Steps from the pool is glorious Seven Mile Beach (which is 5.5 miles long). My mother and I have been to Cancun, the Bahamas, Curacao, St. Thomas, St. John, Puerto Rico and the Big Island of Hawaii, and we agreed that Seven Mile Beach was the best we'd been to. Grand Cayman has a barrier reef, so there are no huge, dangerous waves (and no surfing). The beach is immaculate, the sand soft and white, and the water is blue and very warm. We spent more time in the Caribbean Sea than we did in the pool.

Back on the lounge chairs at the pool, we wanted lunch, as we had not been fed on the 90-minute flight from Miami. There are waitresses in swimsuits who will bring sandwiches and salads from the kitchen on the hotel side of the pool. We had trouble summoning one, and once we did it took nearly half an hour to get a salad, a sandwich and two large bottles of Evian water.

We usually had the buffet at the hotel for breakfast, and that averaged $30 for two each day. The most expensive (and most delicious) meal we had was the Mother's Day buffet dinner. While it was spectacular (details will follow), the meal came to $130 U.S. Diners can eat inside or out, where they will share the patio with the Greater Antillean grackle, a bird that seems to live on handouts, and tiny, insect-eating, curly-tailed lizards.

After eating and resting and looking over the brochures that describe the myriad activities available to tourists, I went to the concierge desk. I was able to book an island tour, the Atlantis submarine and an all-day sail and snorkel trip with the help of Fiona, who had the most wonderful British accent. All of the hotel staff have their country of origin on their name tags. Most seemed to be from Canada, with much of the United Kingdom well represented.

Our first restaurant meal was at Ferdinand's at the Westin. The resstaurant is billed as a casual restaurant with South American and Caribbean cuisine. The setting is far from casual. The lighting is dark and romantic, the tables are impeccably set and there is an extensive wine list.

The prices are high and listed in Caymanian dollars. The specials sounded delicious but at $30 U.S. we skipped them. We split a pulled pork quesadilla with papaya, tomato and black bean salsa. That was $4.50 U.S. and was divine. My mother had swordfish with Parmesan cheese crust. I had rum-glazed shrimp ($18.50 U.S. each). Both entrees were served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes (bland), perfectly steamed veggies and onion straws. The meals were exquisitely presented and tasted delicious. The food is cooked to order, so expect to spend some time there.

The next day I got up and dressed about 6:45 a.m and went to the small exercise room on the first floor. It has two treadmills, two stair climbers, one rowing machine and free weights. There is a television perched in a corner. One could easily walk along the main street for exercise, as the island is level. Many people travel by bicycle, so I suspect one could rent a two-wheeler as well.

After my mother awoke, we had the buffet breakfast for $17 U.S. apiece at Ferdinand's. There were warming tables with pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, eggs Benedict, hash browns, sliced melon, pineapple, strawberries, papaya, cereals and yogurt. A chef will make omelets to order. Most of the food that was supposed to be hot was lukewarm. All meals have a 15 percent gratuity added, so there is no need to calculate a tip.

We had a full day planned. The bellman summoned a cab for us and we took a 10-minute ride to the cruise ship dock to the submarine Atlantis.

We went on the Atlantis, which cost $150 U.S. for two. We were the only two people on the 48-passenger sub who were not from one of the cruise ships docked just offshore. The 45-minute trip was nice enough, but didn't yield as many fish as we have seen on submarine trips on St. Thomas and Hawaii. We saw quite a lot of coral. I was seated at the end and was very uncomfortable during the voyage, and water dripped onto me when the hatch was opened after we returned to the surface.

Next, we went shopping in the central district, which was quite crowded because three cruise ships were visiting. We had a nice lunch in a pub, while it rained hard for about 45 minutes.

We took a cab back to the hotel for a brief rest, and then we were off again. We were picked up at 2 p.m. by Diana of Tropic Island Tours. There were four other people on the tour, all from the Westin. Diana said she was a former New Yorker who has lived in the Cayman Islands for eight years and is married to a citizen. Her van's air conditioning was not working, so that made for a very uncomfortable two-hour land trip. First stop was the turtle farm, which is little more than a lot of turtles in tanks. It was worth seeing for about five minutes. Then we went to Hell, a small area with a black, dolomite rock outcropping that looks like jagged flames. There are painted statues of the devil scattered about, just in case the Hades metaphor is too subtle for you. The outcropping is pretty lame -- it fills about an area of a basketball court. The main attraction is getting postcards postmarked as being from Hell. The postmaster dresses as the devil, and asks each customer, "Where the hell are you from?"

We drove through Georgetown and Diana pointed out the hospital, banks, the port, and the shopping district. We also stopped at a house with conch shells built into the exterior walls. Because we had seen downtown when we went to the Atlantis, that part of the trip was pretty much a waste of time, and at $30 U.S. per person, a waste of money.

