Tag: island

Grand Cayman

by patienceowenby3380

General Information

  • Native language: English
  • Currency: CI Dollar
  • Region: Caribbean
  • Climate: tropical
  • Country: British Territory
  • P safety rating (Out of 10): 10

Geography and climate

The Cayman islands can be found directly west of Jamaica and south of Cuba, smack dab in the middle of the Caribbean. Its about a two hour flight from the southern region of the United States.

When you step off of the plane, it is likely that you will be hit with a tropical heat wave, the kind that warms your cheeks and makes you immediately start to sweat. We headed for the Caymans in December, which is technically their winter time, but temperatures were an average of 85 degrees fahrenheit (29 degrees celsius). There were sporadic tropic storms, with warm rains and windy conditions during our stay. But for the most part, it was warm and sunny – enough to tan your cheeks.

What to Pack

I stayed for a week in the caymans, and here is all that I packed:

Clothes:

  • One Pajama set
  • Two pairs of shorts
    • Its very warm in the Caymans, even when it is raining. Its good to have cooler clothes.
  • One pair of jeans
    • I always bring one pair of jeans when I travel, just as a form of insurance. A “Just in case”. If it gets cold or you’re wandering about at night or in early morning, its good to have a pair of longer pants. Happy to report i did not need to wear them on this trip however.
  • Four tank tops
    • I actually probably could have gotten away with only two or three tank tops on this trip, but I always overpack.
  • One T-shirt
    • I always bring something with sleeves for the inevitable time in the trip where my shoulders get burned. Came in handy!
  • undergarments/socks
  • Two swimsuits
    • I always bring more than one swimsuit, that way I can trade off and always have a dry one. You’ll need multiple swimsuits for this trip!
  • Two pairs of sandals
    • I always bring one comfortable pair to walk around in during the day, and more “glam” ones to wear for a formal evening.
  • One pair of tennis shoes
    • I love to do hikes and adventures on my trips, so a pair of quality, comfortable tennis shoes is required for all trips. If you plan on hiking the mastic trail or the crystal caves these will be a need!
  • One pair of exercise pants
    • I always bring exercise pants for the same reason I bring tennis shoes. But they are also awesome to wear on planes, and you wont need to immediately change once you get off the plane.
  • One dress for formal evenings
    • We tend to do one nice dinner out during our travels, so I always bring one nicer outfit for the evenings and nice dinners.
  • Windbreaker
    • I packed this as an insurance piece, just in case it got cold or wet, and I was very happy with the choice. Sporadic rainfall does occur in the Caymans, and its nice to have a light waterproof jacket.
  • Rash Guard
    • I packed this namely for diving and snorkeling, and I was glad I brought it. A rash guard is perfect for diving here, since the water is so warm. Some people wore a 3 mm wetsuit, but I honestly did not see the need.

Other:

  • GoPro with all attachments
    • If you are serious about travel, a go pro is a great investment. I have an older version that works great.
  • Underwater Camera
    • We have a great Olympic brand underwater camera that we take on all of our tropical travels. It works great for snorkeling (though doesn’t work deep enough for diving). You will see some of the photos in this blog!
  • Drone (that I forgot to use, my bad)
    • A drone is another great investment if you are serious about traveling. It is an awesome way to get scenic views of the area you are visiting.
  • waterproof bag
    • If you are a water bug like me, a waterproof bag is a great investment (they don’t cost all that much). They work well to keep clothes and electronics dry for boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, and the like.
  • Passport/ID (Don’t forget!)
  • Diving/Snorkeling Gear
    • As someone who does a LOT of snorkeling and diving on my trips, it made sense for me to invest in my own gear. If you do snorkel and dive a lot, I recommend investing in your own gear as well, as it saves you money in the long run. However, if you just want to go out for a day I will talk about different rental options.
  • Health and Beauty Products
  • Sunscreen
    • As a fair lady myself, I need sunscreen for me not to burn. Its important to protect your skin – not only for the longterm effects and cancer prevention, but to not ruin your vacation as well. The best way to ruin your vacation is by having a horrid sun burn.
  • Bug spray
    • For some reason, bugs adore me. Im not quite sure if its my blood type or rum consumption while on vacation, but they just can’t seem to leave me alone. For this reason I have learned to bring bug spray with me on all trips. Its a good idea to have some on all tropical vacations regardless.

