How To Have An Awesome Family Vacation In The Cayman Islands

Smack-dab on the island's famous Seven Mile Beach, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman is a no-brainer. First things first: fruit punch and cookies at check-in. Kids will be dazzled by the Ambassadors of the Environment program, where frog-finding walks, mangrove kayaking and stargazing through telescopes are business as usual. From $469 per night.

Just a 30-minute puddle-hop to 10-square-mile Cayman Brac, Le Soleil d'Or is a villa complete with a 20-acre organic garden farm. Pick and taste fresh veggies, as well as fruit for canning jam to take home. From $320 per night

Start by getting to know Cayman's most popular residents, the blue iguanas, at the only place in the world where you can see them, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. Favorite foods: grapes and bananas. Don your fins and snorkel the eerily beautiful USS Kittiwake, a shallow wreck that makes for easy swimming past horse-eye jacks, blue tangs and squirrelfish.

Sneak away to the bustling Cayman Spirits Co. distillery to sample fresh batches of rum. You'll be surrounded by chatty locals and barrels of handcrafted liquors. There's a robust cocktail scene on the island, so don't be surprised if your bartender has mad skills. For peace and quiet, Barker's National Park in West Bay is a protected beach where you'll be mesmerized by daring kite-surfers while you share a bottle of bubbly.