Dinner at Blue by Eric Ripert

Day 5 of this 2017 Cayman vacation got off to a rocky start... literally, as the prior day's storm kicked up quite a bit of surf all over the island. The side least affected was the south sound, so I packed up my gear and headed 25 minutes south to Red Bay dock to rendezvous with my dive boat. Waves were 2 feet out of the the southwest, which made for a bit of a bumpy morning dive session.

Coming back to the condo around noon, I relaxed all afternoon before getting ready for our 8 PM reservation at Blue, by Eric Ripert. Located at the lovely Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman, in the heart of Seven Mile Beach, Blue is a partnership between the Ritz Carlton and Chef Eric Ripert, known for his 3 Michelin Star signature restaurant in NYC: Le Bernardin. The restaurant is located on the lower level of the inland side of the hotel (seven mile beach road runs between part of the hotel located on the beach, and part of the hotel located inland).

Dinner at Calypso Grill

Day three of this year's Cayman adventure started off with reveille at 5:50 AM, allowing for a relaxed two cups of coffee and breakfast before heading down to the West Bay dock. There I was greeted by the wonderful folks at DNS Diving Grand Cayman, would be taking me on two dives this morning. I have been diving with DNS for the past 5 years or so, and highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in diving Grand Cayman. They have nice, open boats that are not packed like sardine cans, as done by some other operators. Their dive masters are friendly, informative, and dedicated to your enjoyment and well-being. They also do the little things, like offer you a towel, bottle of water, or surface interval snack. I had a great first day of diving, and a lot of that was because their operation is world-class.

Yet another gorgeous Cayman sunset
2017 Grand Cayman, BWI

Enjoying another sunset, this time sans gin and tonic, the Madre and I made our way down to one of the islands truly special restaurants: Calypso Grill. Since starting to visit the island regularly back in 2009, Calypso Grill has been the hallmark on fine dining on Grand Cayman. The venue has a nice combination of excellent food and aesthetic charm that is not found in fancier joints chained to large hotels. Indeed, Calypso Grill is located off the beaten track in Morgan's Harbor (right next to The Catch), and features both an indoor and outdoor seating area.