Where to Stay

We stayed in a cute little hotel near Bodden town called Turtle Nest inn. It was right on the beach, quite affordable, and came with a small car rental included. They also had a grill, and a lot of water sport rentals (Kayaks, paddle boards, the like). Though my bed was not comfortable, I would stay there again due to location and amenities. Though next time I may bring a mattress pad or a blow up mattress. They also have some of the best offshore snorkeling I saw on the island (though you have to snorkel past some foggier water with seaweed to get there). If you do happen to stay here, veer towards the right when snorkeling and you will end up on an amazing, massive coral reef.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

There are different regions of Grand Cayman, all with their unique flavor. Bodden town was a quiet town with a grocery store and a few smaller restaurants. Though it wasn’t particularly special, we chose to stay here due to location. It is about a 30 minute drive maximum to any point on the island from Bodden town, which made exploring the unique regions of Grand Cayman easier.

Seven Mile Beach is considered the busier part of Grand Cayman, and this is true. However, this “busy” is very mild in my opinion, being about as busy as any medium sized large town would be. Contrary to what you may hear, seven mile does not host the cruise ships and cruise passengers. The majority of the people you will meet in Seven Mile are vacationers or residents. The water here is phenomenal as well, being gorgeously crystal clear. However, it did not appear as though the snorkeling here was that great, with more sandy beaches than reefs. The majority of high end restaurants you will see are in Seven Mile, and the higher end resorts and hotels are mostly located here as well. All in all, a great place to relax, swim, and drink. But for my group it was out of our price range as far as lodging went.

George Town is also a fairly large town. It is a little less busy and more organized compared to Seven Mile beach. This is also where the airport is located, so a good home base location for those who like that. However, the cruise ship port is also in this area, and we did our best to avoid that area entirely. It was crowded and dirty compared to the other regions of georgetown, with peddlers trying to sell their wares to the people getting off the ships (Something you won’t see in any other part of Grand Cayman).

Camana Bay was clearly the playground for the wealthy. The clean, polished streets were lined with fancy boutiques, restaurants, and bars that you couldn’t hope to walk into without spending $200 USD. The buildings were all very new and clean, and sidewalks were lined with perfectly trimmed foliage. There is also a man made island in the center of the bay with hammocks and benches, perfect for a relaxing afternoon. If you have the money, this would be a phenomenal place to stay. However, if you’re traveling on a budget as I am, it may be a better afternoon getaway.

Rum point was an exciting region of the island. With calm waters, sandy beaches, great snorkeling, and fun bars, I felt right at home. This was the other region of Grand Cayman that did have some affordable options for hotels and condos. A little more quiet, reserved, and cultural than Seven Mile Beach or George Town, this is a great spot for those who don’t need to be surrounded by fancy restaurants or huge resorts.

The East End was the last region of the island we visited. It is very isolated, with mostly locals and residents in the area. The ocean appeared to have some great snorkeling, but was far too rough when we went for us to check. There weren’t very many options for hotels in the area, but a few smaller ones reside in the area. There are some unique restaurants littering the road, with some local food that is slightly more affordable than that found in Seven Mile or Camana bay. This would be a calm, relaxing place to visit if you weren’t in need of any fancy dining or bars, and were really looking to immerse yourself in the culture.

Not my photo, but useful nonetheless

Food

Compared to dining in the US or the majority of my other travel ventures, food in Grand Cayman is EXPENSIVE. 10 USD for a drink and 30 USD for a meal was the norm for your average restaurant. This is due to the cost of importing much of the food into the island. Due to this, we had to improvise a bit. To save some money, buy food to eat some of your meals at your hotel/condo. The best way to buy food on the island is to buy local food. Fruit stands litter the roads with very affordable fruits, veggies, and jams. On Saturdays there is a huge farmers market near Georgetown with affordable produce (you can find the address by simply typing “Farmers Market” into google maps). Grocery stores are also a fair option, but are more expensive than the local farmers. Meats are fairly expensive here as well, with the most affordable being chicken (You’ll see why once you get there). It is also worth noting that the majority of restaurants in Grand Cayman are very Americanized. We had trouble finding delectable island cuisine on our trip.

