Grand Cayman vs Little Cayman vs Provo for mixed group?

[qwimjim]

Little Cayman (and Cayman Brac) are great if you want to 'desert isle' type experience...truly just diving and hanging out. And the diving is great. You can get around the groceries by either bringing food, or if you have a layover in GC (a lot of flights come in around 2, but the Cayman Airways hopper doesn't leave til 5 and 6:30) there is a Fosters within a 3 minute taxi drive (heck, you can walk) from the airport. But you have to pack carefully, as Cayman Airways has slightly different checked bag requirements. 55 lbs pp IIRC.

I wouldn't split time between islands unless you are there 10 days or more..it's just too hectic..particularly since it's a solid hour of driving from the East End to the airport.

I like to think of GC as my 'starter' introduction to the Cayman Islands. Then I worked my way to more relaxation (and the Brac) on subsequent trips. If you truly do want to only hang at the house and sleep and read and dive, then you'll love Little Cayman. If you want any more than that, you'll want GC.

Well we definitely like the idea of a desert isle experience, but we also want it to be a nice island, with a nice beach and nice water If LC is nice enough to satisfy the average person, and the diving is as good as it gets in the caribbean, then i'm willing to deal with the hassle of grocery logistics.

 

[qwimjim]

So what's the story with the grocery store on Little Cayman? Some say it's got the selection of a 7/11 and don't expect to be able to shop/cook for 10 people for a week. So I called, they seem to have all the staples.. ground beef, chicken breasts, pork chops, milk, juice, eggs, cheese, yogurt, cereal, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.. prices are about double but that's fine. So what's the deal? Why do so many people discourage the idea of cooking for oneself, what am I missing?

Also, anyone have any idea what a cheap bottle of wine and a case of beer (24) costs at the liquor store?

 

[kavatski]

I don't think you're missing anything - my guess would be that people are just saying don't count on having the type of food and quantities you need available at the store on LC. Most of it likely gets barged in from GC and what's on the shelves can vary widely from day to day depending on sea conditions, weather, how many other people are buying food for big groups that day, etc. It's a small store on a relatively remote island and a certain amount of flexibility would be required on your part depending on what you find in the store. Especially if you decide not to hedge your bets by shopping for must-haves on GC.

We'll be on GC in March with some non-divers and for our group, anyway, GC was the way to go due to the number of other activities available to keep them busy when not relaxing by the pool, napping, etc. I'm also a big fan of Providenciales and have rented there a number of times. Lots of villa options, very easy access to gorgeous beaches, and West Caicos diving is the best I've had.

That said, if Little Cayman appeals to you most and you and your group are up to the logistical challenges, why not?

 

[qwimjim]

I don't think you're missing anything - my guess would be that people are just saying don't count on having the type of food and quantities you need available at the store on LC. Most of it likely gets barged in from GC and what's on the shelves can vary widely from day to day depending on sea conditions, weather, how many other people are buying food for big groups that day, etc. It's a small store on a relatively remote island and a certain amount of flexibility would be required on your part depending on what you find in the store. Especially if you decide not to hedge your bets by shopping for must-haves on GC.

We'll be on GC in March with some non-divers and for our group, anyway, GC was the way to go due to the number of other activities available to keep them busy when not relaxing by the pool, napping, etc. I'm also a big fan of Providenciales and have rented there a number of times. Lots of villa options, very easy access to gorgeous beaches, and West Caicos diving is the best I've had.

That said, if Little Cayman appeals to you most and you and your group are up to the logistical challenges, why not?

Well they're happy to go anywhere because they just want to eat, drink, sleep, swim, relax and hang out. I want to go where there's the best scuba diving Why did you prefer West Caicos over LC?

 

[ianr33]

How about this place? Right next to Ocean Frontiers on the East End

East End Vacation Rental - VRBO 30582 - 7 BR Grand Cayman Villa in Cayman Islands, 7BR-Cayman Castle: 7 BR / 7.0 BA Villa in Grand Cayman, Sleeps 18

 

[richard65]

As I live in Grand Cayman and have visited LC for diving I would say stay with OceanFrontiers or the Reef Resort in Grand Cayman. In LC look to one of the dive resorts, Little Cayman Beach Club, Southern Cross or for something slightly more different Pirates Resort. However when I stay it is at Paradise Villas which is about 25 ft from the airport (a hut in a field) but they still come and pick you up

Diving in LC is fantastic but if you are an inexperienced group or learning to dive then my advice is to look to get a large condo somewhere in the SmB area and then speak to a couple of independent dive operators as they will pick you up, carry out training and look after your specific needs. Suggestions are Epic, Cayman Diveshuttle, Indepth, Happy Fish. There are of course many more but I don't have experience of them.

If you want to stay at a dive resort then as well as OF and the Reef,take a look at Divetec and Sunset House.

