Have you ever been to the Cayman Islands?

Question

I am planning on taking a trip in a couple of months and I am seriously considering the cayman islands. Has anyone ever been? What was it like? What should I expect?

Answer 1

I've been 7 times.  We usually  go in June.   The temperature is around 88 F that time of year.  7 Mile Beach is beautiful, with a stretch of private beach and a section of public beach.  There are several nice restaurants with good food. It can get pretty expensive though.  Cayman has some good water sports activities, jet skiing, parasailing. It also has  some of the best SCUBA diving in the world,  thats what we do there.  Stingray City is a fun place to go to snorkel and feed the rays.  You drive on the left and the further you get from the Capital, Georgetown, the less crowded it gets because you're away from the Cruise ship port.  The submarines are also fun to do if your not a diver but like the water. I've stayed in the London House Condos on 7 mi beach before it was damaged by Hurricane Ivan.  Now we stay at the Discovery Point Club.   Enjoy the trip!

Answer 2

Sorry I have never beer there. But can you please share your exp when you come back?:)

Answer 3

It depends on what your are looking for.  If you want a Little America, the Caymans are the place for you.  All the American fast food joints are there and they speak English (though British English).  It's just like visiting a beach resort in America.  As previously mentioned, there are some interesting places to see and things to do if you can afford it.  Beware, the prices are in Cayman Dollars which exchange to US$ 1 = 85 cayman cents or 1 Cayman dollar = US$ 1.20.

Answer 4

Been there, done that. Quite flat, people drive on the left side of the road. If your looking for partyville, this isn't it. If you scuba dive or snorkel then it's your place. I stayed at the Turtle Nest Inn outside of town. Awesome place, but you have to drive for meals. Seven Mile beach is beautiful...

Answer 5

I went as a port on a cruise a couple of years ago. The beaches are beautiful, but I think it is very expensive and a little disappointing. I found it very over crowded and difficult to get around.  im sure there are many other tropical places with more to do and priced much more reasonably.

Answer 6

I have been there. Be prepared.  It is pretty expensive.  Not just because everything must be sent in from outside the island-like sodas, food, etc. but there are also high numbers of wealthier people visiting the island which runs up the costs to attract these tourists. The island is lovely with many high end shopping areas and 4-5star hotels.

The island is also a huge banking center, so this also means alot of money entering and exiting the island. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for. Better hotels mean more money.

It is a much more upscale island than many of the others

Answer 7

I've been to Grand Cayman a couple of times and Cayman Brac once. If you want a beautiful beach, you can't get much better than 7 mile beach. It's powder soft and the water is turquoise blue.

We go there for the scuba diving and if you are at all interested in it, you should give it a try. You could do a resort course while you are there and see if you like it or not. It is one of the best places to dive in the Caribbean.

We stayed at both 7 mile beach and the East End. If you are not diving, I wouldn't recommend the East end as there isn't alot to do out there and it is a drive to pretty much everything.

While there are other things to do on Grand Cayman (h**l, turtle farm, etc) the beach is really the focus. It is a fairly expensive island so I wouldn't choose this if you want a low budget spot.

Wherever you go, have  a great trip.

Answer 8

I am currently living in the Cayman islands, and I absolutely love it here! Seven mile beach is gorgeous, downtown George Town is great to walk around and shop (when there aren't any cruise ships in), and there is great snorkeling and SCUBA diving! I would suggest snorkeling at cemetary beach just north of seven mile as you are coming into West Bay. Then there is the turtle farm, botanical gardens, butterly farm, mastic trail, h**l, rum point, sting ray city, horseback riding on the beach, etc. There are also some good places for a little fun in the evenings if you enjoy Caribbean music and dancing. There are planty of restaurants for any taste as well. For how much money to bring, that depends on how much you like to spend. There are enough upscale places and jewelry stores that you could spend a fortune, but you can also get a decent dinner for about CI$10 (which comes out to a little more US) at a lot of places if you want to save money. I would also suggest you make a Caymanian friend or two and get them to go with you to the tourist places, as they may be able to slip you by as a local which will save you some dough.

Answer 9

I lived there for some years, an idyll which ended with Hurricane Ivan. You would love the place, especially during those moments when the cruise ships aren't around and you can have some peace and quiet. There is plenty to see and do, my own favourites being the Botanic Park (with its unique blue iguanas) and Pedro Castle, which is full of history. There are some interesting places at the other end of the island, such as Sting Ray City (where you cavort in the water with the sting rays), the turtle farm and a strange place named h**l, full of bristling black rocks and presided over by a lovely character named Ivan, who dresses like the devil (for the sake of trade), but who has evangelistic texts all over his shop. There are some interesting buildings in George Town, several of which -- the library, the post office, Elmslie Church -- have roofs in the shape of overturned boats (the builder was really a boat builder and that's what he knew about!) You can visit Smith Cove, which is a natural theatre and where shows are sometimes held, the mastic trail (for which you have to book) and the Seven Mile Beach and the various towns and villages up and down the Grand Cayman.  You can venture further afield (although this means flying) and visit Little Cayman with its red footed boobies and Cayman Brac, with its interesting caves. There is abundant bird life (including the Cayman parrot and many frigate birds) and good snorkelling. You won't be bored!