Paradise interrupted
Palm Heights (Grand Cayman)
GETAWAYS • Grand Cayman
On the second evening of our long-weekend stay at Palm Heights in March, the hotel called the room to say that there would be some noise later that night from “Mambo Italiano” night at the onsite restaurant, Paradise Pizza, whose outdoor-only dining space we could peer into from the window of our bedroom. Just in case, they had another room for us. It would’ve been a tight squeeze for our crew, and they said the music would stop by 11p, so we stayed put.
Wrong choice! “Mambo Italiano,” so close we could taste the sauce, dialed up very enthusiastic karaoke until closer to midnight. Honestly, it sounded fun, except for us.
I bring up the party (and the ringing in our ears), only because it was so far from the rest of our experience at Palm Heights, a very chill, effortlessly luxurious five-year-old boutique resort on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.
Having learned of our impending trip, a FOUND colleague said, “Palm Heights is as excellent as all the influencers want you to think it is.” And the much-loved-on-the-Internet spot does have its share of made-for-the-gram nooks in the hotel’s signature yellow, and some of the loungers are reserved earlier than you’d like. But beneath the glossy set pieces and place-saver towels, there is uniformly gracious service, very good food, and an enveloping air of calm.
The impossibly blue Caribbean certainly helps. So does the adults-only spa, across the street over a foot bridge, down into an even deeper level of chill. You could easily get lost there, in the saunas and plunge pools and lush passageways, for an entire stay.
Besides Paradise Pizza, the excellent set of dining options includes Tillie’s for breakfast through dinner (ask to sit in the sand) and the smaller beach bar, Coconut Club, which serves lunch from Tillie’s and Paradise before turning into sushi spot Yashinoki in the evenings.
The bar at Coconut Club closes at 10p. On Saturdays, you could close your tab and walk across the property to Paradise for a nightcap and a few bars of “Sweet Caroline.” They’d hear you in room 201, but they’d almost definitely forgive you by morning. –Josh Albertson
→ Palm Heights (Grand Cayman) • Seven Mile Beach • Rates from $700/wknd night.