sustainable marine reef habitat. With over 10 different sizes and 20+ styles, they have been tailored to meet nearly any artificial reef project’s goals and they will achieve this in a safe, long term, environmental way.”

This link to the Reef Ball Organization offers a view of how Reef Balls work and how they are made. According to the Reef Ball Foundation, these reef projects many times use a combination of marine biologists, eco tourist volunteers and hotel/resort assistance to support and complete the project. Reef balls are placed and coral plugs are planted and propagated by resorts and eco volunteers which over time will grow coral buds and grow into coral colonies.

Participating in such a project is just another example of how Marriott Resorts pays attention to details and helps to care for the islands their resorts call home. * Other beach sustaining projects are in place on Aruba and St Kitts, in conjunction with Marriott Resorts and the island governments.

*This trip was provided by Marriott Paradise Resorts and the Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort.

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