That night, we walked the half-mile to the Holiday Inn and had its American backyard cookout buffet. The buffet included mushroom, pasta, rice, chicken and green salads, hamburgers (underdone), hot dogs, barbecued chicken and ribs and fish, corn on the cob, peas and rice and scalloped potatoes. At $19 U.S. it was a fair deal, although that did not include beverages or dessert. One could eat either on the deck surrounding the pool or indoors.

The next day, we went on Captain Marvin's all-day snorkeling adventure with eight other visitors. We took a five-minute bus ride at 8:45 a.m. to the dock and had to clamber over another boat to get to ours. It was small and uncomfortable -- a few padded benches along the side that were against a jutting edge, making it impossible to lean back. The rest of the bench was in the sun. The boat had a tiny head and a galley. There was only the captain to do everything. We were given no safety instructions. This was not a trip for first-time snorkelers.

After sailing for 25 minutes, we stopped to dive for conch. There was nothing else to see. Some snorkelers dived about 10 feet and retrieved seven conch. We then took off for five minutes to what is called the coral gardens. We stopped there for about 45 minutes. There was a lot of coral, but not very many fish. We traveled to a beach with picnic tables, some trees for shade, a restroom and a vendor selling soft drinks. The captain had marinated the conch the snorkelers caught and we ate that on saltine crackers. He also had rice, potato salad, green salad and baked mahi-mahi. It was good and filling and a nice stop. But we had to stay in the shade; the sun can get beastly and even with number 30 sunblock, my mother and I got slightly burned.

After an hour on the beach, we headed for the highlight of the trip. We stopped over a sandbar with waist-high water and were immediately surrounded by about a dozen stingrays, ranging in size from a baby about as big as a catcher's mitt to one the captain called Darth Vader, whose wing-like fins spanned nearly 5 feet. The slippery, slimy creatues brushed up against us looking for food. The captain grabbed one for each of us to hold and gave us food for them. This caused the rays to swim all over us. It was great fun -- everyone was laughing and giggling and squealing. Don't miss a chance to frolic with the stingrays.

After 20 minutes with the stingrays, we traveled five minutes to the barrier reef that protects Grand Cayman from strong waves. After three previous times in the water, I was too tired to struggle against the current. We got back to the hotel at 3 p.m.

At $45 U.S. per person, I would pass on this trip. I like more comfort and more attention on my snorkeling trips, and there are other visits to Sting Ray City that don't cost as much and have nicer boats.

We tried to go to La Havana for dinner, but it was hosting a private reception, so we went back to Ferdinand's. My mother had the nightly special (if it's served every night, how can it be a special?) of petit filet mignon, mahi mahi and lobster tail with garlic mashed potatoes for $42.50 U.S. She raved about it. I had lemon pepper fettuccini with steamed vegetables and grilled shrimp in clear broth for $24 U.S.

Another day, we took an afternoon snorkeling trip. We took a cab to the cruise ship dock and boarded a fishing boat as the crew were putting the catch on ice. Ten passengers went with us. This boat was a little nicer than Captain Marvin's, but the crew was of no help during the entire trip. They had no information about the sites we visited and didn't help anyone, including my 71-year-old mother, get in and out of the boat. Fortunately, the passengers all pitched in. We were supplied with punch and nothing else. Luckily, we and the other passengers had our own gear.

Despite these drawbacks, this was a fabulous snorkeling trip. First we traveled about 20 minutes to directly in front of the Westin, about a mile off shore. There we snorkeled a wreck that was about 50 feet down. There were a few fish, and scuba divers were also visiting the site. It was fun to watch them. After 45 minutes we traveled back to where we had started, going past three cruise ships, and snorkeled very close to the shore. Here we saw magnificent coral, including brain coral and elkhorn and several caves. There were a lot of fish, including big ones. It was the best snorkeling we had on the island. We got back on the boat and sailed directly over a wreck which was only 10 to 15 feet down. It was a huge wreck, probably a cargo ship (here is where the crew's lack of information really interfered with our enjoyment of the dive) and we could easily see the spine, the mast, the holds, the anchor and could visualize how it looked before it crashed. There were several fish there as well. We made a final stop, again a few yards away, but it started to rain and got a little chilly, so I passed. That was a mistake, because those who went saw barracudas.

This trip was worth the cost, $45 U.S. per person. Just hope you get a more helpful crew.

With the exception of two dinners at the Holiday Inn, we ate all of our meals at the Westin. We did not rent a car. The island is only 20 miles by 6 miles long and has one main drag, so I don't think getting lost would be a problem. However, driving on the left would be tricky.

