Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa

February 3rd, 2023

Enroute:

After a busy year-end and January, I wanted to gtfo of work and NYC. Y’all know by now where I was headed. The sunny Caribbean, of course! I’d never been to the Caymans but had heard great things. Two most highly regarded hotels on the island were the Ritz and the Kimpton Seafire. I feel like this blog is littered with Ritz reviews (unwittingly) somehow, so I was determined to try something else.

I’ve stayed at a couple Kimptons throughout the years, and they were okay. I didn’t have terribly high expectations for the Seafire, both due to the brand and the region. Well, I now admit I was wrong. I loved the Seafire and Cayman as a destination.

We took a direct flight from JFK on JetBlue, and it couldn’t have been more painless. I’m sure I’ve said this somewhere already, but JetBlue probably offers the best economy experience west of the Bosphorus Strait. Too bad they can’t operate as a reliable airline🤪.

Upon disembarkation, there was a band performing island tunes by the tarmac. Talk about a proper welcome. It really foreshadowed how this trip would differ from our trips to the other islands.

Check-in:

A short taxi ride after we made it to the resort. Kevin the bellman paid for our taxi, because the driver couldn’t get his credit card machine to work. Of course the charge showed up on the final bill, but that was a case study of how hospitality should be.

I feel like the Seafire wasn’t even trying for an island resort vibe, as it would fit in just fine if you moved it and dropped it on the Strip.

The lobby was playful yet sophisticated. The finishes and furniture were of high quality, and everything from the floors to the mirrors shone like they were brand new. This was true across the board in Cayman. Even the restaurants we went to outside the property were all nicely decorated. I guess not exactly surprising, but Cayman felt a lot more premium and substantial than the other islands we’d been to.

Before I could snap more pictures, a friendly associate approached us to offer welcome prosecco and chocolates.

Check-in was efficient. Our receptionist Momo was from Myanmar. That’s quite a journery! The staff at the Seafire appeared to be mostly international. We were then escorted to the elevator bank by Rita, who was Portuguese.

Unpack:

We booked an oceanfront king room, and the hotel was generous enough to upgrade us to a one king one bedroom ocean view suite. I would have preferred to keep our oceanfront room for the view, but I didn’t want to say no to the kind front desk agent. Upon entry, there was an adequately sized living room. Did someone take a piece of shower curtain and stitch it on the couch? Or what train wreck am I looking at here?

To the left of the entryway was a wet bar, where you could find your usual sink, Nespresso machine and fridge.

The top drawer in the fridge was fully stocked with minibar items, while the bottom drawer you could use for your own needs.

Barons de Rothschild didn’t come with the fridge.

To the right of the entryway was a small closet containing some hangers and a safe. There was another walk-in closet around the corner, though.

Next up was the walk-in closet, which I kind of wished they had made it into a half bath instead.

The slippers were pretty cheap, and the robes were on one of those hangers from the dry cleaners.

Further into the living room were the TV and the desk.

Then there were some additional beverages, along with some minibar snacks.

Interestingly, there was yet another empty fridge underneath the TV.

The balcony extended the whole length of the suite, connecting both the living room and the bedroom.

As you can tell, you did get a view of the ocean and shoreline. However, you could also see the parking lot next door.

Through the sliding doors was the bedroom. It was nicely appointed, and I enjoyed being able to see the ocean from the bed.

Last in the room was the bathroom complex.

One thing I noticed was that no direct lighting was above the bathtub, which was great because you don’t want to get in a tub and then realize you’re getting blinded by big ceiling lights.

You see how in the picture below the toilet paper was still wrapped, as opposed to the the normal triangle? Random tangent - I actually dislike the triangle toilet paper and usually dispose of the first few squares. I don’t like people touching my toilet paper. I said it’s random okay?

