WHILE STAYING AT SEVERAL BOUTIQUE HOTELS in the region, Greg Bateson found inspiration for the garden of his holiday rental property in Grand Cayman.
He decided to use the natural habitat to create a park-like ambience at the Breakers location, incorporating the beauty of sea grape trees and as much of Cayman’s indigenous flora as possible.
“I spent time at a boutique hotel on the Yucatan Peninsula called Be Tulum, and time at Chris Blackwell’s Golden Eye in Ocho Rios, Jamaica,” he says. “I wanted to create a similar feel using the natural habitat, along with green concepts protecting the natural habitat and lessoning the impact on the environment.”
VISION
The idea was to create a tropical boutique-style oasis at the property – called LivCayman Breakers – to set it apart from other Cayman vacation rentals.
Greg’s vision was brought to life by Vigoro landscaping company, which has been working on the garden in phases since 2018.
At the start of the project, the land was completely overgrown, with a tangle of living and dead sea grape trees, Australian pines, shrubs and leaves. The first task for Vigoro’s Craig Stewart and his gardening team was to clean up this mass of foliage in order to create the grounds that Greg had in mind.
“From the start, I believe we shared a very similar vision,” says Greg. “I feel that we have worked well, creating a unique and beautiful garden oasis that accentuates the natural beauty of the grape tree forest.”
He also pays tribute to architect John Doak, and Aston Ebanks from Trio Architecture, for helping shape the concept of the property.
SEA GRAPE TUNNEL
The main feature of the garden is the 100-foot-long sea grape ‘tunnel’ that leads to the sea.
“The path from the house to the beach is definitely the highlight for me,” says Greg. “The sea grapes have intertwined above the path, creating a natural arch that leads out to the ocean. The path is a very stunning feature that almost pulls you in to the ocean.”
The terrain, at just over an acre-and-a-half, is diverse, with a white-sand beach rolling up into a grove of native trees, including the sea grapes. These have been pruned so that the main bungalow/cottage and vanishing-edge pool have a line of sight to the glistening waters of Frank Sound.
There are also crops of ironshore that are elevated in several areas, where Craig and his team have created railway-timber steps to access some of the upper paths.
PLANTS
At the core of the design are native plants such as cocoplum, sea lavender, beach grasses and buttonwood, which have been blended together in the beach area. Shade-tolerant plants such as acalypha, areca palms and arboricola have been used as screening foliage, while in the full-sun entrance and drive, there is a variety of palms, fragrant jasmine and bougainvillea.
The plan for the next phase of the property is to erect six to eight small cottages within the sea grape landscape. Vigoro has therefore incorporated grassy patches and openings in their landscape plan to house these buildings.
This verdant garden on the east side of the island reflects the tranquility of the quiet side of Cayman. It is the perfect place to relax and unwind, just as Greg intended.
This article appears in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of InsideOut magazine, now available at magazine stands and delivered to select homes in eco-tote bags sponsored by LIVING.KY.
