A self-guided getaway to Grand Cayman offered a much needed dose of magic, starting with some bioluminescent sea life

The six-unit Black Urchin resort.Handout

My first night on Grand Cayman felt like nothing short of magic – and not only because it was my first taste of a tropical vacation in two years.

For this water baby, an evening paddle with Cayman Kayaks to one of the island’s natural wonders, a bay filled with bioluminescent sea life, touched on everything I’d been missing lately. There was one problem: A few days before my arrival, Tom Watling, our guide, e-mailed to say the bioluminescence wasn’t lighting up as much as usual. Did we want to make it a stargazing tour, with the possibility of catching some underwater light action, or cancel?

After two years of pandemic pivots and learning to adjust expectations – not to mention the deep freeze I was escaping back home – stars, sea air and a sultry evening on the water were an easy call. So off we paddled into a starry, moonless night, hoping for subaquatic lights but content either way.

As we neared the bay, Tom struck his paddle against the bay floor setting off shocks of bright blue below the surface. “Disco shrimp,” he said, referring to speck-sized crustaceans that emit light as a mating ritual. “This makes me feel like Triton.”

Camana Bay Farmers & Artisans Market.Don Riddle/Handout

We thumped our oars down, gasping and laughing as we set off sparks of our own. Other types of bioluminescence kicked in as we paddled farther, stirring up milky trails of what seemed like fairy dust in our wakes. When we splashed the water’s surface with our hands, white lights flew from our fingertips.

While it seems supernatural, bioluminescence requires a perfect balance of temperature, salty water and plant life to thrive, and we’d lucked out. As my week on Grand Cayman unfolded, I was reminded that the same mix works wonders on me, too.

Just 35 kilometres long, Grand Cayman is an easy choice for chasing the sun and avoiding crowds. With one main road that connects the island from north to south, its simple navigability makes Grand Cayman an appealing destination for going off the beaten track and for accessing the jewels of the capital, George Town: an exceptional culinary scene and Seven Mile Beach, a stretch of shoreline considered one of the most spectacular in the Caribbean.

I spent a few nights at Palm Heights, a new hotel right on Seven Mile Beach with a sexy, earthy retro vibe that made me feel like I was staying in a Sade album, exploring by day and returning in the evenings to gorge on local seafood and produce at nearby foodie landmarks such as the Brasserie and Cayman Cabana.

Next, I hit the island’s east end, and its newest self-service luxury property, the six-unit Black Urchin resort. On a sunrise bike ride with ECO Rides Cayman, I pedalled past colourful cottages with names like “A Wave from it All” and locals who wished me good morning, hopping off my bike to spot offshore shipwrecks and blowholes carved in limestone along the coastline and to nibble on june plums and wild mint.

In a parallel universe, my trip might have coincided with Cayman Cookout, a celebrity food festival founded by chef Eric Ripert, which took place every January before the pandemic (a 2023 event is already scheduled), long on my bucket list. But COVID continues to affect how we travel – and for me, in Grand Cayman, that meant striking out and finding new ways to enjoy the sea, the sun and rich flora life. It was magic just the same.

IF YOU GO

One-bedroom suites at Palm Heights start at US$630 a night and include a daily complimentary cocktail and pizza hour.Handout

Westjet offers twice weekly direct service to Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town from Toronto (Air Canada has suspended service to Grand Cayman until the end of April).

One-bedroom suites at Palm Heights start at US$630 a night and include a daily complimentary cocktail and pizza hour. At Black Urchin, a four-bedroom condo that sleeps 12 starts from US$1,719 a night. Grocery stocking, private chef service and in-suite or beachside spa treatments available.

Dates for Cayman Kayak’s bioluminescent tour are scheduled according to the lunar calendar; 60 Cayman Islands dollars ($91). ECO Rides Cayman charges US$80 for a sunrise bike tour, including bike and helmet rental, water and a snack.

For up-to-date information about COVID in Cayman, visit exploregov.ky/coronavirus.

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