Ever wonder what it’s like to have your home, office, children’s school and plentiful amenities to keep the whole family busy in one place? Three families who experience this daily at Camana Bay gave us a look into their lives, which one might say are filled with convenience and peace of mind.
Matt O’Keeffe, senior real estate and geographic information systems analyst at Dart, and his wife Emily moved to Grand Cayman in 2013. The move meant O’Keeffe left behind a job that required a 1.5-hour commute each way. Ready to embrace the commute-free life, he found Camana Bay and immediately was drawn to the appeal of living in the heart of a vibrant town centre, walking to work, his child’s school and being surrounded by a variety of services.
In May 2015, O’Keeffe and his family moved into Camana Bay’s for-lease apartments, The Terraces, and later became one of the first residents to move into the town's first for-sale residential neighbourhood, OLEA. Their 6-year-old son started out his education at Starfish Village, located on the Crescent, and he now attends Cayman International School.
O’Keeffe says Camana Bay is the “prime place to be."
“Everything we need as a family is at our doorstep," he says. "There’s a variety of restaurants perfect for family outings or intimate dinners, a supermarket for all grocery needs and plenty to keep our son busy, including foosball at Tomfoodery Kitchen & Bar, adventures at the Observation Tower, watching for boats in the harbour and looking for crabs on the Island.”
With a variety of places to meet family, friends and colleagues, and with so many essential services within the Town Centre, O'Keeffe says he seldom has to leave.
“While we have a car and often get outside of Camana Bay, there is comfort in knowing a lot of our essential needs can be taken care of right in the town we live in either by a short walk or bike ride," he says.
Even much of the furnishings in their new home at OLEA came from shops located in the town, like Bon Vivant, Design Studio and Bedside Manor, O'Keeffe says.
PEACE OF MIND
Walter Fajette, who owns and operates two popular food and beverage businesses in Camana Bay, Agua Restaurant & Lounge and Next Door, agrees with the town’s reputation as the place to shop, dine, live, work and play.
These factors are what motivated Fajette and his business partners to move Agua from its initial location in Galleria Plaza to Camana Bay in August 2018. He says that the spectacular views are the setting ideal for a restaurant, but he was also swayed by the sense of community and close proximity of offices.
Fajette recently furthered his investment in the Camana Bay community by purchasing a home at OLEA. His daughter also attends Cayman International School.
“Being close to work and my child’s school gives me peace of mind every day that I can get where I’m needed most quickly," he says. "School pickups are easy to transition from school to a community where the kids can be left in a safe place to play and meet up with their friends."
Fajette says he’ll never forget when Cayman experienced a significant earthquake in January 2020. In the massive traffic jam that followed, many families had trouble reaching their children or other loved ones.
“It is those emergency situations you always fear, but I appreciate that having my family close by in Camana Bay offers me much peace,” he says.
MORE TIME FOR FAMILY
For the Perrys, who moved to Grand Cayman 18 months ago, quality family time is of the utmost importance.
“Anything that can save our time and reduce stress regarding timing is appreciated,” says Kevin Perry.
For that reason, the family bought a residence in OLEA, which Perry says ticked all their boxes. These boxes included being walking distance to Cayman International School; having a strong sense of community and excellent amenities; being well maintained and child-friendly; and having proximity to a supermarket, dining, essential services and the beach.
Perry outlined a perfect day for his family: “Walking to school pickups, grabbing food from one of the Camana Bay restaurants, heading out on our boat, which we have docked at the Camana Bay Harbour, and sailing out to the Sound for a swim. We then have dinner on the boat and watch the sunset — something we try to do as a family at least three times a week.”
Like the O’Keeffe family, the Perrys rarely need a car when living at Camana Bay. However, they own an electric car, which they can charge conveniently at one of the town's electric car charging stations when needed.
AUTHOR BIOChristy Whittaker is a marketing manager for Dart, focusing on the company’s flagship development, Camana Bay, and Dart’s retail subsidiaries. Christy joined the team in 2019 and has over 10 years marketing experience under her belt and holds an MSc in Global Marketing from the University of Liverpool. Born and raised in the Cayman Islands, Christy has the acclaim of being a member of the first Cayman Islands gymnastics team to compete abroad!