Grand Cayman & Little Cayman

During Easter week 2006, we spent a week on Grand Cayman and took a day trip to Little Cayman.

GRAND CAYMAN AIRPORT: We were very surprised at how small it is since GC is such a popular tourist destination. We went through immigration/customs and got our luggage fairly quickly. Getting a taxi was a bit more tedious. If you need to take one to your hotel, you have to stand in line for the taxi dispatcher who'll write down how many in your party and where you're going. Then you have to wait until they call you, in our case "Party of 3 to the Hyatt". It was somewhat chaotic because they were short on taxi drivers that day (we were told).

HOTEL: We stayed at the Hyatt. Only the building housing the beachfront suites is open. The building seems to have been completely renovated with no signs of hurricane damage to it. The building across the street that houses the standard rooms has not reopened since Hurricane Ivan. The property is fenced off and no work is being done on it.

~ ROOM: We were in a lovely suite located on the 4th floor. Our suite had a small bedroom, a spacious bathroom, a living room/dining room area and a kitchenette. We also had a large patio with a fantastic view of the pools and the sea.

 

~ POOLS: There are 2 of them, fairly small, all with varying depths. One pool has a swim-up bar and the depth varies from 5 inches to 7 1/2 feet. The other pool has a jacuzzi and the deepest depth is 4 feet.

~ BEACH: I was a bit surprised by the beach. I thought the sand would be much softer and there would be a gentle slope into the water. There are lots of pebbles/shells on the beach, some rocks in the water and a fairly quick drop once you're in the water. This does not mean you need water shoes. You don't. I'm just saying the sand is not like powder (my own pre-conceived notion). My husband thought the beach was just fine, meaning I'm difficult. What. Ever. :-)) The color of the water is BEAUTIFUL.  

~ RESTAURANT: It was good but not outstanding. We ate by the pool, did room service and ate breakfast and dinner at Hemingway's, one of 2 restaurants on the property. A 15% service change is automatically added to all your bills. Your bill will show the total in U.S. and Cayman dollars.

THOUGHTS: We never felt that the property was crowded. We always found beach/pool chairs available whether we got there in the morning or in the afternoon. There were lots of families with kids, likely on Easter break like us. The kids (10 years old and under) were REALLY LOUD. So I would not suggest this hotel for couples seeking quiet and romance during school breaks. This is a VERY NICE hotel but can I be honest? We won our room with Priceline for $205/night. In high season, those suites go for $850/night and can be on sale for $550/night. We DEFINITELY came out on top with what we got for what we paid for. Personally, we'd never pay $850 for a room and food is not even included. If you can/do without blinking an eye, more power to you. I'd be more willing to pay the $550 for those suites, but why when I can get that price on Priceline?!

~~ ACTIVITIES ~~

~ STINGRAY SANDBAR: We originally booked our 2-hour excursion with Captain Marvin's. A couple of days before it, we got a call from them. They cancelled that excursion for our day (I had picked a Friday because there were no cruise ships in town). They said something about being Good Friday and the fact that they were no cruise ships in town. It was all a crock if you ask us, we think they just didn't have enough people signed up for that tour and chose to cancel it because it would not have been cost-effective. Not cool at all. They tried to book us on another excursion but we chose to spend our money with another company.

We went with SOTO'S CRUISES. They had a 2-hour excursion on the Friday we wanted (9:30am-11:30am). They picked us up at our hotel (Hyatt) and took us to the dock which turned out to be about 2 blocks from the Hyatt. There were about 35 people on the boat with 2 crew members (great guys by the way). The weather started cloudy with a bit of rain which really worried us as we thought our excursion would be ruined. However, the weather cleared pretty quickly. 

It's a 20-minute boat ride to the 1st stop: snorkeling at CORAL GARDENS for 30 minutes. I snorkeled and my husband stayed on the boat with our 4-year-old son. It was very nice, lots of colorful fish, but the water was CHOPPY.

After that, it was maybe a 3-minute boat ride to STINGRAY SANDBAR (another 30-minute stop). The plan was for my husband to just carry our son through the entire experience. Our son was all game, but just as he was going into my husband's arms, he got hit by a wave (the water was kind of cold), got upset and completely changed his mind. I ended up staying on the boat with him. The water was also VERY CHOPPY there. My husband would be standing with water by his knees, then the next minute, a wave would hit and water would be up to his neck! (he's 6'2''). My husband had a grand time at the Sandbar. Thank goodness, our son was fine on the boat only because he loves boat rides. However, we were very happy the excursion was only 2 hours or it could have turned out to be a VERY LONG day. One of the crew guys brought a stingray next to the boat for me to touch. Very soft and fleshy. Pretty neat. 

