While the Grand Cayman airport remains open only to approved travelers, Plantana guests are welcome to explore the option of visiting us under slightly different terms. It is still possible to travel to Plantana during this time – just visit our specials page for more details on the process!
We spoke to a few of our overseas guests who have made the journey to Cayman during COVID-related travel restrictions and got their take on what quarantine was like. Read on to see what they had to say!
What made you decide to come to Cayman during this time?
Diane: We look forward to coming to Cayman every year. If there was any way at all that we could do it, we were going to figure it out. The US being “locked down” was so draining, we needed the break, but safely.
Jeff & Gayle: We are regular vacationers at Plantana and have been coming here for 10 years. As COVID hit in early 2020, we left Cayman early in March – in the middle of our spring stay – catching the last flight out before the island was closed. We thought surely, we’d back for a summer trip – but definitely for a Nov/Dec trip! But alas, NO… COVID had other ideas. Finally, this winter, we decided COVID or no COVID, it was time to return to Cayman and we would not cancel our spring trip. It would be almost a year and we were prepared to overcome any obstacle!
Upon your arrival to the island, what was the airport like?
D: Impressive is the only word that comes to mind. The airport was staffed with many health workers ready to receive you from the plane, tell you what to do and how to do it. They were extremely organized and safe.
Did you find the process upon landing in Cayman to be organized?
J&G: This was a very efficient and organized process. From touch-down to departing the airport in the government-provided transportation to our condo, it was about 90 minutes. We were efficiently checked in to verify our Travel Approval, fitted with our monitoring bands and handed our monitoring phones to activate upon arrival in our quarantine location, processed through the usual immigration/passport check, and then given our PCR nasal test. The entire time, we felt “expected” and on every list and checkpoint to efficiently move us through the process. Then we joined other fellow travelers in a minibus provided by the government to take us directly to our quarantine location. (And the Plantana staff was standing by at the office to wave, shout hello, and greet us from a distance as we walked masked to our condo!)
Was there anything that made carrying out the quarantine at Plantana special?
D: Because we are very active people, we arranged for a treadmill and a spin bike to be delivered to our condo for the duration of the quarantine. While we couldn’t be outside to walk or run, we got our exercise in every day which helped physically and mentally to be stuck inside. We made it a point to spend as much time on our porch as we could and got our sun in the afternoon. Ended quarantine with a bit of a tan!
J&G: First and foremost, it was definitely the Plantana staff! From the first time we let them know we were hoping to make the trip, they were so helpful and very supportive at every step. They provided insights on the process, on how to fill out the application, and how to do our advance grocery (and libations) ordering so that everything would be in our unit (which they took up and put away in our unit on the morning of our arrival). And then they were very attentive to all our needs while in quarantine, even strolling by our lanai on occasion to wave and say hello!
After quarantining for 14 days, how would you describe the experience?
J&G: There is no question for us that the experience was much better than we had imagined. We have to give a shout out to the delivery services – the folks on the island have perfected the technique! Our grocery deliveries were “next day,” and everything was as ordered. Our delivery from Blackbeard’s for essential libations were same day when ordered before 2pm. And the restaurants – most of our favorites delivered to our door within 45 minutes of ordering online! Our days were full – meals, working out, reading the paper, books on our Kindles, an occasional Zoom with friends back home, happy hour watching the sunset from our lanai! We found that the 14 days went by quickly, and we truly enjoyed the “down time” and peace & quiet!
Do you have any tidbits or advice to help future guests through their quarantine?
D: The best advice I can give is to make sure you plan ahead. The management and staff at Plantana are fantastic and helped us get through the process with great advice. We had a hiccup with our COVID test not arriving within 72 hours, so our first arrival date had to be changed to two weeks later and they were so kind and felt so badly for us.
J&G: (1) Start with a positive attitude and don’t view it as quarantine, view it as a retreat! (2) Read the Travel Time info carefully, understand the process, and plan for each step (3) Know that the Plantana staff will happily provide insights and help along the way (4) Don’t get anxious about the airport arrival unknowns, testing, etc. – the process works well!
Now that you have completed the quarantine, would you say that it is worth it to have a restriction-free life on the island?
D: It has been absolute pleasure to be here. We honestly feel like we have the beaches to ourselves right now. It is quiet and beautiful and worth every bit of the preparation to get here. It is definitely our happy place and will continue to be as long as we can make the trip.
J&G: Yes, definitely! It has been so refreshing to return to life as we knew it pre-COVID. No mask wearing, no one giving you the evil eye if you stand too close, discussions NOT dominated by COVID-this, COVID-that, and hearty handshakes and warm hugs with all your friends on the island! Hopefully we won’t have to, but we’ll quarantine again when it is time for our next trip!
If you’re interested in spending some time at Plantana in the near future, please get in touch to take us up on our “Stay for 7, Pay for 5” special offered to all stays from now through to August 31, 2021. See you soon!
Call us at 1-404-474-4344 or 1-345-945-4430 or email us at info@plantanacayman.com