Soaking Up The Sun & Fun At The Seafire In Grand Cayman

Once upon a time, Island Princess Elle Belle took a magical journey to Grand Cayman’s famous Seven Mile Beach and made her castle the new Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa. The Seafire, named for the beautiful sunsets that seem to set the ocean ablaze, is the best and latest luxury family-friendly resort in the Caribbean. From the moment I arrived, the sea and sand beckoned and I couldn’t say no.

I landed on this beautiful island where the colors are right from my crayon box: The water is ocean blue, the beach is desert sand, the pool is turquoise, and the sunset gets a brand new color called seafire! There’s fun for everyone in the family with a beautiful beach, two oceanfront, pristine pools, cool Camp Seafire (kids’ club with themed day and evening programs), a serene spa and fitness center and delectable dining options. With this colorful excitement around every corner and its island chic meets Caribbean comforts appeal, the resort immediately felt like home.

From the second I looked outside the picturesque views lured me in and the water beckoned. I could have lived at the Seafire Pool (the pool for water babies of all ages) with its cozy lounge chairs, scrumptious snacks and endless water fun. My little sister loved the shallowest part of the pool that she affectionately called the fountain pool with its pint-sized waterfalls and fun fountains for splashing and playing. And Mommy loved the lounging options (the woven banana shaped loungers or laying in a hammock around the pool) for viewing all this action. Plus, I met the best, new friends at the pool (you know who you are), making pool time extra special. It was a swimming good time!

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My next stop to the beautiful beach was just steps away and the beach became my ultimate vacation playground. I loved using the fun-tastic beach pails, shovels and toys from the Seafire. And I scoped out a superb spot for the fam at the edge of the ocean with easy access for me to splash in the waves while my little sister would build sand castles. But the best part was the big water sports toys at the Red Sail Sports stand where I could play all day (at no cost to Mommy and Daddy) with the giant water tricycle, kayak, snorkeling gear, paddle board and more.

This island paradise was chock full of amazing adventure and awesome animals. I loved exploring the Cayman Turtle Farm and swimming with the green sea turtles and their friends in the lagoon and then holding the turtles up close and personal. I even saw a shark feeding but didn’t want to swim with them at all. Speaking of swimming with ocean animals, the Seafire’s exclusive Red Sails Sports North Sound Eco Safari Tour was a must-do. We enjoyed a fantastic voyage to the can’t-be-missed spots of the Stingray City Sandbar, Coral Reef snorkeling, the Mangroves and Star Fish Point. I did things I thought I would never do like kiss a stingray. Yes, I kissed a sting ray and I liked it (because kissing a stingray gives you seven years good luck)! I also snorkeled with schools of my favorite undersea fish, saw upside down jellyfish and phenomenal fauna at the Mangroves and played and danced underwater with a dozen gigantic star fish. Turtles and star fish and stingrays, oh my! It was once in a lifetime!

All this incredible activity worked up my appetite and the Seafire’s selection of fresh, local cuisine made everyone’s taste buds dance. The main restaurant, Ave, was perfect for family dining with its buffet breakfast and delicious dinner. I loved the traditional favorites and Mommy loved the local flavors, especially the fresh catch and Cayman pepper jelly. My personal, favorite dining destination was at the beachfront Coccoloba with its ceviche, fish tacos and stellar kids menu. My little sister loved the fish and I loved the pasta. The grown-ups loved that kids under 5 eat free. And we all loved ordering rounds of tasty pina coladas (but don’t worry – mine was virgin). It was out of this world!

Our nightly after-dinner ritual was to take the beach access elevator back up to our room, pushing the magic “Seafire button” and singing our own Seafire chant on the way up. And when the doors opened we would run wee, wee, wee all the way home to our room. After playing all day on this incredible vacay, at bedtime we retreated to the room and happily gazed out of the floor to ceiling windows. I enjoyed stepping out onto my private balcony to really take in the perfect ocean views. After a while, I jumped into my soaking tub for a royal island bath and then suited up in my robe and slippers to go back out to watch the stars from my balcony. That was the perfect island ritual before plopping into my cushy bed for sweet island dreams of what I would do tomorrow when the sun and sea beckoned again. I never wanted to leave the Seafire!

To learn more about the Seafire, visit seafireresortandspa.com!

Elle Belle is an adorable preschooler who lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan with her magnificent mommy, dapper dad, and new baby sister. She can be reached at [email protected].

 

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Child's Play NY Virtual Classes

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Deep project-based learning and peer-connection is at the heart of this 9-week experience which can be done remotely or in-person.</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-skip: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fall and Winter Virtual Classes</span></strong></span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-left: 36pt; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong>Hogwarts School (grades 1-3)</strong>: Come get sorted into your favorite house, jump on your Firebolt and let’s make some magic! 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Child’s Play NY provides a dynamic teacher and their lauded curriculum that puts peer-interaction at the front and center. Custom classes are a special way to nurture what your child loves most and share that excitement with their friends, in-person or online.</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Playwriting (Grades 4-6)</strong></div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Students will use their creativity, compassion and confidence to build a story they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. Individually, each student will craft a play, and together they will workshop their scenes, exercising their acting, directing, and most importantly, imagination skills. 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They work alongside professional performers with years of experience bringing their passion to children. Class culminates in a movie showcase of scenes and songs.<br />Join for the full session, or enroll as a drop-in!<strong><br /></strong></div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Shakespeare Scene Study (Grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12)</strong></div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Young people become confident with Shakespeare’s world, language and characters as they learn how to interpret a role with technique and courage. Classically trained professional actors assist the players in their physical, vocal and emotional transformations. All Shakespeare teaching artists are classically trained professional actors and have performed Shakespeare both on and off Broadway and in regional theaters across the country.</div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Students jump into the worlds of Shakespeare in this robust mash-up of improvisation and classic text scene study class. After learning the plot and characters from several plays, they rehearse and memorize scenes from the original text. New material, devised by the cast, adds a contemporary through-line to their show and highlights the universality of Shakespeare’s themes.<br />Class culminates in a movie showcasing their work.</div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </div> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The Big Twist: A New Musical (Grade 1-4)</strong></div> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p> <div style="caret-color: #222222; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this acting class, students get to perform a brand new musical based on The Wizard of Oz.<br />The Wicked Witch of the South wants to return Oz to a time when WITCHES reigned supreme, and all was evil. Summoning a dark magic Tornado, the Wicked Witch of the South sends Oz hurtling into an alternate Oz. 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Brooklyn Robot Foundry - Virtual Classes

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Athletic Association of Yorkville Youths

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Serving the families and children of NYC for over 50 years with high-quality recreational activities that foster life-lessons which empower young people to succeed beyond sports. Our programs encourage positive attitudes and growth through teamwork and sportsmanship, attendance, fair play, respect, hard work, integrity and fun. Your child can participate in clinics and leagues in such sports as baseball, basketball, flag-football, lacrosse, soccer, hockey, wrestling, track, and tennis. We also offer weekly dodgeball tournaments, drama and musical theater workshops, and after school programs.</span></p>