Everyone talks about the ‘good old days’ when times were simpler. Take a look at this picture from yesteryear and see if you can spot places, people and scenes you recognise.
Spanish Bay Reef Resort
In 1972, a new resort was built on the West Bay coast in the Barkers area, named Spanish Bay Reef. As can be seen in this image from a postcard, courtesy of Ivan Burges, the roof had a unique shape and the building featured rock walls that were a popular design choice in the day.
Just like many other resorts on the island at the time, such as Holiday Inn and Royal Palms, locals and residents would head there for a happy hour drink while mingling with tourists. It was also a very popular vacation spot for divers, with easy access to sites nearby.
One of my most enduring memories of Spanish Bay Reef was when my band, No Significant Features, was chosen to be the backup group for Jefferson Airplane frontman and founder, Marty Balin. Balin was flown down to Cayman sometime in the 1990s and booked to play at several venues, including The Lions Centre, The Wharf, Spanish Bay Reef, and even on the multi-tiered party boat, Cayman Mermaid.
I can’t remember how the whole thing came about, but I certainly recall hours and hours of rehearsal to make sure we had his hits like ‘Miracles’ and ‘Somebody to Love’ up to speed before he arrived on the island.
Unfortunately, despite Balin’s high-profile background, the audiences really didn’t come out as we’d hoped. In fact, no one showed at Spanish Bay Reef. The only positive result from that embarrassment was that we cut the gig very short and he spent the rest of the evening regaling us with tales about Woodstock and the extraordinary acts that played at the iconic event. What could have been a really lousy night turned into a pretty unforgettable one.
Spanish Bay Reef closed in 2007 and was demolished in 2016, due to significant deterioration of the buildings.
Balin died at his home in Tampa on 27 Sept. 2018 at the age of 76.
Did you ever stay there and have stories you’d like to share? Please add them in the comments section so others can enjoy them.
If you have some old photos that you’d like to submit, we’d love to see them to consider them for publication. Be sure to include the credit for the image and any information you have about it. Email to [email protected].
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