I think the bathroom checked all the boxes - clean, spacious, dual vanity, free-standing tub. What more could you want? Actually wait, perhaps some fancier toiletries, lol. I at least appreciated that the pumps on these reusable containers were quite sturdy, unlike many other hotels where the pumps would either break or get stuck. Another bonus point for having an ocean view from the shower.

Unwind:

We headed out to explore more of the property. On the ground floor by the elevators was a gym. The Seafire had 264 rooms and suites, so I suspect it could get quite busy.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gym offering unpackaged granola bars before…

The grounds of the hotel were pretty neatly kept. But again, the structures didn’t feel particularly island-y.

The building on the right was the hotel’s residence.

Similar to the gym, I feel like the pool area might get a little overcrowded in high seasons. It was apparent to me because the pool and beach chairs were very tightly laid out.

I was happy to see sunscreen and aloe by the pool. However, it was disappointing that no chairs had cushions.

The Seafire sat on the famous Seven Mile Beach, so naturally the sand and water were both pristine.

We had some unusual visitors on the beach…

The water was absolutely gorgeous, and a direct sunset view didn’t hurt either.

Refuel:

The resort had a few f&b outlets. You can find all of their info here.

Located within the lobby was the Pantry, which was a coffee shop/grab & go market.

We spent the majority of our time on the beach, so we sampled various cocktails and snacks. Everything was very good, though not life-changing.

The beach area was very well staffed, therefore service was prompt. Many wait staff were Brits or Filipinos, and they couldn’t have been lovelier. What a refreshing change compared to the passive aggressiveness on some other islands.

Customary at all Kimpton properties, an evening social hour was hosted. There were complimentary house wines, as well as small canapés.

Library by the Sea was the hotel’s cocktail bar, which consisted of seating options both indoor and outdoor. We had wine and an appetizer here on our first day. The tuna crudo was outstanding.

Granted the focus of this bar was its extensive cocktail list.

The indoor bar was very popular with guests in the evenings. We hit it off with this couple from Boston on our dives, who happened to stay at the hotel too, so we had a nightcap here one evening.

The drinks were quite fun. I had a gibson-esque cocktail “from Cayman, with love”, which was served in a drinkware mimicking an oyster shell. I was impressed that they could execute it at this level on an island. But then again, the accounting and law firm partners had to have somewhere to expense their dinners…

We ordered room service on our balcony one night. For room service octopus and grilled fish, I thought the quality was more than satisfactory.

Breakfast was served at Ave restaurant.

I found breakfast to be uninspiring but largely on par with the standards in this part of world.

The restaurant manager was a sociable Czech fella named Lazlo. He introduced himself to us and even offered us free prosecco. We saw him walking around the restaurant and checking on guests every morning.

Depart:

The Kimpton Seafire was an extremely well run operation. It’s rare to stay at a resort and experience no service hiccups. We had none here. The professionalism and service level deserved high marks.

For example, housekeeping organized our toiletries on top of a hand towel.

They even put a towel under the throw pillows, so they wouldn’t touch the floor. Quick question - these pillows are never cleaned, right?

Daily turndown service was provided, as you’d expect.

Whenever I requested something from housekeeping, they were always delivered within minutes. We asked for some ice on our first day, and it was automatically replenished every day after that.

My biggest takeaway from our stay though, was how the staff genuinely seemed to want the guests here. When we passed housekeepers in the hallway, they’d stop and smile or wave at you. From the operator to the restaurant hostess, I was always addressed by name. When I asked for directions, I was simply taken to my destination. On our departure, the bellman Mykal offered us bottled water for the ride. Even the lobby bathroom was constantly spotless - I never saw a drop of water by the sink. It wasn’t one department that excelled, but rather everyone we interacted with was so competent.

Now you might be asking, well, the rates here can easily go for more than $2k a night, so why shouldn’t you expect the best? And that is totally fair. But the reality nowadays is that these “luxury” hotels can get away with charging anything and not offering much in return. I don’t agree with it either, but I’m not sure what the solution might be other than a recession.