A Letter About the History of Cayman Brac's Divi Tiara Beach Resort

I received a letter from someone with more insight on Divi Tiara Beach Resort, the place documented in a short film I created in 2013.

The letter read as follows:

“Jordan,

My parents were looking for a vacation home in the tropics, away from the noise and bustle of Grand Cayman, which at that time was still quiet compared to the vacation mecca is has been and is today. They visited The Brac and while staying at the Buccaneers Inn not far from the airport, met a man who owned beach-front property on the south side of the island. Mom and Dad bought a large part of this property for our home from Charlie Briggs and his wife Ester not long after. Several years later, Dad, with Charlie’s help and background as NYC electrician, helped bring the first electricity to the Island.

My uncle, who was an architect, helped design the complex. The two-story building that faces south to the ocean across the pool, was a one-story building that had four rooms. If you were looking at the structure from the beach, the four original rooms were connected to a large living room and kitchen as you moved west. This was the first phase built in 1958/59. The roof on this building was a giant rain collection pan used for re-filling the cistern.

The second phase was a separate two-story building built in the mid 1960’s that was just to the east, but not connected, to the main single story structure. There was a bedroom upstairs and another large living room below with floor to ceiling sliding windows. Each level had a large deck/patio facing south to the ocean.

There were several, smaller outbuildings as well as the tennis court that were also built. There was no dock, no palapa or bar and none of the multi room structures that later became the Divi resort. I visited when my family brought my father’s ashes to spread on the water in 2002. It bore little resemblance to the place I grew up enjoying as a child. I was two years old when I first traveled there.

I hope this presents a clearer vision of how our old home remains etched in our minds. It’s not of the abandoned and forgotten structure you magnificently filmed. My hope is that Divi will sell the property at some point and perhaps a new owner can resurrect the quality and simplicity this location deserves.

Rich Farquhar”

Watch the full film for free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KGf4J8pcVY.