At the end of the day, we had a really good time. The trip was $85 for all 3 of us (our son was free). They only take cash.

~ TURTLE FARM: This is a no-brainer if you have kids. We paid $15 to get in (free for our son). We enjoyed it as much as he did. The turtles are separated by age. There's one big pool with the older turtles (they're HUGE!). Then there are several holding tanks with all the others. You can look at them and touch them. There's one tank with the smallest turtles and you're allowed to pick them up and snap a picture if you want. There's an employee who makes sure you do it right. There is one tank that has snapping turtles, you can't touch those or you'll lose your fingers. This self-guided tour is easily done in 30 minutes, less or more depending on how much your kids are loving it. Be aware that there are turtle turds floating in the water!! Yes!! Eewwwww! So make sure your kids' hands are properly cleaned afterward!

  

~ HELL: Yes, we went there being very well aware that it's a tourist trap. I think it's really easy for someone who's been there to turn around and tell someone not to go. I say go if you're in the area and have never been. I swear it takes no more than 2 minutes to see what it's all (or not all) about. Judge for yourself!

  

~ DRIVE TO RUM POINT: We took the long scenic route which took us about 1 1/2 hour. We stopped a few times to take pictures, etc... We saw remnants of Hurricane Ivan (damaged homes, uprooted trees, etc...). We saw lots of HUGE BEAUTIFUL homes, many of them for sale. Got a few million?

We finally arrived at Rum Point and may I say how overrated we thought it was? I know a lot of people like it. Yes, the beach is nice and the water is shallow for quite awhile. But there are lots of nice beaches on GC. 

So because everyone is told it's a must-do, it's CROWDED! So guess what happens to bathrooms in crowded places? There are only 4 toilets in the women's bathroom and 2 of them were backed up when I went in with my son. When we went in a 2nd time, a 3rd toilet was backed up.

Sorry to go from bathroom to food but our lunch at the Wreck Bar was MEDIOCRE at best. I had the jerk pork sandwich with fries. My husband had the chicken club with fries. Our son had the cheeseburger with fries. With 4 juices, the total cost came to $50 (15% tip included) for this meal. Did I already mention how MEDIOCRE it was?? We didn't get the whole Rum Point thing, but that's okay we don't all have to love the same thing, and maybe we just missed something. Needless to say, we didn't stay all day.

One of our favorite things to do when we travel is to drive all over the place. Thank goodness, the drive itself to Rum Point was enjoyable so we didn't feel like we wasted our day going there. You can take a shorter cut to Rum Point (we did on our way back), this will cut your driving time by maybe 20-30 minutes).

~~ FAVORITE BEACHES ~~

~ CEMETERY BEACH: This is a beautiful beach next to a cemetery that you'll see on your left side as soon as you enter West Bay. The water is clear, calm and the most gorgeous blue. I did a bit of snorkeling but did not go all the way to the reef. Saw a few fish, but not many. Others who went all the way to the reef said it was nice. There weren't too many people on this beach. There are no facilities, but you will find some trees for shade. This is one of our favorite beaches and would recommend it.

~ GOVERNOR'S BEACH: This is another beautiful stretch of 7-mile beach located right next to the Governor's house (which is near the Westin). We spent a morning there enjoying it. There are a few trees for shade but they're not really right by the water, more set back on the beach. There are no facilities here as well. This beach is our other favorite beach on GC. We walked back to our hotel from there, passing the Westin and the Ritz-Carlton's beaches. 

~~ RESTAURANTS ~~

Unfortunately, none of the restaurants wowed us in terms of food. One came pretty close but for the others, the food was either just okay, or good, or very good. Do always check your bill, as most restaurants include a 15% service charge. They will also write on the bill the total in U.S. dollar (assuming you're American).

~~ COCONUT JOE'S: This funky little place, which is not on the water, is located across the street from the Marriott. You can sit on the outdoor wooden deck and enjoy a good cheap breakfast. My son and I had scrambled eggs with toast. My husband had a cheddar omelette with toast. With 3 juices, the total came to $26.25 (tip not included). The combination of good food and funky/casual atmosphere made this place our favorite for breakfast. We'd HIGHLY recommend.

~~ EATS CAFE: This restaurant is located in a little shopping plaza across the street from the Westin hotel. There's indoor seating only. The look is modern. There are booths and also bar stool seating. Several giant TV screens tuned to whatever channel are up on a wall. The place is on the small side so there's a good chance you may have to wait a bit for a table. Luckily for us, our wait wasn't more than 5 minutes. My son and I had scrambled eggs with toast, my husband had a cheddar omelette. With 3 juices, the total came to $31.19 (tip not included). The eggs were SLIGHTLY BETTER than Coconut Joe's but we liked the atmosphere of Coconut Joe's better. 