On Friday, we took another half-day tour of the island. This time it was just us and the tour guide, Chris, who was from Jamaica. He drove us in Island Tour's air-conditioned van to a Cardinal D's Park, a small, deeply weird zoo with very primitive conditions for the animals. It was built by a man whose brother was a pilot and it contained animals representing places the pilot had flown. There were a lot of birds, including parrots, peacocks, ducks and chickens. There were some ponies, rodents, and, inexplicably, two dogs in cages. The island's endemic iguanas were also on display, as were a family of agouti, an introduced rodent.

Next, we drove to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Garden. This is a small preserve of mostly flora. It has a clearly marked one-mile walk through it. Chris was most helpful at pointing out plants, and when my mother told him she was a bird-watcher, he took great pains to point them out. (My mother, incidentally, had written to the Cayman Islands Bird Club weeks before the trip to ask about birding trips. She received no response, and was most disappointed.) The walk would be considered easy in most places, but at noon in the Caribbean, one must be sure to be slathered in sunblock and carry plenty of drinking water.

We drove to the east end of the island, the windward side, to see the blowholes, where the ocean crashes with such force through the limestone that makes up the island that the water is forced through manhole-sized openings and looks like a geyser. Across the street from the blowholes, a man sold us coconuts he kept on ice. He sliced the coconuts open and gave us straws so we drink the cold juice. I've never been a big fan of coconut, but this hit the spot. This tour proved what a big difference a knowledgeable, helpful guide can make in a visitor's enjoyment.

That night, we had dinner at the Holiday Inn and stayed for the show at the comedy club. The show was $12 U.S. per person and is in a nightclub setting in which waitresses try to sell you drinks during the show. The performance was supposed to start at 9:30 p.m., but didn't get under way until nearly 10 o'clock. The club showed clips from "America's Funniest Home Videos" until the manager started the show. He called himself the Big Kahuna and did a 10-minute routine. Two other comedians, both from the United States, performed, each about 15 minutes. All the routines were fairly off-color -- about what you'd see on HBO comedy specials, and not what you'd see on "The Tonight Show." Of course, this will vary depending on who's performing.

We spent the last two days hanging around the pool and swimming in the Caribbean. I rented a float each day (after 1 p.m., they were half-price at $4 U.S.) and drifted lazily in the wonderful water. I went into town on Saturday to do some shopping. There was only one cruise ship docked, so the area wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been on Tuesday.

Our last full day there was Mother's Day. Both restaurants, Ferdinand's and La Havana, were serving a spectacular buffet all day and evening to celebrate. We decided to have dinner. The food was beautifully displayed and seemingly endless. There were a dozen salads, sushi and a raw bar, a tray of cold cuts and cheeses, including Roquefort, Gorgonzola and bleu cheese, steamed mahi mahi, hot and cold pasta with red and white sauces, steamed veggies, a carving table with leg of lamb, beef Wellington and ham with sauces, and a dessert table to die for. Champagne was also served. Everything was delicious and nicely prepared despite being served on steaming tables. The bill for two, as I said earlier, was $130 U.S., making it the most expensive meal I had ever had (and after our vacation in Hawaii in 1996, that's saying a lot).

On departure day, checkout was quick. Check-in at the airport took quite a long time, with so many of us leaving at the same time and the American Airlines counter had only two clerks. There is a $12 U.S. per person departure fee.

Grand Cayman is an international banking center with more than 600 banks on this island of 20,000 people, and they aren't the kind with drive-through windows and automatic teller machines. Because of all this money, the Cayman Islands have a very high standard of living and no property, personal, income or sales taxes. There is very little crime, most of which is petty, so this is a very safe island. But because the land is virtually barren, expenses for food and everyday items such as newspapers or toiletries are very high. Be prepared to spend a lot on food.

The Westin is a wonderful hotel, among the best I've visited. The beach is perfect and the service, in most cases, was good. The power went out on the island only once during our visit, and was restored in less than an hour. One day, there was no hot water for about 18 hours, but because it's so warm, taking a cold shower was not unbearable. These things happen in the Caribbean. The Westin gets most of its trade, judging from our visit, from business groups. Almost every day about 3 p.m., a section of the deck around the pool was closed to guests while it was set up for some group function. Also, the pool tended to be the gathering place for these group travelers to unwind, so it frequently became crowded and rowdy. This didn't matter to us, because the beach and the water were so calm and lovely.

USA Today arrived about 5 p.m. every day in the hotel gift shop -- kind of late for a news junkie like me, but because I was on vacation, it didn't matter. Everything is priced in Caymanian dollars, so add 25 percent to the price to avoid the shock.

The Cayman Islands are a wonderful, safe place to visit. They are not for someone on a budget, however. Because of the high costs, we could not afford to take a day trip to Little Cayman or Cayman Brac, as we had planned. The islands are also not a place to party. There was a disco across the street from the Westin, but it seemed to be open only on the weekend.