Grand Cayman

[bellaprincess]

Hi Ladies,
I live on the island of Grand Cayman now in the Seven Mile Beach area.

It is prime cruise season here and I see so many tourists daily walking to the beach from the port or paying entrance fees to go to beaches when it is not necessary.

If you have questions about taxis, where to go the beach, or to eat, etc.. please let me know I will do my best to give you my opinion and advice.

[jennylou]

I wish you'd have posted this in early February! Our first stop on our cruise was Grand Cayman. We ended up walking around and shopping, then we popped into a restaurant (though, I'd have loved to done local and not a chain!).

[HeatherFL]

bellaprincess, I never knew you lived there! Grand Cayman is so pretty. I haven't been there in years, but I look forward to going back! I enjoyed the touristy stuff-Turtle Farm, Hell, Stingray City-but would love to go back to just enjoy the beaches and local things the island has to offer!

Thanks for starting this thread.

~H.

[bellaprincess]

Hi Ladies,
Thanks for the positive feedback.
I used to live in Orlando, but I moved here in January.

One random tip I will give..... do not under any circumstance waste your time or money going to "Hell." It is a tourist trap, it is a waste of money, and not worth anyone's time. All it is a a very small formation of rocks with a post office basically located in a backyard.

[HeatherFL]

You are right! But I have to admit, it was kind of neat to see.

[AHammer]

First off, thanks for the offer to give advice! I'll be stopping there on a cruise in July --

we were thinking about doing the atlantis submarine deal, which is pretty short (1.5 hrs) and then maybe spending a few hours at a beach or shopping somewhere. Since you mentioned people get trapped into paying to go to the beach, what's your recommendation for avoiding that? (oh, and if you've heard any stories about whether the submarine trip is worth it, i'd love to know!)

[bellaprincess]

AHammer: I did the Atlantis Sub with my parents when we came here on a cruise in 2000. I felt it was a huge disappointment, but maybe we just went on a bad day because we saw very few fish.

If you want to see fish or marine life, I would suggest a snorkeling excursion or even bringing your own gear and walking from the port to Paradise Cafe at Eden Rock ( almost across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe or a little further down). The snorkeling there is fabulous, free, and you literally just walk down the stone steps into the water. If you want to leave your stuff at table at Paradise Cafe, you will have to buy a drink or some food from them.

I personally think the best beach on Seven Mile is the public beach across from the Marriott Courtyards and next to Calico Jack's ( CJ's). There are public buses in Grand Cayman that are nothing more than minivans with a circular number sticker in some color indicating they are a bus and they will honk at you to see if you need to be picked up. It costs $2.50 USD / $2.00 CI to ride the bus one way and just tell the driver to leave you at the public beach next to Calico Jack's. Always make sure to ask the rate before you get in. You can easily catch the bus to go back the same way.

I don't lay out and don't use beach chairs or chaise loungers, so I am not much help there. I leave my things under a little hut or on a towel on the beach if all the huts are taken. You can rent chairs at CJ's, but I am not sure of the cost. If you have your mind set on using hotel facilities, then walk on the beach towards the left and the Westin Hotel is right there. They have chairs rentals also, but again I don't know the cost.

Hope that helps!

[AHammer]

bella, thank you for the information!! we'll skip the sub tour, glad we didn't book it already. we'll look into doing a snorkeling tour instead!

[cjones15]

I just booked a cruice for Oct 7. Grand Caymen is our last port. What is the weather like then? I am dying to go parasailing. Could you recommend a good place? We are booking all of our excursions on our own to save money. Also, are there any local places you suggest to eat? Thanks for all your help!

[Chimichanga]

My mom, sister, two aunts and I will be going to Grand Caymen the last week in August. Girls week away!

We're going for more of a relaxing vacation, but my mom and I love to snorkel. We'll definitely try the beach you recommended. but any other activities/places to snorkel would be great!

We're for sure doing Stingray City (I missed it the last time we were in the Caymans). My sister would possibly like to snuba (snorkel/scuba combo) - are there any places to do that? She had gotten her scuba 2 week certification the last time we were down there, but let it lapse.

TIA!!