Planning a successful family vacation can be like managing a contentious corporate merger. So many people to please, budgets to consider and futures to speculate. Dad wants to golf and read, Mom is hoping for beach yoga and a quiet kayak and the kids want non-stop entertainment and room service. We asked one of our favorite Buckhead families about a memorable vacation that was a people-pleaser. They visited Little Cayman Island and, as you can see, the trip was a successful transaction. Well done, fam!
Drew Ellenburg (dad)
The condo where we stayed on Little Cayman Island was well stocked with books. My favorite afternoons were the ones spent in the seaside hammock huts, rocking in the cool breezes, reading a Grisham novel. The hammock hut shielded the sun but allowed the ocean breeze to keep me cool. Long walks on the beach gave me a reason to indulge my appetite at mealtime in the resort. The food was outstanding with every meal more impressive than the last. We capped off a week of delicious cuisine with a night of Surf and Turf. Little Cayman Island food was 5-star!
Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg (mom)
Little Cayman Island was all a buzz at 7am when divers were gathering gear for a charter dive. The divers would have a wonderful breakfast before loading up on the charter boats. At the end of each day we enjoyed family time at the Beach Nuts Bar with Bingo Night, Trivia Night, and Movie Night. The friendly staff made every experience memorable for our family of four! One of the most exciting parts was the trip over from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman Island. The 30 minute flight on a 10-seater plane was exhilarating.
Anne Collins,10
My favorite mode of transportation was on Sccotin Scooters! My favorite outing was to the Central Carribean Marine Institute. We were able to participate in the CCMI coral transplant project. We harvested coral from the ocean reef to an underwater lab. Once the coral was in the lab, we attached it to a nursery reef in order to make it grow independently. Next, we were able to take lab grown coral and reattach it to the ocean reef. This helps to grow more coral in the Caribbean. We worked alongside Dartmouth students, there to research the coral reef.
Jack, 13
Owen Island was two football fields’ distance away out our front door on Little Cayman. I just knew that I had to get over there and fish! Our whole family took two kayaks along with our fishing gear and paddled over on a new adventure. We landed on the white sandy beach and docked. My sister and mother swam in the clear blue water while Dad and I looked for a place to fish. Dad and I found a fishing spot, where we had to walk out on lava rocks to cast our line. We caught a Baracuda, Grouper, and Tarpon.
