Dive companies from all over the island offered free gear to snorkelers and divers who agreed to pick up debris found on reefs. According to Cobalt Coast Resort owner Arie Barendrecht, once people got their electricity back, they'd pass on their camping stoves, lanterns and grills to those still lacking it. Resort owners said job descriptions disappeared immediately after the hurricane, with everyone pitching in to clean and repair.
And who knew that insurance companies had SWAT teams that respond to disasters all over the world?
Post-Ivan, the Hyatt Regency on Grand Cayman undergoes dehumidification.
(Sheree Ebanks)
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STORM UPDATE
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Days after the hurricane, a mechanical and electrical restoration team arrived in corporate planes filled with generators and other supplies, said Bastis, of the Hyatt Regency. The commercial drying team and mold specialists were not far behind.
Even with the SWAT approach, it takes three weeks to restore a room that suffered only water damage, given a process that involves encapsulating the room, disassembling each piece of hardware, testing every wall and piece of furniture for mold, scrubbing the air, cleaning and testing again.
Details: Grand Cayman
GETTING THERE: Round-trip flights from all three Washington area airports generally begin at about $490. Most major carriers connect through either Tampa or Miami.
DEALS: As of press time, only four major properties on Grand Cayman are accepting guests.
Doubles at the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa (Seven Mile Beach, 345-945-3800, www.starwoodhotels.com) begin at $260 a night during the winter season. Doubles at the Marriott Courtyard (1590 West Bay Rd., 800-228-9290, www.marriott.com) start at $158. Cobalt Coast (18A Sea Fan Drive, 888-946-5656, www.cobaltcoast.com) offers rooms and suites with kitchens, with rooms beginning at $210 throughout the winter. A dive shop is on the property outside of town; there is no sandy beach, but a pool overlooks the water. The Avalon (Seven Mile Beach, 345-945-4171, www.cayman.org/avalon) is a luxury condo with apartments for four starting at $650 per night in winter.
Other properties on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which reopened to visitors immediately after the hurricane, are listed at the tourism bureau site (see below).
INFORMATION: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, 877-4-CAYMAN, www.caymanislands.ky. A book on the hurricane's aftermath, "Spirit of Cayman -- The Aftermath of Ivan" by Sheree Ebanks, is available for $36 (soft cover) at www.oursecretagency.com/spirit. -- Cindy Loose