~~ CIMBOCO CARIBBEAN CAFE: This is another nice little place for breakfast, located not too far from the Marriott. You can sit either inside or outside. The outside is really just the sidewalk with a view of the parking lot and the busy street nearby. We sat inside. They have EXCELLENT bread. The waitress told us that they make everything except for the pasta. I had a quiche lorraine, my son had his usual 3 scrambled eggs with toast and my husband had waffles. With 3 juices, the total came to: $37.75 (tip not included). The food was very good, and a place that plays Santana's entire Supernatural CD is FANTASTIC in our book! We'd recommend.

~~ CALYPSO GRILL: We had lunch there after our visit to the Turtle Farm. We LOVED this place and its look. You can chose to eat inside or outside. We ate outside on a wooden deck right on the water. So you know, there's not a lot of shade on the deck. Maybe 2-3 umbrellas and a couple of trees. I had mussels in a creamy white wine sauce and french fries ($13) and my husband had a cheeseburger with fries ($11). I thought my mussels were REALLY GOOD. My husband tasted one and thought the sauce was GROSS. Go figure. His burger was good. We thought they made GREAT french fries. With 1 coke, 2 fruit punches and 1 bottled water, total cost: $44.56 (15% tip included).

~~ DECKERS: This restaurant is located right across the street from the Hyatt. We had our dinner there on our first night in GC. This is the restaurant whose food came VERY CLOSE to WOWING us. You can chose to eat inside or outside. We sat on the patio outside. Lovely mood/atmosphere. They play all music genres (I think they have live bands on the weekends). I had the teriyaki chicken which is a breast of chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce over penne pasta with light cream sauce ($24). My husband had the jerked pork tenderloin ($24). Our son had the pasta with marinana sauce. With a strawberry daiquiri ($9.25), 1 bottled water ($8), 2 juices, the total cost came to $100 (tip included). Our food was VERY VERY GOOD. We'd HIGHLY recommend.

~~ PAPPAGALLO: This was to be dinner on our 2nd night in GC. Well, we got there and our son proceeded to throw a tantrum. So to not ruin other people's night out, not to mention ours, we left. We were so FURIOUS with him. We were really looking forward to dinner at this place which gets really good reviews. I bet the food there would have WOWED us. Oh well....

~~ CALYPSO CHICKEN: ....And so this is where we ended up that night. This is basically a take-out place. We ordered some food to take back to our suite. The food was just okay. We ordered 2 bbq ribs with rice ($30) and 1 jerk pork with mashed potatoes ($12). The portions are really big. With 2 sodas, the total cost came to $47.

~~ THE LIGHTHOUSE: This is another restaurant with a great unique look. You can eat inside or on a covered patio with a view and the sound of the sea. Really lovely.  My husband had the lasagna ($18) and I had the filet mignon ($48!). Our entrees were good. The desserts were YUMMY. With garlic bread ($4) + 1 bottled water + 3 fruit juices + 1 cheesecake ($9) + 1 chocolate mousse ($9), the total cost came to $123.55 (15% tip included). So you know, the Lighthouse is a bit of a drive from the 7-mile beach area. We miscalculated the distance and the rush-hour traffic and it took us 50 minutes to get there. The drive back was much better, only 30 minutes. If you're a couple out for a romantic dinner, try to book this table:

~~ HEMINGWAY'S: This restaurant is located at the Hyatt. You can chose to dine inside or outside on the terrace. We sat on the terrace which is surrounded by lit tiki torches and near the water. Very nice, relaxing setting. My husband and I both had the soy and ginger marinated salmon ($55 for both). It was VERY GOOD. However, there was a side called Udon noodle cake which we thought was just GROSS. They also brought us a fish fritter as an appetizer (complimentary of the chef). It was a blended tuna and salmon with a tamarind sauce, and it was EXCELLENT. Anyway, with 1 juice, 1 Cayman Colada and 2 desserts, the total cost of dinner came to $98.11 (15% tip included).

~~ THE REEF GRILL AT ROYAL PALMS: We had dinner there on our final night. You can dine inside, outside under the stars (not quite on the beach) or indoor on an upstairs deck with a sea view. We ate under the stars. Another lovely setting. This is not an upscale place, more of a casual chic place (casual due to the plastic chairs). I had the sea bass. My husband had the red snapper. Both fish were good. Desserts were YUMMY. I had the cheesecake, my husband had the chocolate hazelnut mousse. With 1 juice, 1 coke, 1 bottled water, 1 glass of red wine, the total cost came to $101.88 (tip not included).