With that in mind, here are some of the restaurants we visited during our time on the island:

Chicken Chicken is located in Seven Mile Beach, and actually had some yummy, affordable food. They slow roast chicken on a rotating spicket that you can see when you walk in the door. The chicken is quite good, and the sides are agreeable as well. The cornbread is island style and VERY good. The average meal was $10 USD, which is very affordable for the island. All in all, a great stop for an affordable lunch or even dinner.

Peppers is a restaurant near Seven Mile Beach as well. The meals were your typical 30 USD a plate, and 10 USD a drink, but the atmosphere was fun and unique. The food wasn’t anything to cry home about in my opinion, but it was good and filled our bellies.

The Lighthouse is in between Bodden Town and East End, and had what I would consider to be the best food we ate on our trip. A higher end location where meals were easily 40 USD a plate, the food was good, and had a dash of island flair. There was more culture in the food here than we had eaten at any other higher end restaurant. Also, the view was amazing!

We also ate at the Harbour Grille Restaurant in Georgetown for breakfast, which had amazing breakfast foods (I can only hope this quality reaches over to their lunch and dinner menus). The interior is also very cute, with blue and white beach themed decor. Though still fairly expensive, I would recommend this location!

Culture Shocks

Note: Differences in culture are based on my own cultural experiences, and therefore are based on what a US citizen would be shocked by. I apologize for this one sided view, but of course I am unqualified to note differences in culture for other cultures/countries, as I am only a visitor to those countries as well.

Left Sided Driving

Unlike in the US, you drive on the left side of the road in Grand Cayman. Though we knew about this before we went, it was still an adjustment for our whole group with a few near death experiences as we adjusted. There are also very few intersections in Grand Cayman, with most being replaced by round a bouts. Make sure you are comfortable with round a bouts before you try driving there. Also, it was strange as a US citizen to see people honk as a “thank you” rather than a “screw you”, so be prepared for that as well.

Chickens…. Chickens Everywhere.

There are wild chickens EVERYWHERE in the Caymans. They are perfectly harmless for the most part, and just wander around looking for food you may drop. But still, it was bizarre for me to see. Try to catch a glimpse of the baby chicks when you can, since they are generally well hidden with their mommas. I enjoyed them quite dearly, and actually managed to pet one by bribing it with food.

Money

The Cayman Islands have their own currency, the cayman islands dollar, which is similar in value (but not the same) to the Euro. 1 CI dollar is approximately 1.15 USD. Note that the ONLY currencies accepted in the Cayman Islands are the CI dollar, and the USD. So be ready to exchange money if you do not carry either.

Cuisine

As I said before, the food in the Cayman Islands is very Americanized. However, there were a few things that were unique to the region. Jamaican Jerk chicken is one of the popular dishes in the region, and is a go to for lunch or dinner if you want a guaranteed decent meal. Its chicken rubbed with a spicy Jamaican jerk sauce, then generally cooked over a wood fire or in a wood fire stove. Mango sauces are also common sauces for a plethora of meals, including bread dishes and meat sauces. It is exciting to try the different kinds that restaurants have. The other food I noticed was plantain dishes, and breadfruit dishes, both of which I have only experienced in tropical regions and are worth a try.

The People

There was a unique and beautiful blend of people that reside in the Cayman Islands. Many had immigrated from the nearby countries, such as Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. But we also met a plethora of people from far away European and African countries that had travelled to the Caymans and fell in love, so they never left.

Experiences

Stingray City:

Though very touristy, Stingray City is an unforgettable, must do experience. The stingrays are all wild, free stingrays that are by no means forced to stay in the region, but rather choose to stay due to the promise of easily accessible food. About 60 years ago, fishermen began to dump excess bait in this region so that they would not attract insects to the docks by dumping it there. By doing this, they began to attract stingrays to the area, who would eat the scraps. Older stingrays such as the one I am holding in the photo below taught younger stingrays to come here for an easy meal. To avoid the massive crowds, try to go either early in the morning or later in the evening, and avoid the weekends when the majority of cruise ships are in. We did both stingray city and the bioluminescent bay on the same trip, so we went later in the day and were only accompanied by about 4 other boats. We went with Adventura Cayman, on a private trip for $550 total (for both Stingray City, a snorkel tour, and the Bioluminescent bay) and they were a great tour group.

