Grand Cayman B&B accommodation, Cayman Islands
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The Retreat at Lookout is located on 20 acres inland in Bodden Town, Grand Cayman. We have kept the scale of our hotel small, with 8 rooms. The Caymanian Cottage, where breakfast is served each morning and which houses the Lily Room used to be the house of Betty and Harvey Stephenson, the proprietors of the hotel. In order to preserve the heritage and culture, this cottage is the heart of the hotel. Guests gather on the verandah in the morning and evenings. The new building which houses our other 7 rooms has been built to Miami Dade code. Not only should this building sustain a major hurricane, the design and materials also are intrinsic to keeping energy levels low as less airconditioning needs to be used.
Moreover, the grounds are a delight. There is a "Coconut Walk" and "Cherry Walk" and the grounds around the hotel are filled with fruit orchards of mango, june plum, soursop, sweetsop, oranges, limes, coconuts, sorrel, ackee, breadfruit, pumpkin, papaya and all kinds of indigenous flora. Not only is The Retreat at Lookout sustainable but it is also eco friendly. Birds and wild animals love it. We believe in a letting the grounds give back to the earth. You will not see pristine orchards. Instead, we use fallen palm fronds, leaves and other organic material to mulch into earth and the palm fronds to keep the areas around the plants moist in the dry months, thereby cutting our need for watering There is also a pond for ducks. Guest are welcome to go and visit the Bird Sanctuary and Goat Farm.
We also conserve water at every single opportunity. Giant cisterns around the grounds are intrinsic to keeping everything healthy and watered. Also, tankless water heaters have been installed.
Community
We champion all that our local community has to offer! Each guest staying at our property receives a whole packet filled with off the beaten track restaurants, businesses and attractions that do not get the attention they deserve! Not only do they get a whole list of local information, that supports small business, but they also receive the one on one knowledge passed on to them by Betty and Harvey and all their staff. They are all passionate and committed to making the trip for the guest as personal as possible by founding, supporting and encouraging local geo-tourism.
Given that The Retreat at Lookout is on a farm, we also have many initiatives around Grand Cayman. We provide fresh local produce and flowers to restaurants. We also have a nursery where we grow indigenous plants that people can purchase to sustain the local eco-system around the island. We work with veterinary students at the local St. Mathew's University who come in, as part of their practicum, to make sure that the birds in our sanctuary are convalescing and that our goats are healthy and happy. Both Betty and Harvey are extremely active in their local community and sit on various boards.
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