Whatever you do enjoy it


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[BDSC]

Out of curiosity, are you guys operating on any kind of budget? There are some condos you can rent about a 5 minute walk from the Little Cayman Beach Resort. The reservation office is the same folks who do the reservations for the LCBR. I know they have 2 and 3 bedroom condos, they have a pool, etc. and since most folks stay at the resort, good chance you'd be the only group there. They have several packages and can include the diving in those packages. They can also include some or all meals where you would just walk down to the resort and eat. The reason I ask about a budget is this, the food is very expensive to buy at the store. Now if you truly enjoy just doing the cooking and all of that no problem. But you may find that you won't save all that much money doing it yourself. And the food is terrific at the LCBR. The food is served buffet style but it's not typical buffet food. The meal at night will usually have at least 4 different types of main dishes with salads, sides, and several great dessert choices.

Good luck with whatever you do. The diving is great on LC and having dove all three Cayman Islands, we keep going back to LC.

 

[PatW]

I have been diving on Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, in the Caymans and Salt Cay and South Caicos in the Turks and Caicos. All of these are "out islands". Little Cayman has great diving but ... it if you are not happy with diving, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, snorkeling or sitting on the beach, there is nothing else. There is one bank on the island and that is open 4 hours PER WEEK. Cayman Brac has more stuff but not much. Looking at Grand Cayman mainly from the air, it seems to be pretty developed. I understand that it has good diving and far more shore diversions. However, I like the "out island" experience so I never wanted to go to Grand.

In the Turks and Caicos, you might think of looking at Grand Turk. Grand Turk has very good wall diving and it is an interesting island with some decent amenities. It is not as developed as Provo, but it is nice.

For developed places, I think either Grand or Provo will meet the bill.

 

[qwimjim]

As I live in Grand Cayman and have visited LC for diving I would say stay with OceanFrontiers or the Reef Resort in Grand Cayman. In LC look to one of the dive resorts, Little Cayman Beach Club, Southern Cross or for something slightly more different Pirates Resort. However when I stay it is at Paradise Villas which is about 25 ft from the airport (a hut in a field) but they still come and pick you up

Diving in LC is fantastic but if you are an inexperienced group or learning to dive then my advice is to look to get a large condo somewhere in the SmB area and then speak to a couple of independent dive operators as they will pick you up, carry out training and look after your specific needs. Suggestions are Epic, Cayman Diveshuttle, Indepth, Happy Fish. There are of course many more but I don't have experience of them.

If you want to stay at a dive resort then as well as OF and the Reef,take a look at Divetec and Sunset House.

Whatever you do enjoy it


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Sorry I should have been clearer, only myself and my wife will be diving on the trip, the rest will snorkel, swim, hang out, etc..

---------- Post added January 31st, 2014 at 11:07 AM ----------

How about this place? Right next to Ocean Frontiers on the East End

East End Vacation Rental - VRBO 30582 - 7 BR Grand Cayman Villa in Cayman Islands, 7BR-Cayman Castle: 7 BR / 7.0 BA Villa in Grand Cayman, Sleeps 18

It's out of our price range We found a couple of places on LC and GC with 4-5 bedrooms for $5-6K a week, more like $4-5K/week on GC

---------- Post added January 31st, 2014 at 11:15 AM ----------

I have been diving on Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, in the Caymans and Salt Cay and South Caicos in the Turks and Caicos. All of these are "out islands". Little Cayman has great diving but ... it if you are not happy with diving, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, snorkeling or sitting on the beach, there is nothing else. There is one bank on the island and that is open 4 hours PER WEEK. Cayman Brac has more stuff but not much. Looking at Grand Cayman mainly from the air, it seems to be pretty developed. I understand that it has good diving and far more shore diversions. However, I like the "out island" experience so I never wanted to go to Grand.

In the Turks and Caicos, you might think of looking at Grand Turk. Grand Turk has very good wall diving and it is an interesting island with some decent amenities. It is not as developed as Provo, but it is nice.

For developed places, I think either Grand or Provo will meet the bill.

We were originally going to go to Grand Cayman because it's an expensive place to go as a couple compared to Mexico/Cuba/DR which everyone has been to. Getting a big house with a big group and cooking meals makes it cheaper than going to a 5 star all inclusive in cuba so it's a nice opportunity. But then I read that LC has better diving, the best in the Caribbean gets mentioned a lot, and the desert island aspect of LC is actually pretty intriguing because it's fairly unique and not something any of us would do if it was just us alone with our spouses. But being a big group of 10-12 it'll be fun just hanging out, cooking, eating, etc.. we're a big enough group to make our own fun, volleyball game, frisbee, etc

 

[richard65]

Be prepared, LC is going back to the 1950s. Great place. I recommend hiring scooters for half a day and driving around the island


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