Two weeks ago, I took a short jaunt to the Cayman Islands to escape for a long weekend before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I went with my friend from college, Beth, and met her in New York City Wednesday night for dinner before our early-morning flight from JFK International Airport.

Unfortunately, not all trips will be without a hitch or two, and our first came on Thursday morning when our flight was delayed by several hours. A broken bathroom prevented our Cayman Airways flight from departing, and instead of arriving in the Caymans by 1 p.m. that afternoon, we arrived at our resort by 5 p.m. A bit of a bummer, as we lost a day of sun and relaxation, but we more than made up for it on Friday and Saturday.

To properly whisk ourselves away to the spirit of the islands, we booked massages at the resort spa for Friday morning. We were staying at the Westin Causarina Resort & Spa, and we spent the remainder of that day lounging on the beach and by the pool, enjoying a leisurely outdoor lunch and jet skiing. That evening, we wandered Seven Mile Beach for a dinner spot and found Luca, an Italian restaurant in the Caribbean Club.

My favorite activity of the trip was our Saturday catamaran excursion to swim with stingrays and snorkel. The water was choppy, and it was an incredibly windy day, but our morning journey was still peaceful and unique. It was a bit hard not to be initially frightened by the giant stingrays, but they were gentle and tickled as they swam past. They were also deceptively heavy. With the tour taking up a large chunk of the day, we again spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging and relaxing before setting off again down Seven Mile Beach in search of dinner. We chose Decker’s, a more laid-back choice from Luca.

Sunday meant it was time to pack up and head home, but not before we indulged in a gorgeous Sunday brunch at the Westin’s Ferdinand’s. I’ve never seen such an impressive spread, and I highly recommend this meal to any Cayman Islands visitor.

As I headed back to New York City, I prepared myself for the cold, damp weather I would be met with, prepared to tackle it with my renewed and sunny disposition.

— Kimberly Krol, managing editor