Late last year, Mike and I planned a trip away for just the two of us. Call it a Five Year Anniversary trip, or a babymoon, or just a getaway. We did one when Caroline was 3 months old and again when she was 14 months old, but we hadn’t gotten away since Vivi arrived on the scene. We did manage to travel to Florida no fewer than NINE times in 2019, but our girls always came, too.

Luckily, Kay Kay and Pa were up for the task of watching our little ladies for a week. We decided on early February because we figured we’d want a mid-winter break. Plus, it was when Suelen was on vacation and it worked well for Kay Kay and Pa, too. We picked Grand Cayman Island because we’d heard great things, we wanted to go somewhere international, it wasn’t a Zika threat location, and neither of us had ever been there.

So after a lot of planning, me drafting up 5 pages of instructions for Kay Kay and Pa (I know, I know…like they even needed it…), and a few days getting to spend time with Kay Kay and Pa, we kissed our girls goodbye and were OFF on our adventure!

Saturday, February 1:

Early morning flight from DCA to ATL, then ATL to Grand Cayman.

Honestly, it might sound lame, but I was so excited to fly on a plane without a tiny person in my lap, crawling around on a seat, or demanding snacks/toys/books/trips to the airplane bathroom. My lofty flight plans included reading an actual book, strolling through ATL during our long layover, and getting a drink on the plane that didn’t need to come with a lid. And I got to do all of those things!

We needed our sunglasses from the moment we hit the tarmac. Now THAT is a way to start a mid-winter vacation! The Customs line was crazy long but the agents singled us out and ushered me and Mike inside–presumably because I was pregnant. We got through the line, jumped in a taxi, and arrived at our hotel by late afternoon.

We explored the resort, located on Seven Mile Beach, and loved what we saw–a few pools, swim up bars, a gorgeous private beach with a protective jetty surrounding it. Check out this water color!

After exploring the grounds, I drank my fair share of virgin pina coladas, Mike drank the Cayman Islands brews (and some Peronis):

Sunday, February 2:

On our first full day, we slept in, hit the free breakfast buffet, then relaxed on the beach (and enjoyed the frozen drink delivery service right to our beach chairs!). In the afternoon, we made a tentative plan/schedule of activities for the rest of the week. We worked with the lovely hotel staff to figure out our plans based on weather, cruise ship timing, and what we wanted to do. That night, we set out for a delicious restaurant called The Lobster Pot and sat outside to watch the sunset. The outdoor patio was right on the water and the waves came crashing over the balcony, making for a very exciting dinner. When we got back to the hotel, there was a raging Super Bowl viewing party that we joined and it was a great time!

Monday, February 3:

We set out (after Mike paid for his breakfast…I stole muffins and bananas from the free buffet to bring on the road) on our grand adventure of the day–taking the PUBLIC BUS to the Botanical Garden, Crystal Caves, and Rum Point. Basically halfway around the island. I had convinced Mike that we should take the bus instead of renting a car because I thought it would be less stressful! Driving on the opposite side of the street, navigating rotaries, etc. Who needs it on vacation?? Well it started out lovely….

First stop was the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Park. It was gorgeous! Mike loves photographing flora and fauna and he got some gems here:

Plus we spotted the elusive blue iguana…they are only found here!

Along with his slightly-less-exotic (but equally charming) cousin, the regular green iguana:

I found the biggest blue iguana of all:

(Yes, Mike loves when I make him take picture of me doing things like this).

We hopped back on the public bus and it took us right to the Crystal Caves. We took an awesome tour into this beautiful space and really loved it. Our tour guide was really engaging, too. We highly recommend this little side trip.

Check out the clusters of bats hanging up there, too!

Our next stop was to the tip of the island-Rum Point–to grab some lunch and check out the beautiful views. This was when the public bus plan broke down. Apparently, since Rum Point is so touristy, not a lot of buses go there. But the lovely staff of the Crystal Caves generously gave us a ride to Rum Point and we had a great time there. Delicious lunch, drinks, and the views did not disappoint!

When it came time to return to Seven Mile Beach though…we were out of options. No public bus, no ferry. Taxis cost over $100 one way. Soooo…the kind gentlemen working at the Water Sports Desk offered to give us a ride to the other side of the island where we could then pick up the public bus to take us back. And that is how Mike and I essentially became Grand Cayman Island hitchhikers.

Here is how Mike felt about that little fact, as he waited on the side of the highway next to a fruit stand waiting for the public bus:

It’s all part of the adventure!

Tuesday, February 4:

We made this day a “water day” because the weather was slated to be the warmest. We booked a tour (through the nice company that gave us the ride when we were stranded!) that took us to Stingray City, a Coral Reef, and Starfish Point. It was so exciting! This was the only picture we got, haha…me enjoying the tranquil seas out to frolic with the stingrays.

The stingrays were giant–like the size of a pillow–and they felt like portabello mushrooms. They did have barbs that you had to watch out for, but they were so fun to be with in the water. We played with them for a good hour or so, then loaded back into the boat and headed to the coral reef.

As soon as Mike and I hopped in the water, we swam together and I was surprised how buoyant I was with my massive belly! We headed for the reef and all of a sudden, I looked down and there, directly under me, was an eel–a dirty greenish color–swimming right between two massive reefs! I hightailed it over to the reefs and paused right over the top. Then, suddenly, the eel came straight up, right towards me, with its mouth open, proudly displaying two rows of tiny needle-like teeth! it was cool and freaky and terrifying all at the same time.

Our final stop was to Starfish City, a shallow beach area where the guides had gathered some starfish for us to hold (underwater only!) and feel. That was cool, but I wanted to venture out and find my own starfish–and I did! It was neat to feel them on your hands and feel the tiny little suctions. One of the guides even said that their suction cups could detect darkness and light, so they could tell when they were getting deeper or shallower based on the water temperature.

Afterwards, we enjoyed delicious cocktails and mocktails:

Wednesday, February 5:

We spent a really fun day with our sweet vacation friends and their adorable six-year-old daughter at the Cayman Turtle Centre learning about the exotic birds of Grand Cayman, checking out nurse sharks, and swimming among sea turtles:

That night, our final night, we discovered the lovely hotel bar a few doors down from our resort and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, delicious drinks, and a complimentary dessert!

Thursday, February 6:

We headed home, flying from Grand Cayman to Atlanta to DCA, encountering a little bit of drama with flights and delays, but still somehow managed to walk in the door even a bit earlier than we’d hoped.

Ahhh, Grand Cayman–you were JUST what we needed! It was relaxing, adventurous, rejuvenating, and a great chance for Mike and me to reconnect. We got to play competitive ping pong, sink our toes in the sand, watch the world go by. We talked about plans for our future, our kids, our own retirement (ahh, one day) and future vacations we wanted to take. It is crazy how little of that you actually get to do when chasing two tiny minis around, working, and making a household run. So this was a wonderful break from all of that. We are so grateful to Kay Kay and Pa for making it happen!