Bioluminescent Bay:

Since there are only 14 Bioluminescent bays in the world, I knew I had to see this one while we were in Grand Cayman. It is a once in a lifetime experience, truly, and was absolutely phenomenal. DO NOT MISS IT. We went during a full moon week, and because of this there were no tours going to the bay (the full moon apparently lessens the view of the bay), which is why we decided to do a private boat tour that would take us to the bay. Honestly, even with the full moon it was extraordinary, and I liked the fact that we had the entire bay to ourselves. There are a few ways to see the bay: snorkeling, kayaking, and glass bottom boats. We snorkeled, and I would recommend doing it that way, since it is the only option that actually gets you in the water with the plankton. The pictures do not do it justice, but I will show them anyways.

Other:

Though we didn’t get the chance to do these things, I would still recommend exploring them yourself:

  • Mastic Trail
  • Crystal Caves
  • Botanical Garden

Note: The Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman is also a popular tourist attraction. They do some turtle rescue and breeding for release, however they do still run a turtle farm and provide turtles for commercial purposes. For this purpose I chose not to go there, and won’t recommend others to do so. However, I do acknowledge the conservation efforts of the company, and respect other’s decision to go there.

Diving/Snorkeling

The reefs in Grand Cayman are massive and colorful, squeezed pack full of colorful reef fish. Some of the larger, more unique creatures you can find are turtles (loggerhead, greens, and Hawksbille), Southern Stingrays, Eagle Rays, and Nurse Sharks.

The offshore snorkeling I saw was nothing to cry home about, although there were some cool areas in Rum Point and Bodden Town. The real amazing snorkeling and diving is about 25 yards offshore, where the massive coral reefs start. As I said before, near Turtle Nest Inn in bodden town has some amazing coral reefs that are accessible through a fairly easy swim, and same with Rum point, although both areas you have to swim through a murky, algae coated area to get to the good stuff.

Farther out, there are some amazing, massive coral reefs. One trip we went about 80 yards offshore near rum point to snorkel, a place called starfish point by our guide, which had good visibility and exciting coral. It was my first time snorkeling in the evening, and we got the unique opportunity to see Midnight Parrotfish spraying eggs on the reef and ocean floor.

I also got the opportunity for a shore dive to see Devils Grotto, near Eden Rock. The coral reef here seemed to go forever in either direction, with bright splashes of color all over. I also got the rare chance to see a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle, a species that has been endangered for years. Though I didn’t come at the right time of year, they do have massive schools of silversides at Devils grotto as well, which I hear is pretty amazing.

The other dive I got to do during my time in Grand Cayman was a boat dive off of Spotts Beach. The fish life was flourishing here, and this dive probably had the highest density of fish I’ve seen on any reef. We got to see a few eels, and a group of Tarpon.

I did both of my dives through Don Fosters dive shop, which I happened upon by accident heading to Eden Rock. Both of my dives were absolutely fantastic, and the dive guides were very professional and fun. The weather did mean that dive opportunities were somewhat unpredictable, but they managed to tell me if my dives were cancelled the night before both times. Though they don’t do many east side dives, I would recommend them for any of your west side dives. I tried to do a dive through the famous Sunset House, but my dive was cancelled only thirty minutes before I was supposed to be there, and the employee I was dealing with was not gracious, so I gave up on that venture quickly.

When it comes to renting gear, all dive shops are likely to rent both dive and snorkel gear. Divers supply is the only shop I found that actually sold gear, and they rent out gear as well. This would be a good place to rent snorkel gear for your trip if thats what you need, though it is fairly expensive. I would recommend renting your dive gear through whichever shop you choose to dive through, and only rent it for your dive. That will save you a bit of money in renting.

I hope you all found this information helpful! Until next time, live free my fellow travel bugs!