~~ LITTLE CAYMAN ~~

After I booked our trip to Grand Cayman, I started looking at Little Cayman and Cayman Brac to figure out if it would be feasible to do a day trip to one of the 2 smaller islands and whether it would be worth it. After some research, I decided that Little Cayman would make a GREAT day trip, and boy was I right. We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We flew Cayman Airways Express (a DHC-6 Twin Otter that carries 19 passengers) mid-morning for the 37-minute flight and took a flight back to GC around 6pm. 

We rented a jeep with McLaughlin Enterprises a few weeks before our trip. He's located right by the airport and the only car rental company on the island. His business number is 345-948-1000. Gas is a little over $5/gallon.

Our first stop was Point of Sand beach, located on the southeastern part of the island. The most beautiful out-of-this-world beach you could ever find. It will make you feel soooo good, as if you're the only person in the world. There's one big palapa for shade with a couple of picnic tables under it. Just a GORGEOUS piece of paradise.

After spending the rest of our morning and early afternoon at Point of Sand, we drove to the restaurant called the Hungry Iguana for a late lunch (it's back by the airport). We did 2 cheeseburgers with fries + 3 drinks + 2 desserts for a total of $55.35 (15% tip included). It was a VERY GOOD lunch.

After that, we drove around the island. It's about 10 miles long so it's a quick tour. The island has a mangrove pond called Booby Pond. It is home to lots of birds. The STENCH of the pond is UNBEARABLE. It's amazing that it doesn't  overwhelm the entire island! We took a picture and climbed back into our jeep VERY QUICKLY!

We saw quite a few Iguanas who apparently have the right  a way in Little Cayman! LOVE it!

There's another GORGEOUS piece of paradise in Little Cayman and it's called Owen Island, a little island right off Little Cayman (about 600 feet away). You can go to the Dive Shop at the Little Cayman Beach Resort and rent a kayak to cross over or have them take you ($5/person) on a little motorized boat. They'll leave you there, just let them know when they should come back to pick you up. According to the guy who took us to Owen Island, the water in between both islands is between 2 to 4 feet deep and you could walk across if you wanted to. How cool is that? Owen Island is a Robinson Crusoe fantasy. Beautiful clear water, lots of conch shells on the beach. There's nothing else on the island though, no facilities and no real shade. Go there for a couple of hours, bring water and maybe some snacks. This is yet another piece of paradise. 

If you don't handle the sun very well, I don't think a Little Cayman day trip would be good for you. If you love solitude and the feeling of being on a deserted island, you'd love Little Cayman. If you need entertainment and people around you, then don't go because you'll get bored. For us, this was a  FANTASTIC day trip.

~~ OTHER STUFF ~~

WEATHER/WATER TEMP: We had mostly GREAT weather. On day 2, it poured for about 10 minutes early afternoon and on and off the rest of the day. We had a couple of days when the weather didn't look good in the morning but then the clouds cleared up quickly. The sun is POWERFUL so protect yourself WELL if you need to. The evenings were PLEASANT, very comfortable with a nice breeze. I found the water temperature to be a little cold when you first enter, but fine once you're in. My husband says it was fine.

MOSQUITOES: They love me, my son and ignore my husband. Invariably. My son and I got bitten multiple times while having dinner that first night at Decker's. So I sprayed myself and my son for all the following outdoor dinners and we were okay. The days were not an issue. So spray up in the evenings if you need to.

RENTAL CAR: We booked a rental car through the Avis desk at the Marriott for 3 days and drove all around the island. Be aware that traffic on West Bay Road (this is the main road along 7-mile beach) and Georgetown can be PRETTY BAD. Gas is about $5/gallon.

GROCERY STORES: We bought some items (fruit, juices, yogurt, bread, etc...) at a couple of different places (Foster's and Kirk). You can find pretty much the same brands you find in the U.S.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I do a lot of research before a vacation and Grand Cayman turned out to be mostly what we thought it would be. We agree with the common opinion that a Cayman vacation is not cheap, but there are options for doing it on somewhat of a budget (Priceline, using less expensive restaurants, grocery shopping, etc...). We did find the island to be MUCH MORE Americanized than we had imagined. You could be forgiven for thinking it's a U.S. territory and not a British one.

We liked GC because of its great beaches/water, sun, the multitude of restaurants and the friendliness of the people. If you like fun-sun-sand-sea and don't mind the crowds and the americanization, you will love Grand Cayman. It was a VERY GOOD vacation for us. I personally am not tempted to go back because I'm not crazy about highly developed and americanized islands. My husband really liked the beaches and said he'd go back. Well, since I plan our vacations, the only way he'd go back would be with his next wife I guess! :-))